Sunday, March 17, 2024

FRANK ZAPPA - MEGA BOX

The Frank Zappa 8 CD "Mega Box" that I mentioned a little while ago, presents exactly the same recordings as the 8 CD "The Best Days" set that got released two years ago.

  • CD 1 = 1978/09/09 Knebworth House Open Air Festival, Stevenage, UK
  • CD 2 & 3 = 1981/10/31 Early and Late Show Palladium, New York, NY
  • CD 4 & 5 = 1975/10/01 Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • CD 6 = 1974/11/23 Jenison Fieldhousse, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
  • CD 7  = 1969/02/23 Early Show Rockpile, Toronto, Canada
  • CD 8 = 1980/10/13 Early Show Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

=

THE RESIDENTS - THE RESIDENTS' SECRET SHOW - LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO

  • the residents: the residents' secret show - live in san francisco
        (2024, cd+dvd, uk, cherry red records)
I just watched the first part of "The Residents' Secret Show - Live In San Francisco" and I was taken by surprise.
This is not just a Residents concert, this is a celebration of the music of The Residents.

When it comes to ordering a new Residents release, I never doubt. I just order it. Maybe if I had read the liner notes, I would have known what to expect, but then again, who doesn't like a nice surprise.
This "Secret Show" has a fine selection of artists (The San Francisco Girl Chorus, Sarah Cahill, Les Claypool, Ego Plum, Josh Freese, Pamela Z, and others) performing the music of The Residents.
And The Residents themselves participate as well.

I love it.
This is great.
CD (audio) and DVD (video) have a slightly different track list but they both come in the same package so who's complaining?
Also out on 2 LP.

The Residents - Semolina



J.M. SMIG - WITCH CITY STINK

J.M. Smig released "Witch City Stink" in 2016.

9 pieces and they're all quite different.
For my taste, the first track, 'Funky Laurano', is the least interesting one, but from then on, it's a remarkable listening experience.

In the liner notes, J.M. added:

A collection of unnecessarily long instrumentals for people who like that sort of thing, mixed with shorter, radio-friendly tracks including the single "Pickle Park Polka".
Many of the tracks were created by converting graphic files to sound blips in Audacity, then stretching the audio from which riffs were isolated and looped. This is the album where I stopped sequencing pre-written solos and began improvising on an M-Audio Keyrig49. 

Two incidents occurred shortly after the release. The great Keith Emerson died by suicide and my laptop broke down, leading to my library computer phase. Rumors of a curse involving Emerson's offense at my keyboard skills remain unsubstantiated.

 

MIKE KENEALLY CONCERT IN SAN DIEGO ON MARCH 28

A message from Mike Keneally


SAN DIEGO!! SAN DIEGANS!!

I'm coming to the Full Circle Saloon in El Cajon on March 28.

With me will be
  • JOE TRAVERS
  • PETE GRIFFIN
  • RICK MUSALLAM
Opening will be deep local faves
Jeff Berkley and the Banned
and
Joshua Taylor and the Unscene

Link to Full Circle website with all venue details:
https://fullcirclesaloon.com/

Returning to my good old hometown on a THURSDAY so maybe all my musician pals in town don't have gigs that night 🙂 Come hang!

My great old pal Doug Booth from the days of Drop Control will be guesting during my set!

BE WITH US!


Saturday, March 16, 2024

TREACHEROUS CRETINGS TOURDATES

Performing the music of Frank Zappa


KURT ELLING - SUPERBLUE - THE LONDON SESSIONS

  • kurt elling: superblue - the london sessions
        (2022, download, --, bandcamp)
Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling released "Superblue" in 2021.
He re-recorded several tracks live at the London Pool Studios and released these on "Superblue - The London Sessions" EP.
  • Kurt Elling - voice
  • Charlie Hunter - hybrid guitar
  • DJ Harrison - keyboards
  • Corey Fonville - drums
  • Vula Malinga - backing vocals
  • LaDonna Young - backing vocals
Excellent !!


ZAPPA SONGBOOK

A number of "Frank Zappa Songbooks" got released in The Netherlands in the late 1970's / early 1980's.
Here's the one that carried a picture of FZ by undergound artist Peter Pontiac on the cover.


PAUL ROLAND

Paul Roland released a song entitled 'Willie The Pimp' on his "Unreleased Songs" album, but it's not the piece that I expected it to be...

 

CHINA MOSES - NIGHTINTALES

  • china moses: nightintales
        (2017, cd, europe, mps)
If you're in the mood for some soul & jazz, check out China Moses.
I had never heard of China Moses before today, and that's a shame. But I'm catching up.

In 2017, she released on the MPS imprint the album Nightintales written in five days with Black British multi-instrumentalist Anthony Marshall. The pair recorded the album in London at the analogue studio, Snap Studios. The album features Luke Smith on piano, Neville Malcolm on bass and Jerome Brown on drums, three top Black British musicians of the UK soul-jazz scene.


SPIRITS BURNING & MICHAEL MOORCOCK - THE HOLLOW LAND

  • spirits burning & michael moorcock: the hollow lands
        (2020, cd, uk, purple pyramid)
For "The Hollow Lands", Spirits Burning's driving force, Don Falcone, invited writed Michael Moorcock (who also recorded with Hawkwind).

18 tracks, featuring lots of guests on every piece, which adds to the variation.
Space rock.
Nice.