THE TOFU HUT

Labels: clicky, metal, personal silliness, world

big ups to da critical massive

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blah blah blah

Wiping the harddrives means various hoops to jump through to get access to my hosting service again (long story), so while we're waiting, here's a new bit of Stylus reviews.


I've gotten myself into the position of writing for free for Stylus; mostly as an excuse to get my writing sharper, produce more blurbable work to be introduced as sample text to net freelance work (Music Mags! I'm Available! Call Now!) and also to keep me plugged into what's what on the pop airwaves. I'll be posting my weekly snarkiness here on days when I don't have a longer article together, along with corporate sponsored links where you can either hear the music or see the video and make up your own mind.

Ten Years - "Wasteland" (click on "launch music player")
The pain of the wounded middle class has so much to answer for: self-inflected cigarette burns, eyebrow piercing, the fashions of Hot Topic and "Next... on the WB..."-style tracks like this. So wrought with vapidly introspective Shelley-by-way-of-Sevendust lyrics; so predictable in their rising and falling guitar riffs; such meaning in their plaintive, echoing torment... oh, the humanity!
Alright, obviously I can't take Ten Years too seriously; but I do have to admit this track is morbidly entertaining. 'Wasteland' is catchy, well-structured and melodramatic enough to hold your interest while it's on; but skirts relevancy and further review by dint of lack of depth. I need an Amy Lee guest-vocal, a demonic vocoder chorus or something similarly and pleasantly batshit-crazy (isn't anyone doing emo-banjo solos yet?) to bust up the tedium of a well-done formula that's getting a tetch tired. Otherwise, this is nice but hardly noteworthy enough to stand out in a too crowded field.

Mary J. Blige - "Be Without You"
If anybody's earned the right to coast on sheer harmony and talent, it's Mary J, one of the few women in modern R+B with the longevity to have serenaded two generations of spurned baby mamas. Blige may have stopped growing artistically quite some time ago, but she's still plenty capable of connecting the quiet storm dots with more pinache, emotion and skill than any four bubblecrunk pretenders to the throne.
On 'Be Without You,' Mary cries a little, raps a little, channels a little Aretha and does what she does best: crafting a nth iteration inner-city-couples-only-skate-jam that wouldn't have sounded any more out of place in '94 than it will in '06. It's nothing special, but the musicbox-dancer piano, on-the-three handclaps and Mary's sweet, soulful voice make this more than kind enough to merit a listen and a lap around the roller-rink.

Cast of Rent - "Seasons of Love"
When I was in college, RENT had just hit in a big way and you couldn't escape the soundtrack at any of the theater kid parties. One night, curious as to what all the fuss was about, I isolated myself next to the stereo and forced myself to listen to the full score to find out what all the fuss was about. About an hour and a half later, I still had no idea. The audio equivalent of jazz hands, this overblown up-with-people pap is as unlistenable,soulless and calculated as anything I've heard this year. Evicted.

Nelly f/ Paul Wall & Big Gipp - "Grillz"
All three verses are reasonably clever ("where i got em? you can spot em/ on the top and the bottom./ Got a bill in my mouth like I'm Hillary Rodham") and it's about time that somebody got Gipp and Paul Wall on the same track to discuss orthodontia, but 'Grillz' is still a little disappointing. Most of the blame for that can be laid at Jermaine Dupri's not so def barely-there production, which recalls the similarly boring Neptunes single 'Flap Your Wings'. I'm not against minimalist hip pop ('Laffy Taffy' is still on heavy rotation around the house), but these guys deserve something better to rhyme over than 'Urban Preset 42', no? Anyway, I tend to prefer Nelly's "let's get freaky and fuck" anthems over his fashion statement/advertising jingles; I can't pretend to care about fronts and tennis shoes, but sex is a product even I can stand behind.

Matisyahu - "King Without a Crown"
I came for the kasha, but I'm staying for that skankin' dub: against all odds, Matisyahu's odd mix of pro-Yahweh, anti-drug Hassidic reggae is touching, sweet and eminently fun. Though Matisyahu gets his foot in the door on gimmickry, he keeps your interest getting by on skills and songwriting, not novelty; the guy can sing, he can scat and he can flat out rock the beat. Worth a listen for even the slightly curious, you may well walk away a believer.

Trace Adkins - "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
Although nominally a stab at country/hip hop crossover, 'Badonkadonk' is more novelty Southern rock than anything else. With lyrics that suggest that yon fair maiden's keister has "got it goin' on / like Donkey Kong", a cornpone fiddle desperately competing with an electric guitar and a poorly edited video mix (replete with dubbed in pseudo-reggaeton/electro/disco beat and a ten gallon hat full of awkward white-gal ass shaking), you COULD make a case that there was some ironic enjoyment to be culled here. You'd be wrong, though. Nashville's Muzik Mafia (which this is clearly trying to rip off) make cheap throwaway pop with a country flavor that keeps its savor for a long time into the chewing. This, on the other hand, kinda sucks. Don't be fooled by cheap imitations, kids.

Don't believe me OR your own ears?
Get a second opinion.

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losin' it

My thanks to those of you who sent out impassioned "we'll-get-through-it-together" emails, notes and friendly wishes when my hard drives crashed; it's appreciated. However, please note: suggesting I get an Apple is like telling a man whose boyfriend just broke up with him that he should consider dating women. Not the place, not the time.

Anyways, the data is gazonkered and effectively irretrievable. A backup from March of this year is providing mostly solid, but literally hundreds of albums and thousands of singles that I've acquired since then are gone for good. Sure, most of this is fairly easily found again (even though I generally give away discs once I have them on my hard drive, there's always slsk and the like), but the real stinger is the TIME spent putting that collection in digital format as well as the constant nagging "do-i-still-have-X?" worry burning in my head. Not knowing what comprises my music collection is a real pain.

But don't cry for me Bloggentina; life is great both professionally and personally and new music is still a constant both at work and at home (the benefits of working in a music club and living with a cute music industry hack). Yes, it's a bummer, but I'm gonna keep on truckin'. There's plenty yet to share with y'all as well; this mini-tragedy provides a perfect opportunity to go back and explore some of my older (read: "older to me") backed up music to turn folks on to. Let's see what I can find.

What I wouldn't MIND, however, would be some best of '05 mix CDs so that I can get a good look at what the year had. Since that backup took place in the START of March, the year 2005 is musically lost to me in it's entirety and I know that I at LEAST need a few best of the year discs.

Anybody care to oblige? Address on th' right.

Labels: music, personal silliness, stylus

step one, friday: itunes crashes

step two, friday night: windows crashes

step three, saturday night: reinstall windows

step four, saturday night: D + E drives unformat

step five, saturday night: ipod erased

step six, after hours on sunday: windows reinstalled. internet up. All external and secondary drives claiming "unformatted" resulting in all music missing. Some 60 thousand songs worth. All documents and writing missing. Last backup was in March, 50 dvds worth of material but do I reformat drives? Should've tried to back up now, but with windows hardly working it seemed impossible. Do I try to salvage? Difficulty keeping lunch down.

step seven: going to cry for a bit.

Data recovery guy calling tonight; going to badger my friendly work tech guy.

Maybe time for a new computer? Dunno. Nauseous over this, of course and trying hard to quell desire to take a hammer to the whole sh-bang.

Further reports forthcoming. Prayer and voodoo curses are appreciated.

Labels: personal silliness

Contrary to some reports on the web, Allen Toussaint is alive, well and in New York.

I'm happy to report that I was able to briefly meet him and shake his hand last night; he is, given the horrific circumstances, in good spirits.

Labels: personal silliness

Doggone if June didn't grow up to be a handsome woman.

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glisten: June Carter and Merle Haggard

June Carter - "The Heel"

Back in '61, when 'The Heel' was first released, June and Johnny had yet to meet and country audiences could still handle wild, rollicking, Wurlitzer-driven novelty tracks like this one. 'Heel' briefly flirts with the idea of becoming a murder ballad, but June Carter is too soft hearted and introspective to do in her cheatin' man, bawling that "in my heart's arithmatic / I find it takes two heels to click".

Two years later, Johnny Cash and June Carter had embarked into the ring of fire and one of music's most productive, famous and intense relationships. Johnny would get the lion's share of the fame and recognition; June would be the rock. No knock to the man in black intended, but June's due for a critical reexamination; her over-sixty year career produced more than a few great songs. Here's hoping her newly released collection does the trick; in the meantime, snap up this Tarantino-esque gem, then click some of these links to get more.

Buy "Keep on the Sunny Side", June's exemplary soon-to-be-released two disc greatest hits set, from Amazon.
It's great stuff and a long overdue honor for this country queen.
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Download a number of other classic tracks by June from her official website.
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Read more about June from the House of Cash website and on this fansite.
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Learn about The Carters, the first family of bluegrass.

Coping with a rotten heel.

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Merle Haggard - "Roly Poly"

Some songs never fail to get a grin out of me; this is definitely one of them. Originally written and performed by Bob Wills and his band, The Texas Playboys, 'Roly Poly' is not entirely dissimilar to Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely"; the proud parent seems simply floored by the vitality of his youngster and Daddy's enthusiasm is catchy.

Hard to believe, but this cut is thirty-five years old, hailing from a time when the Okie from Muskogee had still yet to receive a pardon for his past transgressions. For a man as grizzled as Merle to sound so honeycomb sweet... well, that's talent. This is likely to be the nicest song you listen to over and over for the next three days, so go ahead and pull up a chair and get comfy.

You'd have to be half-nuts to buy Merle's out-of-print "A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World: Or, My Salute To Bob Wills" from Amazon; prices start at sixty nine bucks for the CD and go up from there. I imagine a decent used record store is your best bet, but those of you with a turntable (just got a new one myself!) can buy a copy of the LP from EBay for only four bucks.

Don't let the price gouging fool you into dismissing this; it's an absolutely essential album, packed with some knockout country swing.
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Read the Merle Haggard Onion interview or this one, from Dallas Music Guide.
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Visit Merle's official site.
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Learn more about Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.
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Read the AMG Haggard profile.
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Save the Rolypoly

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Hey there Mister Big Shot Audioblogger, Where Have YOU Been?

On the grind.
Working hard at the new gig.
Eating well.
Seeing something like eighteen shows since last we spoke; everything from Lady SOV to Uncle Earl, Charanga Cakewalk to Cocorosie, Jim White to Goapele, Balkan Beat Box to Lesley Gore.
Listening to dozens of discs.
Maybe a dozen films too: In the Realms of the Unreal, Grizzly Man, The Singing Detective, the exceptionally shitty War of the Worlds.
Got started on the giddily fun Psychonauts.
Saw some Shakespeare.
Lotsa girl time.
Wrote a yet to be posted piece for Salon on R. Kelly and six album reviews for Jazz Times magazine, including one on Ry Cooder's highly overrated Chavez Ravine.
Getting soused for the first time in a long time with a cantankerous, brilliant sumbitch.
Meeting with the fine folk of ILM.
Feeling my head spin and swell when I saw that, even without updating for two weeks, Th' Hut turned out our half-millionth customer some time ago.
Cleaning out an inbox with two hundred and fifty relevant messages.
Emotionally and mentally prepping myself for the big old 3-0, which will happen TOMORROW (birthday wishes are welcome).

But mostly recharging and a little bit of this.

Today is Liz Phair and a pile of work and a busy life after the late night. Today is the first post of the rest of my life. Today is me saying: Hi.

Hope I didn't keep you waiting.

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whole lotta spiffy

Just afore I signed off for a bit, I compiled a pile of spiffy. This is the most of it; quite a lot of it is old (which is to say it's made the rounds) but I like to think there's still a few gems in this dark loam. Happy spelunking!

Vintage Wedding Photographs
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Professional animator/designer/sculptor Peter König's site offers an impressive portfolio of creepy crawlies.
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Le Building is an eccentric, fun and inspired mini-movie.
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This collection of '70's NYC club photos has already made its way all over the web; but I remain amazed at the dionysian revelry of the City's glory days. Ah, for a pre-AIDS party scene with a Moroder soundscape thumping in the background... them were golden times, I imagine.
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I know I'm a geek for caring, but how come the internet hasn't beeen buzzing about this Final Fantasy VII CGI movie? This was the last FF that really OWNED me; Cloud, Aeris, Cid and Barrett are like old friends... any hope of a US release on this?
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More GemSweater fun.
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Props to Danyel; her new novel Bliss is done dropped. Those of you who'd like to play fictional fly-on-the-wall with musical high-rollers should cop this Harlequinized inside scoop.

And speaking of naked cartwheels...
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One of the great things about the internet is that if you ever wondered what, say, a multi-piece papier-mache diorama of a unicorn orgy would look like, someone has already gone to the trouble for you.
Worst pun of the year award: "I chose unicorns for a reason--to make a point."
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I'll be wobbling through these in a bit, but I figured I'd share with those of you Francophiles and polylinguists who could get a jump on my fumbling: dig on this mostly-new-to-me French collection of audioblogs.

And while you're at it, when was the last time you looked in on the Grandaddy and the main inspiration for my own obsessive audioblog archiving : good ol' EC Brown has updated his page with new art and new sites from across the web.
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Daft Punk's 'Technologic' performed by robot dogs.
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Belated condolences to London Lee over at Number One Songs in Heaven who recently lost his father. Lee posted a touching remembrance on the page; stop by and pay your respects.
(Link temporarily down; love to London regardless.)
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Now THIS is disturbing.
Also available in mini.
If you really MUST know what's going on here, click this; for myself, I prefer to pretend that it's a Jim Woodring dream made flesh.
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The Online Stax Museum
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24 hours of music with Mark Harp.
He's not kidding; that's a full nonstop day of his music up there. Worth a listen, if not twenty four hours worth.
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I rather like the new Fischerspooner and Röyksopp singles; go ahead and give 'em a try.
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PORTAL, New Jersey.
The video on the website is down, but Milk and Cookies is johnny-on-the-spot.
This stuff makes 'LIGHTNING BOLT' seem socially acceptable.
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My favorite wikipedia articles are the ones that doggedly embrace the quixotic; what could be more of a fool's errand (and more fun) than The Archive of Fictional Things.

But what's this? So few fictional cows? Get cracking, you ersatz bovin-ologists! Show some gumption!
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"Oh my Goodness! Becky, look at her bible!"
Um, if Southpaw is supposed to be THAT evangelical, how did he come to be so intimately familar with "Baby Got Back"?
That "yawn-arm-around-the-shoulder" maneuver=you're going to hell.
"And if you're catholic? There's even more."
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mp3act is a bit too technical for this poor lam3r to figure out; anybody want to tell me if it's worth my learning a few new tricks?

And while you're at it, anybody want to recommend a good remote listening program for iTunes so I don't have to bring a portable drive with me wherever I go?
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Lord knows that taking potshots at Miss Martha Originals African-American Collectibles is all too easy, but OH that ad copy; even Anne Geddes would find this pap nauseating.

If the meandering non-sequiturs, the mind-wobbling cutsey-isms or the simply bizarre captions don't do it for you, the occasional egregious double entendre should.
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And now:
Finding Nemo On Ice.


"But how are you going to explain what these fish are doing on ice? Isn't that going to kill them? What if the actors accidentally fall down? Fish don't fall down!"


"I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it was “Finding Nemo on Ice” that inspired Thornton Wilder to remark, “The theater is supremely fitted to say: Behold! These things are.” These things being giant mutant fish with legs"

"the placement of the fishe's eyes on the breastplates of the costumes coming in for particularly adult criticism from the folks wandering about during intermission."

"The fun-filled family adventure features a kaleidoscope of scenic elements, visuals, costumes and musical numbers ranging from a classical jellyfish ballet to monkfish getting jiggy."

"Nemo found...on ice!"

(both of the above via snarkymalarkey, who is pretty consistently good for a laugh)

And speaking of watersports, who wouldn't love an R. Kelly Golden Showerhead?
Beats a trucker bomb hot tub, no doubt.
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Bobby Yang: Rock Violinist.
His much circulated Star Spangled Banner video really won me over; wouldn't mind seeing this guy if he ever finds his way up to New York.
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He's certainly America's Biggest SOMETHING.
This has GOT to be a joke of some sort, right? A play on Brent's Freelove Freeway, certainly? Please?
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Audioblog networkers/online music sharers/all-around nice folks Dirty on Purpose have been amassing good press and building up a devoted audience as of late; if you haven't had a chance to see 'em live and you've a taste for melodic shoegazer pop with a bit of distortion to rough the edges, check em out.
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Man, I love The Perry Bible Fellowship, even if there are a few strips I don't quite get.
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My big city Hut folk should keep a constant eye on Flavorpill; it's long been an excellent source for info as to where the show's at this weekend. If ya didn't know, it's indispensible.
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Nippop: no music, but an excellent primer to the world of Japanese pop, indie, punk and rock.
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Lordy sweet jesus; talk about a time-waster: TV Ark offers what looks to be HUNDREDS of old-school television clips, ranging from kids shows to Doctor Who to PBS promos. The emphasis is on British channels, but there's a lovely selection of US TV to page through as well; ah, memories.
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Wacky!
Bald guy gets gully, yo.

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BURNT POPTARTS

FORKSCLOVETOFU SEZ: Anthony Miccio is a poprocka and th' Hut's expert on all things big, radio-friendly and glistening that might otherwise escape our more rockist readers earholes.
Anthony dispenses wisdom and choice bon mots at Anthony is Right.

Smashmouth - "Your Man"

A touring musician wrestles with the devotion of a lover back home that he doesn't deserve, possibly because he's a member of Smashmouth. Frustration, confusion, anger, gratitude - all supported by a dramatic build-up of power chords, dance beats, keyb bleeps and Christmas bells. For such an emotionally varied tale, the track is oddly compact, like they thought they might be able to make a hit out of this subject matter. They may well have: "Walkin' On The Sun" was able to critique crackheads and the commodification of sixties culture, while "All Star" contains a verse that dances across the thermometer, successfully celebrating and warning of both extreme heat and cold. As it wasn't a single, "Your Man" is not among the twenty (twenty!) tracks included on their upcoming greatest hits album, but I certainly can't think of twenty superior songs in their discography.

Buy the album, Smashmouth, which features "Your Man (not to mention, "I'm A Believer!")
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According to the band's website, the band has recorded a new album with the producer of the Killers that 'features an aggressive sound that harkens back to their multi-platinum debut, 'Fush Yu Mang.' The return of ska-pop??? The end of family movie soundtracks??? Only time will tell.
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What DO people who listen to Smashmouth listen to?

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2MORROW

Tongue twisting South African mbaqanga from Abafana Baseqhudeni. Believe me, with a name like Smuckers, it's GOT to be good and WHOO BOY this stuff is GOOD.

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Labels: Anthony Miccio, clicky, music, personal silliness

hosting is hiccupping. watch this space.

Labels: personal silliness

Out of sight, out of mind ?

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glisten: skimming the surface noise

The Violinaires - "Another Soldier Gone"

This beautiful gospel-style eulogy for a fighting man hearkens back to the early fifties; the conflict in question is the Korean War. This track has been reissued a few times in LP format (though, I believe, never in digital media), but the original 45 RPM release is practically impossible to find; I know of a copy in good condition that recently sold for three grand.

Why all the hubbub? This track represents one of the earliest and cleanest recorded examples of the doo-wop/RnB sound, making it a historical disc in more ways than one.

Scarcity and subject matter aside, the tune itself is undeniably moving; I'd be hard pressed to think of a more beautiful requiem.

Listen here to another, later (1954) recording of "Another Soldier Gone" by a reshuffled Violinaires, renamed "The ? Marks" for trademarking purposes.

It's still a pretty song, but I like the earlier one better.
Courtesy the Vocal Group Harmony Web Site, an excellent place to explore for much more classic vocal music from the thirties, forties and fifties.
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The Detroit-based Violinaires are still an active singing group; explore their official website.
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Learn more about the Korean War.

The Original Jubalaires - "When It's All Over But the Shouting"

The Original Jubalaires have a considerable pedigree, with members hailing from a number of important vocal and gospel groups, including the Du-Droppers and the Golden Gate Quartet. More's the pity that time has not treated their memory with much respect; their sound, unshakable harmony carves right through the surface pop and crackle on this recording to deliver a powerful and rousing anthem. "All Over But the Shouting" is an artifact of the second World War; this 1944 side would've coincided pretty closely with D-Day.

Listen to five more tracks by the Jubilaires; again, courtesy the Vocal Group Harmony site.

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spiffy

PIZZAZZ PIZZAZZ C'MON WE'RE GONNA GIVE IT TO YA
(autoload video w/sound, entirely worksafe but a bit distressing)
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I'm a longtime fan of cartoonist Nina Paley and am much-gratified to discover that she's been doing a lot of work with online animation; don't miss the remarkable work-in-progress that is Sita's Adventures in the Ramadan, with music by Annette Hanshaw!
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We run these streets.
"Other popular hacks include the 'infinite don't walk' and the 'halfway across for granny.'"
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The main reason I keep an audioblog graveyard over to the right is because a lot of these sites stop and start periodically. Let's welcome a few old kids back on the block: Trrill is off the opera kick and back to eclectic audio; the only Welsh audioblog I know, Pop Peth, joins us again; Mr. Bassie's Jamaican music site has been resuscitated; everyone's favorite futuristic beatbox/ eepher/ hummer/ noisemaker Dokaka returns with dozens of downloadable cuts; DJ ZoZo is the latest incarnation of the now defunct Swung By Seraphim and good ol' Tuwa is very much back on the scene in a big way.

Incidentally, did anybody else notice that The Onion is audiobloggin' now, too? Boo to it being all realaudio though; some of us like to listen to our music on the go.
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If ya didn't know:

"The name of the blog is a piss take on my online nick, "forksclovetofu", by way of a reference to Matt Groening's 'Life In Hell'. There's a strip where his be-fezzed gay couple Akbar and Jeff open a stripmall called "The Tofu Hut". Honestly, I didn't give much thought about the name when I started the blog and it wasn't originally a music site. Knowing then what I do now, I've occasionally mused that I might've been better off calling the thing "John the Revelator" which would make it easier for people to associate the site with me. Ah well. Missed opportunities.
For the record: no, I'm not a vegetarian but I _DO_ love to eat tofu in all its many forms."

... all of which is meant as explanation as to why I would be excited about The Akbar Font.
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bonus glisten: miccio's pop rocks

Anthony Miccio is a poprocka and th' Hut's expert on all things big, radio-friendly and glistening that might otherwise escape our more rockist readers earholes.
Anthony dispenses wisdom and choice bon mots at Anthony is Right.


The Ying Yang Twins with Adam Levine (of Maroon 5) - Live Again

ANTHONY SEZ: The best song I've heard released this year is probably "Live Again," the Ying Yang Twins' collaboration with Maroon 5's Adam Levine on their new album USA. Helps if you enjoy Adam Levine's nasal-Stevie voice, but this track's unpredictability and effectiveness should impress anyhow. There's no preachiness, no moralizing, not even a buck-passing "What Would You Do?"/"Where Is The Love?" open-ending, just a sympathetic portrayal of the life of someone who normally doesn't get more than a dollar in her drawers. The closest thing to an opinion presented is "from me to you, I love you." While source of the sentiments may surprise some people, the Twins have long had a gift for clear language and storytelling (phrases like "[you] just want to pull up your pants," are startlingly simple and effective). None of the energy and danceability associated with the duo is missing, leaving us with a track that upends countless presumptions about the treatment of this subject matter while being immediately accessible and affecting.

THE TOFU HUT SEZ: As a non-Maroon 5 fan, I was stunned that Levine was on this track but, to his credit, his David Gray voice actually adds something to the song. Count me in as a surprised fan on this cut; 'Live Again' recalls Stankonia era Outkast to my ears.

Buy "United States of Atlanta", the new and highly lauded album from the Ying Yang Twins, from Amazon.
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Visit the Twins official site.
They're giving away gasoline? That's pretty populist, but whufuck?
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Read this interview with D-Roc and Kaine.

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Labels: Anthony Miccio, clicky, personal silliness

We're movin' on up... To th' East Side...

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glisten: you can find me in da pub

Wow, is it July already? Regular Hut visitors are well aware thta I have been very much AWOL lately, but I like to think I have a pretty good excuse: I got myself a new job. That's right; there's no more hash slinging for your friendly neighborhood tofu-head. I'm off to see the wizard with my spankin' new gig at Joe's Pub, NYC.

For those of you unfamiliar with Joe's, it's as close to a live club version of th' Hut as anyone's ever likely to run; th' Pub is a not-for-profit spot that hosts as many as three shows a night with acts as diverse as could be. Jazz, hip hop, soul, R+B, rock, LOTSA world; you name it, it's playin' there. Joe's Pub has also been a springboard for any number of young acts that've gone on to make it big, not least of which is th' Hut favorite Nellie McKay (new album due out in late September!)

Part of the responsibilities of the new job include spending a great deal of time in the club itself watching the shows. This means that I'm likely going to be seeing great live music at least three times a week; so, you know, I'm a little excited.

Anyway, the primary reason I'm breaking the fourth wall (and my unspoken rule not to involve my personal life in th' Hut space) to present you with this good news is that I don't want any confusion: The Tofu Hut will continue as a separate entity from the Pub. I understand well enough that there's the potential for some conflict of blogger interest here, but don't worry; I enjoy having the freedom to post whatever's got my attention just now. While there IS some talk about creating an audioblog for the Pub itself in the perhaps-not-so-distant future, that project will (at best) be a sister blog and not a replacement for this one. Some overlap is probably unavoidable as I'll hear somebody that excites me at the Pub and want to talk about them, but by and large, Th' Hut will primarily contain music and writing separate from my day job. The obvious but necessary disclaimer that the views of th' Hut do not necessarily reflect the views of the Pub and vice versa may be inferred from here on in.

Having said all that... just this once let's make an exception, shall we?

Here's some hot tracks from three cool bands soon to be playing at JOE'S PUB, home of the world's driest martinis and cutest waitresses; where the music is always sweet and ticket prices are always low; a veritable heaven sent down from God on high for the New York music lover; be sure to ask about our two-for-tuesday, redeemable box-top, frequent flier program!


Amadou and Mariam - "Senegal Fast Food"

Amadou and Mariam are a pair of blind musicians from Mali; he plays the guitar, Mariam sings. Just to up the unlikely quotient, they're also married; the only married, two-member band _I_ can think of off-hand is the long-gone Butterbeans and Susie but a BLIND, married two-member band? That's this funky?

To be fair, a great deal of the funk (on this track at least) has to be chalked up to the presence of Manu Chao, the famed French producer/performer/svengali. Manu's fingerprints are all over A+M's new album, but there's still space for any number of more traditional field-recording sounds throughout, such as the equally tasty "Beaux Dimanches" and "La Fête au Village". 'Dimanche a Bamako' is a real joy to listen to, filled with radio friendly hits and mellow moments alike; it's ridiculously accessible to just about any audience you could think of. A+M are notoriously strong live and rarely in the states, so catch them if you can!

Amadou and Mariam's new album has yet to be released in the States by Nonesuch, but you can import a copy if you simply can't wait.

In the meantime, explore their back catalog.
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Buy tickets to see Amadou and Mariam's CD release party/performance at Joe's Pub on Monday, August the 8th.
You've got a while yet but this one smells like a sold out show: amazing new release, a band that hardly ever performs in America and a rabid, in-the-know fan base. Avoid the rush!
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Read this '04 interview with Manu Chao about the recording of 'Dimanche a Bamako'.
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Visit A+M's official site; it's French only but there are audio clips to be found.
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My French speaking Hut fans can check out audio of an interview with the couple here; the rest of us are out of luck.
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Read this A+M bio, discography and musical primer.
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Learn more about artists emerging from the rich musical hotbed of Mali.


Mártires Del Compás - "Serengueti"

Mártires Del Compás are a great rarity to American ears: a pop band that releases consistently political music. These "Martyrs of the Beat" blend rock, flamenco and traditional into a smouldering mix of hot Spanish dance music with lyrics that alternate between atypical "ooh baby" conceits and anthemic protest songs. 'Serengueti' captures the band in a rare moment of restraint; lead singer Chico Ocaña's voice is racked with a pain familiar to listeners of Motown.

The kicker comes when you get to the translation:

"On the Serengeti of your body/ My hands are hungry lions / When they touch your breasts/ On the Serengeti of your love/ a South wind blows/ frightening your hair/ like herds of gnus/ on the rivers of your body/ my mouth looks for yours/ where the hyenas laugh/ and the seals cry."

Florid, a little silly, but sexy. Except for the gnus.

I doubt this line would work at your local bar, but it certainly sounds better in Spanish, don't it?

Buy No Papeles, the Mártires' latest album, from CDRoots.
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Buy tickets to see Mártires Del Compás live at Joe's Pub on Wednesday, August 3rd.
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Read this English interview with the crew from Mártires Del Compás.
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Visit the official website and listen to several more tracks from the new album.
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Explore this primer to the history of flamenco and listen to dozens of tracks, courtesy of Flamenco World.


Tinariwen - Eh Massina Sintadoben

Tinariwen reinvented the wheel out of necessity; in a climate of ethnic repression, the Touaregs (indigenous nomadic people) of Mali had no history of melodic blues. Tinariwen more or less created the sound of the Touareg's "rootless roots" music in the eighties when the members met in a refugee camp.

Tinariwen is a real salmagundi of influences: the music of Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin and John Lennon, the sounds of Morocco and London and America reverberate in their songs. This is a band that picked up instruments and music completely from outside of their experience, applied the sounds of rebellion and their traditional songs and then wove everything together into something completely new; they're more post-modern than the Killers and then some.

Beyonce and Lil' Wayne talk about being soldiers, but Tinariwen have lived it; many of the members of the group fought in Touareg rebellions. The legend has it that one of the performers survived multiple bullet wounds in a firefight during which he carried a guitar on his back. Tinariwen are, perhaps understandably, treated as royalty in their home country; they are liberators of a sound that might not otherwise ever have been heard.

Buy 'Amassakoul', the '04 rock/trad. fusion release from Tinarawen.
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Buy tickets to see Tinariwen perform at Joe's Pub on Wednesday, July 20th.
Two shows, the early one offers a sneak peek of the 2003 Festival in the Desert concert DVD with Robert Plant(!)
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Read this band biography by Tinariwen manager and noted music writer Andy Morgan.
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Listen to an additional pair of Tinariwen tracks.
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A Touareg is more than just a car.
Learn more.

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Now that's out of our system, we'll return to programming as usual (and our proper surname).

Stay tuned Wednesday for an exclusive one-on-one Hut interview/concert review with Tofu fave Leslie Feist.

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spiffy

Shout out to Douglas Wolk, the musicbloggin' journo who kindly highlights th' Hut in a well thought-out LA Times piece about audioblogs that seems to have been picked up by the API.

Am I famous yet?
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Girish Shambu, one of my fave moviebloggers, cc'd me on a movie meme and then put up my answers on her site along with this supercool "Tofu Hut" logo.
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Time to go back to the future; here's me, about one year ago, from the Morning News Audioblog interview:

Most musicians I speak with are generally very enthusiastic about me posting them, though no one has explicitly asked for exposure. Strange thing: Many “friends” of musicians throw a hissyfit when I say I might put up some music. “Oh, you shouldn’t do that; that’s stealing music!” The recent RIAA [Recording Industry Association of America] lawsuits have definitely left a “drugs are bad” commonsense bitter aftertaste on the average Joe. We’re going to eventually have to deprogram this attitude.

Not bad, not bad; we've come a long way baby.

Of course, we're mere red herrings these days. Corporations have thrown their weight into the work of poisoning podcasts; a much easier task as podcasting was/is:

A): more or less explicitly created with the intention of being profitmakers
B): programmable in much the same way as generic radio station playlists
C): an easily manipulated pseudo-populist voice
D): named after an expensive product in the first place

I don't mean to start a junta against the p'casters (heck, th' Hut is available as a podcast); but I think that the acceptance of podcasting by Apple, GM, GE and Forbes says it all.

(This message brought to you by Microsoft. And, of course, JOE'S PUB!!!)

Speaking of the great god Apple, as they prep to move us into the videopod era (probably by Christmas, I'd wager?) some enterprising folk stay ahead of the next thing by re-thinking the relatively useless photo feature of the new Pods as almost-Zoetrope-esque funny pages.
Witness Clickwheel, featuring the admittedly-Chris-Ware- biting-but-still-worthwhile Demian5.
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Watch a remix of "Fever" from the the new album Verve Remixed 3, as you weren't really doing anything important anyway.

Labels: clicky, favorites, music, personal silliness

Dusty Grooves Give Good Music

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glisten: skimming the surface noise

The Pitter Pats - "Bury Me Dead"

The Hueys - "You Ain't No Hippie"

In the spirit of Soul Sides' Black Label Collection, Th' Hut is both excited and proud to offer a new regular feature: skimming the surface noise. The skimming tracks are analog-to-digital transfers of 78 and 45 RPM cuts from a number of genres; you'll find gospel, bluegrass, jazz, quartet singing and folk music in the mix. All of this material has been provided by the good graces of Good Ol' Pops Tofu. Every track is either horrendously obscure or simply out of print; you're unlikely to see this music anywhere else. Beathunters and DJ's should keep an eye peeled for the surface noise imprint; you ain't gonna have THESE hooks, I promise.

As the title and the source suggests, skimming tracks are going to be clad in a bit of surface noise; this may sound a bit disarming to modern-day laser-eared listeners, but I find a reasonable (read: not obtrusive) amount of surface noise to be nostalgiac, warm and somewhat desirable. Rather than give you some sort of sterilized copy of the original, here's the real dirty dirty, just like it would sound on the shellac today. If you can't handle that, Jack, you can stick it up your filter.

Our first episode of surface noise focuses on a pair of pieces from New Orleans r+b piano maestro, Huey 'Piano' Smith. Huey's big smash back in the day was "Don't You Just Know it"; the singles he wrote that you probably still know include "Sea Cruise", "Lil' Liza Jane" and "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". All of Smith's hits came on Ace Records; by the time of these two recordings, Huey's star had faded somewhat and he had been forced out to the much smaller and less-reliable Instant label.

Nonetheless, Huey STAYED recording and touring for well over twenty years, mostly with his primary backing band, The Clowns; but, by the 1960's, Smith chose to start hitting the road with a few smaller side projects, giving himself the liberty to cut loose and test out new material without jeopardizing the Clown's good name. These AKA bands including 'The Hueys' and 'The Pitter Pats' (presumably named after the popular card game that band members gambled over). Huey was joined on these trips with his fellow songwriter, collaborator and lead female soloist, Brenda Brandon. Brandon can be heard doing solo work on 1967's "Bury Me Dead," a cocky and joyous paean to bachelor(ette)hood.

Huey would eventually retire from the music industry and join the hallowed musical ranks (Prince, MJ) of the Jehovah's Witness, but not before he took a broad stab at posers and youth culture wanna-be's with his vicious, funky, bass-blasting "You Ain't No Hippie", circa '68.

Both of these cuts remain, to the best of my knowledge, currently unissued on CD; however, both HAVE been recently re-released on an import-only vinyl pressing of Smith rarities called Pitta' Pattin' that I would LOVE to get ahold of. Holla if ya holdin'!

How to make sure that they ONLY bury you dead.
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Learn a bit more about hippies.

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spiffy

$615 coulda got you an ivory monkey head with baseball cap.

Unfortunately I had all my money tied up in this cosplay fox head.

Decisions, decisions.
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For those of you who have a PS2, you owe it to yourself to take on God of War, which held me rapt for three glorious days. It's a perfect rental.

on the other hand, I feel entirely safe in saying that I think I should be able to comfortably skip fiddy's entry to the ol' ultraviolent.

I mean, what the fuck, you're getting involved in real world gunplay and then making hyperrealistic looking supersamurai killmachine videogames starring yourself? This, for me, is off the rails. And yeah, I know it's not meant for kids, but they're releasing it on Christmas? Pfah.
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Ugly animals yawning.
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Sure, everybody heard about that great lion vs. midget battle royale, but were you aware about the outbreak of Cambodian zombies?

More news pranks, please.
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Our old buddy D. Boyle is more than willing to ride the new Star Wars train to the dark side.

As long as it's organic, I guess...
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FUCK FUCK FUCK DEVIN FUCK FUCK!!!

I am EXTEMELY hyped about this concert; Devin is a BIG Tofu Hut favorite and somebody I would totally go out of my way to see. Luckily, th' Dude is gonna be nearby and I will DEFINITELY be on hand; anybody who'd like to come with should drop me a line so we can get together and show this gentleman some serious New York love.

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followup

First off, a big apology to all readers, new and old, for my enforced suspension from school. A severely wonky Firefox continued to bump me out of Blogger's homepage, iTunes erased my playlists, I couldn't get my files FTP'd over to my host, dogs ate my homework...

Suffice it to say, a dozen insolvable problems came to a head and had to be dealt with by sowing the earth with salt, invoking a few sacred names, sacrificing a cute lil' goat and finally reinstalling Windows (shudder). Tensions ran high and I'm not ashamed to say that some tears were shed, but I think we're back on solid ground again (though this post had to be re-written when my C drive got wiped on the OS reinstallation); keep those fingers crossed.

Obviously, this lag couldn't have happened at a worse time: I could hardly help but notice that the incomplete audioblog list seems to have stirred up a little attention to my humble abode and what better time to abandon a thriving project than when you have thirty five thousand hits a day? Oy. Anyway, welcome to those of you who found your way here in the aftermath of all the hubbub; I hope you'll find the general blither-blather and spucktacular music worth hangin' around. I've a completely full roster for the upcoming week (we've got underground Japanese hiphop and more surface noise rarities just to get started), so check back often... heck, I'll even quit buggin' ya for contributions for the next two weeks until we've done some genuine content providing; how's that?

COMMERCIAL FREE HUT, YA'LL!

You may notice that I said incomplete audioblog list; I've been turned on to and discovered some FIFTY MORE since the post in question. There will be an update on the sidebar within the week, so if you already breezed through the last six or seven hundred links, I'll have fresh meat for you soon.

Also worthy of note: the list in question has since been wiki-ized, so feel free to play along at home!

And let's not forget the fallout from the Bizzy radio interview; that shit went tempest in a teapot over at Allhiphop, culminating in this public apology from Matt.

As far as I can see, Matt did pretty right by Bizzy and Bizzy responded with how he felt. No harm, no foul all over; I still wish somebody would step up and do right by the brother.

Lastly, a big thank you to the boys over at The Morning News for throwing a few kudos my way. I'm much impressed to be hangin' with the company on this list and while I _haven't_ heard (or loved) "every song possible", I _am_ insane.

So, you know, I got that goin' for me.
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Labels: clicky, music, personal silliness

sorry to be so silent out here; itunes and firefox have crashed AGAIN and I'm getting it back together. music is on the way; ah swears!

Labels: personal silliness

Let's All Go to the Lobby

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What a weekend! After two days of futzing about with my computer, during which The Evil Creature would erratically freeze up, reset or move with all the speed of a creeping ivy, I finally got the damn thing working again... not that I have any idea how or why. If there's anything quite as frustrating as trying to get an unruly computer back on its feet for six straight hours, I'd like to hear about it.

Once the system stopped being down, yo; I spent most of my bloggin' time beginning to revamp the blogroll; if you take a quick glance to your right, you'll see about a hundred or so NEW musicblogs and a freshly double-checked/weeded/address-corrected and ALPHABETIZED blogroll (in progress). This is step one in finally getting those links in better order and possibly onto their own page. Many of the newbies have appeared in detail on the page before and many more will get a more rigorous write up shortly. There's plenty of gold in those page so stay tuned and keep checking back as we progress and don't forget to look around at the new links!

(Incidentally, if you've sent me a link to your musicblog to hype and you STILL don't see it up on the page, it's likely been lost. Please re-send!)

Anyway, all that diagnostic silliness took so much time that I've not had a chance to put together a more wordy or complex post, so you guys get filler.

It's good filler, tho'! Enjoy!

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glisten: random

Mary Lou Williams - "Baby Man"

Williams is one of the very few musicians who could legitimately claim to have been with jazz from the very beginning; she began performing at the age of eight in 1918 and continued her professional career into the nineteen-eighties. Along the way, Williams played ragtime, free jazz and pretty much everything between.

This particular chill-out track is from a standards collection, reflecting Mary Lou's mellow side; it reminds me of late fifties Ahmad Jamal.

Buy "Free Spirits", by Williams' Trio (Mary Lou on Piano, Buster Williams on bass and Mickey Roker on percussion) from Amazon.
This is late era Williams, circa '75 (Mary Lou died some six years later); her gentle mastery of the instrument is readily apparent.
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Explore this comprehensive, well-designed and obsessively investigative site about Ms. Williams.
More information and music than you can shake a very large stick at.
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Read several interviews with Mary Lou.
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Read an interview with this piece's composer, John Stubblefield.
Stubblefield played with Williams throughout the seventies; many of his compositions are performed on the "Free Spirits" album.
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Listen to this NPR retrospective on Ms. Williams.
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Meet another Baby Man.

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Konami Kukeiha Club - "Wicked Child"

This track hails from the first 'Castlevania' soundtrack for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Castlevania was manufactured by Konami; Konami's music composers for their games worked under the rubric of the Kukeiha Club. Konami Kukeiha Club was responsible for the music on the first two Castlevania games and that music is generally considered to be amongst the best composed for the NES.

Buy the third volume of "The Famicom 20th Anniversary Sound Track Collection" (containing the complete scores to Castlevania I, Gyruss I, Doctor Mario, Zanac and Mighty Bomb Jack) from CD Japan.
Quite a bit of filler, but the highs are VERY high.
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Visit Konami of America.
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Read this essay on the history of Castlevania music.
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Listen to this Overclocked Remix of "Wicked Child."
Hold up yer lighters!
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Read all about the extensive history of the Castlevania series.
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Watch dozens of Castlevania parodies.
Video game geeks make with teh funny.

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Kelis - "Get Along With You" (FakeID Remix)

FakeID has long been a favorite online DJ; his work is almost always an improvement on the original. In this case, he changes a good song into a truly great one.
Even though FakeID still has this song up and available for DL on his own site, I like it so much that I want to spotlight and host it myself.
I've been listening to this for weeks now; get a copy and catch the earworm.

Buy Kelis' "Kaleidoscope", containing the original Neptunes-produced version of this track, from Amazon.
-
Visit DJ FakeID's official site.
Absolutely crawling with worthwhile downloads; I recommend the Fannypack, Madonna and NERD tracks unreservedly. Mufugga's AMAZING.
He's got the internet goin' nuts!
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Visit Kelis' official site.
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Watch the now-infamous "Milkshake" video.
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Listen to this audio interview with Kelis.
Sadly, she's not the most interesting girl in the room...

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spiffy

I've just started doing some writing for Stylus Magazine, reviewing the UK Top Ten Singles. If you don't get enough jibber-jabber out of me over here, feel free to traipse by there and check it out; read 'em here, here and this week's should be on the main page by the time you read this.
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Labels: music, personal silliness, stylus

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glisten: FAMILY VALUES NINE: SISTA SISTA

Night Ranger - "Sister Christian"

Dad: Sounds like Elton John. This kind of strictly "Top Forty" radio fodder makes me want to change the channel.
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Mom: One thing I can say in favor of this song, it was perfect for "motoring" down the highway. It's good traveling music and gives you a nice power boost. Plus there's a good message in the song; that there's lots to do before you go. It seemed like music I knew; like an old, comfortable shoe.

My friend Diana and I couldn't get over the lyric where they say "finding Mr. Right;" that sure is an ancient line!
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Sis: This shows up on easy listening stations. Cloying and far too "eighties" for my tastes.

Buy "Night Ranger's Greatest Hits" from Amazon.
It's hard to argue that perennial punch line Night Ranger was ever more than a band in the right place at the right time. Between '83 and '85, Ranger's overblown "boy-gets-girl-on-foggy-street" videos were in HEAVY ROTATION on an MTV channel desperately hungry for grist. "Sister Christian" was the band's only US top five single (peaking at number five); the band never saw a top five album. Where Night Ranger excelled was in sales; the band has sold over eleven million albums worldwide over the course of their career. Perennial bridesmaids and tour horses, the Ranger was an opening act for groups as disparate as Santana, Judas Priest and the Doobie Brothers, before disbanding in 1988. The band reformed in the early 90's and released a new album as recently as 1997. They continue to tour and have gained eternal purchase in the hearts of drunken karaoke singers everywhere.
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Visit the website of Brad Gillis, Night Ranger's original lead guitar (dig that animation on the top left corner of the site!!!) and read this extensive interview with Gillis.
In all fairness, Gillis comes off as a very nice guy.
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Read this ecstatic '99 Night Ranger concert review from "Dawgeers".
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THE SECRET REVEALED:
" 'Sister Christian' is about (drummer) Kelly (Keagy's) sister (Christy) growing up in a small town in Oregon, and on the weekends they'd be cruising, or motoring -- you know [he sings it]: "Mo-tor-in'." So that's what it's about.
Apparently, the song was originally called "Sister Christy".
And now you know... the rest of the story.

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Rufus Wainwright - "Little Sister (Live)"

Dad: Have mercy! The piano is awful!
If this is what rock and roll has been reduced to, thank goodness for old records.
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Mom: This is embarrassing. It sounds like a bad college piano recital, itchy and twitchy. His voice is so dull and droning and doesn't have any fullness to it.

Is this a joke? You think that he's just goofing? "Jusssssss" for awhile? No, sir! Breathe! Stop! Punctate! Throw a blanket on it!
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Sis: John, you turned me on to Rufus Wainwright; did I ever thank you for that? He’s one of the few ‘moderns’ that grabs me. His lyrics tend to dart off in unexpected, thoughtful and bizarre directions. I haven’t listened to too much of his work but from what I have heard, he’s got a quality that suggests he really puts his heart and soul into making music and puts his heart and soul. It’s not the sort of thing I usually go for, but I find it somehow moving.

I sure would like to see him live.

A fine point that none of my family noticed is that the opening piano line on "Little Sister" is a near mirror-image of the opening to "Sister Christian".
Eerie, no? Coincidence?

This live bootleg track is unavailable commercially; the studio version shows up on Wainwright's new album "Want Two", which I've yet to buy.
I can strongly recommend that you invest in a copy of Rufus' second album "Poses".
You can buy a used copy at Amazon for less than five bucks.
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Visit Wainwright's official site.
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Read this recent interview with Rufus.
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Rufus' attempt to paint himself as some sort of martyr for the gay rockstar lifestyle has understandably put some distance between him and his fan-base; I find his "poor me" rants a bit silly. It's not like you ever heard Mick Jagger bitching about being cast into a "hetero hell".
Well, maybe that's a poor example.

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Ray Miller and His Hotel Gibson Orchestra - "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate"

Dad: "Sister Kate" was written by jazz pioneers Clarence Williams and Armand Piron. This version, recorded in Chicago in 1927, isn't bad.

Miller was a white drummer and dance band leader. I've seen his '78s but honestly never bothered to give them a listen.
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Mom: Both thumbs up for this slice of pie that got my feet dancing and me humming. This type of music reminds me of that band, the Squirrel Nut Zippers? Remember them?

This even sounds like a shimmy. Shimmy, Shimmy Bop. (I ask Mom what her favorite instrument on the song is.) My feet. You're part of the song; it doesn't push you away. It's like a picnic or a bandstand or a community; it draws you in.
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Sis: This represents something of a stylistic shift even in this varied compilation, but I can get to Hot Jazz too.

The track is swinging but I just got into the Olympics’ version of “Shimmy” and, to be honest, the Olympics’ rock n’ roll sound is just more to my taste.

Buy "The Ray Miller Orchestra: 1924-29", a 24 track disc that covers the Orchestra's glory years, from World's Records.
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Listen to dozens of track from Ray Miller's Orchestra and read an excellent and comprehensive overview of the band and the members, courtesy of Red Hot Jazz.
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Read this interview with "Carl Fenton" the nom-de-plume of the recording director for Brunswick, Miller's label throughout the twenties.

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spiffy

"Mom's Cancer" was nominated for an Eisner; go read it before they take it down.
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Get Perpendicular!: Excellent Hitachi corporate viral/Schoolhouse-Rock rip with the additional benefit of explaining technology that will likely grant us MASSIVE portable music players in the near future.
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Shynola's E-Pro video for Beck is as enjoyable and innovative as anything I've seen this year.
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W. Earl Brown is my new hero; Dan Dority is one of the reasons I have cable now. I love that he used to be a bouncer; I feel like I went to high school with this guy.
Earl! C'mon over! We love you here! We'll hook you up with music!
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The Biggest Summer Movie of the Year is About to Break Down the WALLS!!(WMV. file)
More info here.

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So how's the fund raiser going?

ummmm... slowly?

For those of you that consider my begging to be a bit outside the lines and potentially inflammatory to the recording industry, may I point out that of the nine people who HAVE contributed, three are affiliated with music labels and one is a professional musician?

You can read more of my justifications over here. Again, if you can spare the change and if you feel that I'm doing good work over here, I'd be very grateful for your support.

Labels: clicky, Family Values, music, personal silliness