"IN THE FUTURE"

molotov frijolero

Thanks to Lubzi for sharing the video link on Twitter.

Girl Talk 3 A.M. July 4, 2009 at Rothbury

Rothbury on the 4th of July

It's halftime at The Dead concert in the Rothbury Music Festival so I thought this would be a good moment to re-cap some of today's highlights and to post some photos.

GIRL TALK

This 24-hour time frame started with a frenetic 90-minute set by Girl Talk. Right before the show, some guy said GT “goes ape shit” while on stage. His assessment was close, as GT – whose real name is Gregg Gillis from Pittsburgh PA – incited the whole crowd to go ape shit in one big, bouncing dance party. It’s 2 a.m., do you know where your parents are? At that hour, who gives an ape shit?

GT commands that he is NOT a DJ. Instead, he is the leading innovator in the relatively new “mash-up” music genre. Gillis’s art takes samples of popular commercial recordings and mixes-and-matches and overlays seemingly mismatched songs into high-powered dance tunes that go in unpredictable, surprising directions. (Pop-up Michael Jackson riffs got the largest crowd reaction.) He creates clever, sometimes ironic, audio/musical collages. The crowds love GT. Recording conglomerates hate him.

I’ve always liked mash-up music genres and performers. Most recently The Nortec Collective's Mexican electronica has grabbed my attention. And I still greatly appreciate the early works of Dread Zeppelin, the reggae band fronted by an Elvis impersonator singing Led Zeppelin songs. You can hardly get more mashed up than that. Check ‘em all out, starting with Girl Talk.

GIRL TALK DANCE PARTY, 3 A.M.

THE DEAD

Tonight at Rothbury, we have the main attraction. Not Dread, but The Dead. This is the only stage going right now at Rothbury. The traveling Dead Heads are here. I talked to a guy from the East Coast who – like so many others – follows this band everywhere, Jerry Garcia or no Jerry Garcia. Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann quickly drew a crowd while visiting his art exhibit here at the festival. People were thanking him for all the memories. Tonight, from the looks of it, will be another good memory. The band is jamming in good Dead fashion.

BILL KREUTZMANN(right) GREETS SOME FANS

ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA

Zappa Plays Zappa performed earlier today with an impressive set of – what else? – Zappa tunes. Guitarist Dweezil Zappa (below) led the band through a rousing set and adding one more relentless performance to Rothbury’s relentless musical weekend. This festival’s reputation has grown with each quality performance and we still have one more day to go.

DWEEZIL ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA

MY FRIENDS ON THE 4TH OF JULY

Below are photos of concert goers dressed for Independence Day, 2009.

MISS AMERICA

MR. AMERICA

HIGH FLYING WOMAN

DEAD AMERICA

MI STATE POLICE PATROL (Note the Bubble Light on Top)

One more day! Should be fun.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Flogging Molly Flogging Michigan at the Rothbury Music Festival

I’m kicking back for the moment here at the 2009 Rothbury Music Festival in Rothbury, Michigan, waiting for super masher Girl Talk to come on stage at 2 a.m. and close the first full day of this remarkable festival. If you’re too cool to make plans and sittin’ around this holiday weekend, my recommendation is to grab your basic camping gearing, pack lots of loose change for the two-day ticket price, and drive over here in the morning. This world-class Michigan music event – in its second year – should not be missed if at all possible. Join me in partying like it's 1969, but without the free booze, drugs, and sex.

The crowd here – something like 30,000 strong? – was described to me as the children and grandchildren of Woodstock. And by the looks of it, I agree: socially-conscious, youthful, easy-going, doo-rags, a few dreads, and lots of tattoos – plus great taste in music. Okay, I don’t quite fit the demographic – tattoo embellishment never needed – but having grown up in The Nasty, I’m still down wit-it. Still, at my age, I have the small weekend goals of (1) having fun, (2) covering the event as a blogger, and (3) getting home on Monday with my dignity. I’ll take two out of three if I can convince a crowd to make an old man happy and just once body surf him across the crowd. That would make a great video posting, dignity be damned.

Good Golly, Flogging Molly

I already know one of my highlights of the weekend will be the performance of the Irish band, Flogging Molly. They are known to many for their high-energy Celtic-rock. They were know to me, personally, as the band listed on the obnoxious green t-shirt worn often by my bud, Lansing activist Chris Singer. I’ve got to say, the praise heaped on this band by Chris was well-deserved..

Flogging Molly took the stage mid-day and lit up the crowd with an impressive 90-minute set, songs familiar to everyone except me. The crowd and the band traded on the energy of the moment. The mosh pit in front was sizeable and a few people – no old guys – surfed across the crowd. I walked away determined to download all their music and you may soon see me wearing a green obnoxious Flogging Molly t-shirt (not).

Hangin' Backstage with Flogging Molly

That’s it for now. Looking at the clock, Girl Talk goes on stage in 90 more minutes. I’ll be there, camera and Red Bull in hand.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Saturday Night, 1979

I stopped by Peanut's 30th birthday party last night. I got there kinda late, sometime closer to 10 p.m. -- just like the Friday nights 30 years ago for me when, in the words of Waylon, the night began a new day.

Thirty years ago the biggest sound and largest hit music was from my contemporary, Michael Jackson. Back then, Michael and his brothers -- newly branded The Jacksons -- released what is still my favorite song from their catalogue, "Shake Your Body to the Ground." On those weekend nights in 1979 that song could get any party started. Even back then, I only danced when I had to, and on Saturday nights in low-lit McDonald Hall dorm room parties, well, I just had to when that song came on. I always begrudged Michael for his impossible-to-duplicate-freak-of-nature dance moves; but he deserves all the thanks in the world for throwing so many of us together on sweaty dance floors and making our lives a little more fun and interesting.

Peanut didn't have any loud dance music going at that late hour last night.

That's okay.

I still only dance when I have to.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

TURN UP THE VOLUME

A May Day Song for America

I hope everyone had a wonderful May Day today, which is Labor Day internationally.  The United States does not participate in this activity as civilized nations around the world do, just as it does not provide national health care for its citizens.  Our lack of participation is especially ironic this year, as working people are relied upon to provide the profits for corporations through their labor and consumerism and are also called upon to bail out inept corporate executives and the wilding financiers of Wall Street with their tax dollars.  Aren't toxic assets enough reward for our laborers on this special day?

Well, as this day comes to a close, I want to dedicate the song (below) to everyone in America who may have missed the May Day celebration.  The song is 'America" by the great American artist, Prince.  

Peace!

-- Rico Thomas Rico

         

'Tis the Season

Here in mid-Michigan we are getting our first real snow today. Now this weather development should mark the official start of the winter holiday season. Some people started way too early and there oughtta be a law that prevents people from starting the overly-commercialized Christmas stuff prior to Thanksgiving, as businesses and neighbors have been doing the past few years. The Christmas shopping used to kick off the day immediately following Thanksgiving and the ostentatious Christmas lights didn't get flicked on until then, also. So let's get the law introduced and passed; there should be enough lame ducks running around to get it done. Then we can work on yanking the FCC license of the local radio station that has been playing Christmas music for something like the last three months.

Through all that ranting, let me back up, catch my breath, and wish you a Happy Holiday! Yes, "Happy Holiday!" by which I mean Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Day. My well wishes also include holiday greetings for those of us who celebrate the "Festivus for the Rest of Us" on December 23rd. It's all wrapped up in the "holiday" in "Happy Holiday."

Last year's holiday episode did not dissuade me from being optimistic about the season, believe it or not. I have even posted some holiday music on this blog for you to enjoy (see jukebox at top right). So turn up the sound, hit play, and sit back and listen to some holiday music. Cheers!

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Music Video: History is Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Turn your sound up and hit play. This is the music video using the pictures from the Election Night Celebration at Gone Wired Cafe. It's a feel-good week all the way around, let's enjoy it now before we get down to business.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED!

Pix(s) of the Week: Byrne Plays Ann Arbor

The camera phone on my PDA doesn't take that great of photos. But I didn't mind using it at the David Byrne concert last night because I figured the images would fit a short musical animoto piece. The musical montage is below. Turn up the volume for the proper effect.

While at the Michigan Theater, I noticed the announcement that the Talking Heads' great concert movie, Stop Making Sense, will be shown on Saturday, November 1, 2008, starting at 7 p.m. Which means only one thing: ROAD TRIP! Contact me if you would like to make the drive to Ann Arbor next week to see the show.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Byrne, Baby, Byrne!

David Byrne's concert in Ann Arbor tonight was a good blend of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He artfully blended music from his solo work, Talking Heads catalogue, and new and existing Brian Eno collaborations into a well-paced, two-hour show at the Michigan Theater. Three generations of fans ended up enjoying a rousing dance party as only Byrne can throw it.

Byrne, dressed in all white and with a full head of silver hair, worked well with a new cast of musicians and dancers to put everyone through the paces, literally. It took five songs into the show -- with "Houses in Motion" -- for the crowd to get moving as bass player Paul Frazier finally gave everyone the hand signal to get up and dance. That moment loosened everything up and the energy was flowing from then on.

This tour is subtitled "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" but Bryne let loose with a variety of familiar Talking Heads tunes. Bryne performed two live renditions of songs from "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts," replacing the public source sounds with his own vocalization. He played crowd-pleasers "Once in a Lifetime" and "Life During Wartime," in a string of crowd-pleasers. Throw in some high energy choreography and Bryne's guitar work and it was a great night of music and fun.

The only thing better on a night like this would be a reunion tour of...Sorry, I couldn't resist.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

David Byrne (center)

Ann Arbor, Michigan

24 October 2008

Everything Happens Friday

I’ll be in Ann Arbor for the big show this weekend.

Not football. I mean the David Byrne show at the Michigan Theater on Friday night.

I’m skipping Friday night hockey to catch Byrne’s concert tour featuring a new collaborative work with Brian Eno. I just happened to catch the news in the LA Times that the two musicians released a new work, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today." I haven’t heard the work yet – which is available only online at this point – but you can bet your stock portfolio that it will be, well, different.

Byrne is well-known for being the front man for the Talking Heads, one of the most original rock bands ever. Still, I don’t think Byrne’s solo work gets the wide-spread praise and attention that it should. In my book, he is responsible for three of the greatest musical-art-rock creations in the 20th century. One of them is his 1981 collaboration with Eno titled, “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.” The other two are Byrne’s “Music for the Knee Plays” and “The Catherine Wheel.”

I’ll report back after the show on Friday night. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to be sure to check out Byrne’s best solo works:

MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOST

It’s interesting to listen to “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” some 25 years after it was released. It’s almost as if Byrne-Eno anticipated the 24/7 chatterbox pundits incessantly flapping their lips across the radio and TV air waves. In this work, they combined recorded voices from public sources with their multi-rhythmic, electronic score. The voices and sounds of preachers, politicians, Middle Eastern singers, and others, even a real exorcism (“The Jezebel Spirit”), bounced around in the kaleidoscope of music. A jukebox sampling of this work is provided at right.

MUSIC FOR THE KNEE PLAYS

For years I guarded my one and only cassette copy of this work because it was never released as a CD. Now you get to hear the recording because it was finally released about two years ago.

In this work, Byrne takes his inspiration from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and lays out his own rendition of New Orleans-style jazz uniquely blended with post-modern spoken word, as only Byrne can serve it up. Don’t miss this one. You can check it out here.

THE CATHERINE WHEEL

Byrne wrote this musical score for choreographer Twyla Twarp to be used for the stage production of the same name. There are musical gems throughout this work. I never saw the stage production but the music easily stands alone on its own merits. If you track down Byrne's masterpiece, you won’t be disappointed.

-- Rico Thomas Rico