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  • In Memoriam: Rick Wright

    OK, folks, I’m not the world’s biggest Pink Floyd fan. I never synced up “Dark Side of the Moon” to “The Wizard of Oz”, nor could I recite lyrics from any Floyd songs other than “Money”, “Comfortably Numb”,”Another Brick in the Wall” or “Wish You Were Here”. (hey, I didn’t say I wasn’t a fan, just not the world’s biggest fan!). I did get to see the flying pigs during “Live Earth” last year. That was fun.

    Rick Wright’s passing today marks the loss of the second original member of the prog-rock giants in a little over two years. As most of you already know, Syd Barrett passed on in summer ’06. The keyboardist was 65 years old.

    Check out an official obituary here.

  • FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #3: Roped Into Something Unnatural

    Bedhead's single for "Bedside Table"

    BEDHEAD  “Bedside Table” b/w “Living Well”  (Direct Hit Records DH005RJN1, May 1992)

    It seems like a lifetime ago.  I had been living & working in New York City for a few years, and I really needed a break.  Working two jobs, taking odd night gigs playing bass, sleeping on a little cot in a warehouse.  It all was taking its toll on me fast.  I needed a change of scenery, so I did what any sane person would do in this situation:  I borrowed a car & drove to Texas. 

    Remember The Alamo?  The “Chirping” Crickets?  Janis Joplin?  The Butthole Surfers!  Fuck yeah, and Fuck Emo’s, The Lone Star State was the place I needed to be.  So I looked up an old friend when I got to Dallas, & we proceeded to hit every rib joint, thrift store, bowling alley, strip club, country bar, record store & porno shop from Houston to Austin to San Antonio, & all points in between.  We left no stone unturned, no beer undrank, no spliff unsmoked.  Braised rabbit and buffalo brisket in Deep Ellum.  The Grassy Knoll/The Book Depository.  Emo’s.  Threadgill’s.  Late-night coffehouses in Denton.  Waterloo.  And oh, yeah…The Alamo, too.  You name it, we did it, saw it, made fun of it & laughed at it.  But I only kept one souvenir.

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  • New Flava in Your Ear: New Music from Kanye, Keane &…Wayne Brady???

    *Shit, I just realized I accidentally stole the original title of this blog…oops! My bad!!

    Since we’re in the fourth quarter and new music is flying fast and furious, I figured now would be a good time to check out some of the new music bouncing across the airwaves, since there’s so much of it. I think we’re gonna go with four titles a week until January or February when the release schedule thins and there’s not as much to check out. Anyhow, this week I bring you new music from the mouth that roared, an underrated British trio, an Irish band following up a Platinum record, and…Wayne Brady. Yes, THAT Wayne Brady. Off we go…

    Kanye West “Love Lockdown” (from “808’s & Heartbreak”, due December)

    I wasn’t sure what to think when Kanye premiered this on the VMAs last week. I guess I wasn’t used to not only Kanye standing stock still on stage, but also there was the little fact that he was singing instead of rapping. A few listens later, I actually like the track-which I guess is a recurring theme with Mr. West because it took me a long time to appreciate the early singles off of his last two albums (‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and “Stronger”). It’s definitely one of those late-night, pulsing records that’s not exactly dance, but not exactly…whatever the opposite of dance is. This is one of the rare occasions where the whole autotune thing doesn’t bug me as much.

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