FireAntMusic

New Folk, Old Folk

2012-01-12T12:12:00.003-05:00

Review: Live from the Old Town School of Folk Music by Lew Herman

Old Town School; Release date: Dec. 13, 2011

One-hundred-and-twenty-seven cuts here — a live digital box set — featuring the greatest names in folk music is served up as a fundraiser for Chicago's renowned Old Town School of Folk Music. Everyone's here, from Pete Seeger to Jean Ritchie. Songwise this is a huge sourcebook from "Stewball" to the "Frog's Wedding," from "Methodist Pie" to "Maple Syrup Time." The set list is astoundingly thorough with surprises galore.

Where else you gonna find Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the Mekons' Jon Langford, even Peter Case? Old standbys like Utah Phillips and Malvina Reynolds are represented as is Joan Baez doing a gorgeous version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." I loved hearing Rambling Jack Elliott, a couple of Doc Watson specials and even three acoustic tunes by Steve Earle. A personal favorite is Steve Goodman's rousing version of "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over."

On the negative side, aside from Bruce Molsky and Tim O'Brien, hardly any trad string bands are represented, nor did I hear North Carolina's Elizabeth Cotten. There were too many hackneyed yawners, like "The Cuckoo," "Home on the Range," "Polly Wolly Doodle," "Wake Up Little Sparrow," "Red River Valley" and too many Odetta cuts. But there's plenty to like — or loathe — depending on your tastes. There's Donovan doing "Mellow Yellow" and "Colours," Taj Mahal when he was fresh, Dan Hicks, John Hartford, Merle Travis, a veritable who's who of the folk world. Here's a musical gold mine, suitable for today's difficult and desperate times.

http://clclt.com/charlotte/cd-review-live-from-the-old-town-school-of-folk-music/Content?oid=2580624

Manu Chao backstage, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 2011.

2011-12-16T17:20:00.003-05:00

Manu Chao - in Charlotte, North Carolina - first time ever

2011-09-11T16:53:00.004-04:00

Manu Chao hits the East Coast for the first time by Lew Herman

THRASH UNREAL: Manu Chao

Manu Chao $33. Sept. 7. 8 p.m. The Fillmore Charlotte.
http://www.fillmorecharlottenc.com/

Multilingual, multicultural and multitalented, Manu Chao is as self-assured, amiable and charming as you would imagine. He's also a rebel, a vagabond and the driving force behind 20 years of music called Latin Alternative. In fact, he helped create it before it was so named.

It's likely you've never seen him perform, as this tour is his first time in Charlotte. "How's the weather in Charlotte this time of year?" he asks. Speaking with him recently via a connection between Charlotte, Paris and Barcelona, he's surprisingly interested in Charlotte, asking nearly more questions than me. "How's the music scene? What kind of music's there?" As I edged in a question about his tour, he explains, "It's an opportunity for me. I've only been on the West Coast [of the U.S.]. Never been up the East Coast. It's a new place — first time there — in Charlotte [and Atlanta]. I want to see and know the people."

Starting as a busker and a punk — heavily influenced by the Clash and Bob Marley — his first well-known group was Mano Negra, named after Spanish anarchists. Growing up in France — his parents were exiled there from Spain's fascist dictatorship — explains his singing in Spanish and French. Actually, he sings in seven languages, English as well as Arabic and several more exotic tongues.

After Mano Negra broke up, Chao continued under his own name, improving his sound as the years went by. Instead of a jarring, angular style, he moved in the direction of street music and found sounds from around the world, picking up on music and rhythms from North Africa, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. His band, the Radio Bemba Sound System, named for Castro's early underground radio, combines street smarts with distinctive arrangements. On recordings, he's thoughtful and mellow, while live the sound system gallops into overdrive with double-time, fist-thumping thrash.

He's sold recordings in the millions, mainly through word of mouth, played for audiences of up to 100,000 and has penned a number of classics. On "Clandestino" he sings, "My fate is to keep running, because I don't have any papers" — alarmingly similar to his own life. He won't lend his name to commercials, he totes his own bags — a true poet of the people. "We're touring because we love touring", he tells me. "We're a family. We like being on the road. It makes us happy. I'm happy to still be inspired." Asked where he lives, he responds, "I live in Barcelona in Catalonia [Spain]. My family lives in Brazil." Explaining his day at home, "We just played in a little club in Barcelona. Sure, we would do that on our tour."

Chao doesn't stop playing when the concert's over. After shows he's been known to walk the streets; in Rio and Sao Paulo he hung with the child prostitutes, in Buenos Aires he recorded with patients at the Colifata Psychiatric Hospital. "They have so much lucidity," he said in an earlier interview. "Very poetic."

Manu Chao is not the most prolific artist, often recycling his own songs and offering releases years apart. He makes up for that in consistency and quality. His most recent release is the double live CD/DVD Baionarena named for the live concert venue in France.

Earlier, essential recordings are La Radiolina and before that Proxima Estacion: Esperanza ("Next Stop: Hope") named for the Madrid metro station. And before that, his classic Clandestino. Standout tunes are "King of Bongo," "Rainin' in Paradize," "Me Llaman Calle," "Mr. Bobby," "Welcome to Tijuana," "Infinita Maleza" (Malaise), "La Vida Tombola" and "Politics Kills." On his current La Ventura Tour Manu says, "We play new songs, old songs, some from all our albums — and the live albums, too".

Like Woody Guthrie, Manu's guitar also kills fascists. Vivid, explosive and influential, he's also anti-establishment and anti-globalization. Just like Guthrie, he plays for free at rallies and strikes. But he's a crowd pleaser as well. Acoustic, electric and eclectic with mariachi horns, clever lyrics, catchy riffs, this could become a gig of the year. Could even be a gig of the decade if he wanders around town to a bar near you.

http://http//clclt.com/charlotte/manu-chao-hits-the-east-coast-for-the-first-time/Content?oid=2466008

electro cumbia

2011-04-30T16:57:00.002-04:00

04/28/2011
Chancha Via Circuito

Rio Arriba
(ZZK Records/Crosstalk International)

http://www.zzkrecords.com/

The ‘shrooms on the back cover and on the inside make it abundantly clear that this is the trippiest music this side of South America. Actually, it is from South America - Buenos Aires, Argentina, to be exact, and right now Chancha is touring the US on his "Muy Bueno/Rio Arriba" tour with ZZK label honcho/deejay El G.

Not since early Pink Floyd has there been anything so tripped out and it's not aimless jam band noodling. Argentina's ZZK label, with their deejay based music combines electronica and psychedelia with varying amounts of folk and trad, performing with live musicians and dancers accompanying their inventive knob twirling. Chancha Via Circuito is among the best Buenos Aires deejays and this, his sophomore effort, is up to his previous high standards. It's a mellow, languid yet rhythmical intro to contempo South American music. Chancha's eco-friendly music combines his electronica with the natural world. He takes indigenous chants, colonial Spanish melodies then re-arranges, transposes, recombines and decomposes them into lush, gorgeous mutations. Essentially minimalist, there's a strong emphasis on rhythms, dronings and ethnic mixes inspired by the native sounds of the South American interior.

Track one reminds me of Calexico and Iron and Wine's "He Lays in the Reins" with its old school vocal. "Cumbion de los Aves" is a remix of indigenous rhythms, replete with pan pipes, flutes, charangos and hallucination inducing rhythms. "Pintar El Sol" is more of the same, but even more hypnotic, with sampled vocals rising to the forefront. More of the same throughout, with much variety in rhythm and percussion; some are instrumental, some with vocals, including 6th cut " Revenge of Chancha" featuring one of his best remixes featuring guests, Fauna.

Only qualifier on this is "Prima," which strikes me as too much electro knob-tweaking for the sake of tweakage. A number of these cuts have turned up on other mixtapes and mashups, some better, some different but the thing about "Rio Arriba" is that it's consistently excellent, like a smooth ride on a free-flowing tropical river with Chancha as your guide to other worlds.

DOWNLOAD: " Revenge of Chancha," "Pintar El Sol" LEW HERMAN

http://72.47.238.99/reviews/view/2979/

First Look on Blurt: Fantasma on FireAnt

2011-03-09T15:19:00.003-05:00

On Fantasma City, the Buenos Aires collective serves up a spirited, polyglot mix of electro, cumbia, hip hop, reggaeton, and more.(hear their version of the Specials' "Ghost Town," below.) Out now in the U.S. on FireAnt Music.

By Carl Hanni
We live in the age of global groove cross-over, and the musical migrations seem to be picking up speed and shedding inhibitions as they go along. Nations may fuss and fight, but increasingly musicians, it seems, want to mix and match from the wide palette of world musics. This is nothing new, of course; musicians worldwide have been crafting all kinds of fascinating combinations for as long as music has been prefaced with the word ‘popular.'

South America and the Caribbean seem to have consistently been ahead of the game here. Going back at least as far as the late ‘50s and early ‘60s and you'll find thousands of examples of local combos taking little bits of whatever they heard on the radio, mixing it in with what was hot at the local record shop or sound system with their own local music, and turning out one fabulous hybrid after another. Whether it's from Columbia, Peru, Cuba or Jamaica, this part of the world has long embraced music-as-melting-pot.

Fast forward to 2010 and we have Fantasma, a group of multi-disciplined musicians, artists, and filmmakers from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Not to be mistaken with Austin's fabulous Grupo Fantasma, Fantasma play a spirited, polyglot mix of electro, cumbia, hip hop, reggaeton and whatever else they take a shine to that has a sexy groove. Fantasma is pushing the pulsating cumbia groove into some new territory and inviting everyone along to the dance. Definitively electro based (but still using plenty of accordion), Fantasma make bouncing, buoyant, infinitely danceable music that also has both humor and a socially relevant aspect to it.

Pretty much everything here is really strong and consistent. "Danza Danza," with a jaunty whistling chorus, melds electro cumbia and reggaeton into an instant dance floor classic. "Encantador de Serpientes" sounds like Egyptian Lover reborn as an intergalactic DJ street gang. "Cumbia Que Pega" and "Muevelo Que Sube" bring the hip hop forward, while "El Paisano," "Esto Es Asi" and "Cumbia Callejera" work the electro cumbia groove to perfection. Sure to draw some attention is a sci fi, Kraftwerked cumbia version of "Ghost Town" by The Specials, a wickedly great re-imagining of one of the signature songs of the 1980s.

If you're looking for some early summer in this endless winter, Fantasma have condensed it down and put it onto a CD. Look no further.

http://blurt-online.com/news/view/4762/

FireAnt's first release in 7 years! Fantasma - "Fantasma City"

2011-02-28T18:59:00.004-05:00

Release date: Feb. 28, 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011
CD Review: Fantasma's "Fantasma City"
from "Inside World Music"

Fantasma
"Fantasma City"
FireAnt Music

The neo-cumbia sounds coming out of Argentina are showcased on Fantasma's latest album, Fantasma City. The Argentinian band flirts with Tex-Mex beats, Latin rhythms, electronica, and reggae beats with an astounding result. The psychedelic and electronic elements blend with the accordion, flutes, and heart-stopping percussion with an equal amount of gritty, in your face vocals. The dance beats, wild vocals, and engaging trance and eletronica songs echo around in one's head with a result leading to a high degree of satisfying pleasure. Twelve tracks feature a range of modern and urban vocal and electronic accompaniment with some of the better tracks. It is difficult to find much fault with anything Fantasma seems to do. Fantasma City is a fantastic album with every track a party unto itself. Perfect for fans of South American cumbia music and Latin electronica. ~ Matthew Forss

http://insideworldmusic.blogspot.com/2011/02/cd-review-fantasmas-fantasma-city.html

Review: Nortec Collective "Bulevar 2000"

2010-12-23T21:59:00.002-05:00

CD Review:

Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich and Fussible

"Bulevar 2000"

Nacional Records

Release Date: Sept. 14, 2010

THE DEAL: The Nortec Collective is four artist/producers Fussible, Bostich, Clorofila and Hiperboreal. Real names: Pepe Mogt, Ramon Amezcua, Jorge Verdin and Pedro Garcia Beas. From beautiful, dangerous, deadly Tijuana they fuse trad Norteno music with post modern electronica — a total culture clash between modern and mariachi that surprisingly works.

THE GOOD: The album is sinuous, smooth and kinetic. Usually, it works, sometimes not, but at least they take chances. The recording is toe-tappy, good listening with dance-y favorites like title track "Radio Borderland," "Punta Banda," "Bulevar 2000" and "Must Love" all with trad horns and accordion meshing nicely with high-energy electronics. It's as if the original German accordion and oompah influence in northern Mexico many years ago finally paid off, came alive and landed in modern Tijuana. Other knockouts include "One Night" and "We're Too Late" with their odd retro feel and the sad, hypnotic, talky "Centinela."

THE BAD: The only misfire is "I Count The Ways" — ironically, the first song released as a single — too orchestrated, too smooth, too disco-y.

THE VERDICT: Enjoy their bi-national approach to a truly Mexican sound. Mostly sung in English, it's a treat seeing how they combine influences. Not Mexploitation, but a novel mix of new and old.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_nortec_collective_presents_bostich_and_fussible_s_bulevar_2000/Content?oid=1123078

Review - Systema Solar: "Systema Solar"

2010-10-21T22:23:00.003-04:00

Systema Solar review
“Systema Solar”
Systema Solar
Chusma Records
Release Date: Oct. 14, 2010

The Deal
Infectious, colorful cumbia and champeta music from the Colombian Caribbean. Deejay based music you can dance to, mop the floors and anything else but sit still.

The Good
Songs like “Bienvenidos”, Mi Kolombia and "El Majagual" all carry a feel-good, colorful, day-glo sound yet still reference and carry messages (drugs, war, cartels, corruption, hypocrisy, violence, poverty), though not especially in your
face. Ditto that for final two cuts, “Ya Veras” and “Quien Es El Patron?”
Non-Spanish speakers can still pick up the good-time vibe and not too much of the sadness of that war torn nation, because the music is positive and celebratory rather than fatalistic and preachy.

The Bad
The ballad “En Los Huesos” slows the pace a bit much, but only enough to lead into to the frenetic rest of the recording. Songs like “Oye”, while good, don’t quite deliver the goods or live up to expectations, by now unrealistically high because of the magnificent earlier cuts. Yes, it’s in Spanish but when has that bothered anyone?

The Verdict
If you have a job, you'll be moving and grooving while you work. If you don't have a job, it'll cheer you up. Not since the Golden Age of Reggae has such good music come from the Caribbean. Systema Solar is up there with other Colombian artists like Bomba Estereo (“Fuego”), Sidestepper and Choquibtown, adding another notch to Colombia’s international music contributions. Here is bright, ultra-vivid music for all ages.

New from Tim Maclean: "Kudzu Cognac"

2010-10-16T13:29:00.005-04:00

Featuring FireAnters
Tom Montefusco ("Wild Guitar")
and Lew ("Squeezebox") Herman

http://www.timmaclean.com/kudzucognac.html

Cumbia! Buenos Aires, 2010

2010-08-18T21:52:00.009-04:00

Tremor at Niceto Club,
King Coya
Lagartijeando
2010

More pix and article:
MIXING, MASHING, SAMPLING, BASTARDIZING: Cumbia Argentina
by LEW HERMAN:

http://www.blurt-online.com/news/view/4034/
http://www.blurt-online.com/features/view/685/

Blurt.com - Aug 12, 2010

For anyone interested in checking out surprising new sounds, you should really visit Buenos Aires.

And Niceto Club (pronounced nee-say-toe, not "nice, too") in trendy, hipster barrio Palermo Soho is ground zero. If you can't raise airfare, this summer several Argentine deejays and musicians on Argentina's ZZK label are touring North America and Europe as we speak. They played South by Southwest last year, paving the way for this year's tours. Previously they've played Summerstage in New York City's Central Park as well as big festivals like Coachella in California and Roskilde in Denmark.

I was in Argentina - and Buenos Aires - earlier this year, grooving to the new music; call it Argentine cumbia, cumbia electronica, psychedelic cumbia. There's more - folktronic, cumbiatronic, neo-cumbia, even futuristic cumbia.

When I arrived in Buenos Aires, a city of 15 million, my guidebook said, "Greeting someone with a kiss on the cheek is quite normal" or, "A long siesta is the norm between 2 and 5PM." Both were accurate, so when someone said, "Clubbing begins at around 2AM and continues past dawn," they meant it.

In Buenos Aires I headed straight to Zizek world headquarters, a house in barrio Villa Crespo, as most new cumbia is on the Zizek record label. My contacts at Zizek were deejaying at Club Niceto, so they said, "Come by at 3:30. Asking, "AM or PM?" they laughed and said, "Night!" Turns out, music may be the only thing that runs on schedule in Argentina. As my friend Marcela told me, "We Argentines don't really have a good sense of time."

ZZK and their accompanying Zizek Urban Beats Club - their mobile, roving party - is headquarters for the budding international cumbia cult. Actually, cumbia's been around for 200 years, since African slaves brought its loping beat to the shores of Colombia's Caribbean coast, mixing African rhythms with indigenous flutes and pipes. The catchy, hesitating beat is caused, they say, from the way the slaves had to dance with shackles on their legs. Cumbia's gone through quite a few changes since then and this new Zizek phase is the latest. Cumbia Villera (gangster cumbia) was the previous version and like early hip-hop, originated in tough urban slums, in this case from the villa miserias or shantytowns ringing Buenos Aires. Like hip-hop, Cumbia Villera had a bad reputation, with misogynistic tunes about sex, drugs and violence, but the Zizek folks knew it, studied it, played it. In one peculiarly ironic stroke, I was told stories about Pablo Lescano of Damas Gratis (Women For Free) - the Elvis or Bob Dylan of cumbia.

But cumbia evolves regularly, so now there's Zizek. Co-owner/honcho Grant C. Dull explained, "We call ourselves ZZK in the US, to avoid copyright problems. "You know, Zizek the (Slovenian) philosopher is kind of a rock star in the philosophical world."

Grant C. Dull is one of three label managers at ZZK and a co-founder of Zizek Club. He's a 6-year adopted citizen & cultural ambassador of Buenos Aires and a transplanted Texan also known as El G. ("I answer to both English and Spanish pronunciations.") He's also a musicologist, editor, theorist, deejay and internationalist. He runs the ZZK operation with two others, both deejays and more, Diego Bulacio aka Villa Diamonte, and Guillermo Canale aka DJ Nim. Grant was leaving soon on his North American/Euro tour, but Diego stayed behind suggesting proper clubs, musicians and bands. "You'll like the band before me. Come early at 2:30 and you'll catch them." Fantasma was the band and they were fantastico. Accordions are king in Argentina and Fantasma rocked out as a live band with accordion, reggaeton/rap and a full throttle sound, heavy on percussion. Villa Diamonte deejayed after and was more vital and contemporary than most deejays back home, playing cumbia electronica, oddities, mashups, screeches and bleeps.

***

Edgy, tropical cumbia made itself a second home in Argentina and is presently going global. There was Seattle, New Zealand, Iceland, Chapel Hill and now maybe Buenos Aires. As Grant said, "This is maybe the only time in Argentina's history that this can happen." He wasn't only referring to the music but perhaps to Argentina's recent, calamitous history; the collapse of their currency ten years ago and prior to that, Argentina's murderous military dictatorship. Now comes the rising of new music representing a new alternative in Latin consciousness; a mixing of technology with Andean cosmology, not just here but in other hotspots like Bogota and Mexico City. Buenos Aires, with its boundless, new artistic energy is like Weimar Germany in the ‘20s - or Paris in the ‘60s or New York in the ‘50s. It's emerging, hung-over from an extraordinarily horrific state of affairs - universities closed; you couldn't study sociology, history, psychology or anthropology; the economy tanked, and worse than Greece today; no one bailed them out; and they defaulted. It couldn't get any worse, but it did. There were concentration camps. Their own armed forces declared war on their own people - called the Dirty War (La Guerra Sucia), thousands were murdered. So-called subversives were dragged from classrooms, flung out of planes, babies were snatched from pregnant women who were then murdered after giving birth, their children given to childless military families. In terms of numbers, Pinochet's dictatorship in neighboring Chile was murder-lite in comparison. The word "disappeared" was synonymous with Argentina, culminating in a war with England as the last gasp of a dying military dictatorship.

After the Argentine peso collapsed ten years ago, Buenos Aires, once the most expensive city in South America, overnight became its most affordable. Foreigners, like Grant, investigated the city and the country and liked what they saw. "I came here (to Argentina) first maybe ten years ago, after the devaluation, then came back for good in 2005. Before, in the last ten years, I lived in eight countries - China, Spain, Ghana, Chile. I taught English around the world, immersed myself in many cultures. I dove into cultures, staying up all night, jamming with musicians."

So, world traveler, culture surfer Grant picks BA as his home, builds a website for travelers - people who like to hang out, play music or listen all night. "Connecting us to the rest of the world and to my own world view," is how he describes it. He came up with the bilingual What's Up Buenos Aires (http://whatsupbuenosaires.com/wuba2), and to publicize his project he and his pals threw parties every week "We wanted to emphasize local producers. After one and half years we decided to form a record label - ZZK". Not a big shot label, more a collective, "Now we have 30 deejays/bands, almost all Argentine. Only exception is Douster, who was here as a French exchange student and he's still here. And there's me." The dance parties known as Zizek Club, expanded to clubs and nightspots throughout Argentina. But the actual club according to Grant, "Is really a state of mind. We have shows in Niceto, but it's all over." In clubs El G - Grant - spins what he calls, "Mashups, bootlegs, official and unofficial releases plus the newest music from the ZZK label. Plus, found sounds, B-sides, alternative cuts."

ZZK is also live music. Grant explains, "Some (on our label) are traditional with full, live bands and percussion while some are minimalist, just using a shaker or guacharaca and go electronic. We're creating something new." ZZK infuses cumbia with new sounds - dark, psychedelica, trippy beats, reggaeton rapping, accordion sounds. Accordion is king in Argentina and being an accordion player myself, I felt at home. It's been tango country for eighty years, and now apparently, it's cumbia time.

Cumbia has a long history and ZZK brings a pleasingly progressive, cross-pollinating mix of new electronics and Argentina folk/trad. One of the groups on the current tour, Tremor, uses authentic traditional Andean instruments like charango, standup drumming and extensively trained musicians. Another positive for ZZK is having King Coya aboard. "He's part of our original Zizek Collective." His live show is phenomenal as he's an acknowledged, multi-dimensional force." Coya typifies Zizek's mutant blend of techno-cumbia/Andean trad recombinants making his music unique, adventurous and listenable.

As Grant puts it, "We're taking cumbia into 2010, 2011, and 12, mixing, mashing, sampling, bastardizing and creating something new."

Coya - real name, Gaby Kerpel - is an Argentine of eastern European background. His recordings under his own name like "Carnabailito" on Nonesuch are exquisite creations, while his ZZK recordings as King Coya are delicious mixtures of folklore electronica. His Cumbias De Villa Donde is available in the US on Nacional. He performs live with five drummers and percussionists plus sexy, charismatic vocalist/sorceress La Yegros. Onstage, Kerpel wields a snake charmer type reed attached to his melodica, wheezing weird, accordion-ish sounds, blending Buenos Aires hipster sensibilities with indigenous themes, Arabic trance and Brit trip hop making for a hallucinatory, spellbinding, experience. Tunes like "Trocitos De Madera" and "Un Nino Que Llora en los Montes de Mara" are wigged-out, rhythmic classics.

At Niceto, I watched King Coya while sipping bitter fernet con coke with my friend, Wade, who said repeatedly, "This is great! Greatest show ever." Later, he sent me an email saying, "Going to Niceto has really gotten me excited about Buenos Aires. I was getting so sick of dancing to suffocating electro and whiny reggaeton. This cumbia is legit. It's sexy. You've got to look for it and if I'm lucky enough to find it I will be very happy." He's not the only one bored to tears by endless drum 'n' bass and four to the floor house.

Other deejays in the ZZK fold besides the previously mentioned musicians are Fauna, Frikstailers, Chancha Via Circuito, El Trip Selector, El Remolon and Lagartijeando. We're not listing everyone, but all represent the top of the Argentine crop when it comes to the new music explosion. El Remolon's "Bolivia", is a minimalist mix of new and old. The Frikstailers are a mutant, stoner rap duo, with post-rock sensibilities. Lagartijeando mixes jungle chants with charango loops and psychedelica. Tremor mixes Andean flute with digital drum samples. Chancha Via Circuito is hypnotic, heavy and psychedelic. His ZZK Mixtape Vol. 2 (online) or album Rodante are both superb. All these groups are innovative, adventurous, moody and trippy. Elements of surprise and recognition add to the pleasure and fun.

Other groups in other places are joining the nu-cumbia fray. The Kumbia Queers from both Buenos Aires and Mexico City are a group to be reckoned with. Described by Grant as, "Punk rock lesbians in the Argentine punk scene, they're working now with a big producer." Not on ZZK but on good terms with the folks at the label, they've been touring Europe and are on the verge of bigger things, with their campy cumbia covers of Nancy Sinatra and Madonna. Uproot Andy from New York City has an outstanding cut, "Brooklyn Cumbia" on the ZZK's compilation (also on Nacional), while Chicha Libre, a group also out of NYC, plays Peruvian influenced cumbia - more indigenous and less electronic, using cheesier electronics than ZZK.

While label ZZK in Buenos Aires is ground zero for new cumbia, Nacional in Los Angeles is cherry picking Latin America's best and the brightest for American release and distribution - for example ZZK's compilation ZZK Sound, Vol. 1 & 2, King Coya's Cumbias De Villa Donde and Colombia's Bomba Estereo ("Blow Up"). Interestingly, all three have recently been touring the US.

The ZZK World Tour began this past June and goes through August. Beginning in Europe the tour swerves back to this side of the Atlantic to music hotspots in North America - Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle. Touring with El G are Tremor, Chancha Via Circuito and El Remolon. This is the new sound of South America and is spreading beyond its borders.

It's the real deal, not a buncha poseurs playing crud you hear all day on the radio or in clubs. This is 21st century cumbia, tripped out, dressed up. No problem if you don't understand the words, you can dance to it like mad - all night long.

Pictured above: Frikstailers. Check out BLURT's photo gallery of some of the above-mentioned artists right here.

ZZK label, club and tour info: http://www.zzkrecords.com/ (Don't forget to explore the site - there are some pretty awesome videos and music samples to be found therein!)

Review: Feufollett "En Coleurs" - Louisiana Cajun

2010-08-17T09:20:00.004-04:00

Feufollet : En Coleurs
Feufollet Records
Release date: June 1, 2010

The Deal: Here’s a highly skilled Cajun band - great vocalists, male and femme – who kick it indie style, playing multi-faceted Cajun tunes. Unusual arrangements and weird instruments - like a 1980’s digital autoharp - create extra textures and mix magic. All originals, too.

The Good: Spirited, innovative Cajun music, groundbreaking, but still highly listenable and danceable. Solid, satisfying, soulful, layered, playful, it’s creative yet still somewhat trad. Lots of variety here, not just two-steps and waltzes, even some experimental sounds, to boot. Gotta love the first tune “Au Fond Du Lac”, with it’s not too fast beat, oddly reminding me of a Cajun cumbia. The cuts are uniformly coherent and good, astonishing in this current realm of commercial music. Special mention goes to barn burner “Si T’As Fini Avec Moi.” Cut number 7,”Ouvre La Porte” has their two dueling vocalists suggesting shades of Kate McGarrigle meeting the spirit of D.L Menard.

The Bad: It’s all in French, but that gives it feeling, emotion and atmosphere. If you want the words, get a dictionary. Nevertheless, the songs most definitely work in any language.

Vedict: Energetic, expert musicians, they leave you winded with their virtuosity, panache and sheer exuberance. With their infectious Francophone take, they embody the past, present and future of Cajun music, offering an entrée (sorry) into the world of Acadian culture. Not just accordions, fiddles and guitars anymore, but with glockenspiels, piano and power chords, a new genre is born.

Been away in Argentina: Buenos Aires, Salta, Humahuaca

2010-08-08T22:05:00.007-04:00

Pix from ZZK Records, Bunenos Aires. Cumbia!

CD Review: Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - “True Love Cast Out All Evil”

2010-08-08T14:24:00.003-04:00

CD Review
Roky Erickson With Okkervil River
“True Love Cast Out All Evil”
Anti-
Release date: April 20, 2010

The Deal:
Take Roky Erickson, founder of psychedelic music - with the 13th Floor Elevators - at his drug addled best, arrest him several times at the peak of his powers for marijuana, send him to maximum-security Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for possession of a single joint, throw away the key and you have the beginning of the Roky Erickson odyssey. Add elements of insanity, addiction, bankruptcy and electro-shock therapy and you have a more complete picture, ‘til decades later producer Will Sheff, from highly regarded Okkervil River, gets the nod to produce legendary figure Roky Erickson - his first recording in 14 years.

The Good:
Well worth the wait, this is so compelling and masterful, it becomes an act of personal redemption. Call it art as it’s got heartbreak, loss, recovery – all high drama – in one powerful recording. Standouts are “Goodbye Sweet Dreams”, “Be and Bring Me Home” and title track “True Love Cast Out All Evil”, all equally moving and downright inspirational.

The Bad: Little Triple A-ish towards the end, but not in a bad way, just more mellow, thoughtful, sad and sentimental. The only real negative here is what the state of Texas did to Roky.

The Verdict:
Survival and redemption are beautiful to see and hear. If this recording of a survivor doesn’t move you, you’re way too far gone.

Slovak Rock

2010-04-18T23:10:00.004-04:00

Longital: Gloria
Sinko Records
Release Date:
March 9, 2010

The Deal:
Straight outta Bratislava comes an ethereal sounding duo singing romantic harmonies, beautifully mannered folk-ish tunes, sometimes transformed into up tempo, electronic raves. Slovakia’s best loved indie group is touring America and looking to break into a larger demographic, bigger at least than their native Slovak Republic. Melancholy yet upbeat, this is soothing, gorgeous, exotic and rocking.

The Good:
More than a duo, they have a grander sound than a mere duo. Their sampling and their virtual bandmates - one a touch screen interface and the other a drum machine - makes for exciting music containing real contrast and high drama, Picture title cut “Gloria”, an end of the world scenario complete with fish flying over flowing rivers full of music, streaming out to sea. Cut 3, “Berlin – Grenoble – Arles”, morphs into full blown orchestral sounds before returning to its original acoustic dynamic. It’s handsomely packaged with lyrics printed in both English and Slovak.

The Bad:
Slovak is not the most poetic sounding language yet the overall effect is atmospheric and compelling, like their home base on a ridge overlooking the Danube in Central Europe. Sounds nearly English-like as their native tongue has a similar cadence to English.

The Verdict:
Can be a most pleasant surprise for listeners. Playing this month’s South By Southwest festival just might provide the breakthrough they’re looking for. If music from Iceland like Bjork and Sigur Ros connects with listeners, there’s no reason Slavic soul music can’t do the same. Truth, beauty, sadness, it’s the Slavic way.

-----
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_longital_s_gloria/Content?oid=919542

Banda de Turistas CD review

2010-03-09T15:04:00.002-05:00

Banda De Turistas:
Magical Radiophonic Heart
Release date: Feb 2, 2010
Nacional Records

The deal:
Critical darlings, they’ve been called everything nice, like the greatest new band from Argentina, the latest in retro, best in psychedelic rock, best new Latin Artists, even “impeccable shoes”(!), so B de T has an awful lot to live up to, almost too much. Garage rock and psychedelic? Don’t think so. More like cleanly produced pop – a buoyant, light weight affair - with a few nods to psychedelic luminaries Roky Erickson and the Grateful Dead. Nice that they have a globetrotting Jarvis Cocker (from Pulp) - connection, for whom they open when he tours Buenos Aires.

The Good:
Catchy, frothy, spritely tunes with happy, snappy beats are coupled with positive sounding melodies. Surrealistic, mystical lyrics prevail – like title cut, “Magical Radiophonic Heart” and others such as “Todo Vaya Por la Cabala” (“Everything Goes Through the Cabala”) and Las Flores De Mal (Flowers of Evil). Personally, album finisher, tune numero 15, is the best, a one chord, instrumental wonder, “El Asombroso Misterio de La No Materia” (“The Amazing Mystery of Anti-Matter”).

The Bad:
Psychedelic, my ass. This is no psych-pop landmark like “Itchycoo Park” or anything close. But it’s a pleasant enough start in the right direction, though I wouldn’t get high to it.

The Verdict:
Lacking heaviosity, there are no bad cuts, either. No reason to hit skip for any tune as the band has presence, hooks and perhaps, staying power. Call it Latin Pop with a touch of psychedelia.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_banda_de_turistas_magical_radiophonic_heart/Content?oid=876708

New FireAnt Music.com look

2010-03-09T14:59:00.002-05:00

http://www.fireantmusic.com/index.html

Love those fire breathing ants.
Thanks to Tim Maclean - slowandloud
www.timmaclean.com

Coming attractions: New FireAnt web page

2010-01-27T12:15:00.003-05:00

http://timmaclean.com/fireant/index.html

Thanks, Tim!

http://timmaclean.com/

Manu Chau: “Baionarena”

2010-01-13T00:30:00.004-05:00

Manu Chau: “Baionarena”
Nacional
Release date:
Dec. 1, 2009

The Deal: If it wasn’t for Manu Chau, there wouldn’t be any Latin Alternative. Originally influenced by the Clash, then Bob Marley, he’s since become the world’s best known musical activist, vagabond and ex-Europunk, unknown in the US, though making inroads now via festival appearances at Coachella and Bonnaroo. His newest recording is a mammoth live appearance in Bayonne, France in typical Manu manner: explosive, exuberant, playful, and breathless. It’s a long, double CD with an added DVD, featuring the entire concert, videos from earlier CDs and brief documentary footage.

The Good: Featuring incredible back up musicians, the Radio Bemba Sound System, the ensemble is a French/Spanish version of a Springsteen concert. Like Springsteen, Manu’s songs are for the masses, featuring classics “Welcome to Tijuana,” ”Clandestina” and Raining in Paradise”. His songs are simple, repetitive, pure and powerful. Like a modern day Woody Guthrie, his guitar kills fascists. Add some Isely Brothers – think “Shout Parts 1 and 2” – and you get a powerful mix of music, message and theater. And there’s rhythm. An abundance of Latin rhythms influenced by roots, punk, reggae, and found sounds.

The Bad: Maybe too intense, maybe too long, the fast passed, double-time rhythms
leave you breathless and makes you think polka instead of punk.

The Verdict: Hardly a bad track - dance along and the delirium is contagious.
No denying his power, street cred and charisma. He sings in Spanish, French, Arabic, and English, sometimes in one song. Doesn’t matter what language he uses as his music is of the people and for the people.

Charlotte's Milestone Club

2009-10-22T12:04:00.014-04:00

Located on Charlotte’s west side, more southern fried than gentrified, the Milestone Club remains a magnet for adventurous, live music-goers. End of this month is believe it or not, is the club’s 40th anniversary. For the uninitiated, the Milestone is located on Tuckaseegee Road, next door to the Last Pitcher Show. It’s most definitely Charlotte’s answer to New York’s no longer living but legendary, CBGB’s.

It’s a tremendous sounding room for live music, capacity maybe 150, great for cutting edge music – local, regional, national and imported, whatever your taste, week after week, year after year. It’s a place to hear music in an intimate environment before the performers get famous, or while they’re at their creative best, minus the crowds and without Ticketron. Generally priced under $10.00, you can see the world’s greatest bands before anyone else. One example, REM played the Milestone on their very first tour out of Athens. “Maybe before they even used the name REM,” says current manager Neal MF Harper. Neal runs the club while partner Philip Shive does the booking.

Neal says owner long time owner Bill Flowers gave him his big break. “I wouldn’t be be running the Milestone if it wasn’t for Bill. He let me set up the sound when I was just 16. There was always something crazy happening there.”

The most famous Milestone story was when REM first toured, they had no money, so Bill Flowers let the band sleep for free on the stage. Only problem with that was he locked them in and the door can only be unlocked from the outside. Needless to say, the fellows were a little disturbed upon realizing they couldn’t get out, so eventually they busted out. According to Neal, “That was around 1984 - their first tour. Three stops in Georgia, one in South Carolina, then Charlotte and Chapel Hill”. According to Neal, REM’s manager, recently was reported saying about the Milestone, “Yeah we love that place. It’s a proving ground for bands coming up in the South.”

Even if you don’t know the bands, you can still hear cool sounds ranging from head banging metal to punk to folk to Andy the Door Bum, who runs the door on weekends and actually made a recording there while checking ID’s. “The Door Booth Album” (on Neal’s Afterbirth Casserole label) was recorded at the Milestone door alcove. According to him and many others, “The Milestone changed my life. Been working there now four and a half years. Made my first recording there and it changed my life. We recorded in the door alcove, which was a pain because everyone kept coming in and we had to keep stopping.” Andy continues, “Anyway, it changed my life because now I make music all the time and it’s just great. The Milestone made it possible,” he says.

Wandering thru the Milestone early, on a Friday night, can make you feel like an anthropologist, clipboard in hand, unearthing artifacts while noting the hieroglyphic like graffiti covering the walls. Between shots of whiskey and Jagermeister, Neal takes me to a back corner proudly showing me the Michel Stipe poem written on the wall:
“In these tears
I cry a bit
More and more
Every time
I shout for forgiveness
From these sins”
MS

Visiting the club on an October night, soaking in the smoky atmosphere, I listen to a passionate set by local Charlotte band Grown Up Avenger Stuff. Wanna talk to the band? Sure, no problem at the Milestone. Next up was M.E.G.O, louder than God, made the reinforced floors and walls vibrate.

Couple of nights later I saw the screechy Holy Smokes and heard the good time sounds of Appalucia, playing jug band music, minus the jug. Should have stayed for Josh Roberts and the Hinges but that’s how the Milestone goes; catch as many bands as you like on any given night; some are great, some are memorable and some not. And there’s always time to throw down a few cold ones nearby at the bar.

Here’s my list of favorites I’ve seen there. My all time favorite was watching Mo Tucker, that’s Maureen Tucker, the drummer with the Velvet Underground, from about 5 feet away, backed by the incredible Half Japanese. Other great, shows were the Bad Livers, the Melvins, the Go-Go’s and the Brains (“Money Changes Everything”). I also liked the Lunachicks, Superchunk, Steel Pole Bathtub, Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns, the Accelerators and of course Eugene Chadbourne. (and his electric rake!)

The best combo show was the late Hasil Adkins, Southern Culture on the Skids and Cowboy Mouth. Other memorable shows caught were They Might Be Giants, Edie Brickell (Ms Paul Simon) and the New Bohemians, Swervedriver, Hawkwind, the tragic duo House of Freaks and the Bevis Frond. I saw Hole, along with maybe 10 others, but the set was short and the gargling-with-glass-throated Courtney Love, spent half the night grousing at the bar complaining about Charlotte not being LA. Well, duh! Some people never change.

Memorable local bands seen were the Lunatics, Tom Montefusco and his Noise Orchestra, the Blind Dates, Antiseen, The Spongetones, Don Dixon and Marti Jones.

Bands I missed at the Milestone, but saw elsewhere include the likes of the Violent Femmes, REM, Love Tractor, Fugazi, Hillbilly Frankenstein, Husker Du, Dinosaur, Jr., and the Dead Milkmen.

The old player piano in the corner is gone – my favorite perch, above the moshers - but the atmosphere remains the same as manager Neal and booking dude Phillip made numerous changes. They improved the sound system, added a few racks, took out the bleachers, added a place for bands to peddle their wares and even improved and expanded the bar. Now they even sell mixed drinks. They keep up the place so it looks almost normal or at least not filthy. When run by owner and sometime manager Bill Flowers, for years he only served Miller or Bud and half the time ran out, so intrepid club goers had to hoof it down the street to the local 7/11 to bring back some cold ones, while dodging the locals who occasionally stole instruments left on the sidewalk.

Talking recently with former manager Penny Craver, drummer for the Blind Dates – now running the restaurant called Dish says, “The neighbors there were as afraid of the people attending the Milestone as the music people were afraid of them, what with their wild hair, the Mohawks…”

Penny’s take on the ‘Stone is “that it’s the place where all the various bands on small labels would play. Now,” she says, “They’re bypassing us for the larger and bigger clubs in Charlotte and elsewhere. “But it’s nice to have a club this size.”

Penny’s favorite Milestone anecdote, “Was our second night open, in 1991. We had Fugazi. People were climbing walls over the patio and jumping in. I let lots of local musicians in free. It was mad. There were 700 people there that night. Cool history in it. Times have changed. It was a great place to run.”

Besides Neal, Penny and owner Bill Flowers – who bought the place in 1969 - other Milestone managers included the personable Tony Farina, (from the Inn) the dynamic duo of Jeff Lowery and Tim Blong, who went on to run noteworthy, memorable venues like the Pterodactyl and 13-13,

Despite Penny’s thoughts, the old days are not yet over. Current manager Neal says, “If walls could talk here, you’d need ear plugs.” The Melvins – the founders of grunge – played here not too long ago. Dexter Romweber plays there this month.
My own favorite new band of neo-bohemians, Spindrift, played their first Charlotte gig of course, at the Milestone. Their spaghetti-western oater “Legend of God’s Gun” played recently at this year’s Charlotte Film Festival.

Neal has his own current favorites playing the Milestone. He says, “Captured By Robots has been real amazing every time they’re here. They come every year. The Sword became pretty big. Now they tour Europe opening for Metallica.”

Again visiting the Milestone – it’s addictive - I caught two excellent Brooklyn bands, the So-So Glos and Titus Andronicus, playing loud, fast and relentless. Weekdays often bring the best touring bands because not having decent radio, Charlotte draws smaller weekend audiences. But lying between the larger or cooler burgs, like Atlanta and DC or Asheville and Chapel Hill, brings in notable touring bands with open weekday slots.

Another excellent Milestone quirk is that the shows start late. While not good for working stiffs going in at 8 the next morning, as far as I’m concerned, I miss way too many shows by arriving at 10 at night. Who wants to be at a music hall by 7:30? Apparently, plenty don’t mind and it leads to the Milestone’s next problem. The weekday shows, however excellent, draw sparse crowds. The club is out-of-the-way in unfashionable West Charlotte, but in reality, not too distant from city center. Though other clubs are located in more desirable locations, they lack the Milestone’s mystique, attitude and presence.

Neal takes me around for one last look at the hieroglyphics on the walls, this time showing me a note signed by KMFDM:
“Itchy bitchy
Scratchy snatchy,”
which sums up the Milestone itself - short, sharp, fast, and funky.
As the cliché goes, for the Milestone this 40th anniversary is just the beginning. Let’s bring on the attitude and catch the Milestone’s next 40 years.
==========================================
Here's the layout in Charlotte's Creative Loafing, Oct. 21, 2009.
One sentence was changed plus they added a mention of Nirvana:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/milestone_hits_40th_anniversary/Content?oid=749830

Pacha Massive: "If You Want It"

2009-10-01T09:47:00.007-04:00

Pacha Massive: “If You Want It”
Nacional
Release date: Sept. 22

The Deal:
Nicely produced, edited, cleansed n’classy. Easy listening for the nuevo Latin Alternative set, with a pretense of hip. It’s a mishmash mélange; an attempt at combining world music with more contempo trends and beats - reggaeton, cumbia, meringue - in the wrong direction.

The Good:
The first 3 cuts are quite good. Cut numero uno, “If You Want It” starts with a glossy, glitzy, Motown-ish, Supremes-like intro (Can’t Hurry Love”) and blossoms into something better. Further in, cut number 8, “For a While”, has a novel sound, bordering on originality. And PachaM indeed, has a way with femme vocalist Monica Rodriguez, who offers a great voice, balance and well, sex. Along those lines, think of Mazzy Star or Morcheeba, with a lite, dreamy, soft groove, only not as good.

The Bad:
An album only a Disco Stu could love, or maybe Disco Jose. Though a bilingual album, mono-language listeners won’t lose much if they can’t follow the words, as they’re continuously vapid and clichéd. Example: “Girl…You look so beautiful”… And please, how many more synth washes can a listener take?

The Verdict:
It’s ok, if you like smooth jazz and want to appear uber hip, bi-lingual and suave. Could be a decent soundtrack for a soft-core porn pic, especially cut number 10, “To the Top”. Elsewhere, some tunes are good, some not. It’s awfully commercial and if it’s not your cup of tea manzanillo, it’s at least ok for learning Spanglish. Comprendes, friendo?

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_pacha_massive_s_if_you_want_it/Content?oid=730657

Spindrift

2009-09-03T17:33:00.008-04:00

Spindrift: “Legend of God’s Gun” (soundtrack)
Release date: July 21, 2009
Tee Pee Records

The Deal:
“The Legend of God’s Gun” music was written as a soundtrack to a film not yet made. But now that the film’s in release it seems the music’s more essential than the film. The tracks are hallucinogenic, post-modern odes to spaghetti-westerns meant to accompany a Dantesque vision of the Old West. It’s the soundtrack you hear inside your head while tripping out in the Great American West.

The Good:
Bohemian contemporaries of Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols, these sonic banditos wreck vengeance on the Spag-West genre channeling Ennio Morricone, and Sergio Leone by way of Clint Eastwood. Led by KP, Kirpatrick Thomas, the group veers from deep sludge to indigenous chantings, creating epic, cinematic music you can dance to. Cuts like “Burn the Church” and epic title track “Legend of God’s Gun,” illustrate their psychedelic roots. Early Spindrift had a Pink Floydish, psychedelic ethos paving the way for this latest sun-baked offering.

The Bad:
As a soundtrack it includes low key, spoken word, “Conversation With a Gun,” which may not be a stoner’s - or anyone else’s - cup o’tea. Still, it’s in character and there’s nothing else remotely eligible for skippage.

The Verdict:
This is a mind blowing, musical vision reflecting the mindset of inspired bandleader KP and his band, demonstrating startling clarity and originality. There are many other bands - some excellent like Calexico and Giant Sand - embodying the spirit of the American West, but this is a different type sound, whose time is now. Grab the ‘shrooms, pass the pipe and ride off into the sunset.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_spindrift_s_the_legend_of_god_s_gun/Content?oid=702753

Uncensored Actual Proof review, 3rd sentence under "The Good"!

2009-08-19T09:02:00.005-04:00

CD Review: Actual Proof: “Paradigm Shift”
Release Date: July 31, 2009

The Deal:
Intense, quietly persuasive philosophy professor forms a nimble jazz band and quietly, subtly, rocks out. With vibes in the lead, Dr. Eric Mullis (yes, he has a doctorate) and Actual Proof perform as a quartet; drums, electric bass and
keyboards.

The Good:
Though not cutting edge, the music is nevertheless imaginative, playful, lively and inventive. “Paradigm Shift” is a clean, nicely recorded disk, taped nearby in Gastonia. The band is Charlotte based and leader, Eric Mullis teaches in Charlotte at a small, local college. The entire recording is listenable and likeable and there’s not one cut that makes you want to skip tracks, lose breakfast or slash wrists. Edgy opener “The Ion” sets the pace, while “Mongo” surprises with changing tempos and Latinesque tone. There’s piano playing elegance on “Island” while there’s even a Grover Washington soundalike on “The Ride.”

The Bad:
To me, vibist Lionel Hampton’s a bore and even Gary Burton is a yawner. But catching a live Actual Proof set at Pura Vida, I became a properly appreciative, supportive and learned to love the vibraphone.

The Verdict:
Not jazz fusion, not excessively smooth, this is a disk worthy of attention. It’s got its own direction, style and identity. It’s as close to as you’ll get to real jazz in Charlotte, a notorious cemetery for aspiring jazzbos - complete with improv breaks and tight, spontaneous, musicianship. This is as good as the genre gets.

Actual Loaf review:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_actual_proof_s_paradigm_shift/Content?oid=696988

old song, still works...

2009-08-16T13:40:00.002-04:00

One love

Playing For Change Peace Through Music

Posted using ShareThis

Bomba Estereo: Blow Up

2009-08-15T13:00:00.003-04:00

Bomba Estereo
“Blow Up”
Nacional
Release Date: July 7, 2009

The Deal:
Doesn’t matter at all if you know Spanish or not. This sly, explosive hybrid of electronica, hip hop, reggaeton and Colombian rhythms will thrill you. Between electrifying Colombiana lead singer Li Saumet and electronic ringleader Simon Mejia, the recording gallops at a frantic, ever-changing pace that enthralls and surprises. Emphasis on this recording is on Colombian rhythms: cumbia and champeta; a definite plus.

The Good:
Mejia lucked out in choosing charismatic Li as front woman. However the recording isn’t merely a dance track. It’s got humor, depth, style, plus you can dance non-stop to it. Saumet’s rapping is fiery while Mejia’s loops and instrumentation is multi-tiered and nicely arranged. While others describe vocalist Li Saumet as “Joan Jett singing cumbias” or liken her to Mala Rodriguez, she also reminds listeners of Blondie, M. I. A. and a revved up, tropical, post trip-hop Morcheeba. Was wise of record company Nacional to release the explosive “Fuego” as the first single. There may well be several more candidates like, “Feelin’,” “Juana” and “La Nina Rica.”

The Bad:
Who needs someone like Joan Jett singing cumbias, in Spanish? Besides, what are cumbias and who needs’em?

The Verdict:
The world needs cumbias, especially new, electronic, psychedelic cumbias. You’ll see. In the meantime slip on your dancing shoes or just groove to the layered elements in this groove happy recording. Close your eyes and enjoy elements of dub, trip hop, dance hall, trad and electro-tropical. The language is the beat and it’s infectious.

http://nacionalrecords.com/blog/?p=390

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_bomba_est_eacute_reo_s_blow_up/Content?oid=691648

CD Review: Rudo Y Cursi

2009-08-09T13:35:00.004-04:00

CD Review: Rudo Y Cursi Soundtrack; original music and songs inspired
by Rudo y Cursi
Nacional; Release Date: Digital, May 19, 2009. Stores: June 9, 2009.

The Deal: This recording features oldies covers, like three versions of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me”. Plus there are some new artists doing new material; artists like Devandra Barnhart and new favorites, the Kumbia Queers. It’s a Mexicentric compilation of new and old, mainly of artists doing unusual, atypical recordings.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_various_artists_rudo_y_cursi_soundtrack/Content?oid=651679

The Good: The highlight of course is opening track by actor and star of the movie, Gael Garcia Bernal doing a trad ranchera version in Spanish of “I Want You to Want Me” – “Quiero Que Me Quieras”. You won’t believe your ears! This is one of the few times an actor pulls off and delivers a song exactly on target.

Been waiting to hear music by Juana Molina and she delivers the title track as expected, in fine form. Other excellent choices on this recording feature artists like Nortec Collective and the Mexican Institute of Sound.

The Bad: Couple of sappy slow, love songs – it is a soundtrack – yet still better than most. Some Anglo artists deliver tunes that are unexpected and slightly underwhelming, but still good. Talking about artists like the Black Lips and Devandra Barnhart doing their take on Mex classics.

The Verdict: Probably one of the better soundtracks you’ll ever hear. There’s wide variety; it’s contemporary and it’s trad - the best of both worlds. As for me, it introduced me to the Kumbia Queers, an extraordinary Mex/Argie feminist band that excels doing kumbia covers of Nancy Sinatra and Madonna - in Spanish.

Covered bridge, Pozo Azul, Colombia

2009-07-20T00:29:00.007-04:00

Food in Colombia

2009-07-09T17:45:00.003-04:00

Los Angeles and Ceiba Juice Bar in Cartagena

Flowers in Colombia

2009-07-08T22:20:00.009-04:00

Minca, Colombia.
June, July 2009.

Pozo Azul - In Minca

2009-07-03T16:35:00.001-04:00

Minca

2009-07-03T16:25:00.001-04:00

View from Sans Souci in Minca

Back to Cartagena

2009-07-01T12:58:00.002-04:00

Went back to old haunts today at Pie de la Popa. Showed Swiss pals, Sebastien and Ulf how to catch a bus to Caribe Centro, the annoying, huge shopping center here, in Cartagena. My goal was to get them over to my favorite cheapo bar in town, the panaderia on Calle 30 and it worked like a charm. We drank more than a few and solved all the world's problems.

Ulf was looking for a camera case to use underwater while Sebastien wanted to buy a better camera than Suzanne or one like hers. Neither was successful so we walked to the bar and had many cheap, cold beers. Then walked back to the old city from there.

Minca; a Cat Named Maus

2009-07-01T12:57:00.009-04:00

Still eating the homemade granola made by Cris, owner of the San Souci, in Minca.
Cris' dog, Rufus is the only Minca dog known to have climbed to the Lost City, located 4 days walk above Minca.

Rufus followed us as well, but only to Pozo Azul (Blue Well) and into Minca. Good companion, though. Pozo Azul is a once sacred spot for the indigenous people of the area but on weekends is frequently filled by bikers and dune buggy enthusiasts, none with any special interest in preservation of special love of place; more an excercise in noise, speed and beer.

A cat named Maus: Cris also has two cats. One named Maus, the other named Max.
neither cat has made it to the Lost City.

At any rate, Minca is the only place near the coast where you can beat the heat. Just 10 or 20 miles inland, it's high enough to have the temps a bit lower. On the negative side, instead of light rains you get heavy incapacitating rains, in the afternoon, enough to wreck havoc with the power lines. So, much of the time there was no power in Minca, which wasn't too serious a problem, though we were occasionally forced to eat cucumber and carrot sandwiches when the restaurants and stores were closed, due to lack of power.

One more negative about the climate is that while you beat the heat by going higher, there's still no hot water, so it gets pretty hard taking cold showers. But it's do-able, as it's seems you're always climbing hills and sweating. Nearly as much as back on the coast.

Parque Nacional Tayrona

2009-07-01T12:57:00.007-04:00

Tale of Two Cities:
Meeting Heather on Arrecifes Beach in Tayrona National Park, says she hates Bogota because she was robbed there twice in two days. Both times near her hostel in Candelaria. Next day, same place, I meet Luz, who loves it there, in Bogota. Asked about the music, she says she loves Sidestepper and likes Bomba Estereo and a bunch of other groups. Says Candelaria and Chapinero are the fun neighborhoods, especially for music. Staying in Cartagena, am disappointed because I thought being the home of Cumbia might be a good place for music. It's good good salsa burg, the Cafe Havana is great, vallenato exists, but musically, the best musicians or the ones open to experimention and mixing it up have left for points north and south: Mexico City, New York, LA. Peru and Argentina have better.

And what's up with Cabo, supposedly the best beach in Tayrona? Hated it! Left as soon as I could walk out. Overcrowded, no showers, awful, sardine-like hammock spaces and god help you if you get one of the good ones. Ever get sick in a three story hammock shelter with no lights, bad steps and no bathroom? Good luck. One more thing. When I went to get my hat wet, cause it's hot, very hot, a woman says, don't waste water, there's not enough. So, there's a water shortage, too. Hekuva place. Pictures look good though, but the other beaches are better, even some outside the park.

Taganga

2009-07-01T12:56:00.002-04:00

Leavin' Cartagena, which by the way is not the real Colombia

2009-06-19T19:33:00.005-04:00

Did some last minute fact checking. The cat´s name at Gato Negro Restaurant is Pook.
Dog´s name is Pepita.

Other than that, goin to Minca tomorrow. After that Tayrona National Park. Gonna sleep in a hammock with the snakes, bugs and skeeto´s. Should have some nice pix, but won´t upload for another week or two. Oh yeah, the Tayrona beaches are s'posed to be spectacular, probably a lot better than the glossy, hi-rise crapola at Playa Bocagrande in Cartagena.

Three more days passed, a minute passed...

2009-06-18T16:53:00.004-04:00

Big news here: Switched from chamomile tea to lemon grass. Woohoo! Sure is wild here. That´s manzanillo to yerba buena for those Spanish-deficient, needing something for ailing stomaches. Stuff really works.

In Cartagena went to Pizza In the Park last night. What a cool idea. You order pizza, sit in the park and they bring it out to you, drinks and all. Chairs, too.

Oh yeah, went to the Castillo de San Felipe. It´s the largest Spanish built fort in the western hemisphere, ever. On closer inspection they used huge chunks or coral that you can still see. Bastards must´ve destroyed hundreds of coral reefs for that endeavor. Fort took a hundred years to build. The tunnels underneath were built for short people so the Brits and French couldn´t travel quickly underneath.

Plaza Trinidad

2009-06-16T11:46:00.001-04:00

3 days later...

2009-06-15T18:20:00.006-04:00

Changed living places three times in three days this week, plus both of us got sick. Some fun. However, we´re sick but happy. Are at least temporarily living in luxury, by Cartagena standards. For one week, with get this, air con, flat screen tv, toilets that flush - with paper! - and amazingly, hot water. Will worry bout paying, later. Besides moving out from our family, we spent the last two nights at Cafe Havana, which seems more Cuban than Havana.

Great bar, with great live salsa music. Good drinks, too. Nice living a block away. Finally saw some vallenato music on the chiva party bus. Chiva buses are local open air buses and some run as party buses. For 12 bucks (US) you get as much Tres Esquinas rum you can drink along with Pepsi and ice, while careening down quaint city streets with a busful of drunk, screaming Brazilians, Swiss, Canadians and Swedes. Actually, one Swede. The vallenato band sounds like Caribbean scratch music, which makes sense as we are on the Caribbean. Learned the name of one new instrument, the guarachaca, a rhythm instrument that sounds and looks from a distance like a rubboard or frotoir, the kind they use in Louisiana.

One more excursion was to a mud volcano in Totumo, outside Cartagena. It´s a little teeny volcano maybe 150 feet tall. You climb the steps and the crater is filled with nice, oozy, gray mud, hundreds of feet deep. You plop in and the locals up there in the ooze start giving you a massage, resulting in you being totally covered in the stuff. Actually it feels pretty good, plus I got rid of my never ending poison ivy. After that, you clamber out, they scoop the excess mud off and you waddle down to the polluted but scenic lagoon where for a fitting surrealistic finale, the local women strip you down and wash the mud off you. They´ll even take pictures of you for tips. Really.

Found another vallenato bar, too.

Day 3, day 4

2009-06-09T12:50:00.003-04:00

As expected, it was an ordeal finding our family. The taxi driver was either dumb, had no sense of direction or was too frustrated to figure anything out. True the street numbers and addresses run in random order, but it wasn´t too difficult. Unlike say Managua or San Jose, Costa Rica, at least the streets had names.

At any rate we´re staying with a family with a houseful of people, some family, some boarders, kids, students and one friend. The family is nice, though the heat is bothering them with migraines and la grippa (colds). Of course the ac doesn´t work, but the ceiling fans do. Turned up full blast, they sound like jet engines, but do the jobl.

Started Spanish immersion school, for just two weeks - expensive but good. Nueva Lengua seems to be well organized and has a good staff and good teachers.

Disappointed that cumbias are considered folklorico here, which locally means not popular, so if it´s not salsa or merengue, no one cares. Found out about some vallenato bars and will investigate. Chompeta, a form of vallenato, is popular, so maybe we´ll find some.

First Full Day in Cartagena

2009-06-06T22:30:00.002-04:00

Found our language school which is in Getsemani, near where we are staying. Only other plan for today is to find the city walls - las murallas - that wind around the city and try walking on them, which we did. Waliking the walls was nice and breezy, but the humidity was tough. The temps are not too bad but the humidity can drop a horse. Best way to keep from wilting, is cheladas and beer. Micheladas are fine, too. Supplemented with frequent beering does the trick. Cheladas are beer, with hot sauce, lime and worcestershire sauce - on the bottom - topped with a ring of salt, like a margarita, excellent if you´ve been sweating like a pig the previous hour.

Only disappointment so far is I haven´t heard any cumbias or vallenatos since I´ve been here. Not heard or seen a single accordion, either, though have only been here slightly over 24 hours. Found the Cafe Havana open, finally. First time in three tries. Was gorgeous and the music´s great, but no accordions.

June 5. First day in Cartagena, Colombia

2009-06-05T20:34:00.005-04:00

"We are beginning our descent and will be flying to some turbulence," said our Avianca pilot, shortly before landing in Cartagena, Colombia. Not that great an introduction, but by the time we landed the audience, rather the passenges, erupted into 2 distinct rounds of boisterous applause, thrilled at our safe landing amidst some horrific, dark looking clouds.

Other than that, Cartagena appears to be a cross between Havana and New Orleans - being hot, humid and historical. I wont draw any further conclusions as I have been up since 4 this morning and everything looks kind of bleak right now, though must say, this city seems have have a lot of potential interest and lots secrets to gradually unlock.

Mexican Institute of Sound: "Soy Sauce", Nacional

2009-05-14T14:36:00.001-04:00

Mexican Institute of Sound

2009-05-14T14:11:00.007-04:00

Mexican Institute of Sound:
“Soy Sauce”
Release date: April 7th, 2009, Nacional

The Deal: MIS in actuality is Camilo Lara, who started out as a knob twirler but is now readily acknowledged as a showman, producer and a creative, versatile musical force welding Mexican rhythms to a progressive mix of North American beats and electronica, recombinant with rootsy cumbias, boleros and even mariachi. Anything in fact from lounge core to beatbox to funk.

The Good. Music with wit, style, grace and imagination is always welcome but Lara’s myriad musical references are mind boggling and make for a highly entertaining and rewarding listening experience.

The Bad: After hearing the first cut “Cumbia” I was disappointed that the entire CD wasn’t full of cumbias like that one. However, the intrepid listener gets over that issue soon enough as so much else is going on. Variety abounds as tunes like “White Stripes” show off hiphop influences while two disparate versions of “Alocatel” even highlight references to Papa Ooh Mau Mau, as delightful as it is ridiculous. Influences abound from the Beastie Boys to the Beatles, all in the confines of Mexican trad and progressive. Think Café Tacuba with more drugs.

The Verdict: Expand your mind and get the disk. For less jaded listeners, get ready for a musical trip and adventure from cumbias to polka to punk; or as Lara describes it, “Hip hop with a Mexican vibe.”

Lew Herman
Creative Loafing/Charlotte/April 21, 2009
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_mexican_institute_of_sound_s_soy_sauce/Content?oid=613245

"Infinity": Warsaw Village Band

2009-04-28T09:39:00.004-04:00

"Infinity": Warsaw Village Band. Review.

2009-04-28T09:33:00.004-04:00

Warsaw Village Band: “Infinity”
Release date: April 7, 2009, Barbes Records

The Deal: Here’s an imaginative cross between Rasputina, the B52’s and Arctic Paradise compilations. Or, think Irish trad meets Carpathian call and response. Actually it’s Polish/Slavic soul with strong Irish, Klezmer and Scandinavian overtones. Some pop and hip hop are even thrown in along with African and eastern influences – think ragas - making for a delightfully expressive and emotionally powerful CD.

The Good: Numerous catchy ditties are combined with insanely, brilliant femme harmonies. Some tunes are shimmering and dreamlike while others are beat heavy, improvisational and riveting. Songwriter Wojtek Krzak wants to, “Present the music of the past in a modern way for the next generation. People have forgotten that pop music comes from the past”. “1.5 Hours” captures the Polish Klezmer tradition while tunes like “Skip Funk” and “Is Anybody In There?” seriously funk up trad Pole tunes.

The Bad: Well, it is sung in Polish which can be limiting for some. Maybe not for everyone, especially listeners craving the familiar.

The Verdict: Outstanding in its consistency. It’s all good, every cut. You don’t need to understand the words because the emotion will sweep you away. The power of the arrangements, the voices and the grandeur of the music will make you think of Polish music in a much different light. If this music was around in 1939 maybe Germany would never have invaded. Beautiful packaging and notes, too.

From Creative Loafing, Charlotte, April 8, 2009.
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_warsaw_village_band_s_infinity/Content?oid=603822

Home sweet Calle Kiskapata, Cuzco, Peru

2009-01-26T11:56:00.003-05:00

June 8, 2008

2009-01-22T12:11:00.003-05:00

Day 2, Sunday, June 8, 2008

Now it’s Sunday morning, 8AM. Arrived here Saturday – from Lima airport to Cuzco, Peru - in an altitude induced haze and stupor; headachy, woozy and bereft of Beth (Bethless). Cuzco at 11,000 feet altitude, in winter, is a shock to the system. That plus below freezing temps at night - though sunny and relatively warm by day - and no heat, just blankets, makes life tough for tourists. Up 8AM-ish, I was in bed 12 hours. Found a sunny corner to warm up in and waited for my ride to the airport, hopeful of seeing Beth. Flying American Airlines, you never know if she’ll make her flight or not. (In retrospect American did cancel her flight again, but she wrangled a flight on USAir instead)

Somehow I found a hilltop hostel in the heart of Cuzco. I’m a sometime member of HI (Hostelling International) so this was a pleasant coincidence. Sipping my hot coca tea, I’m collecting my thoughts and hoping to meet Beth in a few hours. Long story short, we plan to attend an immersion program in Peru’s Sacred Valley – in a town called Urubamba – an hour outside Cuzco, where it’s slightly lower in elevation and better, slightly warmer. Pablo, who heads the school, met me at the airport in Cuzco and hearing my story suggested I remain in Cuzco and wait for Beth here. That’s OK with me, as I want to see Beth as soon as possible, if she ever gets here. I’ll know in a little while, as Pablo will theoretically arrive and take me to the airport.

Spent the previous (Saturday) afternoon and evening wandering Cuzco in a disoriented state, finding a killer local restaurant with home cooking (El Fogon) in one neighborhood and afterwards wandering through alleys and steep hillside streets, gasping for air. That’s probably why I went to bed freezing, under 20 pounds of wool blankets, with an altitude induced headache artfully combining stress and oxygen deprivation, impossible to alleviate.

Roads to Ruins; In Peru - Day 1

2008-12-16T11:17:00.004-05:00

Peru: June/July 2008

Day 1: Lima Airport.
Not a Good Start

Friday, June 6, 2008.

Was wondering why I kept hearing my name announced on the loudspeakers at Lima Peru’s Chavez International Airport. The plan was to fly to Cuzco, Peru from Charlotte, North Carolina by way of Toronto, then Lima. First I heard my name announced in Toronto. I talked with Tracey who sat with me on the plane from Toronto to Lima. I said, “I coulda sworn I heard my name announced.” We landed at Lima, went thru customs at 1AM, afterwards attempting to sleep while waiting for a morning flight to Cuzco. Actually, I was waiting for my wife who was arriving separately on a 6 AM flight, then would fly later that morning to Cuzco.

At the airport we stretched out and slept sporadically. Foot traffic to the food court was not conducive for deep sleep. “Wake up you losers,” was one charming comment we overheard. I thought I heard my name announced periodically throughout the night but figured they were saying Lewis Sherman or something similar. Finally, my wife’s flight at 6 AM brought me to the main floor arrivals area where all announcements were loud and clear: “Lew Herman report to the Public Service desk”, was what I heard. That was shockingly clear and at the nearby service desk, two smiling women were telling me in slightly garbled English that I had a message saying, “Beth Wilkinson is still in Miami.”

I found the all night internet and phone shop easily because we were dozing 20 feet from it. I phoned Beth’s cell, which I knew she wouldn’t take to Miami and reached her with great relief. Her story was worse than mine. “I waited 5 hours in Charlotte for the American Airlines plane from Miami and it never arrived. Then American Airlines lost everyone’s luggage for 2 and a half more hours, even though it never left the airport. Been trying to reach you ever since. Had to phone every hour all night long as the Lima airport wouldn’t take any messages. Hope to be on the same flight tomorrow.”

What a disappointment! What to do? Make a plan. OK. Don’t stay in Lima. Take my scheduled flight to Cuzco and meet Beth there; somehow, later.

Roads to Ruins: Peru, June 2008

2008-12-16T11:10:00.005-05:00

Two weeks later, in Miraflores.

Remember RL Burnside?

2008-11-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

Welcome Grandson Cedric:

Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm
“2 Man Wrecking Crew”
Delta Groove Music: October 21, 2008

The Deal: Cedric Burnside, masterful drummer and grandson of late north Mississippi blues giant R.L. Burnside assumes the mantle of a touring blues musician. One always hopes offspring are as good as or better than the originals: think Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, John Lennon and their sons Ziggy, Femi and Sean. Are they as good as their ancestors?

The Good: “Wrecking Crew” has moments of brilliance, though lacks the raw energy, gutbucket punk and downright nastiness of Daddy RL. Still, there’s plenty of slide guitar evoking back catalog Fat Possum and memories of Cedell Davis, Junior Kimbrough and of course RL. The Black Keys would be at home with this duo.

The Bad: Aside from the opening homage to “R. L. Burnside”, the CD doesn’t get rolling until song number 8 - “Fightin’” - which kicks, north Mississippi juke joint style. Thirteenth cut “Tryin’ Not to Pull My Gun” nails it as well. Despite the CDs slow ignition the tail end catches fire.

The Verdict: This is a duo to watch as Cedric and Malcolm make a fine blues racket. Consider this a heads up for up and coming blues from north Mississippi, especially significant as giants like RL and Junior Kimbrough pass on while other Mississippi bluesmen like, T-Model Ford, are still around but aging. Ragged but right, Malcolm and Cedric herald the new generation of young, raw and ratty new blues. The ghost of Mississippi Fred McDowell lives on.

Lew Herman
Creative Loafing, Charlotte
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_cedric_burnside_and_lightnin_malcolm_s_2_man_wrecking_crew/Content?oid=403515
Published 11.11.08

Cats'n'cuy: Animals Among the Ruins

2008-11-11T16:50:00.009-05:00

Cuy: Ollantaytambo, Peru

Dog with sweater: Urubamba, Peru
Chaska the Cat:

Chaska Wasi,

Ollantaytambo, Peru

Road to Ruins; Lew in Peru - June/July, 2008

2008-10-08T11:18:00.005-04:00

“So how do I get to the Sacred Valley?” asked the middle-aged American - at Norton’s Rat Tavern – No Disco, my favorite bar in downtown Cuzco, Peru. “You staying at a nice hotel?” She nodded and I said, “They’ll know a driver or two. They’ll set you up.”

As for me, traveling independently, five weeks in Peru, mostly in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, it got weirder when the locals began asking me for directions. At any rate, I could get to the Sacred Valley for just a fistful of soles, Peru’s latest currency.

Lying north of Cuzco on the tourist route to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley includes Inca ruins, interesting towns (Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Urubamba), ancient villages, towering mountains and fast-flowing rivers (the Vilcanota/Urubamba River).

Cuzco, center of the Inca Empire, laid out in the shape of a puma, is the center of the world for tourists visiting Peru. Originally called the navel of the world, a gorgeous city and World Heritage site, it looks and feels dream-like and that’s not just the altitude. At 11,000 feet and relatively near the equator, it gets dark by 5:30PM and it gets cold. Real cold. Nighttime June temps hover between 30 to 35 Fahrenheit and most places don’t even have heat. Ritzier hotels may provide heat (and oxygen) but most do not. The only warm places at night are selected restaurants and bars. Due to the cold it’s surprising how early tourists and travelers find themselves going to bed.
I was leaving Cuzco the next morning for the Sacred Valley. One route goes northeast through Sacsayhuaman and Pisaq while the other goes due north through Chinchero, towards the middle of the valley, which runs north of Cuzco. If you follow the Vilcanota River west, you’ll arrive at the foot of Machu Picchu. But getting there gets complicated.

And it highlights some dualities about contemporary Peru. There are two ways to travel in Peru; on a group tour or independently. Peru is inundated with group tours which generally separate the tourists from the Peruvians. Likewise, you could also differentiate between local vs. foreign and cheap vs. expensive. The closer you are to where you’re going, the cheaper your costs. Make tour arrangements at home, chances are you’ll pay more. Make them in Cuzco, it’s less and make them traveling locally and independently and it’s even cheaper.

Someone once said, “No one learns anything traveling first class”, and it defines how and why
my wife and I travel so much. For us it’s the greatest chance to learn about another place in depth; language, culture, people, politics, food, music. Peruvian music alone is worthy of a long visit as there are traditional huaynos (remember Paul Simon’s “El Condor Pasa”?) and cheesy, electronic Musica Chicha, blasting from every bus and storefront.

Getting to Machu Picchu is the goal of most visitors, as the Peruvians remind you, “Machu Picchu is Peru.” Tourists must take the “foreigners only” trains at foreign prices, from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. We of course chose another way. We were staying in Urubamba for a week, a small city in the Sacred Valley, studying Spanish and living with a sweet Peruvian family. They suggested, “Instead of leaving from Cuzco, why don’t you skip class Wednesday and go to Machu Picchu instead? It’s the quietest day; fewer tours.”

So here’s what we did: Got up at 4:30AM and left at 5 for nearby Ollantaytambo, where a train left at 6. Ollantaytambo is more than halfway to Machu Picchu from Cuzco, so the trip is way shorter and theoretically less expensive. We took a motorcycle taxi from our house to the bus station, caught a combi - combis are well used Toyota vans - for the half hour ride to Ollantaytambo, then another motorcycle taxi to the train station, arriving with barely two minutes to spare. Motorcycle taxis, called motos, are motorcycles with two wheels in the back used for local in-town trips. They can hold two people and a bit of luggage.

Peru’s transportation system seems anarchic but it works; sort of. Each bus line has its own bus station in every town. A few towns have a central bus station, but don’t necessarily include every bus line. That’s why you always tell the taxi drivers where you are ultimately going, so they know where and at what station to drop you off. Besides taxis and combis, there are colectivos, costing less than taxis, more than combis and are usually sedans, not vans - with fewer passengers and fewer stops. Cheaper combis pick up as many people as they can stuff, sometimes 15 or 20 with luggage on top. Buses are slow but dirt cheap. Most stop everywhere, but if not in a rush you can meet the locals and often a chicken or two. Hence the phrase “chicken bus”.

Our train to Machu Picchu took an hour and a half to get to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes is accessible only by train, sometimes never, as there can be landslides, flooding and labor or peasant unrest. There are local Peruvian trains that travel this route and several strictly available for foreigners. You can even walk, using the Inca Trail bypassing Aguas Calientes but that takes four days and costs just as much. For that matter you can hike for free from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu up a well marked trail, but you’ll probably be too tired to enjoy the ruins.

Upon arrival I began calling Aguas Calientes, Gatlinburg, as it’s the same kind of ultra commercial, touristy burg at the foot of scenic mountains, beside a rushing river. Like Gatlinburg, everything is for sale, minus the candied apples. Being Peru however, the power was out, and we purchased our Machu Picchu admission at the park entrance on top of the mountain. To get there we rode fancy, comfy Mercedes buses, though the road up was on a narrow one lane dirt road; fourteen switchbacks, no railings, no chickens. At the top admission was $40.00 dollars US, payable only in Peru’s nuevo soles. When prices are quoted in US dollars, that’s usually what’s required. But, with the weakening of our currency, it’s in less demand. Official park rules for admission state “no backpacks” and “no food” so you can imagine the high cost of food and lodging there. We smuggled in our daypacks as they were filled with massive homemade lunches - sandwiches, fruit and a thermos of hot coca tea, the local cure for altitude, hunger and upset stomachs. By the way, a room at the Machu Picchu Lodge costs a cool $915.00 dollars; over $1,000 with a view!

It was raining in Aguas Calientes and a chilly rain was waiting for us at the summit.No postcard, sunrise arrival for us, just gray mist and no view. Instead of awe inspiring grandeur, all we saw were tourists in multicolored plastic rain ponchos walking into clouds. So much for the dry season.

Eventually, the clouds lifted and we were treated to a spectacle of an ancient city clinging to a mountaintop surrounded by fluffy, white clouds, both above and below. It was OK waiting out the rain by sheltering in a 500 year old Inca hut, but it was even better getting out and exploring the vast acropolis. Unfortunately, the crowds were awesome as well so we made a beeline in the opposite direction. A friendly park attendant had suggested we head away from the ruins on an Inca trail heading towards Intipunku, the Doorway of the Sun, the official end of the Inca Trail, where exhausted hikers get their first glimpse of the ruins. The hikers we met were too exhausted to appreciate the spectacle saying, “We just want a hot shower. We’re soooo tired.”

These ruins are extraordinary simply because they were never discovered nor seen by the conquistadores. They were not seen by outsiders until 1911 when intrepid American Hiram Bingham first took note. As a result, the buildings weren’t leveled nor were other buildings built upon the foundations. Here the entire city is intact and the mountaintop is dotted with buildings, ruins, trails and unexcavated sites. In fact throughout Peru people are regularly discovering new sites, buildings and even mummies. Traveling here one feels like an explorer rather than a tourist and the mountains are so inspirational that many say the sights bring them to tears.

We took the trail to Intupunku, winding along a cliff. There were various stopping points, many unmarked, all of them mini-Machus or what looked like Inca rest stops. Now the weather was hot in the sun and cool in the shade. The snow packed peaks of the surrounding cordillera became visible. By 2:30PM the massive tour groups left the ruined city and we made our way back, descending past the Inca guardhouse and wandering through the roofless remnants of a once powerful city.

The park closes at sunset and we caught one of the last buses down. We returned to Aguas Calientes - still no power - but we found cold Cusqueno beers at the foreigners-only train station. This train station had power, using generators, hence the cold beer plus working computers, enabling us to catch an earlier train. We found the correct train (no signs); tired, sun-baked and altitude sickened, but we didn’t care. As long as we got back to Urubamba, we were happy. We were back in sweet home Urubamba by 8 and exhausted, in bed by nine.

In Peru, we spent most of our time in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley but managed several trips beyond. Places like Quillabamba are beyond the mountains surrounding the Sacred Valley. Called the high jungle, it’s warmer, as it’s at a lower altitude, and much buggier. Buses and combis are irregular and we once rode back to town on top of a farm truck. Nice views from up there. We shared the space with some Quechua speaking folk, sacks of coffee, organic bananas – they offered us some – a dog and a chicken.

Another trip was to Lares with possibly the best hot springs in Peru. It’s a rough dirt-road, bus trip over and around 20,000 foot peaks but worth the effort. There’s nothing like sitting in natural, volcanic hot springs in the middle of the night, looking up at millions of stars on a clear, crisp night and letting the water massage away your aches and pains.

Peru is making rapid economic progress but is still is not a toilet paper country. Hot showers are readily available but mostly they are the dangerous electric-wiring-above-the-shower-head variety. Lima, Cuzco and the Sacred Valley are the most expensive places in Peru to visit, though still a bargain for most Americans. No visas are necessary, unlike many other South American countries now practicing reciprocity.

Foodies take note: you should recognize differing cultural attitudes toward food, as you wouldn’t want to eat what at home would be considered your pet. For example, the most popular meal on special occasions in Peru is cuy or guinea pig and cuyerias abound. We were roped into eating one and I must say, they don’t taste like chicken. They’re actually better.

Other foods, especially soups are great. Soups use quinoa, a high altitude wheat/barley substance that is healthful and tasty. On the other hand many dishes use llama or alpaca and the favorite Peruvian street meat, called anticuchos, are actually sliced beef hearts on a stick.

On your way out of Peru beware the hefty airport exit tax, provided you find the hidden alcove
where you pay. You can’t leave until your boarding pass is stamped paid. In Peru it’s $30.00 dollars and change. Cash only. And if you’re stuck at the Lima Airport, like I was, the Starbuck’s on the second floor has some really comfy chairs.

Written by Lew Herman, August, 2008.
Featured in Uptown Charlotte Magazine, October 2008
http://uptownclt.com/content/view/214/2/

Anything to declare? Don't fly to Peru (or Miami) on American Airlines.

2008-09-11T16:56:00.011-04:00

Our first day in Peru - almost!

From American Airlines:
Please accept my apology for the difficulties you
encountered when you traveled with us and your
flight canceled from Charlotte on June 6. From
your description of what happened it certainly
sounds as if the entire experience was aggravating
and uncomfortable. I am truly sorry we didn't provide the
level of service you expect and deserve.

I further regret the additional problems you described
including baggage problems. I know it was disappointing
not to locate your baggage right away and then to
discover that your belongings were damaged...
Our position in no way suggests that we are insensitive
to what happened...

Customer Relations
American Airlines

Sidestepper:The Buena Vibra Sound System

2008-08-28T16:25:00.005-04:00

Sidestepper: The Buena Vibra Sound System

Release Date: August 5, 2008, Quango/Palm

The Deal: Call it a rootsy remix of Colombian electronica; a worldbeat cross between Fela Kuti from Nigeria and Jamaica’s Sly and Robbie meeting Sergio Mendes of Brasil 66.

The Good: If you’ve never heard of Sidestepper or Richard Blair this is as good a time as any. He calls his music Colombian Afrobeat and it began when Blair visited traditional singer Toto La Momposina in Colombia and never left. While there, the DJ/musician picked up engineering gigs and then put together a live band mixing together musicians from both coast and interior, thereby creating a new, original Colombian sound.

The Bad: Though fine and dandy, the Sidestepper originals are better. How badly do we need a club version of the already excellent “Mas Papaya” or “Deja”? How much can you improve Sidestepper classics?

The Verdict: A nicely done recording, more suitable for Sidestepper completists and those addicted to DJ remixes. For everyone else, find the highly recommend originals: “3am: In Beats We Trust” (2003) and “More Grip” (2000). Sidestepper performs live and/with DJs, often combining salseros with hip hop. Though this recording attempts to recreate their club sound, better see them live, with their large, live band. It’s different, joyful and of course highly danceable.

In Creative Loafing, Charlotte, North Carolina. Published 08.27.08:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_sidestepper/Content?oid=350083

Feufollet: "Cow Island Hop" - CD review

2008-08-11T15:12:00.008-04:00

CD Review:
Feufollet:
Cow Island Hop
Valcour Records
Release date: July 1, 2008

The Deal: Latest rebirth of Cajun and it’s the real deal. Contains accordion solos that can change the world.

The Good: So many superlatives here; New arrangements, rhythmical grooves, spooky ballads, strikingly new sounds yet still respectful of Francophone culture.

From the glorious opening din of “Prends Courage” through raucous Cajun two-steps, the ghost of D. L. Menard lives. Incorporating scintillating syncopation, stylistic advances and unconventional arrangements, this young band of six playfully experiments with various elements and pulls it off. Veering from tradition with backwards vocals, mellotrons and horn arrangements, this 20 something band closes in on Louisiana standards with a new take, new arrangements and a new look.

The nearest translation of Feufollet is “merry fire” or “fairy fire” which is the Cajun folkloric version of a will o’the wisp or foxfire. But whatever the translation these folks conjure up the sounds of the legendary Louisiana Aces and Steve Riley, adding new twists and turns yet remaining faithful to the music’s integrity, drive and traditional themes. Vibrant, subtle, bouncy and lively as a flying mallet, this CD is one helluva pleasant surprise. Good production, too. It’s gratifying that Lafayette, Louisiana is producing wonderful homegrown talents such as these.

The Bad: Only that the music finally ends. A nouveau, retro breakthrough.

The Verdict: If you like energetic accordions, fiddles, nasally vocals (dude sounds like Joe Henry), rollicking dance tunes, waltzes and musical experimentation, tune in. These archival kinds of guys – and one female - step up to the mike and deliver.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/cd_review_feufollet/Content?oid=341463

Making Notes: Music of the Carolinas

2008-08-04T15:14:00.003-04:00

Making Notes: Music of the Carolinas is released (5/6/2008)

Novello Festival Press is pleased to announce the release of its newest title, Making Notes: Music of the Carolinas, edited by Ann Wicker. The book is a lively, readable sampler of more than 50 essays, articles and recollections about the music and musicians with roots in the Carolinas – and how this musical legacy continues to grow and thrive today.

The region is famous for being home to musicians as diverse as James Taylor, James Brown, John Coltrane, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Nina Simone.

Here's my contribution:

Hotel Charlotte
One of the best musical secrets of Charlotte, North Carolina is the once glorious, then faded, then imploded, Hotel Charlotte. Located on West Trade Street, conveniently down the street from the old train station and more recently the Presto Grill, what’s left are the hundreds if not thousands of recordings made in the hotel’s upper floors during the 1930’s and 1940’s, during the heyday of the hotel and a corresponding golden age of American country, blues and gospel recordings.

In the 1930’s Charlotte was a major recording center for country, blues and gospel. Hundreds of sides were waxed in a suite of rooms on the Hotel Charlotte’s 10th floor. According to Tom Hanchett’s “Recording in the Charlotte Area 1927-1939”, “It is possible that the Charlotte area was America’s busiest recording center during the years immediately before World War II.”

By 1937, recording sessions in Charlotte were so frequent that RCA Victor needed a permanent studio. They took over three top-floor rooms of Charlotte’s then, most exclusive hotel. They knocked out walls and partitions, draped walls with heavy curtains and created one large recording area. Rooms 1050, 1052 and 1054 were located at the rear south corner of the hotel. Though primitive by today’s standards, it was a step up from Charlotte’s temporary warehouse studios of previous decades.

In 1936 the Monroe Brothers - Bill and Charlie – had already recorded their first songs,
“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” and “What Would You Give in Exchange For Your Soul?” and had their first major country hit records. So, in 1937 and early 1938 they recorded additional songs at the Hotel Charlotte studios. These were their last recordings made as the Monroe Brothers. Later in 1938, the Monroe Brothers split up and Bill Monroe formed his now-famous Bluegrass Boys, becoming well known as the Father of Bluegrass.

Many other well-known groups of the day also recorded at the hotel. A partial list includes the Delmore Brothers, known for their harmonizing duets (Doc Watson often performs their “Deep River Blues”), Mainers Mountaineers and their various family offshoot bands and the Blue Sky Boys (“Are You from Dixie?”, “I’m Just Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail”). Banjo star of the day Uncle Dave Macon (and his Fruit Jar Drinkers) made last recordings here at the Hotel Charlotte, as did the era’s most influential fiddle player, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith (no relation to Charlotte’s Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith, of “Dueling Banjos” fame). The Georgia Yellow Hammers, a well-known out-of-state string band also recorded here as did the Dixon Brothers. The Dixon’s “I Didn’t Hear Anybody Pray” became a monster smash for Roy Acuff retitled as “Wreck on the Highway”. Even the Carter Family, in Charlotte for their radio show on WBT, recorded at the hotel.

Local Charlotte stars such as Homer Sherrill and brothers Wiley and Zeke Morris recorded at the hotel as did Homer Briarhopper, Fred Kirby, Cliff and Bill Carlisle and various versions of the Briarhoppers, who were created by WBT radio’s Charles Crutchfeld. Also recorded at the hotel were the big band sounds of Bob Pope’s Hotel Charlotte Orchestra as well as numerous amateur and part-time musicians. As late as 1945, RCA Victor recorded Cecil Campbell’s Tennessee Ramblers and Claude Casey at the hotel studios.

One particular session from the Hotel Charlotte in August, 1937 even today remains a pivotal point of the early country music era. According to Tom Hanchett, J. E. Mainer’s session with Cleveland County (NC) banjo player Dewitt “Snuffy” Jenkins led directly to today’s bluegrass banjo sound, popularized by well-known Cleveland County legend Earl Scruggs. These sessions featured for the first time, Snuffy’s characteristic three-fingered banjo playing, which influenced Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and of course Flatt and Scruggs and all else that followed.

Black Gospel groups were heavily recorded at the Hotel Charlotte. The most influential and widely copied group, the Golden Gate Quartet, began their recording careers at an August, 1937 RCA session. The following year they played New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of the significant “Spirituals to Swing Concert”. This legendary event combined big band stars of the 1930’s - Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Meade “Lux” Lewis - along with blues and gospel musicians. It also led directly to the folk music revival, rhythm’n’blues and the birth of rock, decades later. Another popular gospel group recording at the hotel were the Heavenly Gospel Singers, an a cappella quartet rivaling the Monroe Brothers in record sales.

Quoting Hanchett again, from twenty or so years ago, “This historic (Hotel Charlotte) studio survives today, untouched… some metal component racks and microphone cables remain in place and there are bits of electronic debris – knobs, tubes, broken switches in the corners.” Actually, even less is visible today as Hanchett’s notes were written twenty years ago. As is the custom in Charlotte, this historic structure was torn down - imploded – and even less was saved. In its place now is the modernistic Carillon Building, a pleasant enough, luxury high rise, office building, whose lobby houses a spectacular Jean Tinguely kinetic sculpture, consciously incorporating former objects of the old hotel. If you look closely you can see the lion’s head a gargoyle that once graced the façade of the old hotel, now reduced to spouting water.

There were only a few other permanent recording studios in the American south in the 1920’s and 1930’s. These were in places like New Orleans, San Antonio and Atlanta. Most have long been demolished. The fact that the Hotel Charlotte survived so long – until the 1980’s – suggests that it was considered by many to be of unique historical importance.

All that is left today of Charlotte’s other early recording sites is a plaque commemorating the demolished Southern Radio Corporation building at 208 ½ South Tryon. This was an earlier temporary studio where Bill Monroe recorded his first hits and other country, blues and gospel performers first recorded in Charlotte. And there are still a few bits left of the old hotel in an upscale bar and restaurant, several miles distant called the Hotel Charlotte, where they’ve incorporated some original doors from the old hotel and still use half the hotel’s original old bar. They even store the original elevator cage in their basement along with other bits of memorabilia, like an old menu showing hamburgers at 15 cents. But like the earlier temporary studios, the Hotel Charlotte finally disappeared into dust and little remains but the ghosts and their fine, outstanding music.

BDSMN:Blood Done Sign My Name

2008-07-27T22:36:00.004-04:00

One days shooting, Gastonia, NC, May 2008. Film is based on the book, a true story by Timothy B. Tyson about racism, reaction and reform in Oxford, NC back in 1970.

Winter in the Andes

2008-07-20T14:33:00.004-04:00

Even the cats dress warm.

Will be back soon. Been in Peru for five weeks.

2008-07-11T20:37:00.003-04:00

"Leatherheads"

2008-05-21T18:47:00.007-04:00

Since there's a cameo of yours truly in "Leatherheads", just before the big game, we'll show you some pix smuggled out of the closed set, along with some others that were strictly legit.

CD Review: Gideon Smith and the Dixie Damned – “South Side of the Moon”

2008-04-28T16:32:00.003-04:00

The Deal: With various recordings under his belt and just finishing up authoring his first book, the reclusive Gid returns to his first love, which is recording, in this case another full lengther. Would be easy describing this as a heavy rock/metal effort but it’s more. If Antiseen’s music is Cancerpunk, then this close relation could be Roadkill Rock with it’s emphasis on driving (“Indian Larry”, “Black Cat Road”), Southern feistiness, righteousness and plain orneriness with a black-light, trippy overlay.

The Good:

Love the high energy levels here. There’s a high-octane cameo on, of all things, washboard, by Antiseen’s Jeff Clayton, which makes “Black Cat Road” the superlative cut; the washboard creating a more Louisiana, swamp dog appeal. Other songs have a more old fashioned, down home, Led Zep meets Lynyrd Skynyrd vibe with Stevie Ray Vaughan-ish, moonshine slide guitar and industrial strength drumbeats.

The Bad:

Gid attempts tranquil, shimmering arrangements on a few numbers, which don’t play to his strengths. If you want the gargling with glass vocals stick to the up tempo majority; though some may like the more silent minority.

The Verdict:

After a long layoff, health problems and personal problems resulting from the death of his drummer a number of years ago, Gid survives the pain, gathers his energy and delivers the goods. Way better than expected, it’s the perfect antidote for your music snob friends. And just where does he get that sub-sonic, hellhound of a voice?

More Belize: Mr. Wilfred Peters and his accordion

2008-03-29T14:13:00.016-04:00

Backed by a four-piece Belizean band whose members play guitar, boom and chime — a bass drum struck on one side with a mallet (the boom) and on the other with something called a "drum sack" (the chime) — tumba (aka conga), the jawbone of an ass and an auto brake drum, Wilfrid Peters carries on the traditional polyrhythmic music of 19th-century mahogany camps in what used to be called British Honduras. He sings his often-bawdy brukdowns (including a customized version of Merle Haggard’s “Today I Started Loving You Again”) in chipper, Creole-inflected pidgin English, and plays driving/droning accordion. It’s so infectious you’ll involuntarily haul up your own foot and start dancing.

More Mr. Peters from John Morthland at eMusic.com http://www.emusic.com/lists/showlist.html?lid=21795204&cs=1

Andy Palacio 1960 - 2008

2008-03-17T17:12:00.012-04:00

Punta Rock and Garifuna Culture - Belize and Central America

I first heard Andy Palacio’s punta rock in Belize in the 1980's. I tried to find him but he was away on a music project. Instead I met Mr. Wilfred Peters of Mr. Peters Boom & Chime – the king of Belizean brukdown. I returned again to record Mr. Peters - on FireAnt – and tried finding Andy, this time because of his Project Sunrise project, encouraging local Belizean music and musicians. I finally met Andy and his friend Ivan Duran in, of all places, Marseilles, France – at a WOMEX MusicConference – the only one I ever attended. We caught up with the music we were finding, playing and recording. Ivan apologized for borrowing and re-recording some of our Mr. Peters tunes, but we let it go. Getting the real music out, is the main thing. If anyone gets anything – money, publicity - for their effort, fine; it’s worth it, especially for the music. (Lew Herman/FireAnt/March 2008)

Here's the text from the Guardian on a charismatic performer you should know and remember:

Andy Palacio: Singer/Songwriter and Champion of the Culture of Belize's Garífuna People.

Sue Steward, Wednesday January 23, 2008, The Guardian:

The Belizean singer, songwriter and cultural campaigner Andy Palacio has died at the age of 47 from respiratory failure after a stroke and heart attack. A generous, energetic and committed musician, he had begun to see significant results from his efforts to raise awareness of his Garífuna culture, notably through his album Wátina, released last February.

Descendants of African slaves, the Garífuna were shipwrecked on the island of St Kitts in 1635 and formed inter-racial communities with the indigenous people - until 1797, when the British brutally expelled them to Honduras. From there, they spread out along the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, and arrived in Belize in 1802.

At Palacio's school, this history, including the forced expulsion, had been censored. The situation is slowly changing, he said, "with so many more Garífuna in influential positions". When I interviewed him about Wátina last summer, I was struck by his warmth and directness, and the urgency of his campaigning through his music.

Palacio was born in the fishing village of Barranco. His father Reuben was a fisherman-farmer who played English folk songs and popular radio hits on harmonica and guitar, and taught his son harmonica. At high school in nearby Punta Gorda, Andy took up the guitar and played soul, reggae and soca music; he wanted to be like Bob Marley, he admitted. A scholarship at 18 to the teachers' training college in Belize City drew him into the capital's buzzing music scene.
Throughout his life, Palacio combined his natural talents for teaching and music with occasional forays into official positions. On graduating, he taught at Barranco's Roman Catholic school, and in 1980 volunteered for Nicaragua's national literacy campaign, working with an English-speaking community. He was disturbed by the ignorance of their ancestral language and culture: "I was looked upon like a rare specimen who spoke Garífuna." He was determined to prevent that happening in Belize, where a new electric dance beat called "punta" was sweeping the country. His own punta singles, Watu and Ereba, spread his name beyond his Garífuna fan base: as he put it, "We had crossed over." In 1981, he presented both musics on Radio Belize, and taught music and songwriting to local Barranco boys.

The 1980s saw Palacio's popularity as a musician and community worker intensify. His 1985 song Bikini Party became a punta classic. Two years later, he came to London to train with the Cultural Partnerships arts organisation in studio production and electronics. On returning to Belize, he was appointed director of Sunrise, a community recording project dedicated to Belizean music. He recorded Come Mek Wi Dance with local musicians, and then made some recordings for Caye Records in California.

In 1995, Palacio met the local producer Ivan Duran, who ran the Stonetree label. The albums Keimuon (1995) and Til da Mawnin (1997) were produced in Belize and Havana, and Paranda (1999), recorded in all four Garífuna countries, wove roots music into the songs and inspired many young punta-rockers to include traditional elements in their work.
In 2000, Palacio succeeded in his request that Unesco should formally acknowledge the need to preserve the Garífuna language, music and dance. He accepted influential posts in the education ministry's literacy campaign, in the ministry of rural development and culture, and at the national institute of culture and history, where he organised activities connected with Garífuna history and the now annual Garífuna festival. In 2006, when Stonetree formed a link with the American label Cumbancha, Palacio and Duran spent four months recording by the sea. The result, Wátina, is a marvellous mix of modern and traditional music, and poetic vignettes from Garífuna life.

Last year Palacio was declared Unesco artist for peace, and in October he and Duran were given the annual Womex award in Seville, where he made a typically modest speech. Wátina appeared on dozens of 2007 "best of" lists in many countries, and in December Palacio was chosen unanimously as a winner in the forthcoming BBC Radio 3 world music awards.
Discussing the album's success, he echoed the pleasure that the widespread appeal of his early punta singles had given him: "It is accomplishing everything I ever dreamed of where our community was concerned. I thought it would appeal to old people because of its mature and sophisticated sound, its exploration of the soul of Garífuna music, and inclusion of ritual beats. But no, it crossed over!"

In the track Amunegu, he pleads for a deliberate transmission of culture to the next generation, "or we'll lose it". But teenage bands were already singing unplugged Garífuna songs. He is survived by his five children and two granddaughters.
· Andy Vivien Palacio, musician, born December 2 1960; died January 19 2008

. Photo: www.elpais.com/.../20070616elpbabart_19/Tes

40 Years of Richard

2008-01-11T11:28:00.000-05:00

About the best song Richard Thompson performs in his current “Thousand Years of Music” tour is Britney Spear’s “Oops I Did It Again”, which depending on your point of view is either very good or very bad. Good because it shows the virtuosity of an artist who can turn a pop bimbo’s bit of fluff into a vaguely Celtic, piece of work. On the other hand, if this the best material Richard finds during the past thousand years, maybe he should have gone back further or frankly just picked better tunes. This whole idea of 1,000 years of music was inspired by Richard’s being asked by Playboy Magazine to name the millennium’s 10 greatest tunes. Purposely misinterpreting the request to mean the last 1,000 years instead of the end of the millennium is typical Thompson and it disqualified his entry. However, it gave him an excuse for playfully investigating songs through the ages, which in some cases are his perfect material. According to Richard, “My list started in 1068, winding slowly up to the present. That they failed to print my list is but a slight wound, - it gave me the idea for this show.”

Speaking with Richard by phone shortly before the holidays, we discussed his latest “1,000 Years of Music” tour. Nobody surpasses him in reinterpreting traditional and medieval Anglo-Celtic folk modalities mixed with rock, blues and even polkas.
Looking at his exceptional career he’s the quintessential Old English troubadour/guitarist/songwriter, noted for his exceptional guitar skills and equally noted for his limited commercial success. This droll Master of Misery has many high points in his forty year career. First came his work with Fairport Convention, England’s greatest folk-rockers. It was his guitar playing that caught legendary producer Joe Boyd’s ear. Those recordings are still marvelously listenable. Another exceptional moment was his recording with soon-to-be ex-wife Linda Thompson, on the harrowing ‘Shoot Out the Lights”. For his most recent milestone, he hit a measure of good fortune with his “Vincent Black Lightning” tune.

Despite his generally bleak and morose themes he’s actually a compelling and almost jolly, live performer. His wry humor is pervasive whether in song selection, interpretation or just plain conversation. Of his touring he explains, “This tour, including Charlotte, it’s just three and one half weeks and that’s it. Then it’s back to L.A. a bit, through the UK as a solo and continental Europe in May. Then it’s festivals in summer and bla-bla-bla.”

This current “1,000 Years” tour consists of Richard singing and playing guitar along with two accompanists. Judith Owen is a singer/songwriter with a smoky folk-jazz vocal bent. Also performing is percussionist Debra Dobkin who plays trap drums, djembe, darbouka, celtic drum and according to notes, the occasional piece of luggage.

According to Richard, the current “1000 Years” CD is, “Pretty much the same as the live version. The only exception is a different percussionist was used on the recording.”
The percussionist there was Michael Jerome.

Speaking of performing with just two other musicians Richard explains, “One of the charms of the (present) show, with just three musicians - it is slightly insane. If we were more it would be more competently played and performed. It would lose some of its irony – but not all.” Asked if that includes the Britney song “Ooops”, Thompson replied, “Well, the irony might get lost on a lot of people. But it’s really a very well constructed pop song. Not too different from something from the year 1550. Surprisingly so.”

About the show, explains Richard, “It’s ridiculously ambitious. No one really can perform all these songs well. But we’ll have a go at everything and there’s a certain charm in that. And we can turn people on to something they haven’t heard. There are some really good stories and songs that haven’t been heard.”

Though you can’t fault Richard’s charm and enthusiasm who knows what possessed him to include the wildly inappropriate “Cry Me a River”? There are some other misfires but the good selections generally outweigh the bad.

After 40 years of music, Richard still has much to offer. If you don’t mind a few fa-la-la’s in your olde English minstrelsy, you might just enjoy yourself. As no one captures post-modern English medieval soul like Richard, you’ll be thrilled when he goes medieval. And you should be rightfully awed at his guitar picking and plectrum strumming. Only a few artists have lasted this long and remained relevant, and while you may not enjoy everything, you can easily appreciate Richard’s skill, drive, artistry and dark humor.

Here's a link to the slightly different, edited version in Charlotte, NC's "Creative Loafing", January 16 ish:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/inspired_by_1_000_years_of_music/Content?oid=260349

New Ween!

2007-12-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

CD Review: Ween – La Cucaracha
Rounder/Chocodog: October 23, 2007

The Deal:
On this, their first album in several years, the Ween-ers (Dean and Gene) aim
high artistically, and low morally and spiritually. That’s typical of these
Coen Brothers of rock. Not everyone gets them, but that’s part of their charm.
As sophomoric as ever, maybe a bit more evil, you’ll either experience some
discomfort or chortle with glee as they parody all types of music, this time skewering prog rock, reggae, mariachi, folk and even smooth jazz. On this, their “party” album, all tunes are sandwiched between opener “Fiesta” and closer “Your Party”.

The Good:
Lots of superlatives here. The arrangements are crisp and intricate. They were great
on earlier CD “The Mollusk” and here, they’re nearly as good. Check out the sly, suave “Your Party” complete with lush, sexy David Sanborn sax solo.

The Bad:
Some don’t get the joke, while others say they’re formulaic. There are also some
who do get it and don’t appreciate it.

The Verdict:
It may be a formula but it’s fun and it works. These goofy guys are serious
musicians and who says disturbing music can’t be fun? For those who thought
Ween was fading, most would agree that this latest outing shows them back
in fine form with playful originality, sparkle and wit. Not a breakthrough,
but rather more of the usual. Though disturbing at times (listen and creep
out to “Object”), it’s a logical and worthy follow-up to their previous, “Quebec”.

Here's the link published in Creative Loafing:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/la_cucaracha/Content?oid=241359

From Asheville: Soora Gamela

2007-11-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

The trio’s name, Soora Gameela means “beautiful picture”, which is what the band offers. Not only can they play but they have the chops, grooves and instrumentation to get your head and body to a mellow place. They offer intriguing, soothing, trance-endental (sorry) composite of wonderful influences ranging from Morphine to minimalist Steve Reich to Angelo Badalamenti and to Argentine tango virtuoso Astor Piazzolla. It’s Asheville revivalist, Egyptian trip-hop, where their silences often speak loudest.

Begun five years ago in Asheville, NC, they fuse jazz, folk, world and improvisation. Band members are August Hoerr playing squeezebox and Egyptian spiked fiddle, called a rebaba (two strings, bowed and held upright in your lap). Joe Burkett plays upright bass and Gwendolyn plays percussion (frame drum, dumbek, bendir, kanjira).

Speaking with bassist Joe Burkett recently – via email– he explained the band’s origins, “August and Gwen were already playing music together here in Asheville. They were both very interested in the musical traditions of the Middle East and were learning andexperimenting with those scales and rhythms. At the time I was still in school and mostly playing jazz and improvised music, so we would get together, often on the street, and improvise using these rhythms and scales as a starting point. Then gradually it became this whole other thing as we incorporated more elements into the sound.”

As to seeing them live or on tour anytime soon, unless you’re in Asheville, it may be a while. According to Joe, “We keep trying to get a tour happening, but life seems to get in the way.” “The Thread” is the trio’s second recording. The band’s first is no longer available, as they tired of hand printing it all. Their latest is available at Harvest Records, a shop in Asheville. Concluding, Joe implores readers to “Support live music with your wallet AND your ears.”

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=31834465

Here's the new North Carolina music zine that published this gem:

http://www.shufflezine.com/

Look on page 15.

Blue Mountain or Bust

2007-11-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

http://www.myspace.com/bluemountainlauriecary

Blue Mountain just recently reunited, is one of your perfectly fun, punchy, energetic live bands. Beginning with the alt.country explosion in the 90’s, they were on top of the wave, even making the front cover of “No Depression” immediately after Uncle Tupelo. In fact, one of Blue Mountain’s founding members, Laurie Stirratt is the twin sister of long-time Wilco member John Stirratt. And as you probably know, Wilco, along with Son Volt are the two offshoots of Uncle Tupelo, both of which often toured with Blue Mountain.

Speaking with Laurie by phone recently, on her way back to home base Oxford, Mississippi by way of east Texas, Laurie explained the reforming and recharging of the band. In the 90’s the band exemplified the best in active, passionate, country. They performed literate music; tunes with both brain and backbone. Actually, according to Laurie, “We’re a rock band; we’re just a three piece rock band, with that kind of a sound.” Expanding a bit, they sound country, even trad-like, but they’re rooted in rock, specifically, foot-stomping rock. “We used to play some acoustic on occasion, but we’re really a three piece rock band. We do a lot of 70’s rock on up - those influences plus combinations of rock and country blues.” Included in those 70’s influences are people like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Blue Mountain guitarist Cary Hudson has said he admired the Sex Pistols, Patti Smith and Television.

Asked if they were familiar with the North Mississippi blues explosion Laurie answered, “Oh yeah, we used to go to Junior Kimbrough’s place all the time.” Junior Kimbrough, before his recent death ran a famous, funky juke joint near Holly Springs featuring himself as well as Fat Possum legends R. L. Burnside and T Model Ford among others.

Blue Mountain band members are Laurie Stirratt who sings and plays bass, while ex-husband Cary Hudson sings and handles guitar. Long time drummer Frank Crouch is the third member. All originally hail from Mississippi or Louisiana and obviously had time to soak up blues, country and rock influences. “I’m from New Orleans (Mandeville) and Cary’s from southern Mississippi near Hattiesburg. Frank Crouch is also from Mississippi.”

Playing together for over a decade obviously strained their marriage and their last recording, “Tonight It’s Now or Never”, a live band appearance in 2002 at Schuba’s in Chicago, prophetically marked their last appearance as a band and sadly as a couple, as well. Nevertheless, the recording is a good indication of the bands raucous and frisky approach.

Other recordings are varied but always have some traditional tunes with a modern, punkier edge. For example their second recording, “Dog Days” recorded in 1995 was produced by the Del Lords/ Roscoe’s Gang, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, who dependably provided a rough hewn, ragged approach to countryish rock - think Backsliders or Bottle Rockets. “Home Grown” from 1997 was another Ambel produced epic of feverish, down-home skronk. This is not the Eagles, but more like the Carter Family meeting the Drive-By Truckers. This traditional overlay is even more apparent on “Roots”, released in 2001. On this release, the band recorded solely public domain standards, all with their own rowdy Blue Mountain twist, always emphasizing drinking, violence and death. In fact, the best songs are about whiskey, “Little Stream of Whiskey” being one and “Rye Whiskey” being the other.

Laurie explains that after the breakup, she also recorded with twin brother John, from Wilco. “We released a record in 2003. Until then we hadn’t had much time together. We released “Arabella” on our label, Broadmoor. It’s pretty ethereal, really. It’s folky and a little weird - an acoustic based record.” During this time, she also played with another Mississippi band, then moved to Chicago, worked with her Broadmoor label, started another short-lived band - Healthy White Baby (with former Black’s, Danny Black) - prior to rejoining Blue Mountain. Cary was busy as well releasing several solo CD’s in five years – from 2001 through 2006.

What brought them back together were a couple of requests from promoters to perform at festivals. They played Twangfest in St. Louis last June and everything came together. “It was obvious it was still there. We sounded good as it ever did, maybe even better.”

Touring this fall, through October, the band has a plan. Tour now, then into the studio. Overlooked before, then six years apart, maybe this time the band can succeed. Alt.country may be evolving but Blue Mountain, now back together, picks up right where they left off. "We didn’t want to take an unnatural course.” As she said earlier, “We’re just a three piece rock band.”

Blue Mountain

2007-10-25T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hooray for Blue Mountain!
Better live than their recordings...

Link to the latest:
http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A209886

Review: Manu Chau - "La Radiolina"

2007-09-19T17:25:00.000-04:00

CD REVIEW: Manu Chau "La Radiolina"
Nacional; Release date: September 4, 2007

The Deal: Multi-cultural, multi-lingual son of Spanish political exiles, brought up in Paris, writes and performs passionate songs of both joy and sadness, with verve and conviction.

The Good: He can’t sing all that great, his tunes are sing-songy,repetitive. His song structure is child-like and simplistic.He uses found instruments, often recording on the fly and he usually sings in Spanish but also French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Wolof and yes, occasionally English. Yet, all these negatives tastefully combine, to create a sum far better than the individualparts. Wildly energetic, the songs are rousing, infectious, thoughtful compositions. This is no corporate rock, no music borne of focus groups or teen demographics, but a global call for action that speaks to people of all ages. All the material is good and listenable. The single off the CD,“Raining in Paradize” is a thumpy, punky paean of sadness, irony, humor and defiance based on current levels of international madness and mayhem. He uses words like calamity and atrocity rhyming with hypocrisy and democracy to prove his point. “Bleedin’ Clown” is more personal while “Panik, Panik” and “El Hoyo”, though in French and Spanish, blur the lines between folk, punk, thrash, ska, rai and rock.

The Bad: Usually sung in Spanish and other languages, including English. If you don’t get the words you’re missing half the fun, but it’s still subversive, celebratory and sounds great. Also, a great excuse to learn Spanish.

The Verdict: Matches his previous recordings, maybe better. As good as it gets, my favorite of the year.

Here's the review in Creative Loafing (Charlotte), September 12, 2007:

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A201992

More Nica Pictures

2007-08-24T19:50:00.001-04:00

Panchito the squirrel - at Laguna de Apoyo

Solentiname Art

Nicaragua, 2007

2007-08-23T12:35:00.001-04:00

Masaya, Nicaragua

2007-08-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

Hotel Charlotte

2007-08-20T14:37:00.000-04:00

As an archival kind of guy, here's what I sent to Ann Wicker who's editing a book about Carolina music:

Hotel Charlotte
One of the best musical secrets of Charlotte, North Carolina is the once glorious, then faded, then imploded, Hotel Charlotte. Located on West Trade Street, conveniently down the street from the old train station and more recently the Presto Grill, what’s left are the hundreds if not thousands of recordings made in the hotel’s upper floors during the 1930’s and 1940’s, during the heyday of the hotel and a corresponding golden age of American country, blues and gospel recordings.

In the 1930’s Charlotte was a major recording center for country, blues and gospel. Hundreds of sides were waxed in a suite of rooms on the Hotel Charlotte’s 10th floor. According to Tom Hanchett’s “Recording in the Charlotte Area 1927-1939”, “It is possible that the Charlotte area was America’s busiest recording center during the years immediately before World War II.”

By 1937, recording sessions in Charlotte were so frequent that RCA Victor needed a permanent studio. They took over three top-floor rooms of Charlotte’s then, most exclusive hotel. They knocked out walls and partitions, draped walls with heavy curtains and created one large recording area. Rooms 1050, 1052 and 1054 were located at the rear south corner of the hotel. Though primitive by today’s standards, it was a step up from Charlotte’s temporary warehouse studios of previous decades.

In 1936 the Monroe Brothers - Bill and Charlie – had already recorded their first songs,
“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” and “What Would You Give in Exchange For Your Soul?” and had their first major country hit records. So, in 1937 and early 1938 they recorded additional songs at the Hotel Charlotte studios. These were their last recordings made as the Monroe Brothers. Later in 1938, the Monroe Brothers split up and Bill Monroe formed his now-famous Bluegrass Boys, becoming well known as the Father of Bluegrass.

Many other well-known groups of the day also recorded at the hotel. A partial list includes the Delmore Brothers, known for their harmonizing duets (Doc Watson often performs their “Deep River Blues”), Mainers Mountaineers and their various family offshoot bands and the Blue Sky Boys (“Are You from Dixie?”, “I’m Just Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail”). Banjo star of the day Uncle Dave Macon (and his Fruit Jar Drinkers) made last recordings here at the Hotel Charlotte, as did the era’s most influential fiddle player, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith (no relation to Charlotte’s Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith, of “Dueling Banjos” fame). The Georgia Yellow Hammers, a well-known out-of-state string band also recorded here as did the Dixon Brothers. The Dixon’s “I Didn’t Hear Anybody Pray” became a monster smash for Roy Acuff retitled as “Wreck on the Highway”. Even the Carter Family, in Charlotte for their radio show on WBT, recorded at the hotel.

Local Charlotte stars such as Homer Sherrill and brothers Wiley and Zeke Morris recorded at the hotel as did Homer Briarhopper, Fred Kirby, Cliff and Bill Carlisle and various versions of the Briarhoppers, who were created by WBT radio’s Charles Crutchfeld. Also recorded at the hotel were the big band sounds of Bob Pope’s Hotel Charlotte Orchestra as well as numerous amateur and part-time musicians. As late as 1945, RCA Victor recorded Cecil Campbell’s Tennessee Ramblers and Claude Casey at the hotel studios.

One particular session from the Hotel Charlotte in August, 1937 even today remains a pivotal point of the early country music era. According to Tom Hanchett, J. E. Mainer’s session with Cleveland County (NC) banjo player Dewitt “Snuffy” Jenkins led directly to today’s bluegrass banjo sound, popularized by well-known Cleveland County legend Earl Scruggs. These sessions featured for the first time, Snuffy’s characteristic three-fingered banjo playing, which influenced Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and of course Flatt and Scruggs and all else that followed.

Black Gospel groups were heavily recorded at the Hotel Charlotte. The most influential and widely copied group, the Golden Gate Quartet, began their recording careers at an August, 1937 RCA session. The following year they played New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of the significant “Spirituals to Swing Concert”. This legendary event combined big band stars of the 1930’s - Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Meade “Lux” Lewis - along with blues and gospel musicians. It also led directly to the folk music revival, rhythm’n’blues and the birth of rock, decades later. Another popular gospel group recording at the hotel were the Heavenly Gospel Singers, an a cappella quartet rivaling the Monroe Brothers in record sales.

Quoting Hanchett again, from twenty or so years ago, “This historic (Hotel Charlotte) studio survives today, untouched… some metal component racks and microphone cables remain in place and there are bits of electronic debris – knobs, tubes, broken switches in the corners.” Actually, even less is visible today as Hanchett’s notes were written twenty years ago. As is the custom in Charlotte, this historic structure was torn down - imploded – and even less was saved. In its place now is the modernistic Carillon Building, a pleasant enough, luxury high rise, office building, whose lobby houses a spectacular Jean Tinguely kinetic sculpture, consciously incorporating former objects of the old hotel. If you look closely you can see the lion’s head a gargoyle that once graced the façade of the old hotel, now reduced to spouting water.

There were only a few other permanent recording studios in the American south in the 1920’s and 1930’s. These were in places like New Orleans, San Antonio and Atlanta. Most have long been demolished. The fact that the Hotel Charlotte survived so long – until the 1980’s – suggests that it was considered by many to be of unique historical importance.

All that is left today of Charlotte’s other early recording sites is a plaque commemorating the demolished Southern Radio Corporation building at 208 ½ South Tryon. This was an earlier temporary studio where Bill Monroe recorded his first hits and other country, blues and gospel performers first recorded in Charlotte. And there are still a few bits left of the old hotel in an upscale bar and restaurant, several miles distant called the Hotel Charlotte, where they’ve incorporated some original doors from the old hotel and still use half the hotel’s original old bar. They even store the original elevator cage in their basement along with other bits of memorabilia, like an old menu showing hamburgers at 15 cents. But like the earlier temporary studios, the Hotel Charlotte finally disappeared into dust and little remains but the ghosts and their fine, outstanding music.

Nicaragua- June/July 2007

2007-08-20T01:03:00.000-04:00

Summer travel to Nicaragua, with pix:

http://www.queens.edu/news_detail.asp?press_id=2021&section=library

Roaming Reference--Travels of a Librarian

Nicaragua
Lew Herman, Reference Services Librarian at Everett Library, has a habit of exploring off-the-beaten-track locations. Traveling by boat, plane and the occasional chicken bus, recent independent travels took him to Bolivia, Slovak Republic, Romania, Costa Rica, Honduras and two visits to Nicaragua.

The accompanying pictures illustrate some of the places visited this past summer in Nicaragua. They include wildlife reserves and a chain of islands in Lake Nicaragua called Islas Solentiname, which is both a forest preserve and an artist’s colony of primitive painters and woodcarvers.

Though every structure on these islands was destroyed by former dictator Anastasio (Tachito) Somoza in the 1970’s, most have since been rebuilt. The islands are now protected and the tropical forests, logged out by the Somoza family, are being restored. Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America, is home to the world’s only freshwater sharks. Not common anymore, they were decimated by the Somoza family, who exported the shark fins to Asia.

Another lake, the Laguna de Apoyo is inside a former volcano and home to a Spanish language school. The language program supports the main function of the school, which is a biological research center. It’s home to biologists, both local and international who study and preserve the wildlife of both the surrounding forests and of the Laguna. Many varieties of fish are unique to this lake, while the surrounding forests are home to monkeys, reptiles and birds. Volcanolgists study the nearby volcanoes pictured in the photos, Mombacho and Masaya, which are both active and close by.

Barbecue Music

2007-08-15T18:27:00.000-04:00

John Morthland wrote some nice things about us and Mr. Peters Boom & Chime recently for EMusic.com in his Dozens column. He was writing about good music to barbecue to.

Says John," It's so infectious you’ll involuntarily haul up your own foot and start dancing."
Here's the link:
http://www.emusic.com/lists/showlist.html?nickname=JohnMorthland&lid=21795204&p=1

Mr. Peter's CD reviews , mp3's and links are down at the bottom called "Haul Up Your Foot You Fool".