I don’t usually post show announcements here… but this is gonna be a lot of fun, and I don’t want you to miss out.

My good friend and bass player Evan Strauss is in town this weekend, and the good people at WHERE (Mix Meet Mogul) in Silverlake have been kind enough to lend us their space for a show / party type thang. Evan, Scott Keil (drums) and myself are going to jam it out from 10pm til at least midnight. Cricket is going to open up the show at 9pm. Doors swing wide at 8pm.

$5 to get in, $2 “refreshments,” lots of musical guests sitting in throughout the evening - good times all over the place.

Details look like this:

Here’s the relevant LUXXE spaceblog:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=19735297&blogID=490203737

Do go and check it out..,

…but if you DON’T want to go check it out, at least download the albums!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5HTPRYLQ

I am on Track 6 (”Kiss The Glass pt1″) of the album called “An Elaborate Lie.” I recorded my parts in an afternoon in the LUXXE basement, by the freeway in Seattle, not far from (that one park with the ley line in it. no, not that one. the other one. the one with the playground). I really enjoyed the session, and it was an honor to be on a PAPER DOLL / Zackery StarrHardtMhune production, particularly a LUXXE record, as they have been at times one of my favorite live bands.

They used to sound like a brick wall through a Marshall stack. This album is subtler.

Courtesy of PAPER DOLL RECORDINGS: http://www.myspace.com/paperdollrecordings

“filmed” by John Boyd and Mark Engel. John Norwood is standin in the doorway, country-singer style. So much fun to play outdoors in cool places! Thanks to Dan, Will, April, Arna, Rose, Feather and everyone else who made it out and brought the big vibes.

5-TRACK electric guitar, and occasional guest drummer Simon Thomsen,
Santa Fe Cafe / Fullerton, CA Train Station, May 2nd 2009

5-TRACK @ The Santa Fe Cafe / Fullerton CA Train Station

from Zlicious Productions on Vimeo.

Here’s the balance of my favorite videos from our February 28 show at the Bandit Gallery in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, Earth

Soul In Song

Lie Lie Lie

Sexy Love Song

Sick And Dying

for one more excellent cut from this show, “Sparkplug Hominy,” try clicking here:

http://5-track.com/NeptuneResearch/2009/03/08/video-more-amanda-jo-williams-videos/

Our “alternative percussionist” FEATHER has just migrated to other parts of the biosphere, so it’s hard to tell what we’re gonna sound like in the future. Before she split we played one last excellent show at the Silverlake Lounge, sharing the night with Matthew O’Neill, Arizona, and The Golden Animals. There should be video of that one, soon, too. Meanwhile, these clips are from our second show, back in February - compare and contrast with the new shots when they surface!

Thanks as always to John Boyd for working the camera-thing.

love and good luck,

5

Ever walk out of a movie thinking it had been made just specifically for you to see?

Me either.

But it happened this past weekend with Jim Jarmusch’s new masterpiece, THE LIMITS OF CONTROL, starring the brilliant Isaach de Bankole.

Let’s begin by saying that this movie is supremely well made, so much so that the one possible minor technical glitch that occurred sometime near the end could possibly have been an intentional disruption of mental continuity, and I will have to watch again to evaluate that possibility if for no other reason.

Second, if you like action-packed thrill rides… Skip this one.

Two hours and five minutes, and very little happens. Not much dialogue. Only: shot after moving shot of scintillating beauty, breathtaking magnificence in the form of architecture, landscape, cinematographic funny stuff, sartorial splendor, behavioral eccentricity… And on, and on. THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is a long, slow drink of cool water in the middle of the night.

The music was mainly eccentric bursts of droning electric guitar noise. I actually own two of the CDs from which the music was selected, one by Japanese BORIS and the other by Seattleites EARTH. Jarmusch and I, it seems, have similar taste (especially considering Neil Young’s soundtrack to Jarmusch’s DEAD MAN, and the entire movie JJ then devoted to Neil’s band Crazy Horse, YEAR OF THE HORSE) …

Many themes from my recent and distant past life crop up throughout the course of the (absence of) plot … including but not limited to Tai Chi, La Boheme, and perspectives on the nature of reality.

The plot, the action, by the way, takes place mainly offstage, while the main character does his thing and lets it all go by as best he can.

Isaach de Bankole, as that main character (the archetypal “Lone Man”), is brilliant. His characterization is so natural you almost don’t want to call it “acting” … but of course, that is what the best acting is: Natural being, in a context of someone else’s choosing. Isaach is so awesomely talented that he is able to maintain this relaxed state of controlled existence through two hours and five minutes of film, of which he is onscreen, often alone, in very nearly every single moment.

I can’t tell you what this movie was about. I can only say what it meant to me… And ultimately, it shouldn’t mean the same thing(s) to you. So I am not going to say anymore, unless you ask me. (Feel free!) Go see it, in the theater if you can. It’s an eighth wonder, like Kong. Come away changed.

I got an unsolicited promo message on ickspace the other day from a company that thinks I should pay them to write songs for me, then claim the songs as my own. Does anyone else think that’s somehow very wrong?

Our dialogue went like this:

them:

Nice, tracks! If your band is looking for new material check out my page. [name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity] sells you the right to songs so you can call them your originals. John Mayer is an example of a guy who buys all of his music. He doesn’t write material just plays it well.

Your music seemed similar to the songs available for purchase. Send in your offer in $USD for any of the songs on [name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity].com or my profile by contacting [name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity]@gmail.com or replying to this message.

Feedback is also appreciated.

Hope to hear soon,
[name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity]

me:

I would never claim to have written a song that I had not, in fact, written. I see this practice as dishonesty towards the Universe, and I do not wish to encourage it as a trend. Please go away.

good luck
5

them:

I don’t see why, a lot of bands do covers. The only difference is that you would own a song you didn’t write. As long as you can convey feeling through music and not be self centered to say you are the only one who can write the stuff you play…

The universe is made up of sound as vibrations. Check out “string theory”. Hope this message makes sense, not taking the time to read it over.

All the best,
[name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity]

me:

I’m up on my string theory, also my Sufism, chaos theory and so forth. Everything’s one note, the resonations following from the initial percussive hit ie the Big Bang.

I do play covers, as well as my own originals, and I credit the people who wrote them.

I’m sorry you don’t understand my position.

Good luck with your Karma.
5

them:

We at [name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity] understand, but do not always follow in others footsteps and enjoy change. Some write well, while others convey well…

Good Luck with your Karma 5-track,
[name omitted so as not to promote evil gross stupidity]

Does anyone else think this is really gross and awful?
I’m not writing back anymore…

PAPER DOLL RECORDINGS, that is. The jams all feature ZACK and N8 and they are what they claim to be: “nuggets of improvised amalgamations of rock, funk, jazz, metal and such. each segment is titled according to the date it took place and the first names of the musicians appearing. these are pieces of brilliance sandwiched between moments of fucking up. look for new selections every week or so all through the spring and summer as we lure more people into the studio.”

here they are at:
http://www.myspace.com/paperdollrecordings

Here is a video and short story. I hope you enjoy them both!

Street Performance-Hollywood

A club in Hollywood contacted us through Zlicious Productions, which is located in my kitchen. The Talent Procuring Assistant had noticed that I played in both CRICKET & THE 2:19 and also the AMANDA JO WILLIAMS band, and had concluded that if Zlicious Productions booked Cricket, they could probably reach Amanda through us as well. This they tried, and success was theirs, to a point.

At the request of the Talent Procuring Assistant, the AMANDA JO WILLIAMS band was given a 7:45 performance slot on Saturday May 25. At our insistence, no presale of tickets was required; no minimum draw was required; we would do our best to promote, and that was the deal. They called us and asked us to play because they liked our music, not because we promised to fill their club.

A few days later, the Talent Procuring Director called up Zlicious Productions, which is located in my kitchen. He professed no knowledge of who we were and a strong dissatisfaction with the deal we had struck. But he agreed to honor it. We asked if there would be drink tickets available for the band. “We’ll see what kind of mood I’m in,” he said.

If someone says a thing like that to me, it does not make me inclined to promote their venue. But so be it. We showed up at the appointed time, set up our gear, checked our sound with the genial soundman, had a few good jams, and dispersed until showtime.

Eventually the Talent Procuring Director appeared on the scene. He again professed no knowledge of who we were or what our terms had been. When we explained, he was once again greatly dissatisfied. “How many people are you bringing in?” he asked.

We replied that we couldn’t be sure. We’d told people about the show, but really had no way of knowing if they’d show up or not.

“That’s a bad answer,” he said.

“It’s an honest answer,” we explained.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t honest,” he replied. “I just said it was bad.”

Things went downhill from there. In short order he revoked our guest list and announced that we wouldn’t be allowed to perform unless we drew at least three paying customers. “This is a big club!” we were told, and: “I have to pay the soundman if you play, whether anyone’s here or not!” (Why the soundman ALWAYS gets paid before the musicians has baffled me for many years…)

Now, I know three is not many people.

But listen: THEY ASKED US TO PLAY. We didn’t seek this gig out. It was not our idea. We never said we could bring a crowd. And in point of fact, we DID have at least three people on the way to the venue, who we promptly called up and instructed to go home and not bother.

By then we’d had enough. We packed up our gear and split. We had a much better time playing on the street anyway, I am fairly certain.

12-String Expostulation In The Rock Of The Eagle

for the complete performance, please visit
http://www.5-Track.com/5/5video.php