Till we meet again......

This is the first time I have been able to bare posting this information on his blog, this is Michael's wife. Michael passed away on November 16, 2010 due to a brain aneurysm. He was loved so much and will be missed by all. Thank you all for reading his blog he really enjoyed posting things here with the music of choice to fit it. I still check in from time to time so if you would like to leave a message please do. Thank you. Sharon

august 29th...

it was four years ago today. we were living in reno watching our beloved new orleans get slammed by a cat 4 hurricane called 'katrina'. the next morning, after it blew by, there was a profound feeling of relief... it looked as though we had missed the bullet. the t.v. was showing various parts of town, and while there was a lot of wind damage, it wasn't as bad as what we were seeing from mississippi.

...and then it came, but it didn't come in a huge wave through the city, it crept up like a big black snake slithering out of the swamp.

and it didn't stop coming til the bowl that is new orleans was full.

we sat 1800 miles away from our true home watching in horror as the devastation and desperation unfolded, helpless to do a damn thing but cringe. the shock turned to anger as the days dragged on and the city was left to it's own devises. five unbearable days we watched as thousands of people hung on waiting for help. many of our friends and relatives were in that mass of abandoned souls.

...and we could only think that could be us.

we had a house in metry to worry about, the one in which this is written, but that was of no concern, (it got flooded and is a whole 'nother story). the complete disregard in which the government, on all levels, handled the plight of so many americans infuriated us to no end. the media portrayed the city as out of control and lawless while showing vandals and looters pillage and plunder. there was no calvary on the horizon, except for the coast guard that worked tirelessly to snag people stuck on roofs.

the whole world was witness to the worst man made disaster on american soil and it wasn't pretty. new orleans was left to drown through a series of disasters that started long before the hurricane. to blame katrina alone is to only repeat the catastrophe again in the future. from the original engineering of the levees to the botched relief and rescue effort, even the rebuilding, it seems no one has ever really cared.

no wonder this town is called 'the city that care forgot'

so, here we are four years later. there are still people who will never be able to return to the city they love, probably too many to count. it really was a sort of diaspora, the refugees were flung all over this country. the rebuilding plods along like an old dog on a hot august afternoon, meandering with no destination or purpose, and no reason to do it fast. there are some signs of life, the quarter, the western suburbs, across the lake, but overall it is pretty disheartening.

still, i hear were winning the war in iraq...

we're a tough breed here, after all, and the music, food and culture is what makes this place so wonderful. it's the best damn spot on earth, even 5 feet below sea level. so... here's a few songs, in mp3, from the big easy to make this anniversary go down a bit smoother...
well, them and a couple of large stiff shots.

(for as long as a week via yousendit)

david bartholomew - who drank my beer while i was in the rear

dr. john - junko pardner

lee dorsey - who's gonna help brother get further?

the wild tchoupitoulas - meet the boys on the battlefront

the dukes of dixieland - do you know what it means to miss new orleans?

The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever (High quality)

Blitzen Trapper: Black River Killer (official)

a rainy day in the french quarter

a few years ago we were at the french quarter festival, we being s.a., kimmy, p-man, angel and moi.
it rained fairly steadily all morning and we ducked in and out of places while walking mostly under balconies.

as we got to bourbon and st. ann s.a. dragged kim into this fortune teller shop to get their fortunes told. angel and i hung outside with p-man and sipped our drinks, (p-man sucked on the juice bottle). well the rain slacked a bit and i just walked out to the middle of bourbon st.and snapped off a few pics looking towards esplanade.

they were just a few pics out of a bunch that day but they looked pretty good so i stuck them on flicker.

so, the other day i get a message telling me one of those shots was picked for an online new orleans guide for schmap, the yahoo map directory.

i think it's kinda cool, but not as cool as jaques' 'street car art'.
(but then again i am not getting paid either...)

the beatles 09-09-09

the beatles rockband game drops on september 9th, and from the look of the trailers it is gonna be nothing less than stunning...

and to think i wasted all those years learning their songs from the records. i just may have to ask for this for xmas, of course then i'll need that px-wee-360 thingy to play it on, right?

i dunno if santa can swing all that this year, but it really does look sweet... so for now i'll just have to resign myself to my guitar and the new remastered beatle records that are coming in the on same day for now.

here are a few trailers to get me all excited about september...

the beatles - rockband cinematic opening

the beatles - rockband trailer

the making of 'revolver'

harmonica maddness

too funny, raymond scott's 'powerhouse' done superbly on harmonicas... if anyone knows who these guys aree lemme know.

Bonzo Dog band Hunting Tigers

They bite
They scratch
They make an awful fuss
It's no use stroking them and saying "puss puss puss"
Oh
Hunting tigers out in India
Out in, out in, out in India (yuh)

field school week

since this space never listens to radio, watches t.v. or rarely ventures farther than the neighborhood po-boy shop, word from the outside takes awhile to filter in. but when the good stuff eventually does get through, well, we get really excited...

such is the euphoria felt as we discovered the music of peter and david brewis, two brothers from sunderland england. together (under the guise of 'field music'), and separately, they are making sounds that can only be labeled as 'prog-pop'.

it is a smart, 21st century music loaded with heavy rhythmics, thought out lyrics, sweeping brian wilson harmonies, and loaded beatlesque melodies. the stuff they are doing is really like nothing we have heard before, yet reminds us of a whole lot of other things, xtc, yes, squeeze, todd rundgren, genesis, the police, peter gabriel, and even some gershwin in it all, of all things. it really is that good.

one find led to another, even better find. then another, then....

well, the lineage is kind of like this, 'the futureheads', (in which david brewis played drums, tho no longer), 'field music', (where the brothers got together to make one great angular pop album and some b-sides), 'school of language', (the first solo project, done by peter, very guitar heavy and hook laden), and'the week that was' (this is david's band that is the album, a lush sonic experiment that works on so many levels at once...).

with each step up the music gets infectious, denser, quirkier, and more complex. the brewis brothers have changed our musical world with their craftsman-like vitality and modern pop rock pop sensibilities.

we can't wait to hear what they do next!

and here are some mp3s of david and peter brewis doing what they do best, by way of yousendit for a week or so...

the futurehead - hounds of loves (mp3)
the futureheads - manray (mp3)

field music - a house is not a home (mp3)
field music - give it lose it take it (mp3)

school of language - keep your water (mp3)
school of language - disappointment '99 (mp3)
school of language - poor boy (mp3)

the week that was - learn to learn (mp3)
the week that was - the good life (mp3)
the week that was - scratching the surface (mp3)

where to find them...

the week that was on myspace

school of language website

field music on myspace

the futureheads official site

brewis bros interview (at bandstand busking)

david brewis' hit list

dark night of the soul

the biggest buzz this week was not who won 'amerikan idle', it was over an album by three unlikely collaborators featuring a cast of support singers that will probably never get a proper release.

danger mouse, (he of the band 'gnarls barkely' and the controversial beatles/jay z mash-up 'grey album'), mark linkous, (he of the uber-sad 'sparklehorse'), and david lynch, (he who made 'eraserhead' and 'twin peaks'), have teamed up to produce a captivating piece of lush, near hypnotizing music. the songs are sung by various artists such as iggy pop, wayne coyne of the flaming lips, julian casablancas from the strokes, jason lytle, frank black of pixies , suzanne vega, vic chesnutt, james mercer of the shins, gruf rhys of the super furry animals, nina peerson from the cardigans and even david lynch (or so it says).


the announcement of the release later this summer of a book of photos by lynch that was to include the album was dampened by the fact that emi records has put the kibosh to the music part of the project...

as stated on npr.org...
An unnamed spokesperson for Danger Mouse says that "due to an ongoing dispute with EMI" the book of photographs will "now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.'" When contacted, EMI declined to comment and wouldn't confirm whether the label is even involved in the project.

the record was leaked earlier this month and is now all over the net. the problem is that a lot of the files are misnamed or tagged. so i took great pains to fix it up so i can put it on the blank cd when i get the book. i just thought i'd spread the love and this fine record while i was at it... so enjoy!

and here, in its entirety, ripped from npr.org, in the correct order, with all the tags fixed, is the album in 128kps mp3 for a week or whoever gets to it first, via yousendit.

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Revenge (Flaming Lips)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Just War (Gruff Rhys of The Super Furry Animals)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Jaykub (Jason Lytle)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Little Girl (Julian Casablancas of The Strokes)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Angel's Harp (Frank Black of The Pixies)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Pain (Iggy Pop)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Star Eyes (I Can't Catch It) (David Lynch)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Everytime I'm With You (Jason Lytle)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Insane Lullaby (James Mercer of The Shins)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Daddy's Gone (Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse and Nina Persson of The Cardigans)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - The Man Who Played God (Suzanne Vega)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Grim Augury (Vic Chesnutt)

danger mouse & sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul (David Lynch)

the official 'dark night of the soul' site
(go order the book now! after all you'll need a blank cd to put these tunes on. right?)

when you wish upon a waterspout.

last night was a regular hang-around-the-house kinda saturday evening. on, or about, 10:30 we were doing our normal routine, s.a. was watching some world war II documentary on her computer, i was doing some equally important music listening on mine, and the dogs were sleeping, as usual.

the first hint of something gone awry was a clap of thunder that wasn't quite... well, then another loud BANG! we ran upstairs and hung onto the backroom balcony looking at a fireworks show (the result of a blown transformer a few blocks away) with wind-whipped debris flying willy-nilly thru the air. we ran back in soon enough as the rain started to pummel us like wet fists.

the pounding wind and rain continued with brilliant lightening and booming thunder for another 20 minutes. after it stopped we ventured out to wander around finding insulation and pieces of aluminum gutter and siding all over our yard and flooded street.

well, we were told to expect a bit of rain sometime during the night, but what we got was a frightening close-up of mother nature when she is pissed... luckily no one got hurt and just one lowly sno-ball stand was damaged.



and here is a short viddy i found that someone shot last night. the clip itself is not very enlightening (except at 28 seconds in when the transformer explodes), but you really need to listen to the young girl samantha in the background completely lose it! (i'll bet she is a blast to hang out with during an evacuation...)

The Video Went Here
But It Was Replaced
By Another, Not As
Silly Thingy So You'll
Just Have To Take My
Word On It, It Was
Funny. But Now Its Gone.

finally, a few mp3s of some stormy music, here for seven days or whenever the wind stops... via yousendit.

the wizard of oz - cyclone (extended version)
r.e.m. - white tornado
sonny boy williamson II - the sky is crying
lowell george - can't stand the rain
roy brown - let the four winds blow
the kinks - there's a change in the weather
the rolling stones - gimme shelter (live '73)
dr. john - storm warning
bob dylan - shelter from the storm

bourbon and st. ann

...on a rainy day during the french quarter fest.

Field Music - A House is Not A Home

School Of Language - Rockist Video

The Week That Was - Learn to Learn

you say you want a revolution?

once upon a time...

there were four guys, they had a band, they made music. they did it for awhile, for a long time, (if you include time stuck together).

and by 1968 they got tired of it all, and themselves.

in june of that year one of them brought a song into the studio called 'revolution'. he wanted it to be the next single, but the version recorded was 'too slow', (according to sources). so, he made another version, and that was released as the double a-side of 'hey jude'.

this, my friends, is the ever-sought after 1st 'slow' version of 'revolution', (including the second half which was truncated into revolution 9, minus the yoko diary blathering), in all its mono glory.

it is a ten plus minute wonder of slow and pre-emptive chaos... (with a band in lock-step!)

but only for 7 days or the amount of downloads it takes to lose it.

the beatles - revolution (take 20 remix 1 speed corrected)

blue sky drive

well, it has been a long time, hasn't it? this lil wreck has been busy doin' lots of things as of late, writing tunes, makin' viddys and generally being a nuisance on other areas of the nets. i know, i know, i really should pay more attention to this old abandoned blog, but what the hell...

things around the metry wreckhouse are now in remote mode. we've all settled in quite comfortably here since the move, everyone is busy working and /or going to school/daycare... or in my case, just takin' up space in this place. it's really not hard to get in a groove in this town. they don't call it the big easy for nothing.

the above viddy is one of the things poppin' outta my head lately. i had it up and around for awhile, but was never happy with it. so i stripped it down to the chassis and gave it a complete overhaul. so i feel better now...

and for all aspiring stars out there, (or if you just want to hear some great music from around the world), you really should go to len amsterdam's great music hosting site, whitby shores.



the metry wrecks seemed to have found a home there, they love the tunes and viddys and even have neil young as a blog buddy. you really need to check it out, now!

ok, ciao!

spoon at treasure island september 16, 2007

one of this space's favorite groups of late is austin, texas' very own 'spoon'. britt daniels and band have the best catalogue of smart, concise, stripped-down music as anyone else out there in this big ol' (yet evah shrinking) rock-n-roll world right now. their latest release, the baby-gibberishly titled 'ga ga ga ga ga', was our pick as best album of '07 (if we would've had a list that is)... and very much far ahead of all the rest. spoon are a band making music that continues to defy labels and flirt with the boundaries of your average four piece pop ensemble..
(this w'rooms #1 song for awhile has been 'the beast and dragon, adored' from 'gimme fiction', it reminds us of plastic ono lennon around '70, what with it's plaintive cry for rock-n-roll, lost and gone forever, and the silly, fruitless pursuit thereof... ahhh, the infected voice, the staccato guitar, the rumblin' pianny, the shaky drunkin' rhythm... while all the time explaining why it keeps getting done...

'...I got a feelin, it didn't come free.
I got a feelin, and then it got to me.
When you don't feel it, it shows, and they tear out your soul...
And when you believe, they call it rock and roll,
And when you believe, they call it rock and roll.')

ga(x5) is sparse, hook-laden econo-pop; very tight, very addicting and sensibly un-ordinary. each song is a varied piece of funky genius, containing undeniable danceable trippy dittys and finger snappin' fun, all in an easy to handle 40 minute package. (the version we have has an extra cd of spoon in a more experimental vein, which is ok by me, the more the better...)

from the fractured synchno-pop opening anthem of 'don't make me a target', the neo-soul treatment on 'you got yr cherry bomb', the goofy, skippy feeling 'don't ya evah', the poppy hook-heavy 'the underdog' ... this record is a maturing continuation of the catchy unorthodox style that each of the proceeding albums had hinted at. it all comes together here. 'ga (x5)' is a gorgeously understated masterpiece.

trust me, you need this cd...


and just to show ya'll that it's not all studio wizardry, here is a show by brett and the boys from the bay area last fall. the sound is very board worthy, the band is tight and vibrant, and mr. daniels voice is in it's best cracked-falsetto, whiskey-soaked whimsical mode. it seemed like a great show and enjoyed by all in attendance... those lucky bastards...

... presented for your approval and available in mp3 for a week or so, by way of yousendit:

spoon at the treasure island music festival
september 16, 2007

1. Black Like Me
2. Anything You Want
3. Don't Make Me a Target
4. They Never Got You
5. I Summon You
6. The Ghost of You Lingers
7. Don't You Evah
8. I Turn My Camera On
9. The Beast And Dragon, Adored
10. The Underdog
11. You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
12. My Mathematical Mind
13. My Little Japanese Cigarette Case
14. Quincy Punk Episode

go get it!

...now all i need is a crew...

it's my fuckin' christmas!

just to clear the air before this starts, i am a reformed catholic and unorthodox pagan, born of devout christians and believe in true christian values. as i grew up christmas time was all about getting things, giving things and spending time with friends and family, and oh yeah, being especially nice to everyone you meet. we didn't dwell on the jesus stuff too much, maybe at church on christmas morn, (or in catechism, which i liked because of the history aspect of the bible, not really the flashy uber-religious context), but not a whole lot as i remember. neither did my friends, family, classmates, or most people i'd meet on the street. we all knew what it meant and dealt with it in our own ways. we weren't overtly religious and recognized that maybe not everyone else had the same beliefs as we did. it was always just a real fun time of year, with everyone included... or at least that how i remember it.


but now what the fuck is wrong with these people, you know, the ones who are so afraid that their christmas is being assailed by an organized assault they scream and rant and rave like a child left coal in his stocking. this has been simmering for a while now, with the 'bill oh-reallys' yapping about 'the war on christmas' and how the left is trying to take all the crosses and commandments off of public lands and bullying stores about how they want them to appeal to their customers... and on and on and on...


i hate exclusiveness, have always avoided clubs, fraternities, orders, lodges, religions or anything that had 'us and them' stamped in the fine print, (or as groucho once said, 'i'd never join a club that would have me as a member'). i mean, it's ok if ya wanna go be a sheep, walk lock-step and follow the pack, as long as you keep to yourself and don't try to win me with hallow arguments as to why your club is better than the others, i won't subscribe to your religion. but now these right-wing nut-case evangelicals are downright scary. their attitude of 'it's my fucking christmas!' is outta control. what unmitigated gall of these people to try and tell me how to celebrate the season. it ain't even their holiday by rights, it really belongs to the pagans, (and we know what they think of those heretics). the winter solstice has been celebrated by cultures all over the world for eons before christ was supposedly born, (which, don't be shocked now, was not on dec. 25th).


now, i don't mean to be pissin' on nobody's holiday, but they started this crap. they want war, they got it. i am all for trashing everything; the obsession of the over-lighted tree, the constant inundation of inane songs sung by tone-deaf singers, the endless, boring, old slogans, the stupid movies and lame t.v. specials, the repetitive stream of crass commercialism and all it's sick pseudo-religious trimmings that truly make detestable what used to be a much more innocent season. this world is full of people who don't celebrate the holiday in the same fashion. still the christian militant fascist fanatics see any other view as a threat to their beliefs. so, they play victim, cry foul and worry themselves silly over whether its 'merry christmas' or 'happy holidays'. and what happens when each and every organized religion wants to put up their own version of the spirit of their holiday? is it a matter of might make right? that is how real wars start isn't it? no one wins in this silly debate. faith is for each person to celebrate in their soul, home or church and not to be crammed down the collective maw of everyone else... especially in the public square, or in government offices. this is not solely a christian country, it is a nation built by the hands of peoples of many beliefs. why can't we all just get along?... we should be better than this, you'd think.


'what would jesus do?' is a fond rallying cry, but a damned few so-called christians rarely do anything resembling the teachings christ. his was a message of tolerance and moderation, of love thy neighbor and helping one another get by... not having crusades for oil using the blood of the poor to finance it, greedy corporate christian wealth that neglects the unfortunate, and mall-sized christmas specials that breed cultural divisiveness. have yourself a merry little christmas is now moot, it's buy more, spend more and just do it my way and we will win this war with them that are different from us... get real, no one is gonna take christ out of christmas, you have that, just don't act like it is the only reason for the season... the reason's in your heart. i don't think the birthday boy would be proud of what it has become. it's just silly the way these people think, as if they do. one drive around the neighborhood here proves their so-called-spirit is alive and well in suburban new orleans, (s.a. says she has never seen so many houses decorated in her life, and i gotta admit it sure seems like the most to me also).

i just wish we could all get along, even if only for one stupid day...


...and if that wasn't bad enuff, the republi-cons are using faith as a major litmus test as to who is most qualified to run this country for them. i dunno know about you, but these last seven years, with a man who was hand-picked by these fruitcakes, is more than enuff. i nearly threw up spiked eggnog out of my nose when i saw huckabee's, (sounds like what you do when you swallow a flying insect), christmas message, (he is the savior flavor de jour for the 'us' guys). i tell ya, every american really needs to see this video, but not for the reasons they want... and you want this guy to be your latex salesman? i hope he is gonna be their next right-hand-of-god, he is truly just too good to believe. he thinks he is so close to heaven he'll probably try to fill his cabinet with the 12 apostles... (the guy just seems like a snake oil salesman to me; sweet talkin', smarmy and not to be trusted).

whew... i think i am thru here, i know i stepped on some toes with this holiday rant (i hope so at least), but my feet hurt already from all this bru-ha-ha, so let's just all try to get along this year, eh? we are doing our part, by enjoying the festivus thingy at home with our pole amongst friends and family, (we're still not checking faith credentials to get in, so come one, come all!), and celebrating the season like the drunken pagans we ought to be... bah humbug!


(here is the real subliminal message from the huck, and it's a lot scarier than 'paul is dead, paul is dead')



also, in the spirit of the stealin' of the over-hyped/priced holidays we offer these tidbits of mirth and detriment, in mp3, thru festivus at least, by way of yousendit:

the sonics - i don't belive in christmas
the damed - there ain't no santa claus
the kinks - father christmas
hanoi rocks - dead by christmas
venom - black christmas
tom waits - christmas card from a hooker in minneapolis
sparks - thank god it's not christmas
billy idol - yellin' at the christmas tree
the vandals - a gun for christmas
the refreshments - i can't have a merry christmas
sex pistols - punk rock christmas
the ramones - punk rock christmas
the black halos - homeless for christmas
danny elfman - kidnap the sandy claws

...to everyone everywhere, just hold true to what the season means to you!
and a happy merry celebrations to all...
now if ya'll excuse me i still got presents to wrap!

everywhere it's christmas...(again)

*** back by popular demand, in time for this xmas, is this repost of the 12-1-05 entry...
(with corrections and additions)

...for seven years the beatles released an annual christmas record, on flexi-discs for members of the fan club. it began in 1963 as the four of them sat around a microphone in abbey road studios to record a thank you message, and by '66 they were making it a small epic, of sorts, using audio skits and new songs. for '68 and '69 the beatles weren't even doing it together at all, just piecemealing stuff they each recorded at home, then handing it over to kenny everett (the bbc dj) to edit for release. in december 1970, after the band broke up, apple records released all 7 christmas flexi-records on one vinyl l.p., again, only to the fan club.


for years all of this was really hard to find on any medium (i was lucky to have a friend whose sister belonged to the fan club and had them all, including the l.p., of which she would not part with but let me tape, so i at least it in some form, which was spread as far as i could). now the price for any of the original records is unreal, as you can imagine. but thanks to the wonders of the internet you can find these lil gems on torrent or other various places, (i found a nice cd of the set, along with the other christmas tunes done by each after the split, on ebay a while back, but i'd love to own the l.p. in vinyl before i die)...

***(well, i finally did get the lp right after the original post, the real apple fan club one... heheheheheeee, she treats me so good!)


...the beatles were always big on christmas. they would plan album and single releases for the holidays and even had a kinda off-broadway christmas show in the early years. and as mentioned in a previous post, it meant a guaranteed record under the tree on the morning of december 25th each year. i still miss those times, but at least we've still got the christmas records to fill the house with beatle-christmas cheer when it comes, at the end of every year ...


here are the very hard to find fan club flexi-disc records on mp3 download for you to put under the tree for that special santa-beatle on your list ...

***(these links are now thru yousendit, so that you can save 'em, since the site i was using/hacking flipped 'em to video streams on youtube... i may add links to those later for ya'll (or you can go here now and save me the trouble)... in the meantime, get 'em while they're available, for 100 downloads or the next week or so, or you can just listen to the audio stream to enjoy anytime at all as long as you like... so, garry crimble to all and getty babel dear christmas!

The Beatles Christmas Record (mp3)
(audio stream)

Another Beatles Christmas Record (mp3)
(audio stream)

The Beatles Third Christmas Record (mp3)
(audio stream)

Pantomime:Everywhere It's Christmas (mp3)
(audio stream)

Christmas Time Is Here Again (mp3)
(audio stream)

The 1968 Christmas Record (mp3)
(audio stream)

The Beatles Seventh Christmas Record (mp3)
(audio stream)

The Beatles Fan Club Christmas L.P.

*** and here are some lost (and found, i guess) beatles christmas bits that have been dug up in the last few, in mp3, once more by way of yousendit:



another take of the '64 message



the lost '65 christmas message

(a very long, strange and un-xmas-like piece of bric-a-brac indeed)


an outtake from the '67 message


...and finally, for the completists and fanatics,
a beatles christmas desktop theme