Monday, January 31, 2011


There's an outside chance that perhaps the greatest rock'n'roll doc of all time could get a fire lit below it again. Please encourage all parties to come to a solution for the greater good. Future generations will thank you - provided someone can educate them with regard to the fact that some things are worth paying for. If like me, you've held out and not acquired a "bootleg" then this is a great chance.

"With the aptly titled MC5: A True Testimonial, [director Dave] Thomas captures the taste for revolt in Detroit that inspired the MC5, a desperation that fueled more important pop figures (besides just Motown artists) than maybe in any other city — an outlaw eruption that ranged from Parliament/Funkadelic to Iggy Pop." - Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

“It’s a great document of the band, it’s a great document of life, and it’s a great document of things ... far and beyond the band.” - Jackson Smith, Detroit-based musician son of Fred & Patti Smith

"Music so extraordinary that it transformed the lives of all who experienced it demands the release of a documentary that does the MC5 justice. Few bands have ever seen so much go so wrong so quickly and have been so misunderstood in the process. A True Testimonial represents a belated opportunity to set things straight, put things right. The fans deserve it. So does the band. And so does the music." - Don McLeese, author of Kick Out The Jams (Continuum 33 1/3 series)
___________________

It's now been over 8 years since the last authorized screening of the MC5 - A True Testimonial documentary at the Detroit Film Theatre on October 30, 2003.

http://www2.metrotimes.com/music/story.asp?id=5598

In that time, all the alleged 'copyright infringement' claims made against David Thomas, Laurel Legler and Future/Now Films have been thoroughly litigated, found to be without merit and the film has reportedly been cleared for released, once the various music licenses are secured.

The poll questions are:

A) Do you still care?

B) Would you pay to see it in a theatre?

C) Would you be interested in a legitimate DVD package?

Care to weigh in? Please do, your comments will be appreciated.

Vote here: http://tinyurl.com/MC5-ATT-poll

And, by all means, please share that link with anyone who might find this a pertinent topic.

KOTJMF!!!


RIP - John Barry

Saturday, January 29, 2011


Amen to this.

(Lack of) progress report... I spent most of today doing the back-breaking and largely thankless task of pulling up and disposing of old carpet(s). The bunker is in serious disarray and I've established that it's not necessary to get "permission" from any local authority to install laminate flooring in said living space. The TV is disconnected and the only music available is via computer. I should fire up the steepletone but it's all a bit like cooking for one. I'm threatening myself with the prospect of going out for a walk. Actually, I'd go along the road to the pictures but it's that Danny Boyle pish that's on and I have standards. Such as they are...


RIP - Gladys Horton (Marvelettes)

RIP - Charlie Callas

Friday, January 28, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011




Hello,

We'd like to bring your attention to this Sunday's Monorail Film Club, an incredible one-off film that is a key part of what was a fast developing 1960s world cinema scene in part influenced by the French New Wave, in this case especially Godard. Unavailable for a long time, Switchboard Operator is the story of a tragic romance between a young telephonist and a coprporation rat catcher set in Belgrade. A brilliant looking, compelling film.

Selected and introduced by Al Kingsbury, a contributor to the Monorail Film Club. Al runs a fortnightly dj night called Fantastic Adventures, every first and third Friday at the 78, Kelvinhaugh Street, Glasgow.

Switchboard Operator,
(Makavejev, Yugoslavia, 1967)

GFT Cinema 2
Sunday, 30 January, 7.30pm.

GFT box office: 0141 332 6535

Wednesday, January 26, 2011


Oh no, here we go again... Just saw Amy's thing on facebook.

RIP - Charlie Louvin

Gracias to SLQ for flagging this up via fb. No idea what it is but it's great!

Monday, January 24, 2011


Laura Cantrell’s return to Glasgow at the Recital Room yesterday went very well. Arranged very last minute to the extent that it didn’t make the brochure, the show was sold out well in advance of the evening. Later tonight, she and Mark Spencer will perform as part of the Dylan tribute rolling revue (much of it not so thunderous for my dinero) and I’m pretty sure that will introduce and re-acquaint her accordingly ahead of a return in May to punt the new “Kitty Wells’ Dresses” set to appear on Shoeshine/Spit and Polish on Easter Monday, the day after Roy and Cyril blitz London with them A-Bones.

A nicely paced set consisting new and old favourites and the lady’s voice sounding damn good. I had no idea that mark was in Son Volt these days but his fretwork is as mellifluous as it ever was. And if you don’t have tickets for their whistle stop at The Water Rats on Wednesday then you’re too late.

There were one or two moments when the clock was well and truly turned back and hearing some of those songs again made me realise how much I missed them. Strangely, the first thing I heard this morning was a clip on Radio Scotland of Laura rehearsing “Mr Tambourine Man”. If everything goes to plan then the re-establishment of Ms C into the hearts and minds of UK audiences will be the formality that it ought to be but in these days of the zip attention span, then you can never underestimate the flakiness of any particular audience at any given time.

And to some extent I include myself in said demographic.

Thanks to Robster for the YT link. Seeing as how SVT wasn't playing ball...

Sunday, January 23, 2011


Who?

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. , that's who! And with a January installment of its last-Thursday-of-every-month residency at the tiki bar where the weather's always tropical, Otto's Shrunken Head!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD/
538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in snowy ol' Manhattan /
Two colossal shows, from 8pm sharp until 10pm / No cover!


Frostily yours,


Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.


"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

What was that Commodores thing about "easy like a Sunday morning"?

Saturday, January 22, 2011


I never realised how much this sounded like "the sound of young Glasgow"... Thanks to Angel Aparacio Trujillo for flagging it up via fb.


I’ve been following this non-story about the slowing of “digital” sales and also the ongoing seemingly end days of HMV. Opposite sides of the same coin. Have you been in an HMV lately? It’s like going into Homebase or B&Q, a very depressing experience. There are bargains to be had if it’s landfill you’re after but it ceased to be a music store eons ago. Let it die and support the true independents that struggle on week to week.

The slippage in digi-sales is perhaps a direct ailment of getting nothing for your money. Oh, the tune? That’s incidental because there are several generations that aren’t educated to the fact that artists might have to be recompensed for their work. There are those who buck the trend, that work hard and get sales, but they’re way below what they used to be. Just today, I saw that ad at the cinema where they harp on about the film being recorded by a camera in the theatre and being made available for “download”. Who in their right mind, that you know, would seriously watch anything of that quality on their flat screen HD TV let alone anywhere else.

To my mind, anyone recording anything thusly is wasting their time or at best needs their heid looked. It’s greed that strangulating these industries, the same symptom that puts popcorn sales before the film and charges over the odds for (just the) tune(s). Ignorance of not respecting artwork/photos and liner notes or lyrics is not necessarily a crime. It’s about respect and valuing the work that has gone into creating it. Neither of these commodities is taught to any degree because we’re all caught in the glare of consumerism even at this late stage.

There was something on TV about selling hooky cigarettes and tobacco this week and how much the government is losing in revenue from this. Perhaps that's why petrol is going through the ceiling, the toffs have got to make their corn somehow. The garage that I go to is the closest one to the refinery but it's still nudging £1.30 a litre. Getting angry about something like this takes my mind off other matters and correlates with needing to find something beyond the bullshit we are constantly bombarded with.

A friend recently asked the pertinent question of “where would we be without music?” in relation to it helping them and theirs though a rough patch. It doesn’t even bear thinking about is perhaps the answer but it ain’t ever going back to how it was so we need to get used to that. So lap up the experience of the record store or the cinema while you still can because there those out there that won’t be happy until each and every one is boarded up and that you have to go through their cartel. Do everything you can to stop that.


LUX LIVES!!! 2011 - Edinburgh edition.

Friday, January 21, 2011


I curse the consideration that put this on the same night as Laura in Glasgow but as you're aware, I curse a lot... and have to sadly sit this one out but you don't have to.

BMX Bandits 25th Anniversary this Sunday (23rd)

Thursday, January 20, 2011


Can't view the Matt and Kim vid due to copyright restrictions so instead I shall digest the Glasgow Film Festival program and try and figure out what to see. This will undoubtedly be followed by falling asleep in front of the TV and waking some time later wondering WTF? I've no idea why I'm committing this to the blog but at least it's something. Tomorrow is Friday (right?) maybe that's significant. Then again.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011


I’m going to try something here, just to see if it’s still possible or if I can still do it, perhaps both.

There are reasons why I haven’t been around these parts much lately. Something happened that really took the wind out of my sails but there are positive aspects to the horizon. I booked my ticket for the Loney/Jordan/A-Bones bun fight in April. And much more imminent is the arrival of wir ain Ms Laura Cantrell to Glasgow this coming weekend for Celtic Connections. She has her own (sold out) show on Sunday and is also taking part in the Dylan tribute (Monday). It’ll be good to see her and hopefully there’ll be news on when her Kitty Wells tribute album will be available.

There’s a brand new Eric and Amy track on the latest episode of Radio Free Song Club...

I’ll attempt to take up the slack on what I haven’t been doing this past while but it could take some time to gather any sort of momentum. Add the ongoing work on the bunker (that I wish had never started) to the fankle and the urge to scurry off into the sunset (or should that be moonset) is high.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011


All I ever seem to do here is post RIP's these days...

RIP - Don Kirshner

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Saturday, January 15, 2011


Glasgow Film Festival programme launches on Thursday (January 20th).

Friday, January 14, 2011


Ms Laura Cantrell is at The Water Rats in Kings Cross, The London on January 26th.

Tickets can be booked here.

The Godmother of rock'n'roll on BBC Four tonight.

(Thanks to Mr Percival for the link)

Unbelievable! (Thanks to Mr Duff for the linkage)

RIP - Trish Keenan (Broadcast)

Thursday, January 13, 2011



How completely amazing would it be to be able to do this!? (Thanks to HT for the info)

I'm hoping to resume normal programming this weekend. Let's see how that notion pans out.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sunday, January 09, 2011




Lose your troubles; lose your pants.

A new year's thought from your friends at Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. This week at the ol' Rodeo Bar!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12th / RODEO BAR /375 Third Avenue (at the corner of 27th Street) in Manhattan /Two rootin' tootin' sets, from 10pm sharp until 12:30am / No cover!

Sincerely,


Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

Saturday, January 08, 2011


A message from Emily at Tracer Trails...

Hello there

It's a warming winter mailout from Tracer Trails, with all the turn-of-the-year news you can stomach on top of a giant nut roast, christmas cheeses and three gallons of Hanna Tuulikki's spiced whisky toddy.

Thanks are due to loads of folk - notably Nick Braw, Bart Owl, Neil Cooper, Clare Sawers - for friendliness, practical assistance, timely hugs and intense good fun.

Great vibes were enjoyed at some of our best-attended gigs yet; we even won a Herald Angel Award for Retreat! and, according to The List, Tracer Trails is now the 74th hottest thing in Scotland. Next year we will be aiming for 51st hottest, with five totally steaming shows already booked, and a sweltering new project due to commence in January. Prickly heat!

FORTHCOMING GIGS:

Tuesday 25 Jan 2011: Withered Hand + Woodpigeon + de Selby @ Stereo, Glasgow
"Very special double-header: Woodpigeon visits from Calgary to see a slice of Scotland with his friend Withered Hand, who will be playing his (their) first full-band Glasgow date since last summer."
Tickets £6 / £5 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/102966

Friday 28 Jan 2011: The Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Folk Show + Two Wings @ Mono, Glasgow
"Wow! This is going to be a singular event, for sure. NYC anti-folk star Jeffrey Lewis (Rough Trade) is bringing to the UK his collaborative show with 60s psych-folk original Peter Stampfel (of Holy Modal Rounders / The Fugs). Jeffrey and Peter will be trading songs, chatting, playing and singing on each other’s stuff, ably assisted by a vintage Jeff Lewis backing ensemble."
Tickets £8 / £6 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/103377

Friday 11 Feb 2011: James Yorkston + Marry Waterson & Oliver Knight @ Old St Paul's, Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh
"An unassailably awesome bill of old and new folk from Fence Collectee / Domino hero James Yorkston, supported by the latest offshoots of the mighty Waterson clan, Marry Waterson and Oliver Knight."
Tickets £8 / £6 from
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98157

Saturday 9 April 2011: Eli Keszler + Usurper + 1tbc @ Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow
"Totally fierce, high-energy free percussion and invented instruments from Providence, Rhode Island, versus '(mostly) miniscule free-noise tantrums wi busted instruments from the mongs what brought youse Giant Tank and Pizza Boy Delivery.'"
Tickets £5 / £4 from
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/103035

Thursday 21 April 2011: Alasdair Roberts & Friends + guests @ CCA, Glasgow
"Swabian-born, Kilmahog-bred alumnus of Appendix Out and single-handed re-reinventor of the Scots ballad tradition finally tours his most recent release: Too Long In This Condition."
Tickets £7 / £5 from
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/103032

IMPORTANT NEWS OF A BRAND NEW PROJECT:

Tracer Trails will also be trying something unprecedented in 2011. To mark the 60th anniversary of the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, we're commissioning three of our all-time favourite Scottish artists - Alasdair Roberts, Aileen Campbell and Drew Wright (Wounded Knee) - to create brand new works based on excavations conducted in the extraordinary Archives of the School.

The School of Scottish Studies played a crucial role in the Folk Revival of the 50s and 60s. Fieldworkers including Hamish Henderson and Alan Lomax conducted landmark research at the School, and their field recordings are now held – on open reels, cassettes, discs and even wax cylinders – as part of the School’s massive Archive of traditional songs, tales, oral history, ethnographic photography and video. It's a totally unique and invaluable resource, and we're incredibly excited to have the opportunity to open it up a little through the creation of three completely new works.

Aileen, Alasdair and Drew will be in residence in the Archives for 12 weeks from January 13th; their work will be developed over the summer, and will be toured round Scotland in autumn 2011.

We'll be documenting progress throughout with a blog at
www.archivetrails.com . Please check it out, from mid-January, for journals from the artists giving insights into their process, plus plenty of images and tape excerpts from the Archives. For now, full info can be found at www.tracertrails.com/projects .

This project is supported by grants from Creative Scotland and The University of Edinburgh.

I THINK THAT'S IT

If you read this far: thank you so very much. I hope you found some of this news to be good news for you. Write back if you like!

Ever yours,

Emily

PS Follow TT on Twitter! twitter.com/tracertrails .
Or on Facebook! facebook/tracertrails

Thursday, January 06, 2011


It's official and the tickets went on sale today... Roy, Cyril and The A-Bones on Sunday April 24th in "The London". Click on the flyer.

Sunday, January 02, 2011


As the dust settles on what is numerically speaking another year, I may have said this before but I wish "my people" good things all the time and not just the first few days in January.

As for resolutions, they’re like regrets – I have a warehouse full. Still, I imagine that the whatever will be lobby will sweep in and somehow what passes for life will rumble on. The actual focus and expectation of anything new actually occurring being crammed into “celebration” while actually celebrating very little at all irks me.

There are cool things on the horizon but those seem awfy far away. Or maybe I need my eyes testing? My napper could definitely use some rewiring. There is legitimate reason for this ennui but it’s not for dragging through this particular neighbourhood.

At least the snow is gone. For now. However an outbreak of swine flu is said to be imminent.

Saturday, January 01, 2011


Courtesy of Thom Tex Edwards, I'm certainly chiming with the "Lost" part.



I hope that your 2011 has kicked off in better tid than mine.