Plenty of Nothing

Brinsley Schwarz

As a teenage new waver I could never figure out Elvis Costello's interest in country music.  How did he get there?  It made no sense.  But that's because I hadn't been listening to Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowe's band in the early 1970's.  (Lowe of course produced Costello's first five albums, though not the Nashville Almost Blue.)

Despite It All  (1970) is Brinsley Schwarz's second album. I think it might have taken its name from a disastrous promotional tour of New York later known as the Brinsley Schwarz Hype, which took place just prior to its release.  It's country rock. The hit track "Country Girl" sounds very like The Band. Strange to think this was big in London in 1970. It points to Southern California if anywhere.  "Old Jarrow" sounds to me a lot like Fleetwood Mac's "World Turning". Can I blame "Ventura Highway" on these guys?  I think I can.

This site has a nice synopsis of Brinsley Schwarz.

Douglas (via Legend Records, 1315 Wellington Street)

A Very Murky Photo of Joel Plaskett Setting Up

Neko Case, Ottawa Bluesfest, July 12, 2009

A solid set built around Middle Cyclone and Fox Confessor, which title she pretended not to remember.  "Records?  They mean nothing to me.  I leave them on the bus."  Unfortunately Kelly Hogan was absent, so there was not a lot of banter between songs, and Case mishandled her solo on the shaker, a musical cigar box by the look of it, and they didn't do "John Saw That Number" probably for want of that second female voice.  But the song about Seattle did end the rain, and "This Tornado Loves You" didn't bring one, so all is well.

Korla Pandit

Inexplicable Album Art

I was listening to a podcast about Folkways records this afternoon and it reminded me of an album I was fascinated by as an adolescent. It's one of a handful of records that remain from my father's record collection. The music was recorded in the mid 1950s and the record itself is heavier and thicker than most LPs I've handled.  

What fascinated me then, and now though for different reasons, was the cover art.

 

I can get my head around the idea of a  a naked, music-playing dude in Cape Breton.  But my mind still boggles at the antelope, and the tree.

You can listen to samples of the creaky old folks singing work songs here.

Heather

No Good Can Come From Not Drinking on Friday Night

Namesake

We need might just need to hunt out this live version of Blossom Dearie singing "Everything I've Got", though I think I still prefer the 1956 version. Ondaatje fans will recognize a possible source for one of his collections of poetry.

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Heather

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Move over Gogol Bordello, I am now on Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain bandwagon.  For more on this bonsai guitar ensemble, see here.

Brian May

Brian May, guitarist for Queen, also has a PhD in astrophysics, is an expert on interstellar dust, and was recently named Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, the former Liverpool Polytechnic.  The appointment makes eminent good sense from a public relations perspective.  Your average human being probably has a better working knowledge of the Queen catalogue than of the stars, moon and planets put together, so appointing May is a marketing coup and should serve to draw young people to the study of the physics and astronomy.  But just exactly what was it that caused the regents of LJMU to make the connection between musician and chancellorship?  Hmm.

I Am On Gogol Bordello Bandwagon

And this band would have a wagon.  Having stolen this publicity still, I have no choice but to go on and quote these verses without permission:

If we are here not to do
What you and I wanna do
And go forever crazy with it
Why the hell are we even here?

There was never any good old days
They are today, they are tomorrow
It's a stupid thing we say
Cursing tomorrow with sorrow. 

The accordion is back, and this time it means it!