I like it, I play it?

I've been thinking (overthinking?) about the criteria for my RTQE playlists, with another one coming up this Sun the 5th. Gregory states at the top of each program the description:

A program of electronic, experimental, ethnic, classical and improvised conduct for the discerning survivor of the 20th century

Greg has a mission which I admire, but have trouble fulfilling: to play music that is new and to some degree noteworthy, sometimes regardless of whether it might be something listened to 'recreationally'. Let's just say his degree of having an open mind is something I admire. I mainly play things I listen to purely for their enjoyment. I do try to include some artists I'm not familiar with, who have new releases which dropped in the last 6-9 months. It's all about the 'new' for some listeners, and certainly for the artists/labels who submit their work hoping for airplay.

So when I start to overthink this, which only muddies things up, remember: it's only recordings of music, after all. And everything's new to somebody.

listen:
múm - live 2007
Adrian Belew - Desire Caught by the Tail
Amon Tobin - The Foley Room
Oregon - live 1972

Sunday and gorgeousness

The front came thru WI last night, and now we have beautiful weatha. Yay!
Dispatched the clean and set-up of the club super early, so now I can get a nap in b4 Sam whisks us out to Stoughton and jammage, drumming, cavorting, dogs and nature.

listen:
björk - Voltaic
Richard and Linda Thompson
Dub Trio - New Heavy
Crim - The Power to Believe
Joni Mitchell - Hejira

read:
Nat'l Geo July
NY Times

welcome to Summer

to hell with it, AC in the window NOW.

listen:
XTC - Skylarking

coffee

Alison Jewer taught me how to do a better job of making coffee. I'll share:

Grind your beans of choice, I like Just Coffee Jenny St. Market blend, and more than you think.
The grounds don't like the super-hot boiling water, apparently it 'burns' the grounds.
Boil yer H20, take it off the burner for 10 seconds or so, pour just enough to soak the grounds.
After about a minute, add the rest of the very-hot-but-not-boiling water.
Enjoy yourself a cuppa caffeinated goodness. Trust me, it's smoother and you also get more strength in your decanter from the beans, unless you measured the amount of beans like a sleepy monkey.

listen:
Head Pump final show at Senior Scenester Potluck #Deux (Biff, Hannah Jon Taylor, bassist (whose name I forgot), Brian, Blunt)
the RTQE candidates for tomorrow night

arf, arf

The dog days of summer have arrived. Highs in the 80s and humid. Will I put the AC in the window this year? Not until I can afford the increased kilowatt hours anyway.

Last night's thunderstorm was so loud and bright from the lightning show I couldn't get to sleep. Or it could have been the effect of late afternoon iced coffee from Mother Fools (delicious!) on the way to Sam's for jammage. Steve totally spaced our plan to renew 'movie night' Thursdays and didn't return my call until it was too late to get it going. Thunderstorm in full progress and I had already started in on the chips and salsa for our snacking. Had a good chat anyway, much more civil than our exchanges at the bar where we are usually 1/2 in the bag, wore down and ready to vent frustration. Yesterday was a 'dry' day for me, in an ongoing struggle to stay out of the pit of alcoholism. I dance on the edge and tell myself "you don't really need a drink" often enough to convince my bad self.

This weekend is just jam-packed with exciting plans. Tonight it's Happyoke and The Detroit Cobras at the bar. Tomorrow afternoon Senior Scenester's Reunion Potluck Deux at the bar again. Sunday afternoon jammage in Stoughton and then subbing for Gregory on WORT from 9PM to 11PM. Today I'll whip up some Pasta Salad for Scenester's, begin picking the playlist for RTQE and get ready for another marathon shift 4:30PM to 3AM.

listen:
Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
birdsong (supper's ready!)

Bass drum and trio

Gregory and I had coffee and a nice chat Saturday morning at (the new) Zoma coffeeshop. So nice to have this place open again. GT loaned his new box set of Bill Evans' last sessions and a book by Haruki Murakami. "An aquired taste" says Mr. Taylor. I will find out tomorrow most likely, with the cool and cloudy weekend weather we're having here.

Sam Patrick and I had a fun and rocking practice out in the country this afternoon, despite the less than perfect weather. Overcast and raining a bit.

The view out the door:
Good to be settling in at our Stoughton digs again. Sam hosts our rehearsals in town on Mon and/or Thu where I use his son Mitchell's kit. Today it was nice to have my own full 4 piece set together and back in action after the dead mouse incident:

Bass drum rejuvinated

Got to rock really hard on Beatles numbers (It Won't Be Long, I'll Get You, Come Together..) and we really nailed some others that we play often. Sam continues to challenge me with traditional types of grooves that Tom hasn't had much experience playing. Really good for my chops and great fun to pull beats out of thin air to accompany songs I've not heard (or heard for many years).

listen:
Sat morning
Blue Oyster Cult - Tyranny and Mutation
Richard and Linda Thompson - Pour Down Like Silver
for Sun morning
Heartless Bastards - Stairs and Elevators
Joey Baron - Tongue in Groove
Roger Miller/Maximum Electric Piano - The Big Industry
müm - finally we are no one

in sound and actions

the low accumulates

and the highs disperse all too soon


listen:
Bill Monroe