A Final Christmas Memento from the Pointed Sticks!

Word on the street is that Vancouver's reunited Pointed Sticks may have played their final gig, and they are ready to call it quits. Today, one of my favorite bands, I was blissfully unaware of their existence in their original 80's days. Sometimes its so crazy--it's as though there was some invisible cultural border fence separating America from all these fantastic Canadian bands. I'm discovering great Canadian bands, new and old, and I'm completely shocked by my ignorance.

Well thanks to the good folks at Sudden Death Records, the Sticks' early output is mostly covered by their reissuing of  Perfect Youth their lone studio album, and the indispensable compilation, Waiting for the Real Thing. Out of Luck is one of my all time favorite songs. What was once rare music is now readily available. I recently bought a copy of the Pointed Sticks comp released by Zulu Records, but I lucked out--that one seems a little pricey these days. Their 2nd album, Three Lefts Make a Right is another worthy collection of music, that I recommend highly.

But since it's Christmas I wanted to share with you something I stumbled on accidentally. The Pointed Sticks posted complimentary MP3's of two Christmas tunes a few years ago. Well, they pressed a  nifty 7" single with the two holiday songs that they were selling at their final shows.

Well it turns out that they did not sell them all. If you are a Pointed Stick fanatic or maybe just plain Christmas crazy, you can get a copy without hiring a sled team and heading due north.

La-Ti-Da records (latidarecords.com) has a number of said Christmas single, with the songs Power Pop Santa & Xmas Time Again. Both exemplary Christmas songs, with a festive Christmas package cover and green vinyl. Very cool. They have some other cool things for sale, like a 7" single by the Tranzmitors.


Though possibly gone but probably not to be forgotten, The Pointed are also rumored to be releasing a third studio album in the near future, entitle Missed The Bus. I'm hoping that they ultimately decide to be like the Clean, and reassemble once in a blue moon, record a bit, do a few gigs, and go back to civilian life. If they call it quits entirely, there will probably be a national day of mourning in Japan!
In any event, if you don't know their music, I urge you to check them out--Waiting For the Real Thing belongs right next to your well-worn copy of Singles Going Steady.

Saturday Night is Not Quite Dead Yet!! Graham Parker and The Rumour's Return

Last night in Tarrytown, Graham Parker and the Rumour, reunited after 30 or so years, opened their new tour, debuting live the material from their new album Three Chords Good, plus a big beautiful pile of old classics. With no aspersions cast on his recent backing band, Saratoga's 2nd finest, The Figgs, seeing him with the Rumour was a revelation. Do yourself a favor and see them perform if you can. I really enjoyed watching these old hands in action.

Boys are back in Town---Tarrytown!

Well despite the title of this blog post, they did not perform Saturday Night is Dead, my lone regret. There were regrets around me that he did not perform "I Want You Back", the Jackson 5 nugget. As much as I love his take on it, with the number of fantastic songs he's penned, it would have felt to me like a novelty song, in all honesty.

Though small in stature, Graham Parker has a huge voice and charisma--he seemed to get bigger and bigger, growing to behemoth size as the night progressed. The band was tight as could be expected after all this time, though collaborating on a new album surely must have helped their timing. Excluding Graham, there were at least three original Rumours, Stephen Goulding on drums, Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont on guitars.

No warmup band. Little disappointed because I'm often surprised about warmups. At Tarrytown I've seen Tift Merritt, John Wesley Harding, Duke Robillard, Cash Brothers, The Acorn, Chris Smither...

Oh, yeah, and Graham Parker.

I saw him in a warmup capacity in Tarrytown, performing solo, supporting his recent album Imaginary Television. Seemed like a real gent, very funny. It was the first time I've seen him live.





He is an artist I've always identified with greatly, loved his songwriting, and emotional soulful singing. And as a young man, all the anger. Seeing him live many years later, I choose not to see him as the artist "formerly known as an Angry Young Man", but rather a mature adult man who merely makes more efficient use of  his anger. I'm sure he is aware of the perils of climate change.



Yeah,I couldn't have been happier to see Graham and Co, short of hopping in a time machine back to 1980, which technology we haven't quite worked out yet. I guess what is amazing is that it was the entire Rumour backing him. As I said before Graham was in fine voice, and I was surprised that he played a few songs that occurred between the bookends of the era of the Rumour, and a few from prior which was less surprising. And seeing them live finally, I have to say, Stephen Goulding is a remarkable drummer, incredibly fluid, setting beats in interesting ways. With Andrew Bodnar, a great rhythm section. Martin Belmont was particularly excited to be back, jumping up and down with enthusiasm, which I thought was great. Brinsley Schwarz was also superb,laying down riffs and leads like a consummate pro. Bob Andrews was particulary impressive on keyboards....wish I could play like that.

Though I have not purchase the new album, Three Chords Good, which was released a little over a week ago, what I heard last night impressed me. Maybe not quite on the level of his best work, but there is little to no discernible drop in quality. People were not walking out to use the bathroom or make a phone call during the songs. Probably more like the music prior to Squeezing Out Sparks.
Overall they mixed it up pretty well, promoting the new one plus paying homage to the older material. He started his set with Fool's Gold, saving most of the Squeezing out Sparks material for the second half and the two encores. He played Protection, Passion is no Ordinary Word, Discovering Japan, You Can't Be Too Strong, Local Girls from SOS. Also Don't Ask Me Question, Soul Shoes, from Howling Wind, and Start a Fire from Mona Lisa's Sister. Rumor has it, the band is featured in the new Judd Apatow comedy This is 40. So this is a big year for Graham Parker. I have to say it was a real blast to see Graham Parker and the Rumour live. Don't pass up the opportunity to see them--You Won't Regret It!!!!

Helping Bobby Sutliff of the Windbreakers

Well, Black Friday has rolled around once more. The day after Thanksgiving is a day I try to stay away from shops. But here's one thing I finally did today.

I'm a pretty good procrastinator, and people who know me pretty well would concur. But I finally made a small contribution to a good cause. I made a  donation to help Bobby Sutliff, an extraordinarily great musician/songwriter, who was once in the Windbreakers with great musician/songwriter Tim Lee.

Here's what happened. From the ChipIn site created on his behalf:

 

Helping Bobby Sutliff

 

On Friday, June 15, our friend Bobby Sutliff was involved in a serious single-vehicle accident near his home in Powell, Ohio. He sustained several serious injuries, and as of the 29th was still in the SICU at the Ohio State University hospital. Due to the severity of his wounds, Bobby faces a very long uphill climb to recovery. Fortunately, he has good health insurance through his employer, but faces many months of recuperation, and thus will likely require some very real help with his living expenses and other expenditures.Whether you know Bobby personally or through his music, we request that you donate what you can to help a beloved musician and friend in his time of need.Also, please share this page with your friends. Bobby needs all the assistance he can get. Thank you.

 

I spoke about this before, but didn't do anything about it myself until this morning. While their are innumerable causes people could donate to (certainly victims of Hurricane Sandy), and there are many people who do not have any disposable income at all that they could spare, I think this is a worthy one.

 

If you are a fan of the Windbreakers, or have heard some of Bobby's terrific solo albums, I'm sure even a small donation would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here is a link where you can go to help, if you are so inclined.

 

http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/112434bb6becde08

 

 

If you are in the Atlanta area, be advised that the Rain Parade have reunited to perform a benefit concert to help Bobby. Additionally, the Tim Lee 3 will also be on the bill. January 19th at the Earl.

Sounds like a fantastic show, where you can also contribute to a good cause.

 

Believe me, I'm as big a slug as the next guy, but for some reason I felt an obligation to at least help a little. It just took me a little longer to do. But I feel a lot better now that I've followed through.

Wishing So Many Thanks on Thanksgiving! Ray Davies Cereal Killers Jellyfish!!!

Wishing all a happy Thanksgiving!


One from the Master.....






Here's a band that probably ought to be remembered a little better... the Cereal Killers, from the little Westchester burb just due south of CT headquarters.....Scarsdale, NY.......





And finally, some guilty pleasure for the day after Thanksgiving....from Jellyfish...

Election Results are In---My Feelings as Expressed by John Cale

I can breathe a sigh of relief.... finally. Let's gives props to our Commander in Chief and also to Governor Romney who fought hard right to the end. And of course to all the people who worked hard and the citizens who got out and voted so that their voices were heard.

Luckily I wore my brown pants today---the Presidential race was too close for my comfort.
But I'm happy with the outcome. Short celebration hopefully, because a lot of work remains.

Here are my sentiments as expressed by the great John Cale, one of my all-time favorites artists, the Welsh Godfather of Punk Rock and much more.

As far as pianists in rock and roll go, he is highly esteemed. If you haven't got on board yet, check out Paris 1919, or the Rhino compilation Seducing Down the Door. Or Wrong Way Up, his collaboration with Brian Eno, or Songs for Drella with Lou Reed. And I suppose if you happen to be unfamiliar with his work with the Velvet Underground and the aforementioned sweet Lou, I encourage you to slap yourself, regroup, and check out their first two albums immediately. The Velvets and the Ramones may be the most influential bands in rock since the 60's Mega bands that I need not mention here.

His new album, Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood was just released--it's probably pretty worthy. Haven't got it yet, but I've heard some things. Mostly positive. Still haven't seen him live but I maintain hope that I will step up.

Housemartins on Election Day! Join the Caravan of Love!

Some classic a capella from the great great Housemartins! Happy Election Day I hope!




Get out and vote! Participate!

Word of Wisdom from Stephen Jay Gould

From Mr. Gould's essay, Knight Takes Bishop?

But no battle exists between science and religion--the two most separate spheres of human need. A titanic struggle occurs, always has, always will, between questioning and authority, free inquiry and frozen dogma--but the institutions representing these poles are not science and religion. These struggles occur within each field, not primarily across disciplines. The general ethic of science leads to greater openness, but we have our fossils, often in positions of great power. Organized religion, as an arm of state power so frequently in history, has tended to rigidity--but theologies have also spearheaded social revolution. Official religion has not opposed evolution as a monolith. Many prominent evolutionists have been devout, an many churchmen have place evolution at the center of their personal theologies. Henry War Beecher, America's premier pulpiteer during Darwin's century, defended evolution as God's way in a striking commercial metaphor: "Design by wholesale is grander than design by retail"---better, that is, to ordain general laws of change than to make each species by separate fiat.

The struggle of free inquiry against authority is so central, so pervasive that we need all the help we can get from every side. Inquiring scientists must join hands with questioning theologians if we wish to preserve that most fragile of all reed, liberty itself. If scientists lose their natural allies by casting entire institutions as enemies, and not seeking bonds with soul mates on other paths, then we only make a difficult struggle that much harder.

Hear, hear. Articulately state by one of our great scientific authors, Stephen Jay Gould. I wish he was still alive writing the wonderful essays on evolution he so eloquently wrote for Scientific American. I can't tell how I've enjoyed reading, his essays. The paragraphs from above can be found in the book "Bully for Brontosaurus", a book I could not recommend more highly.