Wonders never cease

So I'm walking out of a Stop & Shop, and a woman is stopped right in front of the exit door. She removes her bags from her cart, and leaves the cart right where it was. This means if anyone happens to be coming in the entrance and someone wants to exit, one of them has to yield to get around the cart left by this self-important c#@t.
As long as I live I don't think I'll ever understand how someone can grow into an adult and have absolutely zero consideration for others. How does that happen? How do people go through life thinking they are all that matters in this world?
One of life's mysteries I guess.

I guess tolerance is conditional?

Tolerance for Islam? Tolerate this video.

NEARfest Band Announcement- Karmakanic To Arrive in Bethlehem

This is good news:

    NEARfest welcomes the musical insanity of Karmakanic to the 2011 edition.  Born out of a desire to stretch the boundaries of classic symphonic prog, 2002 saw Jonas Reingold assemble a top-notch band to realize his vision.  Channeling the talents of Goran Edman, (perhaps best known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen,) and his fellow Flower Kings Roine Stolt, Tomas Bodin and Zoltan Csorsz, Karmakanic's debut album "Entering the Spectra" became very popular among the fans of progressive rock and the established rock press around the world. Their were honored with the prize for best newcomer 2002 in the big progressive poll DPRP and charted several other lists as the best newcomer on the scene.
    It was in 2004 that Karmakanic became a band rather than just a side-project.
Reingold, Csorsz and Edman are joined by Krister Jonzon to manifest the core of the band.  Along with guest musicians, Karmakanic releases their second album, Wheel of Life.  A slightly less metallic offering, Wheel of Life finds the band delving into the fusion side of prog while maintaining a song based mantra.   It is with the addition of keyboardist extraordinaire Lalle Larsson that Karmakanic becomes an exquisite live attraction.  Larsson adds the technical prowess that is required to realize Karmakanic's music, so with the puzzle pieces in place, the band is ripe for live performance.
     Two Thousand eight sees the band release their most mature and cohesive release, "Who's the Boss in the Factory."  Reingold's production and songwriting draws from influences such as The Flower Kings, Weather Report, Yes and Return to Forever but his music is clearly Karmakanic's vision.  With beautiful passages along side technical mastery, "Who's the Boss" becomes a complete album for the modern progressive audience. With the promise of a new album to be released in 2011, Karmakanic is ready to return to the U.S. with a full-blown set of their music history,  there might even be an instrumental solo or two.  The guys in charge are happy to present for NEARfest 2011, the power, intensity and insanity of Karmakanic.

Another episode of S.I.D.

So I'm in a Waldbaums ordering Edy's. I've got my handheld computer, so it's obvious that I'm not just some customer. A woman comes along, opens one of the freezer doors, moves the front container of French Silk to another location. She then grabs one further back and in the process knocks another over into the spot next to it. She then reaches back and grabs that magical holy grail container that was buried behind all the others that apparently contains one of Wonka's golden tickets, and in pulling it out, tips over yet another container. Finally, she puts the other one back that she had pulled out prior and places it on top of the now laying sideways container that she had tipped over.
As she started to shop in the next door for Turkey Hill, I immediately put my handheld down, and went and starightened up the mess she had just made. Right in front of her. She made no acknowledgment whatsoever.
I don't know what's worse, the fact that there are so many arrogant, entitled, self-important douchebags walking this planet (or I should say this country, because I suspect we are the worst), or the fact that they are so completely unashamed of being that.
When did we throw common courtesy out the fucking window in this country?

Oh, and in case anyone is thinking that the ice cream in the back is more frozen and/or more fresh, you'd be wrong on both counts. It's in a closed freezer. It's all frozen the same. And I've seen how our people pack out the stock; they rarely, if ever, rotate. So the product in the front is most likely the "freshest." Besides...it's ice cream! The shelf life is like a year. Does it really matter if the expire date is next May or June? Really?

This has been another episode of Self-Important Douchebags.

Bill's Prog Blog: CD RETRO REVIEW: Frank Zappa - The MOFO Project/Ob...

Bill's Prog Blog: CD RETRO REVIEW: Frank Zappa - The MOFO Project/Ob...: "I discovered progressive music in 1987, when I was 14 years old. I'd been going through my dad's record collection...he had a big one, eas..."

Profit from public record?

http://www.killuglyradio.com/2010/09/02/new-zappa-records-release-congress-shall-make-no-law/

So now Gail Zappa is expecting people to pay for an audio record of Frank's testimony which, by the way, is a matter of public record.
Does this mean I can make and sell my own CD copies for profit? After all, isn't that testimony just as much mine as it is hers? Maybe we (the public) can sue her for copyright infringement?
Sorry Gail, you can't copyright public domain. How dare you try to profit from every sound that ever came out of Frank's mouth. Isn't it enough that your son is making a dubious living off of Frank's hard work?

Here is the audio....for FREE public consumption:
http://www.archive.org/details/Zappa_Senate_Testimony

For those interested, here is the text of Frank's statement. 

http://downlode.org/Etext/zappa.html

Frank Zappa: Statement To Congress, September 19, 1985

From Record Labeling: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress: First Session on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (including all of Zappa's prepared statement, which he quotes in condensed form below).

STATEMENT OF FRANK ZAPPA. ACCOMPANIED BY LARRY STEIN, COUNSEL

Mr. Zappa. My name is Frank Zappa. This is my attorney Larry Stein from Los Angeles. Can you hear me?

The Chairman. If you could speak very directly and clearly into the microphone, I would appreciate it.

Mr. Zappa. My name is Frank Zappa. This is my attorney Larry Stein.

The statement that I prepared, that I sent you 100 copies of, is five pages long, so I have shortened it down and am going to read a condensed version of it.

Certain things have happened. I have been listening to the event in the other room and have heard conflicting reports as to whether or not people in this committee want legislation. I under- stand that Mr. Hollings does from his comments. Is that correct?

The CHAIRMAN. I think you had better concentrate on your testimony, rather than asking questions.

Mr. ZAPPA. The reason I need to ask it, because I have to change something in my testimony if there is not a clearcut version of whether or not legislation is what is being discussed here.

The Chairman. Do the best you can, because I do not think anybody here can characterize Senator Hollings" position.

Mr. ZAPPA. I will carry on with the issue, then.

Senator Exon. Mr. Chairman, I might help him out just a little bit. I might make a statement. This is one Senator that might be interested in legislation and/or regulation to some extent, recognizing the problems with the right of free expression.

I have previously expressed views that I do not believe I should be telling other people what they have to listen to. I really believe that the suggestion made by the original panel was some kind of an arrangement for voluntarily policing this in the music industry as the correct way to go.

If it will help you out in your testimony, I might join Senator Hollings or others in some kind of legislation and/or regulation, unless the free enterprise system, both the producers and you as the performers, see fit to clean up your act.

Mr. ZAPPA. OK, thank you.

The First thing I would like to do, because I know there is some foreign press involved here and they might not understand what the issue is about, one of the things the issue is about is the First Amendment to the Constitution, and it is short and I would like to read it so they will understand. It says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

That is for reference.

These are my personal observations and opinions. They are addressed to the PMRC [Parents' Music Resource Centre] as well as this committee. I speak on behalf of no group or professional organization.

The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years, dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design.

It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment Issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC's demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation.

No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton into their homes. Thanks to the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for their children. Apparently, they insist on purchasing the works of contemporary recording artists in order to support a personal illusion of aerobic sophistication. Ladies, please be advised: The $8.98 purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from the composer or performer in exchange for a spin on the family Victrola. Taken as a whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of "toilet training program" to house-break all composers and performers because of the lyrics of a few. Ladies, how dare you?

The ladies" shame must be shared by the bosses at the major labels who, through the RIAA, chose to bargain away the rights of composers, performers, and retailers in order to pass H.R. 2911, The Blank Tape Tax: A private tax levied by an industry on consumers for the benefit of a select group within that industry.

Is this a consumer issue? You bet it is. PMRC spokesperson, Kandy Stroud, announced to millions of fascinated viewers on last Friday's ABC Nightline debate that Senator Gore, a man she described as "A friend of the music industry," is co-sponsor of something she referred to as "anti-piracy legislation". Is this the same tax bill with a nicer name?

The major record labels need to have H.R. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond. Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?

I cannot say she's a member, because the PMRC has no members. Their secretary told me on the phone last Friday that the PMRC has no members, only founders. I asked how many other District of Columbia wives are nonmembers of an organization that raises money by mail, has a tax-exempt status, and seems intent on running the Constitution of the United States through the family paper-shredder. I asked her if it was a cult. Finally, she said she couldn't give me an answer and that she had to call their lawyer.

While the wife of the Secretary of the Treasury recites "Gonna drive my love inside you" and Senator Gore's wife talks about "Bondage!" and "oral sex at gunpoint" on the CBS Evening News, people in high places work on a tax bill that is so ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the public's mind on something else: "Porn rock".

Is the basic issue morality? Is it mental health? Is it an issue at all? The PMRC has created a lot of confusion with improper comparisons between song lyrics, videos, record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. These are all different mediums, and the people who work in them have the right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by The Wives of Big Brother.

Is it proper that the husband of a PMRC nonmember/founder/person sits on any committee considering business pertaining to the Blank Tape Tax or his wife's lobbying organization? Can any committee thus constituted "find facts" in a fair and unbiased manner? This committee has three that we know about: Senator Danforth, Senator Packwood, and Senator Gore. For some reason, they seem to feel there is no conflict of interest involved.

The PMRC promotes their program as a harmless type of consumer information service providing "guidelines" which will assist baffled parents in the determination of the "suitability" of records listened to by "very young children". The methods they propose have several unfortunately [sic] side effects, not the least of which is the reduction of all American Music, recorded and live, to the intellectual level of a Saturday morning cartoon show.

Children in the vulnerable age bracket have a natural love for music. If, as a parent, you believe they should be exposed to something more uplifting than "Sugar Walls," support Music Appreciation programs in schools. Why have you not considered your child's need for consumer information? Music Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. Your children have a right to know that something besides pop music exists.

lt is unfortunate that the PMRC would rather dispense governmentally sanitized heavy metal music than something more uplifting. Is this an indication of PMRC's personal taste, or just another manifestation of the low priority this administration has placed on education for the arts in America?

The answer, of course, is neither. You cannot distract people from thinking about an unfair tax by talking about Music Appreciation. For that you need sex, and lots of it.

The establishment of a rating system, voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of Moral Quality Control Programs based on "Things Certain Christians Don't Like". What if the next bunch of Washington Wives demands a large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by Jews, in order to save helpless children from exposure to concealed Zionist doctrine?

Record ratings are frequently compared to film ratings. Apart from the quantitative difference, there is another that is more important: People who act in films are hired to pretend. No matter how the film is rated, it won't hurt them personally.

Since many musicians write and perform their own material and stand by it as their art (whether you like it or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. How long before composers and performers are told to wear a festive little PMRC arm band with their scarlet letter on it?

Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are, in my opinion, more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religious Thought, and the Right to Due Process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.

Are we expected to give up article 1 so the big guys can collect an extra dollar on every blank tape and 10 to 25% on tape recorders? What is going on here? Do we get to vote on this tax? Do we get to vote on this tax? I think that this whole matter has gotten completely blown out of proportion, and I agree with Senator Exon that there is a very dubious reason for having this event. I also agree with Senator Exon that you should not be wasting time on stuff like this, because from the beginning I have sensed that it is somebody's hobby project.

Now, I have done a number of interviews on television. People keep saying, can you not take a few steps in their direction, can you not sympathize, can you not empathize? I do more than that at this point. I have got an idea for a way to stop all this stuff and a way to give parents what they really want, which is information, accurate information as to what is inside the album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played on the album or the people who sing it or the people who wrote it. And I think that if you listen carefully to this idea that it might just get by all of the constitutional problems and everything else.

As far as I am concerned, I have no objection to having all of the lyrics placed on the album routinely, all the time. But there is a little problem. Record companies do not own the right automatically to take these lyrics, because they are owned by a publishing company.

So, just as all the rest of the PMRC proposals would cost money, this would cost money too, because the record companies would need — they should not be forced to bear the cost, the extra expenditure to the publisher, to print those lyrics.

If you consider that the public needs to be warned about the contents of the records, what better way than to let them see exactly what the songs say? That way you do not have to put any kind of subjective rating on the record. You do not have to call it R, X, D/A, anything. You can read it for yourself.

But in order for it to work properly, the lyrics should be on a uniform kind of a sheet. Maybe even the Government could print those sheets. Maybe it should even be paid for by the Government, if the Government is interested in making sure that people have consumer information in this regard.

And you also have to realize that if a person buys the record and takes it out of the store, once it is out of the store you can't return it if you read the lyrics at home and decide that little Johnny is not supposed to have it.

I think that that should at least be considered, and the idea of imposing these ratings on live concerts, on the albums, asking record companies to reevaluate or drop or violate contracts that they already have with artists should be thrown out.

That is all I have to say.

The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Zappa. You understand that the previous witnesses were not asking for legislation. And I do not know, I cannot speak for Senator Hollings, but I think the prevailing view here is that nobody is asking for legislation.

The question is just focusing on what a lot of people perceive to be a problem, and you have indicated that you at least understand that there is another point of view. But there are people that think that parents should have some knowledge of what goes into their home.

Mr. ZAPPA. All along my objection has been with the tactics used by these people in order to achieve the goal. I just think the tactics have been really bad, and the whole premise of their proposal- they were badly advised in terms of record business law, they were badly advised in terms of practicality. or they would have known that certain things do not work mechanically with what they suggest.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Gore.

Senator GORE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I found your statement very interesting and, although I disagree with some of the statements that you make and have made on other occasions, I have been a fan of your music, believe it or not. I respect you as a true original and a tremendously talented musician.

Your suggestion of printing the lyrics on the album is a very interesting one. The PMRC at one point said they would propose either a rating or warning, or printing all the lyrics on the album. The record companies came back and said they did not want to do that.

I think a lot of people agree with your suggestion that one easy way to solve this problem for parents would be to put the actual words there, so that parents could see them. In fact, the National Association of Broadcasters made exactly the same request of the record companies.

I think your suggestion is an intriguing one and might really be a solution for the problem.

Mr. ZAPPA. You have to understand that it does cost money, because you cannot expect publishers to automatically give up that right, which is a right for them. Somebody is going to have to reimburse the publishers, the record industry.

Without trying to mess up the album jacket art, it should be a sheet of paper that is slipped inside the shrink-wrap, so that when you take it out you can still have a complete album package. So there is going to be some extra cost for printing it.

But as long as people realize that for this kind of consumer safety you are going to spend some money and as long as you can find a way to pay for it, I think that would be the best way to let people know.

Senator GORE. I do not disagree with that at all. And the separate sheet would also solve the problem with cassettes as well, because you do not have the space for words on the cassette packs.

Mr. ZAPPA. There would have to be a little accordion-fold.

Senator GORE. I have listened to you a number of times on this issue, and I guess the statement that I want to get from you is whether or not you feel this concern is legitimate.

You feel very strongly about your position, and I understand that. You are very articulate and forceful.

But occasionally you give the impression that you think parents are just silly to be concerned at all.

Mr. ZAPPA. No; that is not an accurate impression.

Senator GORE. Well, please clarify it, then.

Mr. ZAPPA. First of all, I think it is the parents' concern; it is not the Government's concern.

Senator GORE. The PMRC agrees with you on that.

Mr. ZAPPA. Well. that does not come across in the way they have been speaking. The whole drift that I have gotten, based upon the media blitz that has attended the PMRC and its rise to infamy, is that they have a special plan, and it has smelled like legislation up until now.

There are too many things that look like hidden agendas involved with this. And I am a parent. I have got four children. Two of them are here. I want them to grow up in a country where they can think what they want to think, be what they want to be, and not what somebody's wife or somebody in Government makes them be.

I do not want to have that and I do not think you do either.

Senator GORE. OK. But now you are back on the issue of Government involvement. Let me say briefly on this point that the PMRC says repeatedly no legislation, no regulation, no Governnient action. It certainly sounded clear to me.

And as far as a hidden agenda, I do not see one, hear one, or know of one.

Mr. ZAPPA. OK, let me tell you why I have drawn these conclusions. First of all, they may say, we are not interested in legislation. But there are others who are, and because of their project bad things have happened in this country in the industry.

I believe there is actually some liability. Look at this. You have a situation where, even if you go for the lyric printed thing in the record, because of the tendency among Americans to be copycats- one guy commits a murder, you get a copycat murder-now you've got copycat censors.

You get a very bad situation in San Antonio, TX, right now where they are trying to pass PMRC-type individual ratings and attach them to live concerts, with the mayor down there trying to make a national reputation by putting San Antonio on the map as the first city in the United States to have these regulations, against the suggestion of the city attorney, who says, I do not think this is constitutional.

But you know, there is this fervor to get in and do even more and even more.

And the other thing, the PMRC starts off talking about lyrics, but when they take it over into other realms they start talking about the videos. In fact, you misspoke yourself at the beginning in your introduction when you were talking about the music does this, the music does that. There is a distinct difference between those notes and chords and the baseline [sic — error in Congressional report] and the rhythm that support the words and the lyrics.

I do not know whether you really are talking about controlling the type of music.

The CHAIRMAN. The lyrics.

Mr. ZAPPA. So specifically we are talking about lyrics. It began with lyrics. But even looking at the PMRC fundraising letter, in the last paragraph at the bottom of the page it starts looking like it is branching into other areas, when it says: "We realize that this material has pervaded other aspects of society." And it is like what, you are going to fix it all for me?

Senator GORE. No. I think the PMRC's acknowledging some of the statements by some of their critics who say: Well, why single out the music industry.

Do I understand that you do believe that there is a legitimate concern here?

Mr. ZAPPA. But the legitimate concern is a matter of taste for the individual parent and how much sexual information that parent wants to give their child, at what age, at what time, in what quantity, OK. And I think that, because there is a tendency in the United States to hide sex, which I think is an unhealthy thing to do. and many parents do not give their children good sexual education, in spite of the fact that little books for kids are available, and other parents demand that sexual education be taken out of school, it makes the child vulnerable, because if you do not have something rational to compare it to when you see or hear about something that is aberrated you do not perceive it as an aberration.

Senator GORE. OK, I have run out of time.

Thank vou, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Rockefeller.

Senator ROCKEFELLER. No questions, Mr. Chairnan.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Gorton.

Senator GORTON. Mr. Zappa, I am astounded at the courtesy and soft-voiced nature of the comments of my friend, the Senator from Tennessee. I can only say that I found your statement to be boorish, incredibly and insensitively insulting to the people that were here previously; that you could manage to give the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States a bad name, if I felt that you had the slightest understanding of it, which I do not.

You do not have the slightest understanding of the difference between Government action and private action, and you have certainly destroyed any case you might otherwise have had with this Senator.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ZAPPA. Is this private action?

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Exon.

Senator EXON. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.

Mr. Zappa, let me say that I was surprised that Senator Gore knew and liked your music. I must confess that I have never heard any of your music, to my knowledge.

Mr. ZAPPA. I would be more than happy to recite my lyrics to you.

Senator EXON. Can we forgo that?

Senator GORE. You have probably never heard of the Mothers of Invention.

Senator EXON. I have heard of Glen Miller and Mitch Miller. Did you ever perform with them?

Mr. ZAPPA. As a matter of fact, I took music lessons in grade school from Mitch Miller's brother.

Senator EXON. That is the first sign of hope we have had in this hearing.

Let us try and get down to a fundamental question here that I would like to ask you, Mr. Zappa. Do you believe that parents have the right and the obligation to mold the psychological development of their children?

Mr. ZAPPA. Yes, I think they have that right, and I also think they have that obligation.

Senator EXON. Do you see any extreme difficulty in carrying out those obligations for a parent by material falling into the hands of their children over which thely have little or no control?

Mr. ZAPPA. Well, one of the things that has been brought up before is talking about very young children getting access to the material that they have been showing here today. And what I have said to that in the past is a teenager may go into a record store unescorted with $8.98 in his pocket, but very young children do not.

If they go into a record store, the $8.98 is in mom or dad's pocket, and they can always say, Johnny, buy a book. They can say, Johnny, buy instrumental music; there is some nice classical music for you here; why do you not listen to that.

The parent can ask or guide the child in another direction, away from Sheena Easton, Prince, or whoever else you have been complaining about. There is always that possibility.

Senator EXON. As I understand it from your testimony — and once again, I want to emphasize that I see nothing wrong whatsoever; in fact, I salute the ladies for bringing this to the attention of the public as best they see fit. I think you could tell from my testimony that I tend to agree with them.

I want to be very careful that we do not overstep our bounds and try and — and I emphasize once again — tell somebody else what they should see. I am primarily worried about children.

It seems to me from your statement that you have no obligation — or no objection whatsoever to printing lyrics, if that would be legally possible, or from a standpoint of having the room to do that, on records or tapes. Is that not what you said?

Mr. ZAPPA. I think it would be advisable for two reasons. One, it gives people one of the things that they have been asking for. It gives them that type of consumer protection because, if you can read the English language and you can see the lyrics on the back, you have no excuse for complaning if you take the record out of the store.

And also, I think that the record industry has been damaged and it has been given a very bad rap by this whole situation because it has been indicated, or people have attempted to indicate, that there is so much of this kind of material that people object to in the industry, that that is what the industry is.

It is not bad at all. Some of the albums that have been selected for abuse here are obscure. Some of them are already several years old. And I think that a lot of deep digging was done in order to come up with the song about anal vapors or whatever it was that they were talking about before.

Senator EXON. If I understand you, you would be in support of printing the lyrics, but you are adamantly opposed to any kind of a rating system?

Mr. ZAPPA. I am opposed to the rating system because, as I said, if you put a rating on the record it goes directly to the character of the person who made the record, whereas if you rate a film, a guy who is in the film has been hired as an actor. He is pretending. You rate the film, whatever it is, it does not hurt him.

But whether you like what is on the record or not, the guy who made it, that is his art and to stigmatize him is unfair.

Senator EXON. Well, likewise, if you are primarily concerned about the artists, is it not true that for many many years, we have had ratings of movies with indications as to the sexual content of movies and that has been, as near as I can tell, a voluntary action on the part of the actors in the movies and the producers of the movies and the distributors?

That seems to have worked reasonably well. What is wrong with that?

Mr. ZAPPA. Well, first of all, it replaced something that was far more restrictive, which was the Hayes Office. And as far as that being voluntary, there are people who wish they did not have to rate their films. They still object to rating their films, but the reason the ratings go on is because if they are not rated they will not get distributed or shown in theaters. So there is a little bit of pressure involved, but still there is no stigma.

Senator EXON. The Government does not require that. The point I am trying to make is — and while I think these hearings should not have been held if we are not considering legislation or regulations at this time, I emphasized earlier that they might follow.

I simply want to say to you that I suspect that, unless the industry "clears up their act" — and I use that in quotes again — there is likely to be legislation. And it seems to me that it would not be too far removed from reality or too offensive to anyone if you could follow the general guidelines, right, wrong, or indifferent, that are now in place with regard to the movie industry.

Mr. ZAPPA. Well, I would object to that. I think first of all, I believe it was you who asked the question of Mrs. Gore whether there was any other indication on the album as to the contents. And I would say that a buzzsaw blade between a guy's legs on the album cover is a good indication that it is not for little Johnny.

Senator EXON. I do not believe I asked her that question, but the point you made is a good one, because if that should not go to little minds I think there should be at least some minimal activity or attempt on the part of the producers and distributors, and indeed possibly the performers, to see that that does not get to that little mind.

Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Hollings.

Senator HOLLINGS. Mr. Zappa, I apologize for coming back in late, but I am just hearing the latter part of it. I hear that you say that perhaps we could print the words, and I think that is a good suggestion, but it is unfair to have albums rated.

Now, it is not considered unfair in the movie industry, and I want you to elaborate. I do not want to belabor you, but why is it unfair? I mean, it is accurate, is it not?

Mr. ZAPPA. Well, I do not know whether it is accurate, because sometimes they have trouble deciding how a film gets to be an X or an R or whatever. And you have two problems. One is the quantity of material, 325 films per year versus 25,000 4-minute songs per year, OK.

You also have a problem that an album is a compilation of different types of cuts. If one song on the album is sexually explicit and all the rest of it sounds like Pat Boone, what do you get on the album? How are you going to rate it?

There are little technical difficulties here, and and you have the problem of having somebody in the position of deciding what's good, what's bad, what's talking about the devil, what is too violent, and the rest of that stuff.

But the point I made before is that when you rate the album you are rating the individual, because he takes personal responsibility for the music; and in the movies, the actors who are performing in the movie, it does not hurt them.

Senator HOLLINGS. Well, very good. I think the actual printing of the content itself is perhaps even better than the rating. Let everyone else decide.

Mr. ZAPPA. I think you should leave it up to the parents, because not all parents want to keep their children totally ignorant.

Senator HOLLINGS. Well, you and I would differ on what is ignorance and education, I can see that. But if it was there, they could see what they were buying and I think that is a step in the right direction.

As Senator Exon has pointed out, the primary movers in this particular regard are not looking for legislation or regulations, which is our function. To be perfectly candid with you, I would look for regulations or some kind of legislation, if it could be constitutionally accomplished, unless of course we have these initiatives from the industry itself.

I think your suggestion is a good one. If you print those words, that would go a long way toward satisfying everyone's objections.

Mr. ZAPPA. All we have to do is find out how it is going to be paid for.

Senator HOLLINGS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Hawkins.

Senator HAWKINS. Mr. Zappa, you suy you have four children?

Mr. ZAPPA. Yes, four children.

Senator HAWKINS. Have you ever purchased toys for those children?

Mr. ZAPPA. No; my wife does.

Senator HAWKINS. Well, I might tell you that if you were to go in a toy store — which is very educational for fathers, by the way; it is not a maternal responsibility to buy toys for children — that you may look on the box and the box says, this is suitable for 5 to 7 years of age, or 8 to 15, or 15 and above, to give you some guidance for a toy for a child.

Do you object to that?

Mr. ZAPPA. In a way I do, because that means that somebody in an office someplace is making a decision about how smart my child is.

Senator HAWKINS. I would be interested to see what toys your kids ever had.

Mr. ZAPPA. Why would you be interested?

Senator HAWKINS. Just as a point of interest.

Mr. ZAPPA. Well, come on over to the house. I will show them to you.

Senator HAWKINS. I might do that.

Do you make a profit from sales of rock records?

Mr. ZAPPA. Yes.

Senator HAWKINS. So you do make a profit from the sales of rock records?

Mr. ZAPPA. Yes.

Senator HAWKINS. Thank you. I think that statement tells the story to this committee. Thank you.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Zappa, thank you very much for your testimony.

Mr. ZAPPA. Thank you.

Speaking of Tony Senatore...

About a month and a half ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Senny perform with Andy Rothstein.
Here are some pictures and a video from that performance.

Tony Senatore's Holyland

Some time ago, I found out an old high school buddy of mine recorded and released an album. Having already known what a talented bassist he was (and that was before he was 20), I bought two, figuring I'd want to share it with someone. I shared it with a modern-day friend of mine, Bill Knispel.
Being a lover of music whose passion likely surpasses my own, I knew he'd appreciate Senny's album, and I asked him if he could review it.
He was more than happy to oblige, and his review can be viewed here:
http://billsprogblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/cd-review-tony-senatore-holyland-2005.html

Bluetooth: The epitome of self-importance?

Quite often in social networking circles, I come across people that have a clear disdain for those that wear bluetooth headsets (a.k.a. hands-free). In some cases, people only loathe those that wear their BT practically 24/7. In other cases, they hate anyone that wears a BT at all...ever. Then you have those who feel that a BT is only acceptable while driving, and that it should be removed immediately upon exiting your vehicle.

You know what I hate? The self-important people that drive while holding a phone to their ear (illegal in my home state of NJ, btw) who THINK that they drive just fine that way (trust me, they DON'T), as well as similar douche-bags who hold a phone to their ear in a store while trying to steer a shopping cart with their elbow and generally being oblivious to their surroundings.

I happen to use a BT quite often.
No, I'm not one of those that wears it at the dinner table (home or out), or when socializing with real people, in person.

However, I do wear it pretty much all day, every day, Monday-Friday. This is because I work as a sales rep and I'm in and out of my car and stores all day, and I work with my hands. Should I happen to receive a call (business or personal), I don't want to get slowed down by holding the phone with one hand while trying to be productive with the other like I see so many assholes do all day.

The other reason is because in addition to having a BT connected to two phones at once (personal and work cells), here is a picture of my work cell phone:

Now, I'm sorry, but I am NOT going to hold that contraption to my head. That would look dumber than any BT headset I could possibly wear.

As I said to a friend of mine the other day, I think overall, people have more of a loathing for LOUD talkers than anything else. Whether they hold a phone to their head or use a BT, THEY are the arrogant douches.

So if anyone sees me wearing my BT anywhere outside my car, and you don't like it, you have my blessing to fornicate with your maternal ascendant.

Bill's Prog Blog: CD REVIEW: Frogg Café - The Safenzee Diaries (200...

No, I'm not going to be linking back to every one of Bill's blog entries, but since this is a republish of a review of one of my favorite live albums, I wanted to share this as well.

Bill's Prog Blog: CD REVIEW: Frogg Café - The Safenzee Diaries (200...: "(NB: this review was originally web published 3 April 2007.) Robert Fripp of King Crimson once made a series of analogies comparing the b..."

Bill's Prog Blog: CD REVIEW: Frogg Café - Bateless Edge (2010, 10T R...

Check out this review of a great album, then follow Bill's blog, then buy the album. In that order.

Bill's Prog Blog: CD REVIEW: Frogg Café - Bateless Edge (2010, 10T R...: "THE ARGUMENT: In which a gauntlet is thrown down… I have been planning a review of the new Frogg Café album, Bateless Edge, for a short ..."

Jethro Tull - Stand Up Collector's Edition

Good news for Jethro Tull fans at spincds.com

Jethro Tull - Stand Up (2CD/DVD Collector’s Edition)
Label: EMI
Format: CD (three)

This item is due to be released on 27 Sep 2010 and will be dispatched when we receive stock.

Description
CD 1:
Stand Up Original album
1. A New Day Yesterday
2. Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square
3. Bouree
4. Back To The Family
5. Look Into The Sun
6. Nothing Is Easy
7. Fat Man
8. We Used To Know
9. Reasons For Waiting
10.For A Thousand Mothers

Bonus tracks:
11.Living In The Past
12.Driving Song
13.Sweet Dream

14.17 *
15.Living In The Past (original mono single version) *

Top Gear BBC Radio session recorded on 16/6/69 and broadcast on 22/6/69:
16.Bouree *
17.A New Day Yesterday *
18.Nothing Is Easy *
19.Fat Man *

20.Stand Up US radio spot # 1
21.Stand Up US radio spot # 2

All tracks stereo except * mono.

CD 2:
Live At Carnegie Hall, 1970
1. Nothing Is Easy
2. My God
3. With You There To Help Me/By Kind Permission Of
4. A Song For Jeffrey
5. To Cry You A Song
6. Sossity, You’re A Woman/Reasons For Waiting/Sossity, You’re A Woman
7. Dharma For One
8. We Used To Know
9. Guitar Solo
10.For A Thousand Mothers

DVD:
Live At Carnegie Hall, 1970
Carnegie Hall audio: DTS & Dolby Digital 24 bit 48kHz
5.1 surround sound and 2.0 24 bit 48 kHz LPCM stereo (no footage of the concert).

1. Introduction
2. Nothing Is Easy
3. My God
4. With You There To Help Me/By Kind Permission Of
5. A Song For Jeffrey
6. To Cry You A Song
7. Sossity, You’re A Woman/Reasons For Waiting/Sossity, You’re A Woman
8. Dharma For One
9. We Used To Know
10.Guitar Solo
11.For A Thousand Mothers

DVD Bonus Feature
An interview with Ian Anderson, London, 2010

All tracks stereo except * mono.

DVD:
Aspect ratio 16:9
Region: 0
NTSC
Duration:
Carnegie Hall audio: DTS & Dolby Digital 24 bit 48kHz 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 24 bit 48 kHz LPCM stereo

Stand Up was released on Island records in the UK on August 1st, 1969 (catalogue no.: ILPS 9103) and in the US on Reprise Records on September 29th, 1969 (catalogue no.: RS6360).

Living In The Past/Driving Song was released on single on Island Records on May 2nd 1969 (catalogue no.: WIP 6056) and in the US on Reprise Records on July 28th, 1969 (catalogue no.: Reprise 0845).

Sweet Dream/17 was released on single on Chrysalis/Island Records in the UK on October 3rd, 1969 (catalogue no.: WIP 6070).

Musicians on Stand Up:
Ian Anderson (flute, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, bouzouki, mouth organ, vocals)
Martin Barre (electric guitar, flute on Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square)
Clive Bunker (drums and percussion)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
David Palmer (string arrangement and conductor on Reasons For Waiting)
Recorded at Morgan Studios, London from April 17th to May 1st, 1969 except Bouree recorded at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London on April 24th, 1969)

Musicians on Living In The Past:
Ian Anderson (flute, vocal)
Martin Barre (electric guitar)
Clive Bunker (drums and percussion)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
Lou Toby (string arrangement and conductor of members of The New York Symphony Orchestra)
Backing track and vocals recorded on March 3rd, 1969 at Vantone Studios, West Orange, NJ.

Musicians on Driving Song:
Ian Anderson (flute, vocal)
Martin Barre (electric guitar)
Clive Bunker (drums)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
Recorded on March 18th, 1969 at Western Recorders, L.A..

Musicians on Sweet Dream:
Ian Anderson (12 string guitar, flute, vocal)
Martin Barre (electric guitar)
Clive Bunker (drums)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
David Palmer (string arrangement and conductor)
Recorded on August 31st, 1969 at Morgan Studios, London.

Musicians on 17:
Ian Anderson (flute, vocal)
Martin Barre (electric guitar)
Clive Bunker (drums)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
Recorded on September 11th, 1969 at Morgan Studios, London.

Musicians on the John Peel Session:
Ian Anderson (flute, harmonica, vocals)
Martin Barre (guitars)
Clive Bunker (drums)
Glenn Cornick (bass)

Musicians on the Carnegie Hall recording:
Ian Anderson (flute, harmonica, vocals)
Martin Barre (guitars)
Clive Bunker (drums)
Glenn Cornick (bass)
John Evan (Hammond organ and piano)

(EMI)

Posted via email from RAW UNBRIDLED BUFFOONERY

New Technology Could Replace HDMI With Ethernet Cables - PCWorld

Are HDMI's days numbered? They might be if a new a new audio/video (A/V) cable standard developed by four tech companies catches on.

The newly finalized cable technology, known as HDBaseT, transfers audio and video signals over ordinary RJ-45 ethernet cables. It's the result of an effort that started a little over six months ago by LG, Samsung, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Valens Semiconductor,

Goodbye, HDMI

The venerable HDMI cable was first produced back in 2003, and the rise of Blu-ray and the growing popularity of HDTV fueled its adoption.

While HDMI has several advantages to other sorts of A/V cables, it isn't without its problems. The technology often suffers from switching delays and is known for its limitations when it comes to cable length--problems that HDBaseT could solve.

The Benefits of HDBaseT

HDBaseT will be able to deliver full-HD video, audio, Web connectivity, and power over one cable simultaneously. Whereas a HDMI cable can be no more than a few meters in length, HDBaseT supports cables up to 100 meters long. The new cable spec can also carry 100 watts of power via the cable.

But what do all these promising advantages really mean? The back of any TV is usually an unsightly mess of cables. If this specification proves popular, it'll mean fewer cables. A single cable would not only power your television, but it could also send in all your data--sound, visuals, and more. Replacing multiple cables with just one is a welcome change.

When Will It Become Commonplace?

The HDMI cable isn't dead just yet, but the HDBaseT alliance hopes that devices supporting the new standard will ship later this year, with the new cable becoming more widely adopted during 2011. Whether this desire will become a reality remains to be seen, especially since an updated HDMI specification is expected in the not-too-distant future.

You can find more information--including this comparison table (PDF)--on the HDBaseT Website.

Would you like to see one cable to rule them all? Let us know in the comments.

[HDBase-T via Thinq]

For more geeky updates, follow Chris Brandrick and GeekTech on Twitter.

via pcworld.com

Posted via email from RAW UNBRIDLED BUFFOONERY

Are You Raising a Douchebag?

This is a great article. I see this developing sense of entitlement (and where it comes from) just about every day.
Unfortunately, the people that will write it off as hogwash after the first two paragraphs and not read further are likely the ones who can answer "Yes" to the headline.
For the record, I'm not a parent and I read every word.

Click HERE for the original article.

Are You Raising a Douchebag?

Your indulgent parenting is spawning a generation of entitled hipster brats.

By David Hochman,

Photograph by Alex Tehrani

Let us begin with the assumption that if you are a parent, you wish for your child every advantage and opportunity. From the ergonomic high chair to that all-important first sushi experience and beyond, life should be as golden for your little one as it is for, say, Pax Jolie-Pitt.

But inevitably the moment arrives when all your doting and care come back on you in the form of a precocious little barb that reminds you in no uncertain terms of . . . you. It might be that his friend Jake's eighth-birthday party was "unbelievably lame" or that "it's weird that Brandon's family flies first-class and we don't," or maybe it's simply that "these taquitos taste like turd."

It's then that you must reckon with the real possibility that your drive to make little Johnny better, smarter, and hipper has merely turned him into a douchebag. Put it this way: If it's your child, not you, who gets to choose your weekend brunch spot, or if he's the one asking how the branzino is prepared, it's probably time to take a hard look at your own behavior.

It's not like we're the first generation to turn out Frankenkinder. Since the dawn of time, parents have been dressing their kids in ridiculous sailor suits and dragging them on ski trips to Gstaad. But lately it feels like we're scaling new heights as bad examples. We create parenting blogs that transform our preschoolers into fetishized celebrities. We subscribe to magazines that suggest buying a 5-year-old a $400 Marc Jacobs cashmere hoodie. We think it's cute when our kids learn to text message (until we realize POS means "parent over shoulder") and quietly rejoice when they can tell which Ramone is Dee Dee and which one is Joey.





Alas, convenient as it might be, we can't blame the children. "There's no such thing as a spoiled gene," says parenting expert Michele Borba, author of Don't Give Me That Attitude! "The brat factor is all learned." Which means that if you're the dad pushing Junior around in a limited-edition Bugaboo stroller by Bas Kosters ($2,000), carrying a Louis Vuitton diaper bag ($1,380), and checking in at a members-only parenting club like Citi-babes in Manhattan (annual membership: $2,000), your offspring are probably developing some serious entitlement issues. Just read the news. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the rise of sixth-grade "fashion bullies" who terrorize peers who don't wear Junior Dolce & Gabbana. Then there was the New York Times article on youngsters—4-year-olds!—who fancy themselves collectors of highly coveted works of art.

It's not just about money, though. Since the nineties, a surge in overprotective parenting has promoted discussion over discipline and made leisure activities contingent upon nanny CPR training (have you ever even considered letting your kid play with a pocket knife or a rusty Flexible Flyer, never mind have a paper route?).

In 1999, Katie Allison Granju wrote a book, Attachment Parenting, about the virtues of catering to the needs and emotions of the very young, from breast-feeding-on-demand to co-sleeping. While she still advocates that approach, she also believes that society tries to turn babies into children too fast and then treats older kids much like babies. Her forthcoming book is titled Let Them Run With Scissors: How Over-Parenting Hurts Children, Parents and Society. "We no longer allow children to have personal autonomy, to experience hard knocks, or to take real risks," she says. "The result is a nation of overweight, overindulged, overly neurotic kids who whine and moan and often can't function on their own."

It certainly doesn't help that we 21st- century thirty- and fortysomething parents expect our children to dress, speak, and appreciate Roxy Music just like us. "The Mini-Me phenomenon of kids wearing Sex Pistols T-shirts and sending back foie gras is cute but also gross and dangerous," says Ada Calhoun, the editor-in-chief of Babble, an online bible for hipster parents. "If you've turned your kid into a carbon copy of yourself, that kid loses his voice. He's only trying to please the grown-up, who only wants to live vicariously through the kid."





Greg Ramey is a child psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience counseling families and children at Dayton Children's in Dayton, Ohio. He says the biggest change he's seen is that parents no longer want to act like parents. "Over and over, I see parents who try to be their kids' best friends," he says. "That's a flashing red light. Our kids don't need to be our buddies. They can like us when they're 30. Mostly what kids want is for a parent to be in charge."

The consequences of parental boundary blurring are everywhere. As Vanity Fair recently noted, 2007 is the "year the mothers of Hollywood's wild girls—Paris, Lindsay, and Britney—have found themselves almost as much a part of the tabloid circus as the daughters themselves."

Fortunately, it's never too late to fix the problem. Sharon Pieters sees kids with terrible behavior make the turnaround week after week, and it has everything to do with parenting, she says. The former nanny runs Child Minded, a parent-coaching company that goes into homes to vanquish the Scylla and Charybdis of offspring hell: disrespect and boorishness. For $1,200 a day, Pieters will help parents tame their brats. Whether it's a problem with too much stuff ("I visited some kids in Long Island who had their own moon bounce," Pieters says) or incessant back talk ("Some children's vocabulary is limited to 'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!'"), the solution is the same: "Set limits and stick to them." The hard part for most moms and dads is admitting there's a problem in the first place. Borba, the parenting writer, says, "The last thing parents today want after a day of work is to come home and be a cop. They think it's going to hurt the child's self-esteem to get a hard no. But you have to look at your kids and say, 'Are they turning out the way I want them to turn out?' If not, it's up to you to start to change things."

That takes care of the kids, but what about you? A possible solution comes from Asra Q. Nomani, who recently wrote an essay on Babble about being trapped in a cycle of out-of-control birthday parties, in which she kept trying to outdo the previous year's festivities. Turns out what her kid liked most wasn't the trip in the limo to the recording studio or even the playtime with a real tiger cub. It was the simpler, everyday stuff, the things that any kid's birthday party might include, like a birthday cake. Which makes you realize, the next time your inner douchebag tells you to book Criss Angel for your son's fifth birthday, you might want to take a deep breath and give yourself a hard no.

Posted via email from FZDolfan's Posterous

Pride? What about loyalty?

On the road today, I saw a car with one of those window mount flags (like the ones everyone had after 9/11), and it was the flag of England. In the United States of America, on the day when the USA played against England in the World Cup, a citizen (presumably) of this country was waving a flag of England.
This is something that I could never fathom. Why would a citizen of the United States champion for a foreign country over their own? Of course you also see shows of support for other countries as well from Americans. I just don't get it. I mean, when you were in high school or college, did you redirect your allegiance towards the school that your parents or grandparents went to (especially if they were playing against your school)? Some may say that it's not the same thing. Well, yeah...it is. If you are a citizen of the USA, you are an American, plain and simple. I don't care if you're of Italian, Greek, Portuguese, or Irish descent. If you're a citizen and resident of the USA, you're an American. You're a part of "team" America.
If you're ashamed to call yourself an American before your country of ancestry...if your "motherland" is so much better, then please, by all means don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

Oh, and before some wise-ass tries to call me out on the fact that I am a Miami Dolphins fan living in New Jersey, forget it. That's NOT the same thing, and I'll explain why.
When the USA has a team, it is made up of Americans. As Americans, we are by default a "part" of it. When you are a student of a school, that school's team is made up of other students of that school. Again, by default you are a part of them.
But in the case of professional American sports, the Miami Dolphins are not comprised of residents of Miami. They are paid employees doing a job for an employer that happens to have it's office in Miami. Even the residents of Miami are not a direct "part" of the team. They just happen to share real estate with the team's office.
It's not the same thing.

In search of Keith Moon

Check out the drummer in this video. He's like a caricature of Keith Moon (if that's even possible).

Posted via email from FZDolfan's Posterous

Finally! New Frogg Café!

Some of you are familiar with this great band.
For those that aren't, to borrow and paraphrase from Frank Zappa, check out..."the best band you haven't heard in your life."

FROGG CAFÉ Release “Bateless Edge” on 10T Records

 

Charleston, SC – June 1, 2010 (10T Records) – 10T Records is ecstatic to

announce the release of the brand new studio release by FROGG CAFÉ,

entitled “Bateless Edge.”  This will be the New York-based band’s fourth

studio release and will be officially released by 10T Records on July

2nd, 2010.

 

On “Bateless Edge,” Frogg Café consists of Bill Ayasse (violin,

mandolin, vocals, hand percussion), James Guarnieri (drums,

glockenspiel, orchestral percussion), Andrew Sussman (bass, cello,

acoustic guitar), Nick Lieto (lead vocals, keyboards, trumpet,

flugelhorn), John Lieto (trombone), and features the triumphant return

of co-founding member, Frank Camiola (guitar, string bass, banjo).

“Bateless Edge” is a stunning 78-minute statement, described by

bassist/composer Andrew Sussman as a "reflection on incidents revolving

around our own personal lives, as well as an integrated and newly formed

sound that takes this band into realms that have been unexplored until

now."  “Bateless Edge” sees Frogg Café fearlessly breaking new musical

ground while crafting some of the darkest and most intense musical

statements made thus far by this ever-evolving band.

 

In this elaborate journey, Frogg Café explores many new textures and

colors that add great dimension to the contemporary jazz-fusion sound

that is unmistakably their own.  The band incorporates for the first

time detailed orchestration akin to symphony music.  Clarinets,

mandolins, cellos, glockenspiels, bass clarinets, xylophones, string

quartets and many other instruments all integrate to create a soundscape

that will yield the listener infinite details on future listens.

Classical Indian influences also find their way into the mix, along with

new levels of intricate compositional complexity, including a track that

boasts a 28-page musical score consisting of roughly twenty-five

different instruments.

 

Many additional instrumentalists were recruited to record this latest

opus, including Andrew Sussman's father, Steve Sussman, on clarinet,

Cardboard Amanda member, Dee Harris, on Indian Slide guitar and

Tamboura, as well as fellow 10T artists, Vessela Stoyanova (Fluttr

Effect), and Steve Kastikas (Little Atlas).

 

“Frogg Café is very special to 10T Records,” says label president Steve

Carroll.  “They were one of the bands that were foundational to the

creation of 10T, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing this

release to the world.  It is quite simply the definitive creative

statement for a band that has consistently made a career out of being

among the best of the best.”

 

“Bateless Edge” is available for pre-order starting on June 1, 2010. 

All orders received between now and the official release date will ship

by the end of the week prior to the official release.

 

Additionally, everyone who pre-orders “Bateless Edge” will receive

exclusive FREE temporary access to download “On the LillyPadd,” a full

length digital album featuring the following previously unreleased Frogg

Café recordings:

 

1. A Brass Quartet piece called "Prelude" that was originally

recorded for Bateless Edge, but was cut due to time constraints. 

 

2. A 25-minute in the studio spaced-out Frogg jam called "At the

Table of the Leptons". 

 

3. Excerpts from a never-released live show from Orion Studios

recorded in Dec. 2006.  

 

The band feels that this was one of their best shows, and features never

been heard tracks.

 

All tracks from “Bateless Edge” are currently available to preview in

their entirety through the 10T Records website:

http://10trecords.com/artists/genres/progressive-experimental/frogg-cafe/discography/

 

After July 2, “Bateless Edge” will be available through your favorite

retail outlet for immediate purchase.

 

For further information: Steve Carroll 10T Records www.10trecords.com

Posted via email from FZDolfan's Posterous

Home Theater Concert: Jethro Tull

I've been a fan of Jethro Tull for about 33 years now, and they are easily one of my favorite artists of all time. In fact, among my all-time favorite artists, only Kansas matches (and just barely surpasses) them in longevity, being a favorite of mine since 1976.
I own every official Tull album and DVD or Blu-ray disc. I just watched the latest DVD, 'Live at AVO Session Basel.' As far as modern-day Tull goes, this is a great DVD. The performance is well executed as per usual Ian Anderson standards, and the setlist contains a good mix of older tracks (the only song written after 1978 is Rocks On The Road from 1991's Catfish Rising album), including a few rarely played ones like Nursie, Dharma For One, and Heavy Horses. It's a good selection of songs that Ian's very limited vocal range can and does handle pretty well. The band can still rock pretty well, albeit with a slightly more subdued sound. I can't really put my finger on it...it just doesn't pack the same punch as it used to (musicians' ages shouldn't affect the sound of the instruments). On the up side, I think Martin's guitar playing has only gotten better over the years, and Ian can still belt it out on the flute. On the down side, while limited to only one track here (IIRC), that dreaded accordion is still present. I was hoping that was just a phase Ian was going through, but it's gone on way too long to be a phase. All in all I really enjoyed it, although I still like the Live At Montreaux 2003 performance a little better.
The one disappointment in this for me is that it was not released on Blu-ray, only DVD. Judging by the video, it seems to be near-HD quality, so why it was not released as a Blu-ray disc escapes me.

Home Theater Concert: Jeff Beck

Just finished watching 'Jeff Beck Performing this week: Live At Ronnie Scott's' on Blu-ray disc.

Now, I should point out that I have never claimed to be a huge Jeff Beck fan. I own maybe half a dozen CDs of his, but I never really kept up with his work. On top of that, I never listed him as one of my favorite guitarists (although I do consider him a great guitarist).

That being said, I had heard and read a lot of great things about this disc, so I decided to pick it up. Needless to say, I do not regret this decision in the least. First, the audio and video quality on this disc is amazing, akin to the Return to Forever Live at Montreaux BD. Of course, not to be outdone by the film and sound crew, the performance is outstanding, with a nice blend of rock, jazz, and fusion selections, and is sure to please even the most casual Jeff Beck fan. In fact, even if you're just a fan of music you'd probably get enjoyment out of this disc. Accompanying Jeff in the core band for this performance is Jason Rebello on keyboards, my second favorite Zappa drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (second to T. Bozzio IMO), and the extremely talented and very cute Tal Wilkenfeld on bass. Guest appearances include Joss Stone, Imogen Heap, and Eric Clapton.

Also, as a bonus (exclusive to the Blu-ray), you get a shorter Rockabilly set with Jeff and the Big Town Playboys as sort of an opening performance (if you watch it first, which I did not).

In any case, if you're a fan of good musical performances, I highly recommend this disc. If you're a fan of Jeff Beck, it's a no-brainer.

NYC board backs plan to build mosque near Ground Zero -

I am pretty much speechless. I really don't even know what to say to this, other than that white guilt in this country has officially gone too far.

NYC board backs plan to build mosque near Ground Zero -

Sirius XM Showcases Opie & Anthony - SiriusBuzz

In an interesting content move Sirius XM Radio is showcasing the Opie & Anthony show all month on Sirius XM Stars Too. The O & A showcase will run through June 18th. The radio personalities have been an XM staple for many years and are well known for on air antics and some infamous stunts that had them fired from terrestrial radio stations in years past.
The Opie & Anthony Show runs from 6:00 AM to 11AM EST on the XM Satellite Radio platform sharing the same time slot as Howard Stern, which is on the Sirius platform. By simulcasting Opie & Anthony on Sirius Stars Too, the duo is available on both platforms.
Sirius XM is essentially giving Sirius subscribers a taste of what is available on the BEST OF package for XM while the company seeks out a way to replace the morning slot void on Sirius XM Stars Too left by Vinnie Politan. It is an interesting move in many ways. Some may even theorize that the company is showcasing Opie & Anthony as a negotiating ploy by Sirius XM in the Howard Stern contract talks. Sterns contract expires at the end of this year. No matter what the reason, the Opie & Anthony show is edgy, catchy, and entertaining.
Listeners can catch the show on Sirius XM Stars Too (Sirius 108 XM 139), as well as on the Virus channel 202 on XM or Sirius channel 197 for Sirius subscribers with the BEST OF XM package.
Position – Long Sirius XM Radio
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via siriusbuzz.com

Posted via web from FZDolfan's Posterous

Say goodbye to our sense of humor!

Yesterday I posted a viral video of a 2-year-old from Indonesia smoking a cigarette. Today that video was pulled by YouTube.
Now, I'm not saying smoking is good, ESPECIALLY for a baby. But I'm sorry, if you don't think a baby from halfway across the globe masterfully smoking a cigarette is funny, then I would recommend you reach behind yourself, firmly grasp the stick protruding from your ass, and yank it out.
There is humor in EVERYTHING; even if it's cringe humor. You just have to know how and where to look.
Here's the video on MSN.