Moondog

Growing up wasn't easy for the youth crew. Just look at this B-team "gorilla biscuits" line up. Porcell and TC3? This was definitely the awkward larval stage before Quicksand and Civ would appear. Not to be a hater, but tanks tops, long hair, and creepers?? What is this the 2nd Uniform Choice LP?
The looks might not have been up to par, but "coded messages in slowed down songs" turned out a lot better
For example-the Moondog demo. Walter was really pushing the envelope with this. For years, I had a shitty tape copy of the demo. Thanks to the internet, you can buy a digital version that seems to sound as bad as my x-generation copy.
Regardless, these songs were sick. Pointing the way towards Quicksand. Some-like The Distance turned up in the last gasp of GB and others turn up on the Civ discography CD that equal vision put out.
I wish Quicksand had recorded some of these. They deserved to be preserved with way better sound quality.
I remember standing outside the Safari Club in DC when I was in college waiting for a Moondog/Burn show. Club never opened. Don't know if it was the bands fault or the club, but I remember waiting for at least 2 hours for something to happen. Would have been stoked to see some odd Moondog lineup.
Another cool Walter related thing can be found here. GB LP with him doing vocals....

Food for Thought

"In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a general Government necessary for us, and there is no form of Government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered, and believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in Despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic Government, being incapable of any other." - From his final address at the Constitutional Convention
Ben Franklin

Cue Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin....


Heard this in an interview with Jay Parini on Onpoint this morning. This book will be on my xmas list.

Vegan Cheese

bear with me on this. Record collector's all have trigger words, whether its freakbeat, folk-psych, boris, Sunn, there are certain things that make your ears perk up and take notice. Lungfish is high on the list of things that start my nerd antenna's quivering. So it was no surprise that upon reading about a TX psych-doom band covering Lungfish, I was buying it as fast as my fingers could fly.
There were some obvious warning signs, but there was no way I wasn't rolling the dice-especially after AQ describes some Deep Purplesque organ work....
A few days later the goods arrive. Nice screen printed cover, white wax. Arclight is the label out of Austin.
Tia Carrera(name should have made me more skeptical. Wayne's World? Come on) stretch out "You are the War" from Feral Hymns(another warning sign-not one of my favorite Lungfish records) over both sides of a 7"(1 song 7"?-another warning sign). In addition to the organ stomp, there is some serious guitar attack on the first side-which is all instrumental. Wah Wah Heaven. They definitely bring it down to a more doom stomp rather than the more hypnotic repetitive way Lungfish do it. 7" might not be the best format for this as you have to flip it, but the sides can sort of stand independently if you(like me) are not savvy enough to digitally meld it into one opus. As far as the vocals, no one is touching Higgs so maybe they could have kept it all instrumental.
So why is this post called Vegan Cheese? cause this single reminds me of when vegans tell you that such and such a food tastes "just like cheese". It never does. The taste may be good, but it is never as described. That is how I feel about this cover. It is good and makes good use of the original, but it really leaves me wanting to listen to the real thing.
So that is a lot of words for an oddball 7".

I guess Higgs related things happen in threes because I heard about this, his NYC art show, and got his new solo record all within a few days. How long do I have to wait for the next triad to manifest?

Daniel Higgs Hymprovisations for Banjo by (A*I*U)

Ideal Recordings dropped this. 2007 recorded in Paris and Orkney Island. Higgs and the Orkneys with piano and raindrops? Weird Beards everywhere tremble with anticipation. Maybe from this tour? His last few records have shown a real strong progression and this one continues that evolution. The appalachian ragga thing I liked is still there, but with some cool new twists and some dissonant almost rockish melodies. Maybe some single note ginnish shredding,but don't get your hopes up for anything too Discordian. He is becoming a much stronger player. First side was my favorite. The odd field recording sounds turn up on side 2. 2nd track on side 2 is pretty amazing. He really does seem to just manifest these jams or receive,perform, and record as it says on the back of the LP. Intense and visceral.
Layout and graphics are basic black, minimalist, and hand screened. Have not figured out the riddle of his drawing on the cover.limited to 500.
Have to dump this onto my IPod for the road trip down to see this!

genius

this is funnier than the cyclocross hipster video. xtranormal is pretty rad

A couple more shed park shots

I wasn't really in photo mode this weekend, but here are a couple more.

Panoramic majesty of the downhill S's. (just kidding...)


S-Bends


2nd Run Up/Ride Up.

Mad Alchemy Rules.

end is near

Big race weekend. Shed Park in Lowell and the last race of the Accelerated Cure series in Easthampton. Friday night was a bit hectic as I had no clean kit, a dirty bike, and needed to get in a trainer ride to open up the legs.
As the season has dragged on, it has become easier and easier to roll up to a race with a less and less clean bike. In my head, I want to race every weekend, but in reality it the legs are cooked and it is harder and harder to get out of bed.
Regardless, we rallied to scenic Lowell. Got there early(even for my standards). Course was pretty rad. Half super tech and half roadie safe hammer zone. The goal was to race the 4 race and the 3/4. Based on my lingering illness and almost non existent training, I was skeptical. I did devise the formula for trouble.
Bad Weekend=MT < OZB. When minutes training(MT) are less than ounces of beer consumed(OZB), you are setting yourself up for the beatdown.
4 race jumped off. Rode my usual midpack fodder self. The spiral of death was hectic the first couple laps and bikes were getting tangled(pay attention-this becomes important on the last lap).
Spiral of Death

fully loaded



I was feeling good on the run ups and was managing to catch and pass people. Last lap and I am neck in neck with one of my many nemesis, heading into the last run up (ride up for a lot of other people). I dismount and start to run-pushing the bike. The bike does not roll. Rear wheel is jammmed and the bike is dragging. WTF????? Get to the top and am baffled. Chain is on, not jammed. Then I realize the wheel isn't in the dropout..?WTF. Clearly massive watts were not the culprit. I end up flipping the bike over and beating it back into place-losing a bunch of spots as today's nemesis floats off to Valhalla. Fully bummed, but unbroken, I remount and finish.
My conspiracy theory is that in one of the trips through the Spiral of death, I must have tangled with someone who pulled my quick release loose and it finally got me.
I need zapruder film to confirm, but I have a feeling that all I will see are pictures of me punching my rear wheel....
Race over and now it's time to think about the 3/4.
It was a sunny day, how did my bike get so dirty?

Legs that were cooked when I got up, weren't any better after the first race, but what the hell. Line up and give it a go. After 3 races, the course was more chewed up than my first run through. SOD was a muddy wreck.

The woodsy section had some rutted, drying mud that managed to buck me around like an idiot everytime. So, in true coward's fashion, I rolled off the course after a lap and a half. Day over. Packed up and headed home. Not washing the bike was not an option, so it got done. Bike-life was not over though. The Bicycle Film Fest was in town showing Where are you Go. The trailer for that movie looked cool, so we went to check it out.

It was pretty cool. See it if you can. Time for sleep cause Easthampton was another early roll out.
We rolled up to a very cold Easthampton. Pre-ride was kind of a bumout. A lot of hate was dished out towards the course. Boring with some hectic, sketchy mountain bike sections. It did have a sandpit. Morale was at an all time low on the start.
I actually started in the small ring and planned to ride at the back and treat it like training, or maybe just drop out after a lap.
Half way through the first lap, I managed to almost clip a tree. Nick passed me and told me to chill and "take a deep breath". Turned out to be good advice. Once I was racing, the course was fun. Not a sketchy crash fest. Second race in a row where I was really feeling good on the run ups. Passing people and going hard every lap. The sand pit was similar to Northampton on the first day. Thanks to some good advice, I road the sand better than ever. Thanks PedalPowerCoaching! I was enjoying it more every lap and then it was over. I bobbled the last ride down/run up muddy section and lost a couple spots, but was still happy.
New rule-No negative nancy shit before the race. Just listen to Slayer and get ready to do it.
The 3/4 race was an option.... but not really. Burritos and fish tacos were next on the agenda. Followed by coffee and the cruise home.
2 weeks and 2 races. Then it is time to start building for the road season.