Times Like These; Orange Crush. 2 important narrative songs about our times

Admittedly - I have a sucky computer and an unstable internet connection - but it seems to me that Youtube is doing everything they can to block my music listening.

I will not pay for content, the ad model is the thing.

This guy has it - he pretends to play along with the sound track from REM's Orange Crush - but really, you aren't that stupid are you? The crappy splices are the first clue.



But what about the fact I can't just listen to the radio on the internet?

I'm serious - what the fuck?

This one - which is the quinquennial video for this song - won't play on Youtube today for me on this system (Windows 2000 on a wifi connection which I found in the gutter) - let's see if it plays on embed... .





mh

"We Declare a New Enlightenment" - a response to David Lowery's 'A Letter to Emily'

Further on Music Lawyer Chris Castle's view of the Revolution - a link to - and a critique of - a piece by David Lowery - Lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Georgia, Artists Rights blogger at "The Trichordist", and former guitarist for Camper Van Beethoven:

The Trichordist, June 18, 2012 | "Letter to Emily White at NPR All Songs Considered."
by David Lowery
http://thetrichordist.com/2012/06/18/letter-to-emily-white-at-npr-all-songs-considered/


Interesting article (I suggest read it first; and then my retort below).


I posit that what we*, the internet generation are perusing is an open and free (as in connected) internet; and the problem with David Lowery's take is that it remains stuck in the old broadcast universe. What it doesn't see is that digital copying means that ALL content can no longer be held in a vault and distributed with the rotation of a turn-stile that is held open or closed by a vendor.

To explain I will make the following statement with in the context that I see, we exist in - as an extreme example to illustrate the point.

In order to illustrate how the new architecture of the digital content universe is so inexorably different that of the previous, just passed model represented by the movable type printing press (1440) to broadcast networks (1999) - the architecture of the world wide web - in a form as envisioned by it's founders, and integrated into the base level of ALL computers (the computing system under the Operating System - the computer itself), and the architecture that supports the world wide web - means that:

'All content that hither-to was produced with an eye to pay the creators and their partners via the turn-stile pay-per-view model ... is dead.'

Other-wise the internet will become an undemocratic place where the sum of all human knowledge will be parceled out to those you can afford it.

We stand at a nexus between a great democracy enabled by a world wide connectivity - or on the other hand, a connectivity that serves only an elite with special knowledge; that uses the web's other great possibility - it's ability to act as a two-way portal ... to surveil, and to use this function of the two-way technology to hold down the populace - to continue the 'special knowledge combine'. In short, to enable a global totalitarian epoch; a new Dark Age.

So when David Lowery compliments the internet generation's great moral and ethical stance on a wide variety of social justice issues - and then criticizes their immoral use of the www as it applies to how how they get their music - he does a great disservice to their ethical enlightenment. What they are doing in refusing the DRM, DMCA universe of the dinosaur broadcast (one-way) universe in the new, two-way universe.

It is nothing short of Martin Luther nailing the notice to the Holy Roman Empire's Church door.

'We declare a new enlightenment'.

The stark choice we face is - free all the content that was hither-to sold in order to pay the creators - and begin to find a new way to pay the creators. Creators will still create - we do this becuase we have to - it's not a career - it's like breathing air - all humans need to create - it's a foundation stone of what it means to be human. The cannons of a culture's creative content are crucial inexorable - not something fun, entertaining, titillating.

The recording industry will die, and so too will the TV networks - and the Newspapers - and Hollywood - and the Book Publishers ... But another way to employ creators and keep them crafting us our stories (we all are not the craft-persons we need to be to reflect back to us what we are). In short - the process that defines us - the act that is at the foundation for all other conversations in a culture ... will find a new metric; there is no question about that - and it will happen very quickly.

What needs to happen right now, is that the systems in place that dominate that content production economy, must get out of the way - and permit the new economy to birth and flourish.

The seeds and the sprouts of it are already abundant - they just aren't robust an spread around so much just yet.

Fear not, the future is coming - and it will be much better than the past.

Of this I believe, the digital generation is absolutely certain.


(I note that in this revolution there are a great number who may have little exposure to the philosophy here - but yet play with glutinous glee in this pirate garden that seems to be 'free' content. Nothing is free, the price may be quite steep after - by participating in this discussion I hope to shine some light towards that dark corner as well.)

____________________

Via today's email notification from Chris Castle's: MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY | "The MTP Interview: David Lowery on artist rights" - by Chris Castle | http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/the-mtp-interview-david-lowery-on-artist-rights/


* 'we, the internet generation' - in 2006 - from three newspapers every day, writing on paper, drawing on paper, recording to tape, broadcast TV - I turned it all off in the wake of the propaganda run-up to the Iraq War and the long unfolding of the horror itself; and dove - 'all-in' - into digital communications:
"michaelhollowaysblog" - 2006/12/20 | "The Tension of Life; and the Death of Ease." | http://michael-holloways-blog.blogspot.ca/2006/12/tension-of-life-and-death-of-ease.html




mh

You take the Low Road and I'll take the High Road --- I hate the way Texas Music Lawyer, Chris Castle sees the world

Chris Castle writes about music, technology and policy.

A subject very dear to my heart.

He and I don't see eye to eye.

Today he re-posted a post from 2012 in his blog, "Music • Tech • Policy" that I thought I'd comment on - but he uses WordPress and the widget there wanted me to give them my password in order to leave a comment.

No thanks - so here.

A casual example of how Google profits from lyric piracy and screws songwriters

June 4, 2012 by Chris Castle

I just happened to get a call from a songwriter about an illegal use of the lyrics from his songs. Thus we found http://www.lyrics007.com registered in–wait for it….China. Statshow estimates the monthly revenue is $41,000.00, 112,000,000 annual visitors and Google indexes over 600,000 pages.

After a little poking I found that Lyrics007 has just about any song you would want and–I know this will come as a shock–plenty of advertising. Served by? Google, of course. In fact, we saw plenty of ads for Google Play itself as well as YouTube partner promotions.

Little Big Town promotes Google Play and McDonalds as well as some drug ad for birth control:

IMAGE 1

Not only that, but Google is serving this illegal site ads for the H20 Festival and the Warped Tour to help a pirate site stay in business–oh, and make money for Google, of course.

IMAGE 2

And you know where the AdChoices “Free Music Download” ad goes to?

IMAGE 3

And then if Bob Dylan thought that getting a Presidential medal would get him any copyright protection, boy was he wrong:

...

[Read the rest and see the images at the link below]

To which I replied:

Why demonize Google? They're innovating all kinds of cool new ways to monetize music online using digital networking best practices.
You don't really want Google (all search engines) to stop listing do you?
What you really want is a bigger slice of an increasingly bigger online pie. Why not just say so?
I firmly believe that Artists should get 50% of all revenues derived from their work; so now that record companies no longer have a role in publishing and distribution - artists need to form a union of artists/publishers/distributors that fights for 50% of all revenues from all sources globally.
Google is your 'friend' - make the best deal you can - but not with threats to sue your friend (re: partner) - but with Artist's Unity! (and lawyers).

:)

Michael Holloway.
Singer-songwriter,
Toronto

P.S. Ethnocentric slurs aimed at China (cold war anti-communism?), and plays to divisive politics (moderating toxic effects of birth control pills) are very disturbing. Chris, please take the high road in this.

MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY - June 4, 2012 | "A casual example of how Google profits from lyric piracy and screws songwriters" by Chris Castle | http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/a-casual-example-of-how-google-profits-from-lyric-piracy-and-screws-songwriters/




mh

Imaginary Cities, Marti Sarbit's unique vocal stylings reminiscent of Winehouse

Warning: CBC Player plays automatically - to pause, scroll down and click.


Listening to Jonathan Goldstein's WireTap episodes at the new 'CBCMusic' portal (in beta) - listening to the episode, "The Pitch" I heard this amazing band...

My first thought: her voice is as powerful as the recently deceased one!

Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, Imaginary Cities
Featuring Marti Sarbit on vocals and co-writer Rusty Matyas
Debut album: "Temporary Resident" (2011)
Vinyl release: February 2012

Imaginary Cities - Ride This Out (acoustic version)


Imaginary Cities - Purple Heart (Official Music Video)




Found Imaginary Cities via the WireTap episode "The Pitch" recorded live at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival - and featuring special musical guests, Imaginary Cities. They play a beautiful, ethereal rendition of the song 'Ride This Out'. Totally mesmerizing.

WireTap | Friday, August 31, 2012 | "The Pitch"


This episode will die in two weeks from now (September 23,2012).
Warning: CBC Player plays automatically.



References:

CBC Music(beta) | Imaginary Cities | http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Imaginary-Cities

Canadian Interviews | Marti Sarbit and Rusty Matyas - In a Dreamlike State | http://www.canadianinterviews.com/interviews/index.php?ID=617

Imaginary Cities | http://www.imaginarycities.ca/usep/

Youtube Channel | Imaginary Cities | Videos | http://www.youtube.com/user/imaginarycities/videos

CBC Radio | WireTap | "The Pitch" | http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/episode/2012/08/31/summer-broadcast---the-pitch/

Wikipedia | Imaginary Cities | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_Cities



mh

"On Some Faraway Beach"
from, "Here Come The Warm Jets"
by Brian Eno




Via a blog post - http://benivulka.blogspot.ca/2012/04/blog-post.html

Listen to more Brain Eno at Youtube's new "Artist's Playlists" series - http://www.youtube.com/artist/brian_eno/videos?view=1

And, if your interested, Eno's previous incarnation Roxy Music - http://www.youtube.com/artist/roxy_music/videos?view=1



mh

Like "The Doors" - only Better - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Wow.

I did not know.


Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Red Right Hand"





mh

The Decemberists, 'Calamity Song'

Via - Joy of Sox: In The Year Of The Chewable Ambien Tab
.

Via - NPR: All Songs Considered



mh

Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" and Smashing Pumpkins "1979"

(Update: 23/02/2012 - 're-embedded' The Smashing Pumpkins' "1979" (EMI) from Dailymotion.)



I like this.

It reminds me of 1996 when the Smashing Pumpkins "1979" came out.



To me both entries are a dismal reality check - fifteen years apart.

Have we been moving sideways?

This cannot stand. Will not stand.

We are are the verge of something very profound I think.

Something wonderful.

Check out Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" at their site: http://www.arcadefire.com/the-suburbs/
(they're independent - so buy their stuff at their site)

Update: 11/12/11 - Pumkins taken down at Youtube - Fuck EMI - highlight and search.

Update: 23/02/2012 (found it on Dailymotion) - The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979 by EMI_Music



mh

Jonathan Mann's "Song A Day" up to #766 !

At Jonathan Mann's "SONGATRON" web site Mann's been posting an original composition - with a video - everyday for over TWO YEARS!

I found it via a search of playwright "Anton Piatigorsky" (who's play, ETERNAL HYDRA I'm going to see this afternoon) ... believe it or not ... (Google is magic).


At SONGATRON the magic of music and production is explained thusly:

"SONGATRON (noun): Mystery machine discovered by Jonathan Mann. SONGATRON makes videos and music daily. The results are posted here."

From Thursday, February 10th 2011,
Jonathan Mann and The Rock Cookie Bottom's

#766 Wren The Polyamourous Bear (LIVE!)

http://songatron.com/

Jonathan Mann's "Song A Day" at Youtube (all uploads).

Video: Jonathan Mann - A Brief History of Creative Work.



mh

End of the World Tour: Bob Wiseman with a Piano - I did not know...

Discovered Bob Wiseman via Tomboyfriend site (don't know how - but I did).

Listen to this experiment. He sets up what I believe is a straight E harmonic and then plays the bass part around it, carefully avoiding hitting the E note. No wait that's a low, low A, I think. I can sing with it but it's as low as I can go. Then the babbling brook changes the harmonic to a higher A. I think he's playing with-in a schematic diagram as he moves to higher and higher tones. Then he plays with percussion type stuff with that thing; yeah the piano thing, thing - and the stool too.



Glenn Gould.


Bob Wiseman's Youtube Channel.

Website:
http://www.bobwiseman.com

Bob TV.



mh

Heard this again today...

My Back Pages
Written by Pete Seeger
Performed by The Byrds

Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my maps
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I
Proud 'neath heated brow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.


Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull. I dreamed
Romantic facts of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.


Girls' faces formed the forward path
From phony jealousy
To memorizing politics
Of ancient history
Flung down by corpse evangelists
Unthought of, though, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.


A self-ordained professor's tongue
Too serious to fool
Spouted out that liberty
Is just equality in school
"Equality," I spoke the word
As if a wedding vow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.


In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.


Yes, my guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow.
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.

I grew up with Pete Seeger not ever far away. Who was Pete Seeger? From Flora.tv an audio of Seegar talking and singing live which was Seegar at his best. Great show here.

Pete Seeger on the First Amendment

Ford Hall Forum

Song Lyrics from SongMeanings.net



mh

David Bryne is just really good at expressing ideas with poetry

Saying that you 'get' a song just like the artist intended - or in other words that if you tried you could do that too. Or, that you're just like they are, that, so here's some writing that shows I think just like musician 'X'.

That just shows that you're insane.

This video by Talking Heads shows that I 'get' this song.



I'm just like Bavid Bryne.

He thinks that identity is the most important factor in the things that you do and vide-versa - and so do I (and so do I do not).

:)

Or perhaps David Bryne is just really good at expressing ideas with poetry.



mh

Pixies - Where is my Mind - Fight Club Video Medley

Watched Fight Club (1999) last night, online in 14 parts; it's been at least five years since my last viewing. The first time I saw the film was on DVD in late August 2001... about a week later...

Youtube user Musicofhope up loaded this edit of the movie with the Pixies as soundtrack, I like this one; the way I would have done it.

The Pixies' Where is my Mind is perfect for watching buildings fall.



The film builds a montage of post modern angst, military style team building (boot camp hazing) and the loss of identity in the post industrial revolution and the associated mental illnesses - and builds a convincing portrait of our times - and then blows it up!

Love that final scene.

Surfing Youtube, using 'Fight Club' as my search, I perceive there's a large sub-culture of fans who love the film just for the fight scenes.

I saw the fight scenes as a small arch in the story, the function of which is to enable our suspension of disbelief. Aptly the violence "Stockholm Syndromes" us into identifying with the schizophrenic mind of the Edward Norton character, the narrator. Near the end of the film, as the narrator comes to terms with his multiple personality disorder, we also experience a collapse in our belief in the narratitive.

But it's not over. We're still inside a second delusion, the movie-goers suspension of disbelief. As the narrator's alter ego character, Tyler Durden is extinguished in a suicide attempt, all appears to be resolved - then the song Where is my Mind begins and the banking towers begin their controlled demolition collapse - one by one by one...


A nice, if unintended 'future metaphor' for the 2007 banking collapse?

Beautify constructed film and a great story, from the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.



mh

Tomboyfriend - smarter than Roxy Music but not as old

Tomboyfriend is new, and you'll want to be seen listing to them. Whether it's on the subway or on your bike going to work - or at their upcoming dates around Toronto this fall in support of their new album "Don't go to School". Don't miss this chance to be cool like them kids, this could be you're last chance!

Toronto band Tomboyfriend also has a hit on their hands! Their witty rock and roll number "Almost/Always" should be rocketing up the charts with a bullet; but in these dieing days of pop music there is no chart, and no one knows what 'with a bullet' means.

We need someone to hole up at CityTV and play this video non-stop till the G20 riot police bust in and smash up the place.

My favourite line from my latest listening of the hit tune, Almost/Always,

She had
Nearly
The most gorgeous set of gestures and classy schtick
A slump like him had ever seen

Reminds me of The Kinks, and that band from St Catherines with that university hit... you know, with the line Switchen to Glide? Was that it? Yeah that worked:

Youtube, The Kings - This beat Goes On / Switchin Glide.

Well, The Kings song isn't as good as I remember. Tomboyfriend is better than that, on many levels. Local media are glowing with praise too;

"A performance art whirlwind," - Eye
"A more brilliant New Pornographers" - Playground
"A more-left-wing Hidden Cameras with a crazy fun Keith Cole aesthetic." - Fab

Reviews from, Tomboyfriend/facebook

Photo of the band from, No Media Kings.

Full lyrics for "Almost/Always" at Tomboyfriend/Facebook.



From Tomboyfriend/facebook;

Tomboyfriend has the following homes.

Website
http://tomboyfriend.com/

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tomboyfriend/33332066502

Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/Tomboyfriend

Twitter
http://twitter.com/tomboyfriend

CBC3
http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/bands/Tomboyfriend

More Press
http://www.ryankamstra.com/main/tomboyfriend.html

Check out a review from March 15, 2010 of Almost/Always by Shannon Moore at Paper Trail.



mh

WFMU - New York City - Hudson Valley - World

(And Keith Olbermann - below the fold)

I just found a radio station. I like "Ken" because of the music he plays. Here's his show from 18 August 2010 (embed).

Play list is here.



MORE button, or this one takes you to the WFMU site.

The site has a great play list lay-out with a spot for live listeners to send in pics and a place to comment or chat. There's also a huge archive of past shows, which you can listen to or download, in multiple formats.

Absolutely fabulous.

As I write, I'm listening to this for the first time. The third track from the August 18th show, "We've Got To Stop The Mosque At Ground Zero" by Trade Martin is intended as a cultural artifact, I think (I hope).

After a little research maybe Trade Martin wrote the song so that, that asshole (Alan Jackson) who wrote 'Where were you on 9/11?' couldn't, or wouldn't.

To spare us, you see...

The forth track is also a cultural artifact, and (I think) confirms my hypothesis above (Whisker Wetter Whiskey).

The stations 'about' section starts with,

"WFMU-FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station broadcasting at 91.1 Mhz FM in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. It is currently the longest running freeform radio station in the United States."

"Ken" later pokes fun a the foofarah about the Mosque they're going to build "..on the site of an old Burlington Coat Factory warehouse..." in lower Manhattan.


All I can say is it looks like the Park51 Community Center is going to get built faster than the Freedom Towers development that was supposed to show those... Egyptians?


Ah, the good old days of radio - where the DJ spins the records they want to spin, and perhaps they spin a story, or a theme. Or perhaps the things they're doing just make us make one up, one that has nothing to do with what said DJ is doing what so ever...

..humans... what will they think of next?

This is worth adding,




mh

Gram Parsons - "She"

Just joined this nice music collective in Facebook, "Roots and Rhinestones".

I was looking for a song that segued off a John Prine number, "Hello In There" posted by a friend earlier, and came up with this one.

Man, what a beautiful song - it been too long... from Gram Parsons, "She"




Video link updated 2014/08/15)




mh

Rebellion by The Arcade Fire

I like The Arcarde Fire.





mh

Rebel Rebel by David Bowie

I always thought this was about a woman, but what do I know...





mh

Foofighters, Times like These, Big Me - original videos

* * *

Posthumous Longtail Aperitif, September 10, 2010

After some articles are put to bed at FilterBlogs they get a Posthumous Longtail Aperitif; links to related articles published after my original post.

A breakdown of "Posthumous Longtail Aperitif":

* After, after, before.
* Finished but not finished, and at the beginning.


Dailymotion took down both videos in this article, I've replaced them with the same ones now posted in Youtube. Whatever.

Thanks to Youtube user, Soveringc for posting

Thanks for the continuing bullsh*t should go to FoofightersVEVO who are the people acting for the people who own this version of the Foofighters song and video, I guess...

* * *

Youtube doesn't have this version of the video, some sort of rights thing going on there, most of the old versions of the videos are now in the Vevo format, but this is not; this about breaking out of the box you're in - using the visual metaphor of consumerism - is the best of the lot, well maybe Big Me is as good...

First thing off the bridge: your Playstation!



Big Me - original video

What you buy is your identity, that and the things you do...



Thanks to Dailymotion user "huntylch" for posting.

Thanks to Dailymotion user "todoblanco" for posting.


* * *

New comments on the TakeDowns, September 10,2010

Artists should not sell the rights to their songs, all videos should be produced with the understanding that the final product is owned by the band and all rights are the bands. Producers are selling you sweet sugar vanity that has no intrinsic or lasting value; in exchange they receive your soul (your music) forever.

Something wrong with that isn't there? Outta be a law... (hey that's a good line for a song about this)



mh

Clarifying just one thing...

http://www.rheostaticslive.com/




That is all.



mh