Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Potential Blog Problem? Hopefully not...
Blog administrators - please see below. Shouldn't be a problem for us, but maybe it's something we should be aware of.
Tom
Free Association: Sound of Silence
By Larisa Mann, November 28, 2008
from wiretap.org
Music bloggers beware: Your posts could vanish without warning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music blogs are engines for fandom, DJ culture and music making. They range from websites featuring news, links and commentary run by individual fans, to label-run sites promoting similar sounds and scenes. Music blogs may also include producer coalitions that promote music as part of an ongoing culture of participation. Finally, there are blog aggregators that report on what's hot and online music magazines with formal articles that include links to the music that they discuss. Many feature actual streaming or downloadable audio files that allow the reader to hear what all the fuss is about.
At minimum, a music blog might consist of basic lists or links to hot or obscure tunes, like a mixtape or playlist. But at maximum, many blogs provide fascinating context for the music they post, from scholarly analysis on a particular music element to a devoted fan's impassioned history of a tiny subgenre, or even a wide-ranging set of thoughts on a musical theme.
Although blogs serve various creative purposes, they are above all social spheres. By posting links, entries and search functions, music blogs promote and embody a lively culture of interaction. Music blogs can also help artists. One anonymous blogger points out, "People like myself discover new music through these blogs, which often leads to album purchases, and even more often to support of the artist's concerts, merchandise, etc." Other blogs focused on DJ culture have new electronic artists post their work for feedback -- an important step in developing artists and music scenes.
Missing Links
But now posts are disappearing. The trigger for deletion appears to be MP3 audio file links that possibly violate copyright law. However, many blog sites go far beyond simple link lists, including commentary, images and bloggers' own creative work alongside music. The blogger's original work, also covered by copyright law, often disappears along with the problematic link.
Apparently, some people's intellectual property matters more than others!
Even stranger, some deleted links were given to bloggers by artists and labels explicitly for promotional purposes. As another anonymous blogger told me, "On the one hand record companies use blogs to help them sell records, and on the other hand, persecute blogs for it."
It also seems that one branch of the music industry doesn't know what the other one is doing. Linda, author of a small Southern California-based music blog, explains,
"I e-mailed my contact at the label of a band for whom I wrote an album review that was deleted. I told him which songs I posted and asked if I had done something that prompted the label to request a takedown. He denied that the label would have done that. I e-mailed another contact at a PR (public relations) firm regarding another album review that was deleted. The PR had sent me the album to review! They denied having any part in a takedown."
The Google-owned blog-publishing system, Blogger, has e-mailed bloggers after the fact, informing them that their posts were taken down because they contained a link to material Blogger has learned infringes copyright. But in other cases, entire posts have disappeared with no communication. Most bloggers have not been told which link in a multiple-link post is problematic.
When Blogger has notified music bloggers, they've cited the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), an unwieldy mishmash of compromises between the content and tech industries. The DMCA is supposed to protect middleman technology companies like Google ("Internet Service Providers" or ISPs) from lawsuits over what their users do. To avoid lawsuits over content that users post, ISPs must not create or edit content but simply host it, and must take down content when an owner says it infringes their copyright.
Bloggers can technically use the DMCA to fight back if they think their use is legal, by filing a counter-notification. In the best scenario, this would mean the copyright holders and the people who upload copyrighted content can duke out the issue themselves while the ISPs stay out of it.
However, Blogger hasn't given bloggers the tools they need to defend themselves. Counter-notification can only happen after Blogger registers takedowns online. But, as Linda pointed out, since Blogger has not yet registered any complaints, "There is nothing for me to 'counter'. I have no idea who I have offended or how."
Blogger's own code of conduct says, "If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the owner or administrator of the affected site or content so that they may make a counter notification." Since when is no notice a good-faith effort?
Even if Blogger complied with its own policy and the DMCA, that might not be enough. Linda points out the asymmetry of the legal battle: "The direction[s] for filing a counter-notification includes agreeing to pay all legal fees if I am found in the wrong. Without knowing what I am defending myself against, how can I possibly agree to such terms? Is it realistic for me, someone whose blog earns no money, to retain a lawyer?"
The system is biased in favor of those with plenty of cash and their own lawyers on staff. Luckily, in the US, we have a legal defense that would cover many music blogs -- at least those that discuss, educate, criticize and comment. These could qualify for fair use protection, which does allow people to make use without permission of copyrighted works in ways that benefit society.
Although many bloggers, DJs and musicians I spoke with said that some blogs don't play fair, they all emphasized the overall benefit that music blogs provide to artists and the public. "There will always be pirates," said one blogger, label owner, producer and DJ. "File-sharing, mash-ups, and DJ mixes are all part of a huge explosion of musical creativity. We're living in a time in which people are exposed to more new music than ever before and it's the free flow of information that's driving this push forward."
Unfortunately, it looks like Blogger may have made a private deal with content owners to automatically remove posts that owners complain about, rather than going through a transparent process with room for discussion. While this may not be illegal (although we should be concerned about the effect on our fair use rights), this is exactly why we can't trust private companies to administer our culture fairly: They can make deals with other private companies without public input.
And why should we trust the content industry to make the rules when it doesn't play fair? There's a long history of baseless and debatable copyright complaints. If these companies have Blogger's ear and don't consider input from the public or users, they can basically define our access to works with no accountability.
What About Author's Rights?
Worse yet is the fact that music bloggers' own original material is being deleted. Even if some links in a post are not fair use, two wrongs don't make a right. Google has made its name by promising to do right by its users and the data they host for the public. If they keep deleting our own creative works, why should the public trust them?
Blogger is a private company, but it provides public services similar to those offered by libraries, archives and broadcasting. It's a growing problem in the internet era: These private companies, controlled only by private law, have the ability to run their businesses with little or no respect for the public.
Google recently made a deal with book publishers over access to scanned books for Google Book Search. We have to be vigilant that they don't snub the reading public the way they are currently dissing the listening, writing and remixing public on Blogger.
(Author's Note: Only one blogger agreed to be identified for this column. Others say they are concerned about being further targeted. So much for "Don't Be Evil"!)
Larisa Mann writes about technology, media and law for WireTap, studies Jurisprudence and Social Policy at U.C. Berkeley and djs under the name Ripley. She is a resident DJ at Surya Dub, San Francisco, and collaborates with the Riddim Method blog-DJ-academic crew, Havocsound sound system, and various other cross-fertilizing organisms in the Bay Area and worldwide.
Tom
Free Association: Sound of Silence
By Larisa Mann, November 28, 2008
from wiretap.org
Music bloggers beware: Your posts could vanish without warning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music blogs are engines for fandom, DJ culture and music making. They range from websites featuring news, links and commentary run by individual fans, to label-run sites promoting similar sounds and scenes. Music blogs may also include producer coalitions that promote music as part of an ongoing culture of participation. Finally, there are blog aggregators that report on what's hot and online music magazines with formal articles that include links to the music that they discuss. Many feature actual streaming or downloadable audio files that allow the reader to hear what all the fuss is about.
At minimum, a music blog might consist of basic lists or links to hot or obscure tunes, like a mixtape or playlist. But at maximum, many blogs provide fascinating context for the music they post, from scholarly analysis on a particular music element to a devoted fan's impassioned history of a tiny subgenre, or even a wide-ranging set of thoughts on a musical theme.
Although blogs serve various creative purposes, they are above all social spheres. By posting links, entries and search functions, music blogs promote and embody a lively culture of interaction. Music blogs can also help artists. One anonymous blogger points out, "People like myself discover new music through these blogs, which often leads to album purchases, and even more often to support of the artist's concerts, merchandise, etc." Other blogs focused on DJ culture have new electronic artists post their work for feedback -- an important step in developing artists and music scenes.
Missing Links
But now posts are disappearing. The trigger for deletion appears to be MP3 audio file links that possibly violate copyright law. However, many blog sites go far beyond simple link lists, including commentary, images and bloggers' own creative work alongside music. The blogger's original work, also covered by copyright law, often disappears along with the problematic link.
Apparently, some people's intellectual property matters more than others!
Even stranger, some deleted links were given to bloggers by artists and labels explicitly for promotional purposes. As another anonymous blogger told me, "On the one hand record companies use blogs to help them sell records, and on the other hand, persecute blogs for it."
It also seems that one branch of the music industry doesn't know what the other one is doing. Linda, author of a small Southern California-based music blog, explains,
"I e-mailed my contact at the label of a band for whom I wrote an album review that was deleted. I told him which songs I posted and asked if I had done something that prompted the label to request a takedown. He denied that the label would have done that. I e-mailed another contact at a PR (public relations) firm regarding another album review that was deleted. The PR had sent me the album to review! They denied having any part in a takedown."
The Google-owned blog-publishing system, Blogger, has e-mailed bloggers after the fact, informing them that their posts were taken down because they contained a link to material Blogger has learned infringes copyright. But in other cases, entire posts have disappeared with no communication. Most bloggers have not been told which link in a multiple-link post is problematic.
When Blogger has notified music bloggers, they've cited the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), an unwieldy mishmash of compromises between the content and tech industries. The DMCA is supposed to protect middleman technology companies like Google ("Internet Service Providers" or ISPs) from lawsuits over what their users do. To avoid lawsuits over content that users post, ISPs must not create or edit content but simply host it, and must take down content when an owner says it infringes their copyright.
Bloggers can technically use the DMCA to fight back if they think their use is legal, by filing a counter-notification. In the best scenario, this would mean the copyright holders and the people who upload copyrighted content can duke out the issue themselves while the ISPs stay out of it.
However, Blogger hasn't given bloggers the tools they need to defend themselves. Counter-notification can only happen after Blogger registers takedowns online. But, as Linda pointed out, since Blogger has not yet registered any complaints, "There is nothing for me to 'counter'. I have no idea who I have offended or how."
Blogger's own code of conduct says, "If we remove or disable access in response to such a notice, we will make a good-faith attempt to contact the owner or administrator of the affected site or content so that they may make a counter notification." Since when is no notice a good-faith effort?
Even if Blogger complied with its own policy and the DMCA, that might not be enough. Linda points out the asymmetry of the legal battle: "The direction[s] for filing a counter-notification includes agreeing to pay all legal fees if I am found in the wrong. Without knowing what I am defending myself against, how can I possibly agree to such terms? Is it realistic for me, someone whose blog earns no money, to retain a lawyer?"
The system is biased in favor of those with plenty of cash and their own lawyers on staff. Luckily, in the US, we have a legal defense that would cover many music blogs -- at least those that discuss, educate, criticize and comment. These could qualify for fair use protection, which does allow people to make use without permission of copyrighted works in ways that benefit society.
Although many bloggers, DJs and musicians I spoke with said that some blogs don't play fair, they all emphasized the overall benefit that music blogs provide to artists and the public. "There will always be pirates," said one blogger, label owner, producer and DJ. "File-sharing, mash-ups, and DJ mixes are all part of a huge explosion of musical creativity. We're living in a time in which people are exposed to more new music than ever before and it's the free flow of information that's driving this push forward."
Unfortunately, it looks like Blogger may have made a private deal with content owners to automatically remove posts that owners complain about, rather than going through a transparent process with room for discussion. While this may not be illegal (although we should be concerned about the effect on our fair use rights), this is exactly why we can't trust private companies to administer our culture fairly: They can make deals with other private companies without public input.
And why should we trust the content industry to make the rules when it doesn't play fair? There's a long history of baseless and debatable copyright complaints. If these companies have Blogger's ear and don't consider input from the public or users, they can basically define our access to works with no accountability.
What About Author's Rights?
Worse yet is the fact that music bloggers' own original material is being deleted. Even if some links in a post are not fair use, two wrongs don't make a right. Google has made its name by promising to do right by its users and the data they host for the public. If they keep deleting our own creative works, why should the public trust them?
Blogger is a private company, but it provides public services similar to those offered by libraries, archives and broadcasting. It's a growing problem in the internet era: These private companies, controlled only by private law, have the ability to run their businesses with little or no respect for the public.
Google recently made a deal with book publishers over access to scanned books for Google Book Search. We have to be vigilant that they don't snub the reading public the way they are currently dissing the listening, writing and remixing public on Blogger.
(Author's Note: Only one blogger agreed to be identified for this column. Others say they are concerned about being further targeted. So much for "Don't Be Evil"!)
Larisa Mann writes about technology, media and law for WireTap, studies Jurisprudence and Social Policy at U.C. Berkeley and djs under the name Ripley. She is a resident DJ at Surya Dub, San Francisco, and collaborates with the Riddim Method blog-DJ-academic crew, Havocsound sound system, and various other cross-fertilizing organisms in the Bay Area and worldwide.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
More Tapes!
The well apparently isn't dry yet. In the last few weeks I have received 7 reel-to-reel tapes of KDKB in the mid-1970s courtesy of Dan Griffin of Mesa, and 3 CD's of early-to-middle 1970s KDKB courtesy of Bob Gately of Morristown. I haven't listened to the tapes yet, and the CD's are badly damaged but POSSIBLY salvageable. (I don't know if the tapes that the CD's were originally made from still exist or not.) Also in the pipeline are another KCAC tape from 1970 or 1971 and a three-hour show by Toad Hall on KSLX, April 16, 1988.
Those of you who have received the DVD containing 55 hours of KCAC audio... did the discs play OK in your computer? A couple of bum discs may have slipped through the cracks, so if you can't get yours to play just let me know and I'll mail you a replacement.
Tom
Those of you who have received the DVD containing 55 hours of KCAC audio... did the discs play OK in your computer? A couple of bum discs may have slipped through the cracks, so if you can't get yours to play just let me know and I'll mail you a replacement.
Tom
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Hola! Looking for Troy and don't miss the party!
Hola! That was actually the first word in an audition for a Taco Time commercial that I sent in yesterday. Don't know if I'll get the job, but it's nice to know that they're still asking for auditions! Anyway, the other day Kent Usry asked me whether I knew where Troy Irvine might be found, since Kent had run into a mutual friend from way back when. I sent out an APB email and got lots of interesting answers. First, that Troy was last seen leaving the ranch in Castle Hot Springs where Bob Gately is hanging out these days in "an extremely paranoid state" to quote Bob. So if you see Troy tell him to contact Kent Usry, or me, or reality. The other result of the mass missive was replies from all kinds of interesting people who did not know of Troy's whereabouts, but just wanted to say hi. Includng Tom Marrs, who remembers me better than I remember him to be honest, mostly because even at a young age I looked like Mark Twain. Still do, I guess. Anyway, Tom sent a photo and he looks much better that Sam Clemens. He also is the manager of the Icehouse, one of the leading spots in the growth of the First Friday art movement. He and others are headed to the Rhythm Room this evening (Sat 11/15) starting around 6:30 for a gathering of friends of video guy Joel Samuel, who has posted lots of great video on You Tube of old Phoenix musicians. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend, since it's my niece's 16th birthday and family comes first.
EXCERPT FROM INVITE: "One week from today (Nov 15th) I will be back in Phoenix for my Party @ the Rhythm Room.
The time is from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and I really hope you can attend. Make it a point to show up and say hello.
At all my previous events I never had the time to participate in the party because I was running around producing the event.
Capturing the video was always so important to me and at the same time one of my greatest obstacles.
I was so busy producing that I may not have had time for friends who showed up specifically for me, so this will be a chance to visit.
Coming with me to Arizona is a very special person in my life; someone who inspired me to finish & create my archives and give it to the world free on
http://www.youtube.com/joelsamuelpresents
So make it if you can, and check out Joel's videos for sure. And stop by the Icehouse on W. Jackson downtown and say hello to Tom Marrs. And if you like Christmas music, tune in 99.9 KEZ . Adios, Marty
Photo of Tom
EXCERPT FROM INVITE: "One week from today (Nov 15th) I will be back in Phoenix for my Party @ the Rhythm Room.
The time is from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and I really hope you can attend. Make it a point to show up and say hello.
At all my previous events I never had the time to participate in the party because I was running around producing the event.
Capturing the video was always so important to me and at the same time one of my greatest obstacles.
I was so busy producing that I may not have had time for friends who showed up specifically for me, so this will be a chance to visit.
Coming with me to Arizona is a very special person in my life; someone who inspired me to finish & create my archives and give it to the world free on
http://www.youtube.com/joelsamuelpresents
So make it if you can, and check out Joel's videos for sure. And stop by the Icehouse on W. Jackson downtown and say hello to Tom Marrs. And if you like Christmas music, tune in 99.9 KEZ . Adios, Marty
Photo of Tom
Saturday, November 08, 2008
BRING IT ON, OBAMA STYLE
Bring On the Puppy and the Rookie
By MAUREEN DOWD, OP ED
Copyright: New York Times Newspaper
November 5, 2008
I walked over to the White House Tuesday night and leaned against the fence. How can such a lovely house make so many of its inhabitants nuts? There was no U-Haul in the driveway. I don’t know if W. was inside talking to the portraits on the wall. Or if the portraits can vanish from their frames, as at Hogwarts Academy, to escape if W. is pestering them about his legacy.
The Obama girls, with their oodles of charm, will soon be moving in with their goldendoodle or some other fetching puppy, and they seem like the kind of kids who could have fun there, prowling around with their history-loving father.
I had been amazed during the campaign — not by the covert racism about Barack Obama and not by Hillary Clinton’s subtext when she insisted to super delegates: “He can’t win.” But I had been astonished by the overt willingness of some people who didn’t mind being quoted by name in The New York Times saying vile stuff, that a President Obama would turn the Rose Garden into a watermelon patch, that he’d have barbeques on the front lawn, that he’d make the White House the Black House.
Actually, the elegant and disciplined Obama, who is not descended from the central African-American experience but who has nonetheless embraced it and been embraced by it, has the chance to make the White House pristine again.
I grew up here, and I love all the monuments filled with the capital’s ghosts. I hate the thought that terrorists might target them again. But the monuments have lost their luminescence in recent years.
How could the White House be classy when the Clinton's were turning it into Motel 1600 for fund-raising, when Bill Clinton was using it for trysts with an intern and when he plunked a seven-seat hot tub with two Moto-Massager jets on the lawn?
How could the White House be inspiring when W. and Cheney were inside making torture and domestic spying legal, fooling Americans by cooking up warped evidence for war and scheming how to further enrich their buddies in the oil and gas industry?
How could the Lincoln Memorial — “With malice toward none; with charity for all” — be as moving if the black neighborhoods of a charming American city were left to drown while the president mountain-biked?
How can the National Archives, home of the Constitution, be as momentous if the president and vice president spend their days redacting the Constitution?
How can the black marble V of the Vietnam Memorial have power when those in power repeat the mistake of Vietnam?
How can the Capitol, where my dad proudly worked for so many years, hold its allure when the occupants have spent their days — and years — bickering and scoring petty political points instead of stopping White House chicanery and taking on risky big issues?
How can the F.D.R. Memorial along the Tidal Basin be an uplifting trip to the past when the bronze statue of five stooped men in a bread line and the words of F.D.R.’s second inaugural — “I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad and ill-nourished” — evokes the depressing present?
Obama may be in over his head. Or he may be heading for his own monument one day. His somber speech in the dark Chicago night was stark and simple and showed that he sees what he’s up against. There was a heaviness in his demeanor, as if he already had taken on the isolation and “splendid misery,” as Jefferson called it, of the office he’d won only moments before. Americans all over the place were jumping for joy, including the block I had been on in front of the White House, where they were singing: “Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye.”
In the midst of such a phenomenal, fizzy victory overcoming so many doubts and crazy attacks and even his own middle name, Obama stood alone. He rejected the Democratic kumbaya moment of having your broad coalition on stage with you, as he talked about how everyone would have to pull together and “resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.”
He professed “humility,” but we’d heard that before from W., and look what happened there.Promising to also be president for those who opposed him, Obama quoted Lincoln, his political idol and the man who ended slavery: “We are not enemies, but friends — though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”
There have been many awful mistakes made in this country. But now we have another chance.
As we start fresh with a constitutional law professor and senator from the Land of Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial might be getting its gleam back. I may have to celebrate by going over there and climbing up into Abe’s lap.
It’s a $50 fine. But it’d be worth it.
MAUREEN DOWD
OP ED COLUMNIST
NEW YORK TIMES
By MAUREEN DOWD, OP ED
Copyright: New York Times Newspaper
November 5, 2008
I walked over to the White House Tuesday night and leaned against the fence. How can such a lovely house make so many of its inhabitants nuts? There was no U-Haul in the driveway. I don’t know if W. was inside talking to the portraits on the wall. Or if the portraits can vanish from their frames, as at Hogwarts Academy, to escape if W. is pestering them about his legacy.
The Obama girls, with their oodles of charm, will soon be moving in with their goldendoodle or some other fetching puppy, and they seem like the kind of kids who could have fun there, prowling around with their history-loving father.
I had been amazed during the campaign — not by the covert racism about Barack Obama and not by Hillary Clinton’s subtext when she insisted to super delegates: “He can’t win.” But I had been astonished by the overt willingness of some people who didn’t mind being quoted by name in The New York Times saying vile stuff, that a President Obama would turn the Rose Garden into a watermelon patch, that he’d have barbeques on the front lawn, that he’d make the White House the Black House.
Actually, the elegant and disciplined Obama, who is not descended from the central African-American experience but who has nonetheless embraced it and been embraced by it, has the chance to make the White House pristine again.
I grew up here, and I love all the monuments filled with the capital’s ghosts. I hate the thought that terrorists might target them again. But the monuments have lost their luminescence in recent years.
How could the White House be classy when the Clinton's were turning it into Motel 1600 for fund-raising, when Bill Clinton was using it for trysts with an intern and when he plunked a seven-seat hot tub with two Moto-Massager jets on the lawn?
How could the White House be inspiring when W. and Cheney were inside making torture and domestic spying legal, fooling Americans by cooking up warped evidence for war and scheming how to further enrich their buddies in the oil and gas industry?
How could the Lincoln Memorial — “With malice toward none; with charity for all” — be as moving if the black neighborhoods of a charming American city were left to drown while the president mountain-biked?
How can the National Archives, home of the Constitution, be as momentous if the president and vice president spend their days redacting the Constitution?
How can the black marble V of the Vietnam Memorial have power when those in power repeat the mistake of Vietnam?
How can the Capitol, where my dad proudly worked for so many years, hold its allure when the occupants have spent their days — and years — bickering and scoring petty political points instead of stopping White House chicanery and taking on risky big issues?
How can the F.D.R. Memorial along the Tidal Basin be an uplifting trip to the past when the bronze statue of five stooped men in a bread line and the words of F.D.R.’s second inaugural — “I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad and ill-nourished” — evokes the depressing present?
Obama may be in over his head. Or he may be heading for his own monument one day. His somber speech in the dark Chicago night was stark and simple and showed that he sees what he’s up against. There was a heaviness in his demeanor, as if he already had taken on the isolation and “splendid misery,” as Jefferson called it, of the office he’d won only moments before. Americans all over the place were jumping for joy, including the block I had been on in front of the White House, where they were singing: “Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey. Goodbye.”
In the midst of such a phenomenal, fizzy victory overcoming so many doubts and crazy attacks and even his own middle name, Obama stood alone. He rejected the Democratic kumbaya moment of having your broad coalition on stage with you, as he talked about how everyone would have to pull together and “resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.”
He professed “humility,” but we’d heard that before from W., and look what happened there.Promising to also be president for those who opposed him, Obama quoted Lincoln, his political idol and the man who ended slavery: “We are not enemies, but friends — though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”
There have been many awful mistakes made in this country. But now we have another chance.
As we start fresh with a constitutional law professor and senator from the Land of Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial might be getting its gleam back. I may have to celebrate by going over there and climbing up into Abe’s lap.
It’s a $50 fine. But it’d be worth it.
MAUREEN DOWD
OP ED COLUMNIST
NEW YORK TIMES
Sunday, November 02, 2008
James Taylor checks in
I liked this. James Taylor at a concert in North Carolina just two weeks ago, playing a quiet "America The Beautiful" and talking about the "movement" that he's seeing around the Obama campaign. “This represents an awakening of a spirit of responsibility and engagement that’s been missing for such a long time. And it’s really time for us to get back down to work.” Nice to see you again, JT.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Upcoming Show / KCAC Tapes Still Available FREE
The Corb Lund Band will be playing at the Last Exit in Tempe, southwest corner of Southern and Priest, on Saturday November 1st. I know many of you will be at Halloween parties, but come on by if you want to hear some fine rootsy music. Corb Lund is from the high plains of Alberta, Canada, and he has an acoustic but surprisingly fast-paced, energetic folk-country style. His songs combine good humor, sharp observations, and terrific character studies. This is the third or fourth time he's played in Tempe, and his shows are always great fun.
On an unrelated note: I still have copies of 50+ hours of vintage KCAC radio broadcasts crammed onto a single DVD disc, playable on any computer. These are FREE for the asking! Carole Compton Glenn has generously provided funds for packaging and postage. John Booth of Channel 8 bought the blank discs and burned the copies. The original tapes were loaned to me by Jeff and Jennifer Crawford (to whom we all owe our thanks), and I did the digital mastering to the best of my (limited) ability. If you want a copy of these tapes, all you have to do is email me off-blog with your name and address. Here's my contact information, but please note that the "@" has been replaced by (at) in order to avoid spammers and phishers who search blogs like this for new addresses to target. twright1955(at)yahoo.com.
AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
On an unrelated note: I still have copies of 50+ hours of vintage KCAC radio broadcasts crammed onto a single DVD disc, playable on any computer. These are FREE for the asking! Carole Compton Glenn has generously provided funds for packaging and postage. John Booth of Channel 8 bought the blank discs and burned the copies. The original tapes were loaned to me by Jeff and Jennifer Crawford (to whom we all owe our thanks), and I did the digital mastering to the best of my (limited) ability. If you want a copy of these tapes, all you have to do is email me off-blog with your name and address. Here's my contact information, but please note that the "@" has been replaced by (at) in order to avoid spammers and phishers who search blogs like this for new addresses to target. twright1955(at)yahoo.com.
AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ron Howard, Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler endorse Obama...
Here's another "off-topic" post... if you're one of those who think that's a no-no, please don't bother clicking on this - it's not too directly related to the 60s-70s music scene in Phoenix (though personally I think the connection's pretty direct, as our whole premise then was change!).
See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
STEALBACKYOURVOTE.ORG
Excerpted from ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE OCT 30, 2008 ISSUE from the following site:
STEALBACKYOURVOTE.ORG
THE THEFT OF 2008
A WARNING FROM Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Voter suppression is real. It’s a crime. And it’s happening to YOU. But there’s something that you can do to prevent it. You can do all the campaigning you but if your voters aren’t counted, you’re going to lose the Presidency–and our democracy. Pass on this link: www.stealbackyourvote.org. Go to the site. Find out how to be sure your vote is counted. Get out he word! There’s still time to steal back your vote! Download the guide at stealbackyourvote. This guide is not about saving Democratic candidates. It is about saving our democracy. Vote-gaming is a bi-partisan sport.
Following excerpt from Rolling Stone Oct 30 2008 Issue (read full text at stealbackyourvote.org)
written by greg palast & robert f. kennedy jr.
BY Greg Palast
In 2002, George W. Bush signed the Help America Vote Act! The result: in the 2004 presidential election, over three million vote3,006,080—were cast and not counted. That’s from the official data from an agency created by George Bush called the “Elections Assistance Commission. Three MILLION ballots disappeared—pfft! And not just anyone’s ballots. U.S. government experts reported, for example, that a black voter’s ballot is 900% more likely than a white voter’s ballot to get “lost” in the machine. Bush fired the experts.
Three million voters went missing in ‘04—but that ain’t nuthin’! Law professor and voting law expert Robert Kennedy, Jr. warns that it’s about to get a whole lot worse. Nasty new spores of the “Help” America Vote Act” went into effect since the last election that have turned the process into a vicious game of “Chutes and Ladders,” with traps and tricks between you and your vote.
Example: the Republican Secretary of State of Colorado “helped” her state vote by eliminating 19.4% of the voters from the voter rolls. That’s one in five !@#$#@ voters! Over three million missing ballots–and now the voters themselves are disappearing by the millions. Where the hell did they go? Read more: www.wtealbackyourvote.org
“Instead of being a vessel for facilitating the vote, [HAVA ] became a vessel for restricting the vote.” -Bobby Kennedy
If you run into trouble call Election Protection at 1-(866) OURVOTE.
STEALBACKYOURVOTE.ORG
THE THEFT OF 2008
A WARNING FROM Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Voter suppression is real. It’s a crime. And it’s happening to YOU. But there’s something that you can do to prevent it. You can do all the campaigning you but if your voters aren’t counted, you’re going to lose the Presidency–and our democracy. Pass on this link: www.stealbackyourvote.org. Go to the site. Find out how to be sure your vote is counted. Get out he word! There’s still time to steal back your vote! Download the guide at stealbackyourvote. This guide is not about saving Democratic candidates. It is about saving our democracy. Vote-gaming is a bi-partisan sport.
Following excerpt from Rolling Stone Oct 30 2008 Issue (read full text at stealbackyourvote.org)
written by greg palast & robert f. kennedy jr.
BY Greg Palast
In 2002, George W. Bush signed the Help America Vote Act! The result: in the 2004 presidential election, over three million vote3,006,080—were cast and not counted. That’s from the official data from an agency created by George Bush called the “Elections Assistance Commission. Three MILLION ballots disappeared—pfft! And not just anyone’s ballots. U.S. government experts reported, for example, that a black voter’s ballot is 900% more likely than a white voter’s ballot to get “lost” in the machine. Bush fired the experts.
Three million voters went missing in ‘04—but that ain’t nuthin’! Law professor and voting law expert Robert Kennedy, Jr. warns that it’s about to get a whole lot worse. Nasty new spores of the “Help” America Vote Act” went into effect since the last election that have turned the process into a vicious game of “Chutes and Ladders,” with traps and tricks between you and your vote.
Example: the Republican Secretary of State of Colorado “helped” her state vote by eliminating 19.4% of the voters from the voter rolls. That’s one in five !@#$#@ voters! Over three million missing ballots–and now the voters themselves are disappearing by the millions. Where the hell did they go? Read more: www.wtealbackyourvote.org
“Instead of being a vessel for facilitating the vote, [HAVA ] became a vessel for restricting the vote.” -Bobby Kennedy
If you run into trouble call Election Protection at 1-(866) OURVOTE.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Linda Arnold has been located
Linda Arnold has been located. Her email is hanaleidragon1 [at] aol [dot] com. She is also on FaceBook.. as I am as well.
Prior to the time of KCAC Linda and Bill Compton connected. She was and is, a "hairdresser to the stars" and has done my hair a few times as well as Bill's, and a few others of the early KCAC days. She worked for a time at Heaven Haircutters on Central Avenue - about Thomas, I believe.
Linda's main function remains her social connectivity. She was friends with the Gately Brothers, all the people at the station and had many connections with The Beans and the entire choir of musicians in Phoenix.
These days she is still in touch with The Beans and many others in the L.A. circles of music and acting..... still doing superb hair work.
This lady, Bill, Hank and I go waaaaaayyyy back. It is a hoot to connect again. There are some people who just get more beautiful as life kicks them around and adds character.
I remember picking up her violin one day and kicking out the first part of "Orange Blossom Special". I didn't even know I could play.
That is her magic.
Have some.
Ron Wortham
Prior to the time of KCAC Linda and Bill Compton connected. She was and is, a "hairdresser to the stars" and has done my hair a few times as well as Bill's, and a few others of the early KCAC days. She worked for a time at Heaven Haircutters on Central Avenue - about Thomas, I believe.
Linda's main function remains her social connectivity. She was friends with the Gately Brothers, all the people at the station and had many connections with The Beans and the entire choir of musicians in Phoenix.
These days she is still in touch with The Beans and many others in the L.A. circles of music and acting..... still doing superb hair work.
This lady, Bill, Hank and I go waaaaaayyyy back. It is a hoot to connect again. There are some people who just get more beautiful as life kicks them around and adds character.
I remember picking up her violin one day and kicking out the first part of "Orange Blossom Special". I didn't even know I could play.
That is her magic.
Have some.
Ron Wortham
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Sarah Palin-A Nobel Prize for LIterature??
Where's the award winning Bill Compton news and public affairs team when we need them? Not to mention "The Love Workshop" gosh darn it!
The Poetry of Sarah Palin
Recent Works by the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate.
By Hart Seely
SLATE MAGAZINE
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at 1:25 PM ET
It's been barely six weeks since the arctic-fresh voice of Alaskan poet Sarah Heath Palin burst upon the lower 48. In campaign interviews, the governor, mother, and maverick GOP vice presidential candidate has chosen to bypass the media filter and speak directly to fans through her intensely personal verses, spoken poems that drill into the vagaries of modern life as if they were oil deposits beneath a government-protected tundra.
Thursday's nationally televised debate with Democrat Joe Biden could give Palin the chance to cement her reputation as one of the country's most innovative practitioners of what she calls "verbiage." The poems collected here were compiled verbatim from only three brief interviews. So just imagine the work Sarah Palin could produce over the next four (or eight) years.
"On Good and Evil"
It is obvious to me
Who the good guys are in this one
And who the bad guys are.
The bad guys are the ones
Who say Israel is a stinking corpse,
And should be wiped off
The face of the earth.
That's not a good guy.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"You Can't Blink"
You can't blink.
You have to be wired
In a way of being
So committed to the mission,
The mission that we're on,
Reform of this country,
And victory in the war,
You can't blink.
So I didn't blink.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"Haiku"
These corporations.
Today it was AIG,
Important call, there.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)
"Befoulers of the Verbiage"
It was an unfair attack on the verbiage
That Senator McCain chose to use,
Because the fundamentals,
As he was having to explain afterwards,
He means our workforce.
He means the ingenuity of the American.
And of course that is strong,
And that is the foundation of our economy.
So that was an unfair attack there,
Again based on verbiage.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)
"Secret Conversation"
I asked President Karzai:
"Is that what you are seeking, also?
"That strategy that has worked in Iraq?
"That John McCain had pushed for?
"More troops?
"A counterinsurgency strategy?"
And he said, "Yes."
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Outside"
I am a Washington outsider.
I mean,
Look at where you are.
I'm a Washington outsider.
I do not have those allegiances
To the power brokers,
To the lobbyists.
We need someone like that.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"On the Bailout"
Ultimately,
What the bailout does
Is help those who are concerned
About the health care reform
That is needed
To help shore up our economy,
Helping the—
It's got to be all about job creation, too.
Shoring up our economy
And putting it back on the right track.
So health care reform
And reducing taxes
And reining in spending
Has got to accompany tax reductions
And tax relief for Americans.
And trade.
We've got to see trade
As opportunity
Not as a competitive, scary thing.
But one in five jobs
Being created in the trade sector today,
We've got to look at that
As more opportunity.
All those things.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Challenge to a Cynic"
You are a cynic.
Because show me where
I have ever said
That there's absolute proof
That nothing that man
Has ever conducted
Or engaged in,
Has had any effect,
Or no effect,
On climate change.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"On Reporters"
It's funny that
A comment like that
Was kinda made to,
I don't know,
You know ...
Reporters.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Small Mayors"
You know,
Small mayors,
Mayors of small towns—
Quote, unquote—
They're on the front lines.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 19, 2008)
The Poetry of Sarah Palin
Recent Works by the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate.
By Hart Seely
SLATE MAGAZINE
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at 1:25 PM ET
It's been barely six weeks since the arctic-fresh voice of Alaskan poet Sarah Heath Palin burst upon the lower 48. In campaign interviews, the governor, mother, and maverick GOP vice presidential candidate has chosen to bypass the media filter and speak directly to fans through her intensely personal verses, spoken poems that drill into the vagaries of modern life as if they were oil deposits beneath a government-protected tundra.
Thursday's nationally televised debate with Democrat Joe Biden could give Palin the chance to cement her reputation as one of the country's most innovative practitioners of what she calls "verbiage." The poems collected here were compiled verbatim from only three brief interviews. So just imagine the work Sarah Palin could produce over the next four (or eight) years.
"On Good and Evil"
It is obvious to me
Who the good guys are in this one
And who the bad guys are.
The bad guys are the ones
Who say Israel is a stinking corpse,
And should be wiped off
The face of the earth.
That's not a good guy.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"You Can't Blink"
You can't blink.
You have to be wired
In a way of being
So committed to the mission,
The mission that we're on,
Reform of this country,
And victory in the war,
You can't blink.
So I didn't blink.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"Haiku"
These corporations.
Today it was AIG,
Important call, there.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)
"Befoulers of the Verbiage"
It was an unfair attack on the verbiage
That Senator McCain chose to use,
Because the fundamentals,
As he was having to explain afterwards,
He means our workforce.
He means the ingenuity of the American.
And of course that is strong,
And that is the foundation of our economy.
So that was an unfair attack there,
Again based on verbiage.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 18, 2008)
"Secret Conversation"
I asked President Karzai:
"Is that what you are seeking, also?
"That strategy that has worked in Iraq?
"That John McCain had pushed for?
"More troops?
"A counterinsurgency strategy?"
And he said, "Yes."
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Outside"
I am a Washington outsider.
I mean,
Look at where you are.
I'm a Washington outsider.
I do not have those allegiances
To the power brokers,
To the lobbyists.
We need someone like that.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"On the Bailout"
Ultimately,
What the bailout does
Is help those who are concerned
About the health care reform
That is needed
To help shore up our economy,
Helping the—
It's got to be all about job creation, too.
Shoring up our economy
And putting it back on the right track.
So health care reform
And reducing taxes
And reining in spending
Has got to accompany tax reductions
And tax relief for Americans.
And trade.
We've got to see trade
As opportunity
Not as a competitive, scary thing.
But one in five jobs
Being created in the trade sector today,
We've got to look at that
As more opportunity.
All those things.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Challenge to a Cynic"
You are a cynic.
Because show me where
I have ever said
That there's absolute proof
That nothing that man
Has ever conducted
Or engaged in,
Has had any effect,
Or no effect,
On climate change.
(To C. Gibson, ABC News, Sept. 11, 2008)
"On Reporters"
It's funny that
A comment like that
Was kinda made to,
I don't know,
You know ...
Reporters.
(To K. Couric, CBS News, Sept. 25, 2008)
"Small Mayors"
You know,
Small mayors,
Mayors of small towns—
Quote, unquote—
They're on the front lines.
(To S. Hannity, Fox News, Sept. 19, 2008)
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Come to Mama 10/26/08
Got this email for KCAC Lives, passing it on.
Mill Avenue Music & Arts Presents!
Come to MAMA 2008!
Saturday, 10/25/2008, beginning at 5:00 pm we will be cooking on the grill and joining our friends in breaking bread. The Jerome city van is scheduled to make runs to the Verde Valley for guests who prefer not to drive. We will have music for dancing beginning at 8:00 pm.
Dinner Menu:
Choice of Steak, Chicken, Pork , Salmon or Garden Burger along with Caesar Salad, Potato Salad and assorted side dishes as prepared by our local Posse members. A BYOB bar will be offered, and we will provide all mixes, ice and a bartender. Also soft drinks and water will be provided. Coffee, tea, and cake will also be on hand.
Sunday, 10/26/2008, beginning at 10:00 am Spook hall will be open for a continental breakfast: Gourmet coffee, juices and teas as well as brandies and liquors will be provided. Fresh sweet rolls, bagels and fruit will be offered. This is an open mike, get together and have some time and catch up with all your old friends. We will also have a sound system in place for either canned music or an opportunity for people to jam.
To Attend
Tickets: $50 per person
RSVP by October 10, 2008 to cangelawykoff@sbcglobal.net with your name, the number in your party, & your email address or phone number so we can confirm your reservation.
Payments: Should be made by personal check made out to MAMA and mailed no later than October 15, 2008 to
MAMA
PO Box E
Jerome AZ 86331
With your check please include the dinner entree choice (steak, chicken, pork, salmon, or Garden Burger) for each member of your party
Lodging Information & other questions email Carla cangelawykoff@sbcglobal.net
Hope to See You at the Party!
Need contact info for the following people:
Harold Aceves
Sue Ecker
Annie Fisher
Bob Gately
Bobby Gruenwald Gruenwald
Miguel Kamerar
Toni Lown
Jefferson Mundy
Kathy Palmer
BJ Perkins
Tovrea Perry
Paul Simon
Peggy Taylor
Craig Warner
Paul Williams
John Wilson
Mark Wilson
Gina
Dana
Jo Ellen
Mill Avenue Music & Arts Presents!
Come to MAMA 2008!
Saturday, 10/25/2008, beginning at 5:00 pm we will be cooking on the grill and joining our friends in breaking bread. The Jerome city van is scheduled to make runs to the Verde Valley for guests who prefer not to drive. We will have music for dancing beginning at 8:00 pm.
Dinner Menu:
Choice of Steak, Chicken, Pork , Salmon or Garden Burger along with Caesar Salad, Potato Salad and assorted side dishes as prepared by our local Posse members. A BYOB bar will be offered, and we will provide all mixes, ice and a bartender. Also soft drinks and water will be provided. Coffee, tea, and cake will also be on hand.
Sunday, 10/26/2008, beginning at 10:00 am Spook hall will be open for a continental breakfast: Gourmet coffee, juices and teas as well as brandies and liquors will be provided. Fresh sweet rolls, bagels and fruit will be offered. This is an open mike, get together and have some time and catch up with all your old friends. We will also have a sound system in place for either canned music or an opportunity for people to jam.
To Attend
Tickets: $50 per person
RSVP by October 10, 2008 to cangelawykoff@sbcglobal.net with your name, the number in your party, & your email address or phone number so we can confirm your reservation.
Payments: Should be made by personal check made out to MAMA and mailed no later than October 15, 2008 to
MAMA
PO Box E
Jerome AZ 86331
With your check please include the dinner entree choice (steak, chicken, pork, salmon, or Garden Burger) for each member of your party
Lodging Information & other questions email Carla cangelawykoff@sbcglobal.net
Hope to See You at the Party!
Need contact info for the following people:
Harold Aceves
Sue Ecker
Annie Fisher
Bob Gately
Bobby Gruenwald Gruenwald
Miguel Kamerar
Toni Lown
Jefferson Mundy
Kathy Palmer
BJ Perkins
Tovrea Perry
Paul Simon
Peggy Taylor
Craig Warner
Paul Williams
John Wilson
Mark Wilson
Gina
Dana
Jo Ellen
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Last year I heard from our old friend Jim Murray, currently living a sheltered life in S.F., about a festival called Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. This is a 3 day event that features an amazing list of artists appearing on stages scattered throughout Golden Gate Park, all open to the public ... for FREE! NO TICKET NEEDED!
Click http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/2008/artists.shtml to check the performance schedule for this years festival, Oct 3 - 5. And since most of us can't just drop everything and head to the park, the good folks at Austin City Limits bring their HD cameras and video the whole thing for us! They distill all that into a one hour special and play it FOR FREE on PBS! You can catch last year's show on KAET Channel 8 in Phx Friday night Oct 3 at 11pm. Set your Tivo! If you are elsewhere in the country the show will air on PBS stations that week, starting 9/27. The show from this year's festival will air in Feb 2009.
Please remember that the next time you see me begging for dollars on Ch 8 (Dec 08)
Click http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/2008/artists.shtml to check the performance schedule for this years festival, Oct 3 - 5. And since most of us can't just drop everything and head to the park, the good folks at Austin City Limits bring their HD cameras and video the whole thing for us! They distill all that into a one hour special and play it FOR FREE on PBS! You can catch last year's show on KAET Channel 8 in Phx Friday night Oct 3 at 11pm. Set your Tivo! If you are elsewhere in the country the show will air on PBS stations that week, starting 9/27. The show from this year's festival will air in Feb 2009.
Please remember that the next time you see me begging for dollars on Ch 8 (Dec 08)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Contact me for copies of the KCAC tapes
I have finally digitized and mastered the amazing collection of KCAC tapes provided by Jeff and Jennifer Crawford. The total run time is about 55 hours, and thanks to the miracles of modern technology the whole collection fits on a single DVD-R readable on any computer. This is too wonderful not to share, so contact me off-blog at twright1955[at]yahoo[dot]com and I'll send a copy to anybody who requests one. (One copy each, please!)
The following caveats apply: sound quality is highly variable and often quite poor; the tapes are not well-cataloged (although I can provide a preliminary list of highlights); the taper made frequent, irritating stops and starts; the tapes are almost all public affairs programing and commercials (there is very little music, and most of the songs are incomplete); there are several hours of non-KCAC audio that I did not edit out; and at 55 hours there is a LOT of material to wade through and there are certainly some dull patches. But it is an amazing trip back into a different time, and a great way to visit with old friends like Bill Compton, Marty Manning, Toad Hall, Hank Cookenboo, Eric Harris, Steve Zind, and many others.
Thanks again to the Crawfords for making this all possible!
Tom
The following caveats apply: sound quality is highly variable and often quite poor; the tapes are not well-cataloged (although I can provide a preliminary list of highlights); the taper made frequent, irritating stops and starts; the tapes are almost all public affairs programing and commercials (there is very little music, and most of the songs are incomplete); there are several hours of non-KCAC audio that I did not edit out; and at 55 hours there is a LOT of material to wade through and there are certainly some dull patches. But it is an amazing trip back into a different time, and a great way to visit with old friends like Bill Compton, Marty Manning, Toad Hall, Hank Cookenboo, Eric Harris, Steve Zind, and many others.
Thanks again to the Crawfords for making this all possible!
Tom
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Pickin' In The Pines Flagstaff Bluegrass/Acoustic Music Festival
GET OUT OF THE HEAT AND INTO THE PINES
WHERE: FLAGSTAFF
WHAT: PICKIN IN THE PINES BLUEGRASS ACOUSTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHEN: September 12 – 14, 2008 at Pine Mountain Amphitheater
Advance weekend tickets are on sale through September 11 for $65.
Day tickets are $20 for Friday, $40 for Saturday and $30 for Sunday until September 11
HEADLINERS:
Del McCoury Band
Nashville Bluegrass Band
PLUS
Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Steve Smith and Hard Road
Burnett Family Bluegrass
Spring Creek Bluegrass
The Billy Pilgrims
Sawmill
ALSO FEATURED:
Contra dance band, Sandia Hots
AND
Fire Ridge
Muskellunge Bluegrass
Knockabouts
Springfed Band
Reno & Sheila McCormick
Traditional Blend.
PRODUCED BY:
FLAGSTAFF FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC (ffotm.net) For more information about PICKIN' IN THE PINES including schedule and lineup go to:: pickininthepines.org
UPCOMING MUSIC IN FLAGSTAFF AT PMA:
9/27 Michael Franti & Spearhead
UPCOMING MUSIC AND COMEDY AT THE HISTORIC ORPHEUM THEATRE:
9/10 Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven
9/11 John Hiatt & The Ageless Beauties with Joan Osborne & Band
9/19 TNT& Don't Look Back (AC/DC and Boston Tributes)
9/21 Joe Bonamassa
9/22 Railroad Earth
9/23 Dark Star Orchestra
9/25 Reel Rock Film Tour
9/27 Greg Brown
9/30 RJD2
10/7 John Brown's Body
10/11 Bob & Tom Comedy All-Stars
10/14 Lotus
10/16 Dave Attell
10/25 Dar Williams & Shawn Mullins
10/26 STS9
11/13 Dave Alvin
11/24 The MISFITS
Venue Website: www.pmamp.com
WHERE: FLAGSTAFF
WHAT: PICKIN IN THE PINES BLUEGRASS ACOUSTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHEN: September 12 – 14, 2008 at Pine Mountain Amphitheater
Advance weekend tickets are on sale through September 11 for $65.
Day tickets are $20 for Friday, $40 for Saturday and $30 for Sunday until September 11
HEADLINERS:
Del McCoury Band
Nashville Bluegrass Band
PLUS
Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Steve Smith and Hard Road
Burnett Family Bluegrass
Spring Creek Bluegrass
The Billy Pilgrims
Sawmill
ALSO FEATURED:
Contra dance band, Sandia Hots
AND
Fire Ridge
Muskellunge Bluegrass
Knockabouts
Springfed Band
Reno & Sheila McCormick
Traditional Blend.
PRODUCED BY:
FLAGSTAFF FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC (ffotm.net) For more information about PICKIN' IN THE PINES including schedule and lineup go to:: pickininthepines.org
UPCOMING MUSIC IN FLAGSTAFF AT PMA:
9/27 Michael Franti & Spearhead
UPCOMING MUSIC AND COMEDY AT THE HISTORIC ORPHEUM THEATRE:
9/10 Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven
9/11 John Hiatt & The Ageless Beauties with Joan Osborne & Band
9/19 TNT& Don't Look Back (AC/DC and Boston Tributes)
9/21 Joe Bonamassa
9/22 Railroad Earth
9/23 Dark Star Orchestra
9/25 Reel Rock Film Tour
9/27 Greg Brown
9/30 RJD2
10/7 John Brown's Body
10/11 Bob & Tom Comedy All-Stars
10/14 Lotus
10/16 Dave Attell
10/25 Dar Williams & Shawn Mullins
10/26 STS9
11/13 Dave Alvin
11/24 The MISFITS
Venue Website: www.pmamp.com
Saturday, August 30, 2008
New inductee pages on AMEHOF site!
Hi! Noel just informed me that AMEHOF has uploaded new inductee pages to the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame website. Check 'em out! Thanks, Noel.
:~)aniel
:~)aniel
Monday, August 18, 2008
KCAC Tapes Digitized!
A drum roll, please, and perhaps a brass fanfare: I have finished digitizing all of the KCAC tapes from the Jeff & Jennifer Crawford collection. It took a long time, and the results leave a lot to be desired technically. Nevertheless, the tapes now exist in a reproducible format, and the digital copies are safely backed up in a number of locations. Jeff and Jen and I are in talks with the Arizona Historical Society about permanently archiving the masters. We'll also try to find a way to make at least some of the tapes (or a collection of highlights) available on line, subject to technical limitations. Some of the files are huge - the biggest file is almost 176,000 KB and it contains over three hours of uninterrupted audio in mp.3 format.
There are 17 tapes with a total run time of about 55 hours. They consist almost entirely of public affairs programming, news, announcements, interviews, and advertisements recorded between June 1970 and August 1971 (with a pretty strong emphasis on the period running up to Election Day 1970). There is very little music - the taper usually stopped the recorder 30 seconds or less into the first song of a set, then resumed recording when the music stopped. There are three notable exceptions that I'm aware of so far: (1) some live-in-the-studio music from the mighty Beans; (2) portions of a special Christmas collage by Bill Compton on 12/23/70; and (3) KCAC's final sign-off on 8/14/71, with a long and beautiful set of music chosen by Bill to say goodbye, and which the taper fortunately captured in its entirety.
Few of the tapes have been systematically indexed yet. It was all I could do to manage fragile tapes, cranky software, and tape decks on their last legs during the digital transfer process. In fact, the tapes had to be played back at double or triple their recorded speed, resulting in Alvin & the Chipmunks-style gibberish that was later slowed down electronically. There was no time to actually listen to a given tape all the way through, list its contents, and figure out the broadcast dates and personnel. (That's the next big task!) The three treasures I described above are merely the ones I found while spot-checking the results, so hopefully there are many more of these special moments waiting to be discovered.
There are more KCAC tapes out there. I know for a fact about some of them; others are just tantalizing rumors that, if true, could add another couple of dozen hours to KCAC's recorded legacy. Got tapes? Please let me know via the "comments" section below, and let's work together to get them copied and preserved.
Thanks again to Jeff & Jennifer for their foresight and generosity. Without them, this audio archive - 55 hours of prime KCAC!!! - wouldn't exist.
Tom
There are 17 tapes with a total run time of about 55 hours. They consist almost entirely of public affairs programming, news, announcements, interviews, and advertisements recorded between June 1970 and August 1971 (with a pretty strong emphasis on the period running up to Election Day 1970). There is very little music - the taper usually stopped the recorder 30 seconds or less into the first song of a set, then resumed recording when the music stopped. There are three notable exceptions that I'm aware of so far: (1) some live-in-the-studio music from the mighty Beans; (2) portions of a special Christmas collage by Bill Compton on 12/23/70; and (3) KCAC's final sign-off on 8/14/71, with a long and beautiful set of music chosen by Bill to say goodbye, and which the taper fortunately captured in its entirety.
Few of the tapes have been systematically indexed yet. It was all I could do to manage fragile tapes, cranky software, and tape decks on their last legs during the digital transfer process. In fact, the tapes had to be played back at double or triple their recorded speed, resulting in Alvin & the Chipmunks-style gibberish that was later slowed down electronically. There was no time to actually listen to a given tape all the way through, list its contents, and figure out the broadcast dates and personnel. (That's the next big task!) The three treasures I described above are merely the ones I found while spot-checking the results, so hopefully there are many more of these special moments waiting to be discovered.
There are more KCAC tapes out there. I know for a fact about some of them; others are just tantalizing rumors that, if true, could add another couple of dozen hours to KCAC's recorded legacy. Got tapes? Please let me know via the "comments" section below, and let's work together to get them copied and preserved.
Thanks again to Jeff & Jennifer for their foresight and generosity. Without them, this audio archive - 55 hours of prime KCAC!!! - wouldn't exist.
Tom
Monday, July 21, 2008
AMEHOF's 2007 Induction Ceremonies
Hi!
Noel promised readers that he'd post a notice when the videos of AMEHOF's 2007 induction ceremonies were posted on their YouTube page, so here it is. Have a great day!
:~)aniel
Noel promised readers that he'd post a notice when the videos of AMEHOF's 2007 induction ceremonies were posted on their YouTube page, so here it is. Have a great day!
:~)aniel
Sunday, July 13, 2008
James McMurtry show July 19th
Just announced: James McMurtry, Saturday July 19th, at the Last Exit, southwest corner of Southern and Priest in Tempe. Best working songwriter in America today, and also responsible for some of the finest protest songs since Mr. Zimmerman reinvented the form 40+ years ago. You can probably find videos of "We Can't Make It Here Anymore" and "Cheney's Toy" on YouTube if you want to check him out. Contact the Last Exit at 480-557-6656 for more information.
More KCAC tapes are on the way. Ron Wortham, Hank, Marty, and Toad make appearances along with Bill. Several of the tapes are from Spring 1971, whereas most of the tapes I've previously digitized seem to be Summer 1970. One of the tapes has speeches from an antiwar rally held at the Arizona State Capitol on the first anniversary of the Kent State shootings. Anybody remember this event???
Tom
More KCAC tapes are on the way. Ron Wortham, Hank, Marty, and Toad make appearances along with Bill. Several of the tapes are from Spring 1971, whereas most of the tapes I've previously digitized seem to be Summer 1970. One of the tapes has speeches from an antiwar rally held at the Arizona State Capitol on the first anniversary of the Kent State shootings. Anybody remember this event???
Tom
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Deleted Thread...
Greetings. The post and comments concerning the Bill Compton videos has been removed. Out of respect for Bill, this topic and comments that followed were removed as they were not pertinent to him. Bill was inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2005 and his family and friends are very proud of his accomplishments. The Hall of Fame created a wonderful tribute video about him which is available on their website. William Compton inspired a generation of music listeners. Rock on, Mr. Compton!
I'm disabling comments for this post so that we can all get back on track here. I didn't know I could do that, but am glad the option is there. My apologies to any who may feel slighted by this, but I have received communications from several people I greatly respect who have convinced me this is the best course. If any other administrators on this blog would like a more explicit explanation please email me and I'll be glad to provide it. I wish you all a fine day.
:~)aniel
I'm disabling comments for this post so that we can all get back on track here. I didn't know I could do that, but am glad the option is there. My apologies to any who may feel slighted by this, but I have received communications from several people I greatly respect who have convinced me this is the best course. If any other administrators on this blog would like a more explicit explanation please email me and I'll be glad to provide it. I wish you all a fine day.
:~)aniel
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Jeff and Jennifer Crawford's KCAC Tapes
As long-timer bloggers know, Jeff and Jennifer Crawford of Phoenix have preserved an amazing collection of KCAC tapes, and they have very generously made the tapes available for archival copying. There have been some major technical glitches, but I'm finally making significant progress on getting the tapes digitized.
The tapes I've worked on thus far are almost all public-affairs programming with very little music (although one tape has a pretty wild live-in-the-studio session with the Beans, just before they left for San Francisco). But the public-affairs material, recorded in 1970, is stunning. Most notably, there are lengthy Bill Compton interviews with Ted Mote, Executive Director of the Arizona Chapter of the ACLU; Morris Starsky, the ASU professor who was fired for having attended an antiwar rally; and Gary Peter Khlar, all-around gadfly to the powers that be, who later served in the State legislature and the Phoenix City Council. All three interviews discuss civil rights, free speech, the political use of fear and intimidation, biased media reporting, and the erosion of Constitutional liberties. (Sound familiar?) Bill also interviews two army wives, identified only as Karen and Brenda; Karen's husband was a POW and Brenda's had been MIA for three years. Hank interviews some local Yippies (Randy Overmeier and Frank Fiorre - these may not be the correct spellings; anybody remember these guys?) and U.S. Senatorial candidate Sam Grossman, just a few days before the 1970 election. There's a good deal of programming about the dangers of speed, including taped announcements from Frank Zappa and an interview with a local speed freak who warns everyone else not to touch the stuff.
On a lighter note, there are many episodes of "Switchboard", the audio bulletin board that ran every two hours where Bill or Hank (or whoever was on the air at the time) would read various announcements: "dude needs a ride to Houston tomorrow, will buy gas; Linda has some groovy free kittens; Doug needs two roommates, long-hairs only, $45 a month each; 1957 Chevy, runs fine, $100"; and so on, always followed by a phone number. One of the announcements is that "Toad Hall needs a place to live, 2 or 3 bedrooms, refrigeration, and a fenced back yard, $125 or less a month".
From a historical perspective, these tapes comprise an oral history of Phoenix during the Nixon/Vietnam era. The people who were deeply involved in the issues of the day tell their own stories, in their own words and their own voices, while the events themselves were still unfolding. The tapes also prove, for today's audiences, that once upon a time radio was creative, community-based, intelligent, challenging, and FUN!
The Crawfords have been extraordinarily generous in allowing others to have access to these irreplaceable tapes. We are discussing ways to have them permanently preserved and to make copies available (as mp.3s) to interested parties. Please join me in thanking Jeff and Jennifer Crawford via new posts to the blog, and keep checking in for more news!
Tom
The tapes I've worked on thus far are almost all public-affairs programming with very little music (although one tape has a pretty wild live-in-the-studio session with the Beans, just before they left for San Francisco). But the public-affairs material, recorded in 1970, is stunning. Most notably, there are lengthy Bill Compton interviews with Ted Mote, Executive Director of the Arizona Chapter of the ACLU; Morris Starsky, the ASU professor who was fired for having attended an antiwar rally; and Gary Peter Khlar, all-around gadfly to the powers that be, who later served in the State legislature and the Phoenix City Council. All three interviews discuss civil rights, free speech, the political use of fear and intimidation, biased media reporting, and the erosion of Constitutional liberties. (Sound familiar?) Bill also interviews two army wives, identified only as Karen and Brenda; Karen's husband was a POW and Brenda's had been MIA for three years. Hank interviews some local Yippies (Randy Overmeier and Frank Fiorre - these may not be the correct spellings; anybody remember these guys?) and U.S. Senatorial candidate Sam Grossman, just a few days before the 1970 election. There's a good deal of programming about the dangers of speed, including taped announcements from Frank Zappa and an interview with a local speed freak who warns everyone else not to touch the stuff.
On a lighter note, there are many episodes of "Switchboard", the audio bulletin board that ran every two hours where Bill or Hank (or whoever was on the air at the time) would read various announcements: "dude needs a ride to Houston tomorrow, will buy gas; Linda has some groovy free kittens; Doug needs two roommates, long-hairs only, $45 a month each; 1957 Chevy, runs fine, $100"; and so on, always followed by a phone number. One of the announcements is that "Toad Hall needs a place to live, 2 or 3 bedrooms, refrigeration, and a fenced back yard, $125 or less a month".
From a historical perspective, these tapes comprise an oral history of Phoenix during the Nixon/Vietnam era. The people who were deeply involved in the issues of the day tell their own stories, in their own words and their own voices, while the events themselves were still unfolding. The tapes also prove, for today's audiences, that once upon a time radio was creative, community-based, intelligent, challenging, and FUN!
The Crawfords have been extraordinarily generous in allowing others to have access to these irreplaceable tapes. We are discussing ways to have them permanently preserved and to make copies available (as mp.3s) to interested parties. Please join me in thanking Jeff and Jennifer Crawford via new posts to the blog, and keep checking in for more news!
Tom
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Blues at the Rhythm Room Friday July 4th
The Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson Band will be putting on a different type of fireworks show at the Rhythm Room on the 4th of July. This is fine blues band that is getting lots of national acclaim. Here are some excerpts from Living Blues magazine, October 2006:
"Veteran R&B singer Jackie Payne and versatile West Coast guitarist Steve Edmonson share a vision for a blend of deep soul, gospel, and many blues styles... Payne's edgy and emotive voice calls to mind the heydays of O.V. Wright and Bobby "Blue" Bland... Edmonson's chameleonic guitar work struck the necessary balance that makes 'Master Of The Game' [their 2006 CD] such a fulfilling listen."
Check out some youtube videos at http://youtube.com/results?q=jackie+payne+steve+edmonson&search_type=.
And yes, there's an Arizona connection: Steve Edmonson is the son of Travis Edmonson, a Nogales native who became famous as half of the 1960s folk duo Bud and Travis, and who later recorded with fellow Arizona native Katie Lee. Travis is 75 and confined to a wheelchair, but he will be there cheering his son on at the Rhythm Room.
Sorry for the short notice - I just found out about this gig earlier today. Hope to see some of you there,
Tom
"Veteran R&B singer Jackie Payne and versatile West Coast guitarist Steve Edmonson share a vision for a blend of deep soul, gospel, and many blues styles... Payne's edgy and emotive voice calls to mind the heydays of O.V. Wright and Bobby "Blue" Bland... Edmonson's chameleonic guitar work struck the necessary balance that makes 'Master Of The Game' [their 2006 CD] such a fulfilling listen."
Check out some youtube videos at http://youtube.com/results?q=jackie+payne+steve+edmonson&search_type=.
And yes, there's an Arizona connection: Steve Edmonson is the son of Travis Edmonson, a Nogales native who became famous as half of the 1960s folk duo Bud and Travis, and who later recorded with fellow Arizona native Katie Lee. Travis is 75 and confined to a wheelchair, but he will be there cheering his son on at the Rhythm Room.
Sorry for the short notice - I just found out about this gig earlier today. Hope to see some of you there,
Tom
Monday, June 23, 2008
GEORGE CARLIN, WE HARDLY KNEW 'YA
George Carlin-A Tribute
George Carlin who was a KCAC and Phoenix favorite early in his post-Ed Sullivan show, comic-in-a-suit career, has died, reportedly of sudden heart failure yesterday in California. He was 71.
George Carlin played to sold out concerts in large part due to KCAC and KDKB program director Bill Compton. Like many of you, I first heard George Carlin's comedy on KCAC (and later on KDKB) on Bill Compton's show. Who knew it would be the last of our stations then that weren't cowed out of having a totally unique radio identity? Thank goodness Phoenix now has Radio Free Phoenix, a gem that honors the KCAC tradition of uninhibited, community based 'real radio' freedom.
Many of us remember Carlin's "hippy dippy weatherman," first from the Valley's beloved, groundbreaking KCAC format (or 'for-not') and soon after when Carlin appeared in the early 1970's at the legendary Buster Bonoff's Celebrity Theatre. At the first George Carlin show I attended, he joked about the revolving stage and thrilled us with unparalled wit. Carlin dared to satirize the absurd power of words, most famously in his biting, uncomfortable and hilarious “Seven Words You Can Never Use on Television.” This American treasure who seemed to revel in making audiences squirm as much as making us laugh, danced himself off the Celebrity stage with an Irish Jig.
Upon learning of Carlin's death a couple of hours ago, I got the same feeling as when decades ago I found out that John Lennon had been brutally murdered. Someone came running into our band practice room to tell us. We insisted that it wasn't true. Sports Announcer Howard Cossell, broadcasting the breaking news of John Lennon's murder with an authentically shocked, somber tone, broke the veil of denial, while we stood in front of the tv, muted, as shock and grief stopped time for a few days.
With the death of George Carlin, who like John Lennon was a visionary friend of our decade, we've again lost a kindred soul, a spokesman of our time. George Carlin is suddenly and inexplicably gone, and many of us will cry our hearts out like we did for John Lennon. But with George Carlin's death, tears seem out of tune with what he was all about. I can picture Carlin shaking his head at millions of fans as we wipe away the tears and imagine him in Heaven, beaming down rational thought laced with humor, something we sometimes seem to be lacking in this decade.
Thanks George! I hope you wound up somewhere besides where the missing socks from the clothes drier go!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Arizona State Press Article...
Dan G. asked that I post these scans of an article about KDKB from the Arizona State Press. I've also uploaded them to the KCAC Lives! photo album (link in the left sidebar). Thanks, Dan!
The text is hard to read on the blog, but here are direct links to the images in the photo album:
Image 1 Image 2 Image 3
The text is hard to read on the blog, but here are direct links to the images in the photo album:
Image 1 Image 2 Image 3
House of Mercy
Fresh on the heels of Toad Hall's departure, a Brit landed in our Sonoran Desert, to host mornings on KDKB from 77-78. Anyone remember Barry Everitt?
Barry is now back in London, hosting an Americana, Blues, Roots-Rock Show called House of Mercy.
Radio Free Phoenix will be broadcasting the three hour show beginning at 12 midnight on Saturdays.
Here's last week's playlist for a sampling of House of Mercy:
House of Mercy radio playlist 7th June 2008
in-session Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy
Intro - Into The Red - Tammy Rogers
Joe's Gone Riding - Patricia Vonne
Billy The Kid - Charlie Daniels
These Were The Days - Will Hoge
Wheels Inside The Wheel - Mary Gauthier
Poison - BR
549Forty - John Eddie
It's A Hoot - The Million Stars
The Other Kind - Steve Earle
Country Soul Brother - Jesse Dayton
Countrified Soul - Emerson Drive
Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy - Big & Rich
Nowhere To Sleep - Chatham County Line
Drunkards Lone Child - The Stairwell Sisiters
Robert Fisher in session
Gotta Serve Somebody - Bob Dylan
Shine On - The New Giants'
Wolves (Song Of The Shepherds Dog) - Iron & Wine
City That Care Forgot - Dr. John
Drinking Muddy Water - The Mississippi All Stars
Can't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Round Midnight - Conil
Hey! You Going My Way - Jim White
Find A Finger - The Minus Five
Ding Dong - Johnny Dowd
I'm Insane - T. Model Ford
Heart Attack & Vine - Screaming Jay Hawkins
Rolling Stone - Muddy Waters
Muddy Water Blues - Paul Rogers
Paper Bag - The Pack A.D.
How Far Can To Far Go - The Cramps
Lover Street - Heavy Trash
Broken Down Gambler - The Wilders
Leaving Town - The Maybelles
El Paso - The Gourds
Nobody's Sleeping - Anne McCue---------------------------------------------------
If you happen to catch the show, Andy Olson, Radio Free Phoenix Program Director, would love to hear your comments! Or, for more info on House of Mercy, visit www.houseofmercy.net
Barry is now back in London, hosting an Americana, Blues, Roots-Rock Show called House of Mercy.
Radio Free Phoenix will be broadcasting the three hour show beginning at 12 midnight on Saturdays.
Here's last week's playlist for a sampling of House of Mercy:
House of Mercy radio playlist 7th June 2008
in-session Robert Fisher from the Willard Grant Conspiracy
Intro - Into The Red - Tammy Rogers
Joe's Gone Riding - Patricia Vonne
Billy The Kid - Charlie Daniels
These Were The Days - Will Hoge
Wheels Inside The Wheel - Mary Gauthier
Poison - BR
549Forty - John Eddie
It's A Hoot - The Million Stars
The Other Kind - Steve Earle
Country Soul Brother - Jesse Dayton
Countrified Soul - Emerson Drive
Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy - Big & Rich
Nowhere To Sleep - Chatham County Line
Drunkards Lone Child - The Stairwell Sisiters
Robert Fisher in session
Gotta Serve Somebody - Bob Dylan
Shine On - The New Giants'
Wolves (Song Of The Shepherds Dog) - Iron & Wine
City That Care Forgot - Dr. John
Drinking Muddy Water - The Mississippi All Stars
Can't Stand The Weather - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Round Midnight - Conil
Hey! You Going My Way - Jim White
Find A Finger - The Minus Five
Ding Dong - Johnny Dowd
I'm Insane - T. Model Ford
Heart Attack & Vine - Screaming Jay Hawkins
Rolling Stone - Muddy Waters
Muddy Water Blues - Paul Rogers
Paper Bag - The Pack A.D.
How Far Can To Far Go - The Cramps
Lover Street - Heavy Trash
Broken Down Gambler - The Wilders
Leaving Town - The Maybelles
El Paso - The Gourds
Nobody's Sleeping - Anne McCue---------------------------------------------------
If you happen to catch the show, Andy Olson, Radio Free Phoenix Program Director, would love to hear your comments! Or, for more info on House of Mercy, visit www.houseofmercy.net
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Blog Buzz, Bart Bull, and Americana Music
All right! That's a little more like it! I'm happy to see new faces joining in and old friends returning. Building a community (online or otherwise) is tough, but maintaining one is even tougher. There's only one way to do it: let's keep talking with each other. If we can maintain some momentum through the summer, maybe we can have another party at the Alwyn House this fall. Keep the buzz going!
I hope you all enjoyed the Channel 8 show. Marty Manning made huge contributions to the program, both on and off-camera. We owe more to this this fine gentleman and his wife Wendy than we can every repay. My old friend Paul Lowes and I also spent many hours meeting with the producers, providing tapes and newspaper clippings and making a case for KCAC/KDKB as an important cultural force in 1970s Phoenix. I think this was reflected in the final cut of the show. It was a wonderful tribute, not just to the personalities involved but also to the freewheeling, anything-goes spirit of those days.
Incidentally, Paul has an amazing story about his first encounter with KCAC. I'm trying to get him to write it up and post it on the blog. If he doesn't, I'll paraphrase the story and post it myself - but he could do it better.
As for the Bart Bull controversy: I remember his brilliant, sometimes scathing writing for New Times, including a two-piece article about the descent of KDKB into corporate programming. If he wants to criticize our efforts or challenge our perceived notions, all the more reason for him to post it and us to read it! He might ask some tough questions; he might rip us to shreds. His comments might hurt or offend. But they would represent the viewpoint of someone who was there, and they would challenge us in ways we might never challenge ourselves or each other.
Besides which... Bart is called out with a "thanks to" in the notes to one of my favorite CDs of the last 20 years, David Halley's "Stray Dog Talk". I don't know what role Bart played in David Halley's career or in the production of that album, but if he played any role at all I'd happily take whatever tongue-lashing Bart might want to give me. (Bloggers, if you've never heard of David Halley, he is possibly the finest singer/songwriter to ever come out of the Austin scene. The CD I mentioned blows away the competition, not by doing anything radically different than the others, but by doing it so much better that they look like rank amateurs.)
Finally, continuing in a more music-based vein: regular readers know that I lean pretty heavily toward the Americana side of the dial - the rock/folk/country hybrid that John Stewart perfected so long ago, and that is still being practiced by folks like Andy Hersey, Dave Alvin, and Buddy Miller. One of the premiere Americana acts of the last several years was the Hacienda Brothers, which featured two superb singer/songwriters in Chris Gaffney and Dave Gonzales. I saw them a couple of times at the Rhythm Room here in Phoenix, and they tore the roof off the proverbial dump. Chris Gaffney died of liver cancer earlier this year, but Dave Gonzales will be playing a special memorial show at the Rhythm Room this coming Tuesday, June 10th. Admission is free (let me repeat that: FREE!), but donations to offset the family's medical bills are encouraged. The band's last CD, "Arizona Motel" (recorded in Tucson) will also be available. I'll be there on Tuesday evening, and I hope I see some of you there too.
There's a nice article about the upcoming show in today's Arizona Republic (Sunday 6/8/08, Section E, page 8). The link below may or may not work (sometimes links seem to vanish into cyberspace when I try to include them here), but as an alternative you can do a Google search using the key words "Hacienda Brothers Arizona Republic".
I hope you all enjoyed the Channel 8 show. Marty Manning made huge contributions to the program, both on and off-camera. We owe more to this this fine gentleman and his wife Wendy than we can every repay. My old friend Paul Lowes and I also spent many hours meeting with the producers, providing tapes and newspaper clippings and making a case for KCAC/KDKB as an important cultural force in 1970s Phoenix. I think this was reflected in the final cut of the show. It was a wonderful tribute, not just to the personalities involved but also to the freewheeling, anything-goes spirit of those days.
Incidentally, Paul has an amazing story about his first encounter with KCAC. I'm trying to get him to write it up and post it on the blog. If he doesn't, I'll paraphrase the story and post it myself - but he could do it better.
As for the Bart Bull controversy: I remember his brilliant, sometimes scathing writing for New Times, including a two-piece article about the descent of KDKB into corporate programming. If he wants to criticize our efforts or challenge our perceived notions, all the more reason for him to post it and us to read it! He might ask some tough questions; he might rip us to shreds. His comments might hurt or offend. But they would represent the viewpoint of someone who was there, and they would challenge us in ways we might never challenge ourselves or each other.
Besides which... Bart is called out with a "thanks to" in the notes to one of my favorite CDs of the last 20 years, David Halley's "Stray Dog Talk". I don't know what role Bart played in David Halley's career or in the production of that album, but if he played any role at all I'd happily take whatever tongue-lashing Bart might want to give me. (Bloggers, if you've never heard of David Halley, he is possibly the finest singer/songwriter to ever come out of the Austin scene. The CD I mentioned blows away the competition, not by doing anything radically different than the others, but by doing it so much better that they look like rank amateurs.)
Finally, continuing in a more music-based vein: regular readers know that I lean pretty heavily toward the Americana side of the dial - the rock/folk/country hybrid that John Stewart perfected so long ago, and that is still being practiced by folks like Andy Hersey, Dave Alvin, and Buddy Miller. One of the premiere Americana acts of the last several years was the Hacienda Brothers, which featured two superb singer/songwriters in Chris Gaffney and Dave Gonzales. I saw them a couple of times at the Rhythm Room here in Phoenix, and they tore the roof off the proverbial dump. Chris Gaffney died of liver cancer earlier this year, but Dave Gonzales will be playing a special memorial show at the Rhythm Room this coming Tuesday, June 10th. Admission is free (let me repeat that: FREE!), but donations to offset the family's medical bills are encouraged. The band's last CD, "Arizona Motel" (recorded in Tucson) will also be available. I'll be there on Tuesday evening, and I hope I see some of you there too.
There's a nice article about the upcoming show in today's Arizona Republic (Sunday 6/8/08, Section E, page 8). The link below may or may not work (sometimes links seem to vanish into cyberspace when I try to include them here), but as an alternative you can do a Google search using the key words "Hacienda Brothers Arizona Republic".
Friday, June 06, 2008
Thoughts on the candidates' economic platforms...
A big philosophical difference exists between Barack Obama and John McCain concerning their approach to our economic difficulties. The Republican (McCain's) approach is to ease the tax burden on corporations and businesses in the assumption that they will be able to grow their businesses, hire more people and stimulate the economy. The Democrat philosophy (Obama's) is to create government programs that benefit the public and employ a lot of people that way. Of course there are more elements in each candidate's platforms, but let's look at this fundamental philosophical contrast.
First, both points of view have some rational validity. It's true that Reagan's 'trickle-down' economics theory seems basically sound, and it's also true that the Democrat concept of government programs will work, as it did so well with FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. Both also have their flaws. Trickle-down economics works if corporations and businesses put the public interest ahead of profit in their list of priorities. Unfortunately it doesn't seem that this is likely to happen. The problem with the Democrat principle is that it results in "bigger government" (i.e. higher taxes) and more regulation.
When one considers these options one must also reflect on the history of our economic decline. There are, of course, innumerable factors, but a fundamental one that seems to sort of jump out is that corporations have had the opportunity to find a proper, or at least workable, balance between profit-margin and public interest values for decades, and have done rather badly, to say the very least. They might have observed the Native American rule that, when confronted with issues that affect the entire tribe, elders must contemplate the impact of their decisions on the next seven generations. Think about that for a minute. Compare it with our current world paradigm. The corporations had more than enough time to balance their priorities a little more on the side of sustainable viability and resource conservation, and a little less on the side of short-term profit, if they were at all so inclined, but they have far too often chosen the course of voracious greed.
There is always an inherent tension between the concepts of individual freedom and social responsibility. Anarchy would be an ideal lifestyle if everyone would cooperate and behave responsibly and honorably. Free trade would be an ideal business model if corporations were willing to balance their quest for profit with their moral responsibility to serve the long-term public interest. Well, people and businesses just don't always do the right thing - it's a fact. Some of us are monstrously selfish. Therefore, we need guidelines, rules, government, and regulation. For both people and businesses. And the degree to which we need them depends on the degree to which people and businesses exercise their freedom without regard for the consequences of their actions. Lately that's been quite a lot, so it would follow that quite a lot of regulation is
required.
In an ideal world corporations would voluntarily shift their focus from profit-driven endeavors to those that settle for a little less profit for doing something that truly serves the public interest. They'd self-regulate. Creating jobs in the "green" industry and building businesses that produce valuable goods and services at reasonable cost would be a good example. Downsizing business enterprises so they can tailor their products and services to local needs would be another. Sacrificing immediate profit for long-term goodwill and sensible resource management
practices would be another. Unfortunately, we don't live on that planet. Corporations on this planet have had the opportunity to do this for ... forever, for as long as there have been corporations. What on earth... or anywhere else for that matter... could possibly make us think that the Republican policy of allowing businesses and corporations more freedom will result in a shift in the corporate paradigm profound enough to save the economy or our planet? Our recent experiences with a Republican administration and Congress prove unequivocally that relaxing government regulation on corporations, granting them favors and trusting them to "do the right thing," has had disastrous results. Perhaps some day our species might evolve to the point where we don't need strict regulation of commerce, but in view of our clear and present crisis it seems pretty obvious that a significant stiffening of the regulation of businesses must occur, and we must stop entrusting them with our future - they've broken that trust too many times already. Someone said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Obama's proposal, in line with the Democrat platform, is to establish government programs that will create (or encourage the private sector creation of) "green collar" and other jobs that serve the public interest (e.g. health industry, understaffed agencies and departments of the government itself, etc.), and a number of others in related infrastructures. This would not only stimulate the economy, it would move us quite a bit closer to that seventh generation concept. Of course none of us wants "bigger government" intruding into our lives... at least not in the way we're used to experiencing it... but a more benevolent government, one that has our long-term interests and welfare at heart, might be a bit more welcome, don't you think? And as for taxes, well, we get what we pay for. If we want a good government, it's gonna cost us, but the benefits will far outweight that cost. Cheap government is bad government, and look at how much bad government has been costing us! A whole lot more than higher taxes, in the short term, and in the long haul... some of our decisions are costing future generations more than we can possibly calculate. The choice seems clear to me, but I suppose many will continue to work to emasculate the government and empower greedy and powerful national and international corporations. It will no doubt be argued for some time yet, until we find that delicate balance between having enough government but not too much. In the meantime we'd better make a severe course correction or we're headed for the rocks.
First, both points of view have some rational validity. It's true that Reagan's 'trickle-down' economics theory seems basically sound, and it's also true that the Democrat concept of government programs will work, as it did so well with FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps. Both also have their flaws. Trickle-down economics works if corporations and businesses put the public interest ahead of profit in their list of priorities. Unfortunately it doesn't seem that this is likely to happen. The problem with the Democrat principle is that it results in "bigger government" (i.e. higher taxes) and more regulation.
When one considers these options one must also reflect on the history of our economic decline. There are, of course, innumerable factors, but a fundamental one that seems to sort of jump out is that corporations have had the opportunity to find a proper, or at least workable, balance between profit-margin and public interest values for decades, and have done rather badly, to say the very least. They might have observed the Native American rule that, when confronted with issues that affect the entire tribe, elders must contemplate the impact of their decisions on the next seven generations. Think about that for a minute. Compare it with our current world paradigm. The corporations had more than enough time to balance their priorities a little more on the side of sustainable viability and resource conservation, and a little less on the side of short-term profit, if they were at all so inclined, but they have far too often chosen the course of voracious greed.
There is always an inherent tension between the concepts of individual freedom and social responsibility. Anarchy would be an ideal lifestyle if everyone would cooperate and behave responsibly and honorably. Free trade would be an ideal business model if corporations were willing to balance their quest for profit with their moral responsibility to serve the long-term public interest. Well, people and businesses just don't always do the right thing - it's a fact. Some of us are monstrously selfish. Therefore, we need guidelines, rules, government, and regulation. For both people and businesses. And the degree to which we need them depends on the degree to which people and businesses exercise their freedom without regard for the consequences of their actions. Lately that's been quite a lot, so it would follow that quite a lot of regulation is
required.
In an ideal world corporations would voluntarily shift their focus from profit-driven endeavors to those that settle for a little less profit for doing something that truly serves the public interest. They'd self-regulate. Creating jobs in the "green" industry and building businesses that produce valuable goods and services at reasonable cost would be a good example. Downsizing business enterprises so they can tailor their products and services to local needs would be another. Sacrificing immediate profit for long-term goodwill and sensible resource management
practices would be another. Unfortunately, we don't live on that planet. Corporations on this planet have had the opportunity to do this for ... forever, for as long as there have been corporations. What on earth... or anywhere else for that matter... could possibly make us think that the Republican policy of allowing businesses and corporations more freedom will result in a shift in the corporate paradigm profound enough to save the economy or our planet? Our recent experiences with a Republican administration and Congress prove unequivocally that relaxing government regulation on corporations, granting them favors and trusting them to "do the right thing," has had disastrous results. Perhaps some day our species might evolve to the point where we don't need strict regulation of commerce, but in view of our clear and present crisis it seems pretty obvious that a significant stiffening of the regulation of businesses must occur, and we must stop entrusting them with our future - they've broken that trust too many times already. Someone said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Obama's proposal, in line with the Democrat platform, is to establish government programs that will create (or encourage the private sector creation of) "green collar" and other jobs that serve the public interest (e.g. health industry, understaffed agencies and departments of the government itself, etc.), and a number of others in related infrastructures. This would not only stimulate the economy, it would move us quite a bit closer to that seventh generation concept. Of course none of us wants "bigger government" intruding into our lives... at least not in the way we're used to experiencing it... but a more benevolent government, one that has our long-term interests and welfare at heart, might be a bit more welcome, don't you think? And as for taxes, well, we get what we pay for. If we want a good government, it's gonna cost us, but the benefits will far outweight that cost. Cheap government is bad government, and look at how much bad government has been costing us! A whole lot more than higher taxes, in the short term, and in the long haul... some of our decisions are costing future generations more than we can possibly calculate. The choice seems clear to me, but I suppose many will continue to work to emasculate the government and empower greedy and powerful national and international corporations. It will no doubt be argued for some time yet, until we find that delicate balance between having enough government but not too much. In the meantime we'd better make a severe course correction or we're headed for the rocks.
Monday, June 02, 2008
New Bloggers Q&A - Welcome to KCAC Lives!
In a few comments by new bloggers I was asked about the blog, so I'm going to attempt to give some history. The archives are the best place to start, but for the short version, here's my shot: First, it's fabulous to see new names commenting on the blog! Tell us about yourselves (if you are not in the witness protection program) (o: Bring up a topic you want to talk about!! Don't be shy! We're truly a community and you don't have to be someone "who was there" in the 1970's KCAC and KDKB days (o: to be part of it. We LOVE hearing from new people and talking about ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
Am I the blog administrator? Well, not exactly, but sort of, by default. How's that for a definitive answer? Seriously, Jimmy Magahern (one of the Valley's long time favorite freelance writers) actually created this blog. Jimmy wrote for New Times for years. You can read some outstanding articles by Jimmy Magahern on intriguing topics (REALLY interesting stuff!) for Phoenix Magazine. He brings a whole new perspective to the magazine. FYI if you want to read some of the best articles written for the New Times over the years, go to their site and archive Jimmy's stuff. No, Jimmy is not paying me to say these things (o: in fact he may be embarrassed that I am saying them but they ARE true.
Somewhere in the KCAC LIVES! archives Jimmy Magahern wrote the story about about how he got involved via Russ Shaw and Marty Manning, original KCAC/KDKB guys. Maybe Jimmy will check in and tell you the story again himself. He can do it much better than I can! The blog was really busy for a long time, lots of stuff happened (go back thru the archives from the beginning if you want a real trip down AZ Mamory Lane!) So it's really a joint effort headed up by Jimmy Magahern. But if he hadn't started this blog it would not exist. There are some amazing (and embarrassing) (o: KCAC circa photos in the archives as well. Check it out.
I got involved when I had a radio show a few years ago. I became aware of the blog because there is a link to Radio Free Phoenix (RFP's a 24/7 commercial free music internet station that honors the KCAC days with its name, format and REAL people doing air shifts!I Gasp!!) I was drawn to it because of the historically fascinating (and entertaining as all get out) stuff written by Jimmy, Marty Manning, Russ Shaw, Ron Wortham, and other veteran radio heads like Radio Free Phoenix creator Andy Olson and RFP and KOOL radio personality Liz Boyle. Jimmy noticed the comments I was writing to their posts and began putting them in as 'articles' such as this one. Then he asked me to be a contributor (see sidebar, there are many of us!)
I really got acquainted with Jimmy when I asked if he'd be interested in contacting Arizona's internationally known rock and roll photographer LISSA WALES to do an article about Promoter Danny Zelisko and drummer Troy Lucketta's huge benefit concert for Lissa called DRUMMER-PALOOZA (October 2005.) Jimmy did a really cool interview with Lissa for a New Times piece about DRUMMER PALOOZA. Lissa was really happy he'd called her and got a big boost out of talking with him. Jimmy emailed to thank me for referring him to Lissa and said he greatly enjoyed talking to her. Jimmy seemed like a really outstanding, authentic human being (o: as well as writer, so when he asked me to be a contributor I was honored to be part of the team.
Sadly Lissa Wales never got to read Jimmy's article, or any of my articles on this and other websites or see the benefit. Lissa knew her sister brought Jimmy's New Times article to her and it was on the table by her hospital bed. She'd undergone a second successful bone marrow transplant and then fate reared its head. Lissa Wale's wonderful, unique spirit kept shining brightly here on terra firma until she died in October 2005 very shortly after the benefit concert. Lissa battled leukemia for 18 months. Lissa's spirit and talent is so well known and cherished by those who knew her, her name STILL appears as a contributing photographer for L.A. based DRUM MAGAZINE (a glossy internationally read drum magazine) and Lissa's famous photos are all over the websites of VERY famous bands. Her specialty was shooting drummers. Check out her photos on own website at lissawales.com and also on the website azmusicandentertianmenthalloffame.org (or just azmusichalloffame.org)
Back to the blog: As a native, long involved in AZ arts and entertainment, I have both an artistic and emotional connection to this website, and when Ron Wortham (another KCAC original) and I started contributing like crazy, Ron became the main administrator along with Jimmy. When he decided not to do it anymore he asked me to step into his shoes, which are way too big for me to ever fill. Jimmy, of course, still is the main administrator, but he is up to his eyeballs with his freelance career. So, I do what I can.
Aaack! Edit, edit, I know! Sorry!
Am I the blog administrator? Well, not exactly, but sort of, by default. How's that for a definitive answer? Seriously, Jimmy Magahern (one of the Valley's long time favorite freelance writers) actually created this blog. Jimmy wrote for New Times for years. You can read some outstanding articles by Jimmy Magahern on intriguing topics (REALLY interesting stuff!) for Phoenix Magazine. He brings a whole new perspective to the magazine. FYI if you want to read some of the best articles written for the New Times over the years, go to their site and archive Jimmy's stuff. No, Jimmy is not paying me to say these things (o: in fact he may be embarrassed that I am saying them but they ARE true.
Somewhere in the KCAC LIVES! archives Jimmy Magahern wrote the story about about how he got involved via Russ Shaw and Marty Manning, original KCAC/KDKB guys. Maybe Jimmy will check in and tell you the story again himself. He can do it much better than I can! The blog was really busy for a long time, lots of stuff happened (go back thru the archives from the beginning if you want a real trip down AZ Mamory Lane!) So it's really a joint effort headed up by Jimmy Magahern. But if he hadn't started this blog it would not exist. There are some amazing (and embarrassing) (o: KCAC circa photos in the archives as well. Check it out.
I got involved when I had a radio show a few years ago. I became aware of the blog because there is a link to Radio Free Phoenix (RFP's a 24/7 commercial free music internet station that honors the KCAC days with its name, format and REAL people doing air shifts!I Gasp!!) I was drawn to it because of the historically fascinating (and entertaining as all get out) stuff written by Jimmy, Marty Manning, Russ Shaw, Ron Wortham, and other veteran radio heads like Radio Free Phoenix creator Andy Olson and RFP and KOOL radio personality Liz Boyle. Jimmy noticed the comments I was writing to their posts and began putting them in as 'articles' such as this one. Then he asked me to be a contributor (see sidebar, there are many of us!)
I really got acquainted with Jimmy when I asked if he'd be interested in contacting Arizona's internationally known rock and roll photographer LISSA WALES to do an article about Promoter Danny Zelisko and drummer Troy Lucketta's huge benefit concert for Lissa called DRUMMER-PALOOZA (October 2005.) Jimmy did a really cool interview with Lissa for a New Times piece about DRUMMER PALOOZA. Lissa was really happy he'd called her and got a big boost out of talking with him. Jimmy emailed to thank me for referring him to Lissa and said he greatly enjoyed talking to her. Jimmy seemed like a really outstanding, authentic human being (o: as well as writer, so when he asked me to be a contributor I was honored to be part of the team.
Sadly Lissa Wales never got to read Jimmy's article, or any of my articles on this and other websites or see the benefit. Lissa knew her sister brought Jimmy's New Times article to her and it was on the table by her hospital bed. She'd undergone a second successful bone marrow transplant and then fate reared its head. Lissa Wale's wonderful, unique spirit kept shining brightly here on terra firma until she died in October 2005 very shortly after the benefit concert. Lissa battled leukemia for 18 months. Lissa's spirit and talent is so well known and cherished by those who knew her, her name STILL appears as a contributing photographer for L.A. based DRUM MAGAZINE (a glossy internationally read drum magazine) and Lissa's famous photos are all over the websites of VERY famous bands. Her specialty was shooting drummers. Check out her photos on own website at lissawales.com and also on the website azmusicandentertianmenthalloffame.org (or just azmusichalloffame.org)
Back to the blog: As a native, long involved in AZ arts and entertainment, I have both an artistic and emotional connection to this website, and when Ron Wortham (another KCAC original) and I started contributing like crazy, Ron became the main administrator along with Jimmy. When he decided not to do it anymore he asked me to step into his shoes, which are way too big for me to ever fill. Jimmy, of course, still is the main administrator, but he is up to his eyeballs with his freelance career. So, I do what I can.
Aaack! Edit, edit, I know! Sorry!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Watch Channel 8 on June 2nd at 7:00 PM!!!
I've just watched an advance screening of "Arizona Memories from the 1970s", which will air on Channel 8 on Monday, June 2nd. The show will include a segment about KCAC and KDKB, with a special emphasis on Bill Compton. Marty Manning makes a number of appearances, along with Hans Olson, Jerry Riopelle, Alice Cooper, and the Tubes. Be sure to watch!!!
Tom
Tom
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Travis Edmonson Honored At Concert Friday May 9
Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse Celebrates Travis Edmondson
Don't Miss This One!!
Don't Miss This One!!
CONCERT FOR TRAVIS EDMONDSON - FRIDAY, MAY 9TH AT 8PM
'All my waking hours are in terms of music. I see it in my mind. I know when it's right, and I know when it's wrong. Everything that has a sound is music to me,' says Travis, one of folk music's greatest legends and half of the 1950's and 1960's duo of Bud and Travis. That vantage point has served him throughout his life and continues to be a great source of inspiration, despite some minor chords along the way.
In the early 1960's, Bud and Travis performed 'The Time of Man', an antiwar song written by Travis, on the floor of Congress. 'The Time of Man' was about the use of atomic energy and is known throughout the world. In 1982, Travis' ability to play the guitar was stolen as a result of an aneurysm and a stroke. 'It came as a great shock. I couldn't play. It was a heart breaker. It would have been easier not to be able to walk.'
Ironically, Bud suffered an inoperable brain tumor at the same time. Travis says, 'I was paralyzed on the left, and he on the right.' Bud died in the late 1980's. Their wonderful spirit and music will be shared on this special night! Admission is by suggested donation of $20, which will go to Travis and Rose Marie. The night's schedule includes The Santa Cruz River Band, Sue Harris, Gaylan Taylor, Don and Victoria Armstrong, Joe Bethancourt, Earl Edmonson, Chris Burton Jacome, Oscar Cisneros, Ron Iverson, and a surprise special guest or two! The concert will be held in the large room. Spread the word and bring a friend! Bring your albums! Travis will be there to say hello, it will be a very special evening.
from Fiddler's Dream
To my KCAC LIVES Cohorts:
This is truly a once in a lifetime event. Travis Edmondson's legacy is worldwide. Let's all get out there and celebrate this incredible musician whose body of work helped define the musical consciousness of a generation. Jimmy, talk about a story worth writing!! Hope you can be there!
Mariah
Monday, May 05, 2008
"Arizona in the 1970s" program
Watch Channel 8 on June 2nd for the big "Arizona in the 1970s" special. I'm told that there will be clips of KCAC and KDKB audio, and a discussion of how Phoenix radio and music evolved during the 1970s. Hans Olson, Jerry Ripoelle, Alice Cooper, the Tubes, Bob Boze Bell, and Wonderful Russ have all been interviewed on film for the show. There will be many other 1970s topics addressed, of course - the Don Bolles murder, the Orme Dam controversy, the floods of 1978, the Bicentennial, etc. None of these stories will be explored at great length, since the show is designed to feature an entire decade in one hour, but it will be well worth watching.
For anyone who has been following my KCAC tape preservation project: I need a little help from my friends to get this job done within a reasonable time frame. Please contact me if you can offer any technical support, advice, or training in digital audio management during May or June. Thanks,
Tom
For anyone who has been following my KCAC tape preservation project: I need a little help from my friends to get this job done within a reasonable time frame. Please contact me if you can offer any technical support, advice, or training in digital audio management during May or June. Thanks,
Tom
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Pacific Coast Photo Album
From Daniel:
"Hi!
I just made a trip down the west coast - drove from here in Lapine over to the coast at Florence, then south all the way to Seal Beach, which is just east of Long Beach, down by L.A. I stopped in Arcata and visited Chris, then drove down Highway 1 through the Mendocino coast and Big Sur, stopping frequently to take pictures. I've just uploaded 'em to a new Picasa album I named Pacific Coast. I hope you like 'em, and that you're enjoying life.
:~)aniel"
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Hello from Marty
Just dropped into the site to see what's happening. Not too many posts these days. Are we getting too old to remember? Or have we remembered enough? Hopefully it just means that we're all moving forward and staying busy. This technology thing is screaming into the future and as soon as you get one thing, there are 99 more! I've been having a lot of fun editing the Beth & Bill blog at www.kez999.com, and it's enabled me to stay employed and busy after 40 years in radio. I find that a lot of things that I'm doing now utilize the same skill set that kept me going in audio production for years, only now I get to play with graphics and layout as well. It keeps creating new wrinkles in my brain so I don't feel like I have to play crossword puzzles to keep from getting Alzheimer's. (Although I do like crosswords, but who has time!)
Saturday, April 12, 2008
A Night of "Playing Real Good for Free" (bow to Joni!)
Come and experience the rebirth of Music Night at Changing Hands. Hosted by Pinna Joseph who began the monthly tradition 30 years ago at their original Mill Avenue store (before poor Mill Ave got franchised to death) it has been many years since they’ve done one. It's a great way to hear some interesting music and connect with the music community.
A group of musicians will do mini-sets between 8:30 and 10:30 PM and I'll be among them. Haven't done a solo acoustic set in a LONG time. There are sure to be a lot of original songs performed that evening. These music nights traditionally were wonderful and nurtured some up and coming Arizona acoustic acts from blues to folk to jazz spanning several decades. Come on out and support this community music event!! Hey, what the heck! Bring the family!
Music Night 4/18/08
8:30 Mark Saylors “Locopelli” – Native American flutes
8:40 Tom Kruck – Guitar & Harmonica – “The Lost Freight Train”
8:50 William Love – Acoustic Guitar
9:00 “Black Velvet Band” - Five women playing Celtic music - from Tempe
9:10 Dennis Yee & Pinna Joseph – Cello & Voice
9:20 Tony Berardi - spontaneous improvisation with vocals & percussion
9:30 break
9:40 Korri Bernstein – Acoustic guitar / original songs
9:50 Mariah Fleming – guitar & voice - the original 'Anachronymph' Mariah does originals &
interpretations
10:00 Chris Burton Jacome – flamenco guitarist
10:10 Aleah Shaye – acoustic contemporary folk/blues
10:20 Call & Response Chanting with Pinna (for all to join in)
10:30 Short Jam - if time permits
For more info call Changing Hands 480 730 0205 (McClintock and Guadalupe on SW corner across from Trader Joe’s)
A group of musicians will do mini-sets between 8:30 and 10:30 PM and I'll be among them. Haven't done a solo acoustic set in a LONG time. There are sure to be a lot of original songs performed that evening. These music nights traditionally were wonderful and nurtured some up and coming Arizona acoustic acts from blues to folk to jazz spanning several decades. Come on out and support this community music event!! Hey, what the heck! Bring the family!
Music Night 4/18/08
8:30 Mark Saylors “Locopelli” – Native American flutes
8:40 Tom Kruck – Guitar & Harmonica – “The Lost Freight Train”
8:50 William Love – Acoustic Guitar
9:00 “Black Velvet Band” - Five women playing Celtic music - from Tempe
9:10 Dennis Yee & Pinna Joseph – Cello & Voice
9:20 Tony Berardi - spontaneous improvisation with vocals & percussion
9:30 break
9:40 Korri Bernstein – Acoustic guitar / original songs
9:50 Mariah Fleming – guitar & voice - the original 'Anachronymph' Mariah does originals &
interpretations
10:00 Chris Burton Jacome – flamenco guitarist
10:10 Aleah Shaye – acoustic contemporary folk/blues
10:20 Call & Response Chanting with Pinna (for all to join in)
10:30 Short Jam - if time permits
For more info call Changing Hands 480 730 0205 (McClintock and Guadalupe on SW corner across from Trader Joe’s)
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Link to John Stewart Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWwayDfJtkE
Click on the above link (or cut-and-paste it into your browswer) to see a clip from one of John Stewart's final performances. You Tube is amazing - there are many other clips of him available from the Kingston Trio days clear up to 2007, but this one is my favorite.
Is there anyone out there who could help me with some computer issues related to preservation of the KCAC tapes? I'm sure it's simple once you know how to do it, but I really need someone to walk me through the process a few times. Every time I think I have it figured out, the computer crashes or the audio file gets converted to some weird format that I can't use or something else happens that leaves me completely frustrated and baffled.
Click on the above link (or cut-and-paste it into your browswer) to see a clip from one of John Stewart's final performances. You Tube is amazing - there are many other clips of him available from the Kingston Trio days clear up to 2007, but this one is my favorite.
Is there anyone out there who could help me with some computer issues related to preservation of the KCAC tapes? I'm sure it's simple once you know how to do it, but I really need someone to walk me through the process a few times. Every time I think I have it figured out, the computer crashes or the audio file gets converted to some weird format that I can't use or something else happens that leaves me completely frustrated and baffled.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Coulda Been Worse...
My truck got stolen today. Right out of the parking lot at the Phoenix Art Museum, in broad daylight, no less. I was inside looking at the Illuminated Bible exhibition, and meanwhile someone was driving off in my 1986 Nissan 4x4. But here's the good news: my KCAC and KDKB memorabilia had been loaned out to Channel 8 for their upcoming special on Phoenix in the 1970s (see my previous post), and I had been scheduled to retrieve it all this morning on my way in to work. I was short on time, so I didn't do it. And then, this afternoon, coming home from work, I stopped off at the museum and... well, let's just be glad that I DIDN'T have all that stuff in the truck, because otherwise it would be gone. Anyhow, that Illuminated Bible exhibition is remarkable and well worth your time, but hurry up - it only runs through March 9th. And watch out for your ride.
Tom
Tom
Saturday, February 16, 2008
"Arizona Memories From the 1970s"
Channel 8 is producing an hour-long special on Arizona in the 1970s. The format will be similar to their previous specials on Arizona in the 1930s, 1950s, etc. I have been in touch with the show's producer, John Booth, and he is very much aware of the importance of KCAC and KDKB and all of the associated personalities during that period. I've already delivered one batch of tapes and memorabilia to him, and we have another meeting scheduled for Monday. The show will probably not air until June, but there's a good chance that progressive radio in Phoenix - and the community that revolved around it - will play a featured role. Stay tuned!
Tom
Tom
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Not John Stewart's Mother Country
As musicians and artists, we are not strangers to unethical tricks of the trade. As Tracey Ullman said in her one woman HBO show: "The bloody record industry are thieves!" So, it seems, is Congress. They're so pleased with themselves for agreeing on an 'economic stimulus package' to 'help' American consumers. Huh? Hear ye, hear ye, oh Fools on the Hill! The economy is being destroyed by the banking industry. Well educated, hard working Americans (AND YES, WASHINGTON, THAT INCLUDES MUSICIANS!) have been blindsided by unregulated interest rates. What good is a 'stimulus package' when interest rates on credit cards ride roughshod over the American consumer? Congress! If you want to help the American economy, stop this disgraceful practice!
As anyone who has had their credit card rates strangle them will attest, interest rates are no longer based on credit worthiness. Even if a credit history is perfect (it could happen!) interest rates can hike to 39.99% or more. No one is protected from banking's legal thievery. Not even the folks who opted for "REAL JOBS TO FALL BACK ON." Credit card companies have access to ALL of our consumer debt records! One late payment on a utility or phone bill allows the rate to skyrocket on any card, even if it has a spotless credit history.
The credit industry is out of control. We've all seen credit card companies hawk their cards at drunken student spring breaks and concerts; we're encouraged to charge groceries and fast food. Pay day loan "services", check cashing "services" and quick auto title loan businesses are on every street corner. They can legally advertise "the lowest possible interest rates" because no legal restriction exists!! Auto title loan 'services' typically charge 197% (yep, one hundred ninety seven percent) interest. Sure, there's 'no such thing as a free lunch' but since when is it okay for extortion to be served for dessert?
What's the matter, presidential hopefuls?! Big old cat got your tongue on this one?! People who serve in our military are forbidden to cash their military checks in check cashing 'convenience' marts! Our government at least protects them from as much as 197% interest from these ubiquitous legally sanctioned thieves!! But the question remains: how can the government turn its back on the rest of America??
We ought to tell Congress to take their $600 per person 'economic stimulus package' checks and eat 'em for lunch. Then it would be as hard to swallow for them as it is for the rest of us.
As anyone who has had their credit card rates strangle them will attest, interest rates are no longer based on credit worthiness. Even if a credit history is perfect (it could happen!) interest rates can hike to 39.99% or more. No one is protected from banking's legal thievery. Not even the folks who opted for "REAL JOBS TO FALL BACK ON." Credit card companies have access to ALL of our consumer debt records! One late payment on a utility or phone bill allows the rate to skyrocket on any card, even if it has a spotless credit history.
The credit industry is out of control. We've all seen credit card companies hawk their cards at drunken student spring breaks and concerts; we're encouraged to charge groceries and fast food. Pay day loan "services", check cashing "services" and quick auto title loan businesses are on every street corner. They can legally advertise "the lowest possible interest rates" because no legal restriction exists!! Auto title loan 'services' typically charge 197% (yep, one hundred ninety seven percent) interest. Sure, there's 'no such thing as a free lunch' but since when is it okay for extortion to be served for dessert?
What's the matter, presidential hopefuls?! Big old cat got your tongue on this one?! People who serve in our military are forbidden to cash their military checks in check cashing 'convenience' marts! Our government at least protects them from as much as 197% interest from these ubiquitous legally sanctioned thieves!! But the question remains: how can the government turn its back on the rest of America??
We ought to tell Congress to take their $600 per person 'economic stimulus package' checks and eat 'em for lunch. Then it would be as hard to swallow for them as it is for the rest of us.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Good Earth Rider
I had to drive to Quartzsite today on business. On the way there I took the shortest route, west from Phoenix on Interstate 10. Not the most exciting drive, but the desert all around me looked renewed by the recent rains - greener than I've seen it in years. On the way home I took the longer scenic route along old U.S. 60, through Brenda and Salome and Wenden and Wickenburg, then back down to Phoenix. On that return trip, I had John Stewart on the CD player: the "California Bloodlines" album in its entirety, most of "Willard", and highlights from "The Phoenix Concerts". Driving the two-lane road through those small towns, looking at the fields and orchards, the farmers in mud-covered pickup trucks, kids just getting out of school, the desert coming back to life, the massive hulk of the Harquahala Mountains wrapped in clouds, good Mexican food in Wickenburg, the Hassayampa River in flood... it was perfect. John Stewart's America is still out there, if you look hard enough. Get off of the freeways and out of the "stinking concrete cities" this weekend (or whenever you can) and you'll see what I mean.
Tom
Tom
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Singer-Songwriter John Stewart Passes
Long time valley favorite, singer-songwriter John Stewart passed away early Saturday morning following a stroke on Friday. It's a great loss and a sad day. Here's a link to a very reflective letter about John from his long-time friend and fan, Tom Deluse, creator of chillywinds.com, an official John Stewart site. John Stewart was scheduled to play his first date of a string of concerts this Sunday evening (January 27th) at The Upper Deck Sports Bar & Grill in Scottsdale. Instead this show will be a tribute concert to benefit his family. Radio Free Phoenix has been paying tribute to John, since Saturday morning with music and special programming. Today at 12 noon (January 21st, 2007) we will be rebroadcasting our music and interview special with John Stewart that aired just under two years ago. The show will also repeat this evening at 8pm (MST). Another special with Andy Olson will air this evening at 10pm (MST) on KWSS 106.7 in Scottsdale. This station is also broadcast on the web at:
KWSS1067.com
Another reflective post I've found about John Stewart is at this url:
The Lonesome Picker Rides Into the Sunset
John Stewart was truly a Wingless Angel and touched so many in his lifetime. We wish him godspeed..
Andy Olson
Radio Free Phoenix
KWSS1067.com
Another reflective post I've found about John Stewart is at this url:
The Lonesome Picker Rides Into the Sunset
John Stewart was truly a Wingless Angel and touched so many in his lifetime. We wish him godspeed..
Andy Olson
Radio Free Phoenix
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Great Way To Spend A Sunday!
ARIZONA EMBRACE: PRAYERS OF PEACE
WE REQUEST YOUR MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE!
WHO:
YOU: We are All part of the Human Family:
from All political parties / from All religious & spiritual practices /
All ages / All races / All professions / All All All...
In addition to our excellent speakers and singers listed on the attached flyer, we are honored to inform you that we will also be joined by former Phoenix Mayor John Driggs, and by Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson.
WHAT:
ARIZONA EMBRACE: PRAYERS OF PEACE
~The First-Of-Its-Kind in Arizona & America!~
WHEN:
Sunday January 13, 2008
2-3 pm
(start gathering at 1:30 pm)
WHERE:
Arizona State Capitol
House of Representatives lawn
1700 W. Washington, Phoenix 85007
(free parking east and west of the Capitol)
WHY:
* To anchor the positive energies of 2008 in Arizona as the year of Connecting + Collaborating + Cooperating with all our elected officials on the eve of the opening of the Second Regular Session of the 48th Arizona Legislature, to come together to create inclusive and proactive solutions to our internal and external challenges;
* To anchor the positive energies for the Super Bowl when billions of global viewers will tune into the game on Feb. 3, 2008, in Glendale, Arizona;
* To anchor the positive energies for the Beijing Olympics, when thousands of athletes and coaches from 90+ countries come together for 2 weeks in athletic excellence, in peace, Aug. 8-24, 2008;
* To anchor the positive energies for the local, state, and national 2008 elections on Nov. 4, 2008. You could be the next President; I could be the next President: we are ALL LEADERS, my friends!
* RSVP to terri@azdopcampaign.org
* Please let us know how many in your groups will attend.
* Check out our listing on the azleg.gov calendar:
http://azleg.gov/aspwebcalendar/calendar.asp
* Check out our listing on Shirley MacLaine's website:
http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/encounter/showthread.php?t=207270
* See related articles in Arizona Republic Calendar, p.21, Jan. 3, 2008 /
and Paradise Valley Independent, p. 4, Jan. 9, 2008 edition /
and "Church Women United in Phoenix" newsletter, Jan. 2008
* For more information on our hosting organizations, visit www.azdopcampaign.org and www.interfaitharizona.com.
Hugs of peace, love, light, laughter*****Terri
"ARIZONA EMBRACE: PRAYERS OF PEACE", JAN. 13, 2008, 2 PM, @ THE ARIZONA STATE CAPITOL / JOIN US! www.azdopcampaign.org
Terri Mansfield~Peace Ambassador~Executive Director, Arizona Dept. of Peace Campaign602.885.9058www.azdopcampaign.orgwww.thepeacealliance.orgwww.galaxiesforpeace.com"CO-CREATING PEACE ON EARTH & IN SPACE = THE DEPT. OF PEACE IN ACTION"
The proposed Cabinet level U.S. Department of Peace will research, articulate, and facilitate nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflicts...and hold Peace as an organizing principle in society.
ArizonaEmbraceFlyer21.pdf
"Whoosh"
Sharon Elaine Porter
WE REQUEST YOUR MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE!
WHO:
YOU: We are All part of the Human Family:
from All political parties / from All religious & spiritual practices /
All ages / All races / All professions / All All All...
In addition to our excellent speakers and singers listed on the attached flyer, we are honored to inform you that we will also be joined by former Phoenix Mayor John Driggs, and by Phoenix Councilman Michael Johnson.
WHAT:
ARIZONA EMBRACE: PRAYERS OF PEACE
~The First-Of-Its-Kind in Arizona & America!~
WHEN:
Sunday January 13, 2008
2-3 pm
(start gathering at 1:30 pm)
WHERE:
Arizona State Capitol
House of Representatives lawn
1700 W. Washington, Phoenix 85007
(free parking east and west of the Capitol)
WHY:
* To anchor the positive energies of 2008 in Arizona as the year of Connecting + Collaborating + Cooperating with all our elected officials on the eve of the opening of the Second Regular Session of the 48th Arizona Legislature, to come together to create inclusive and proactive solutions to our internal and external challenges;
* To anchor the positive energies for the Super Bowl when billions of global viewers will tune into the game on Feb. 3, 2008, in Glendale, Arizona;
* To anchor the positive energies for the Beijing Olympics, when thousands of athletes and coaches from 90+ countries come together for 2 weeks in athletic excellence, in peace, Aug. 8-24, 2008;
* To anchor the positive energies for the local, state, and national 2008 elections on Nov. 4, 2008. You could be the next President; I could be the next President: we are ALL LEADERS, my friends!
* RSVP to terri@azdopcampaign.org
* Please let us know how many in your groups will attend.
* Check out our listing on the azleg.gov calendar:
http://azleg.gov/aspwebcalendar/calendar.asp
* Check out our listing on Shirley MacLaine's website:
http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/encounter/showthread.php?t=207270
* See related articles in Arizona Republic Calendar, p.21, Jan. 3, 2008 /
and Paradise Valley Independent, p. 4, Jan. 9, 2008 edition /
and "Church Women United in Phoenix" newsletter, Jan. 2008
* For more information on our hosting organizations, visit www.azdopcampaign.org and www.interfaitharizona.com.
Hugs of peace, love, light, laughter*****Terri
"ARIZONA EMBRACE: PRAYERS OF PEACE", JAN. 13, 2008, 2 PM, @ THE ARIZONA STATE CAPITOL / JOIN US! www.azdopcampaign.org
Terri Mansfield~Peace Ambassador~Executive Director, Arizona Dept. of Peace Campaign602.885.9058www.azdopcampaign.orgwww.thepeacealliance.orgwww.galaxiesforpeace.com"CO-CREATING PEACE ON EARTH & IN SPACE = THE DEPT. OF PEACE IN ACTION"
The proposed Cabinet level U.S. Department of Peace will research, articulate, and facilitate nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflicts...and hold Peace as an organizing principle in society.
ArizonaEmbraceFlyer21.pdf
"Whoosh"
Sharon Elaine Porter
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