are you ready? we can't wait to bring cineleisure down! anyway, there’s an online portion to the competition and the band with the highest number of votes online will be crowned winner. yes, beat the system needs you, and we need you now! if you still haven't heard any of their tracks yet, you can search them on facebook at “beathesystem” or just go to myspace.com/beathesystemband to hear our songs. here’s the link for voting:

http://vote.mynightwish.net/

vote vote vote!

Buy your ticket right now!

Fri 29th August 2008 @ Industry, Hoxton

click to buy...

In case you need to know some facts first, here's the line-up...

Cassette Electrik, us!
Miss Davina Lee, myspace.com/missdavinalee
Looptron, myspace.com/looptron

DJ Adamis (Barcode, Electroqueer), myspace/adamisadj
Rob EY, league-online.com

Cassette Electrik
Yeah, that's us! An extended set featuring the preview of the video for 28 Days (we hope - if it's finished in time!), new songs and the classics. Looking forward to playing a bit longer than the standard 30 mins, it'll give us the chance to build up a bit of momentum!

Miss Davina Lee
Recommended to us by our co-promoters of the night, Plum Music, MDL are great fresh sounding blend of electro and summery indie pop. We really like their music, and think you will too. We're looking forward to seeing them play live, as we've not experienced that yet - but we know it's gonna be good.

Looptron, as some of you will know, is our good friend Neil's solo electro project. He says: "Looptron is a sort of electronic music type thing that happens sometimes." We say: cool sounding electro-disco-funk-pop with added vocoding. Quality.

Looptron & I were at the opening night of Electroqueer and DJ Adamis was playing such an awesome selection of electro that I realised he would be perfect for our opening night. And he's up for playing, so yey's all round.

Rob EY

The founder of league-online.com and passionate champion of new electro and the bands that make it, Rob will be spinning a fine selection of electro to warm the night up. Look out for his upcoming EY Vol.1 compilation album, coming out on Undo//EMI later this year - featuring CE amongst others!

All in all it should be a top night, and for only a fiver in advance (£6 on the door), there's no reason for fans of electro and great music not to be there, as far as we can see. Grab your tickets now by clicking the link below, where there's more info on the ordering process.

There's one more big musical tick in the box: yesterday I Eurostarred to see Tom Waits, currently doing his Glitter and Doom tour, play the first of two shows at the Grand Rex in Paris.

Waits's formidable songwriting is obvious. His completely individual character is no surprise. I'd hoped that what I heard on his albums wasn't all put on for production, and I was right: he comes across, live, with genuine, timeless, vaudeville grace.

Damn, but it really was everything I wanted to hear from the man. The rasping, roaring howls made every song urgent, like this were the last thing he might ever sing. Even the sweet songs felt like this. He sang on a raised dais, and while it elevated him above the stage it was also made from old planks that spat forth dust and fog every time he stomped his feet. He growled and whispered and told us stories in tunes. He was funny, regaling us with tales of weasels and praying mantises and math teachers choking on fish bones. He put on a glitter-ball hat. He pranced and bowed and yelped. His songs sound like they're a thousand years old, and will live to be another thousand. He was genius.

The band were loose, but followed him everywhere (and there are some complicated cues to the man's songs). It was also my first time in the Rex; it's a gorgeous old hall, and really suited the show.

The brilliant, brilliant setlist is below (at least, that's what the fansites are saying, and most of it looks right to me). There were so many good songs, but if I had to choose, "I'll Shoot the Moon", "Eyeball Kid", "Hang Down Your Head", "Cold Cold Ground" and "Dirt In the Ground" were mind-blowing.

Lucinda/Ain’t Going Down To The Well
Raindogs
Falling Down
All The World Is Green
I’ll Shoot The Moon
Cemetery Polka
Cold Cold Ground
Eyeball Kid
Way Down In The Hole
The Briar And The Rose
You Can Never Hold Back Spring
Lucky Day (started, but screwed up and stopped)
Tom Traubert’s Blues
Innocent When You Dream
Lie To Me
Hoist That Rag
Bottom Of The World
November
Hang Down Your Head
Get Behind The Mule
Dirt In The Ground
Make It Rain

Encore:

Chocolate Jesus
Trampled Rose
Come On Up To The House

Prima del concerto mi ero immaginata di scrivere tutt'altra recensione, ma si sa che la realtà riserva sorprese inaspettate e quindi ecco come sono andate le cose in questa giornata. Appena ho saputo che i Bluvertigo avevano in programma una data in Campania non c'ho pensato 2 volte e sono andata a comprare il biglietto. Erano circa 10 anni che desideravo vedereli dal vivo, mentre sapevo già della bravura mostruosa degli Elii che avevo già visto in coppia con Bisio in Coèsi se vi pare e poi i Baustelle mi incuriosivano, volevo vedere cosa riuscivano a creare sul palco. Di seguito il Festival band per band.

Baustelle: La Moda del Lento

Verso le 19 aprono i Baustelle con Antropophagus, entrano sul palco tutti vestiti di nero, Francesco con occhiali anni '70 da sfigato e una margheritona rosa all'occhielo, e la sempreverde maglietta con ampio scollo a V. Rachele con i capelli nerissimi e tirati all'indietro, un'abbronzatura perfetta e un gilet blu abbottonato in vita. Salutano ed attaccano a cantare. Non si scompongono più di tanto, Francesco prova qualche mossa da rockstar ma è troppo insicuro nei gesti, a tratti finisce anche per scimmiottare Jean Claude di Sensualità a corte, non sapendo di farlo ovviamente. Non è un animale da palco e ne è conscio, quindi rientra dietro l'asta del microfono, il posto più consono. Proprongono quasi mezzo ultimo disco, qualcosa de La Malavita (non hanno fatto Revolver uffa!), qualcosa de La Moda del lento (non hanno fatto Arriva lo ye ye) e qualcosa dell'album di debutto. I loro brani dal vivo risultano molto meno tirati, più diluiti e la folla sembra accorgersene tant'è che dopo la prima mezz'ora comincia a sbuffare e sbadigliare, io addirittura parlotto con una mia amica del più e del meno, altri si divertono a creare esilaranti coreografie sui vari brani. Insomma durante il concerto dei Baustelle si è ingannata l'attesa, la maggior parte era lì per Morgan ed Elio, tant'è ad un certo punto, dopo quasi un oretta dall'inizio della performace dei Baustelle, ho chiesto alla mia amica: 'Si ma il concerto quando comincia?'. Stronza come al solito. Dal punto meramente Live sono stati ineccepibili: precisi, puliti, ordinati (troppo forse), mai una stecca. Rachele ha una voce da paura e una presenza scenica maggiore rispetto a Francesco. Dopo aver terminato la scaletta sono rientrati per proporre Baudelaire. Performance senza infamie e senza lode. Troppo soporiferi.
Voto: 7 per la performance e 5 per la presenza scenica. Ragazzi dovete osare di più.

Si meritano però un 10 per l'umanità. Mentre gli addetti stavano smontando il palco, Francesco è sceso tra la folla, ha firmato autografi, baciato fan, fatto foto, chiacchierato con tutte. S'è messo a completa disposizione del pubblico.

Intervallo: il caso

Il secondo gruppo in scaletta erano i Bluvertigo, gli addetti ai lavori smontano la strumentazione dei Baustelle ma invece di montare quella dei Bluvertigo assemblano quella degli Elii. Una ragazza infatti comincia ad urlare: 'Uau quella è la batteria con le croci di Christian Meyer!'', arrivano a montare anche le tastiere di Rocco Tanica ma nessuno dice niente. Dopo una mezz'oretta sul palco si crea un gruppetto di addetti che parlattano tra loro, uno di questi si decide e si avvicina al microfono, avvertendo il pubblico che avrebbero suonato prima di Elii e poi i Bluvertigo perchè Morgan - motivazione ufficiale - s'era perso per la strada. Forse non trovava l'uscita della tangenziale. E che avremmo dovuto pazientare 3/4 d'ora. Che poi è diventata un'ora e dieci. Sale del malumore tra il pubblico che si allontana dal palco e si avvicina agli stand degli sponsor che regalano gadget o se ne vanno a mangiare una pizza sempre tra le 4 mura della Mostra d'Oltremare, location quanto mai azzeccata per manifestazioni di questo tipo. Io mi sono sentita presa per il culo perchè la motivazione data assolutamente non sussisteva, gli addetti sapevano da prima del cambiamento perchè si sono subito attrezzati a montare la strumentazione degli Elii e solo dopo una mezz'oretta hanno dato l'annuncio al pubblico. In più Andy già c'era dietro le quinte, è sceso (si trascinava la gamba destra mah) e si è scusato col pubblico del contrattempo. Un'altro tizio dell'entourage stava dicendo ad un suo amico che di tutto il gruppo l'unico che s'era presentato era Andy e che non c'era nessun altro nei camerini. Alla faccia della reunion, ognuno ha raggiunto il posto di lavoro con mezzi diversi.
Ora s'era capito che gli addetti volevano temporeggiare per dar modo ad Elio di essere avvertito, tornare da dove si trovava e prepararsi per lo show ma avrebbero potuto dirlo diversamente invece di sparare una cazzata così banale.
Dopo un'ora di attesa il pubblico si avvicina di nuovo al palco, spazientito comincia a gridare 'Fuori! Fuori!' e volano anche alcuni fischi. Dopo cinque minuti vengono fuori gli Elii.

Elio e le Storie Tese: Fossi Figo

Lo show degli Elii era tutto incentrato sull'eleganza, infatti erano tutti col doppio petto e la giacca blu (andrà di moda) in taftà. Prima di ogni brano Elio si divertiva ad introdurlo con un discorso sempre incentrato sul tema della serata, l'eleganza appunto e intervallava l'esibizione dei pezzi con inserti umoristici preparati col solito (e bravissimo) Rocco Tanica. La presentazione dei membri del gruppo è stata esilarante, su tutti Faso che s'è divertito a fare il divo, mostro anche lui che s'è ritrovato a suonare la chitarra acustica mentre teneva il basso dietro la schiena. Il gruppo era accompagnato da una cantante con una voce simil-Giorgia, una certa Polli che a ugola sta messa molto ma molto bene.
Quello di Elio non è mai un concerto, è un vero è proprio spettacolo, grande intrattenitore è stato in grado di scaldare e coinvolgere una folla stanca e spazientita per l'attesa e a farla divertire, grazie anche all'immancabile Mangoni che con la sua lapdance farebbe resuscitare i morti oltre che tramutare tutti i gay in sala in etero impenitenti (ci vuole stomaco a guardarlo). I pezzi proposti erano un pò da repertorio e un pò presi dall'ultimo lavoro, Parco Sempione è già diventata un classico col suo testo amaro e il ritmo asimmetrico. Consci del ritardo accumulato, alcuni pezzi li hanno cantati l'uno dietro l'altro senza alcuno stacco, sembrava un medley ma non lo era, hanno tenuto il ritmo per un buon quarto d'ora infilandoci 4 brani senza mai alzare le dita dalle corde. Bene, bravo, bis. Nel bis hanno regalato Tapparella che il pubblico chiedeva a gran voce dall'inizio della loro performance 'forza Panino!', mentre in Mio Cuggino Elio ha inserito una strofa riferita al ritardo di Morgan e il pubblico ha applaudito con tutto lo sdegno possibile. Che dire? Mostri, geni, cose che già si sanno. Sono una garanzia di qualità.
Voto: 10 per tutto.

Bluvertigo: Fuori dal Tempo (The most gigantic lying mouth of all time)

Sono circa mezzanotte e un quarto. Velocemente gli addetti ai lavori, Livio e Andy organizzano il palco, Morgan entra che il pubblico era impegnato a cazzeggiare, non proprio un'entrata da primadonna. I Bluvertigo sono già sul palco mentre la gente in tutta fretta si accalca alle transenne, consci anche loro del ritardo hanno fatto il possibile per recuperare qualche minuto. Il colore che caratterizzava il gruppo era il bianco, Morgan lo era completamente con cinturina swaroski, mentre Livio e Sergio si erano limitati alla sola camicia e Andy era vestito alla maniera decostruttivista, figure spezzate bianche e nere sfaccettavano il suo gilet. Attaccano con il brano meno felice di tutto il loro repertorio, l'Assenzio di cui forse ne erano fatti. Morgan era visibilmente e risibilmente su di giri, a volte faticava anche a stare in piedi. Addirittura su La crisi s'è scordato una strofa e ciò ha ridotto di qualche minuto il pezzo, su Altre forme di vita pure s'era dimenticato le parole e su Iodio (!!) se n'è uscito con un bleah nel bel mezzo della seconda strofa. Dimenticanza o trovata? A questo punto non c'è due senza tre. Hanno suonato brani provenienti dagli unici tre album in studio del gruppo (i Baustelle hanno fatto di più), nessuno nuovo pezzo, è evidente che non hanno assolutamente l'intenzione di tornare seriamente assieme e che questa riunione non è altro che un modo per approfittare del successo derivato da X-Factor e Storytellers, insomma un bluff. Più che un 'grande ritorno' sembrava l'incontro tra ex liceali che oramai hanno preso strade diverse. Mi sono sentita fuori luogo, mai capitato in un contesto del genere, ma quei pezzi appartengono alla mia adolescenza ormai trascorsa e il concerto dei Bluvertigo è sembrato più una commemorazione di questa, una marcia funebre che non un concerto dove ascoltare semplicemente buona musica. 
Sono completamente Fuori dal Tempo. 
Tra i brani hanno suonato anche Complicità, cover di Here's the house dei Depeche Mode e mi hanno fatto venire la voglia di andare a vederli live! Morgan non so se fosse raffreddato o meno ma non aveva voce, a stento si sentiva, aveva difficoltà anche col basso, Andy non è assolutamente cambiato fa quelle mossette robotiche a suo solito e il taglio di capelli è sempre quello. Sono convinta che lo scongelano all'occorrenza perchè non è possibile una cosa del genere. Dopo 10 anni non puoi fare ancora il verso a Martin L. Gore dei Depeche, avrai una decenza anche te. Suonano a malapena per 45 minuti, ringraziano e stanno lì per andarsene ma non c'è Sergio sul palco, Morgan invita il pubblico a chiamarlo ma lui non esce quindi Morgan pensa bene di piantarla lì, saluta e se ne va. Che fine ha fatto Sergio? Perchè non è salito sul palco? S'è offeso perchè Morgan s'è dimenticato di citarlo all'inizio dell'esibizione?
Effettivamente appena saliti sul palco Morgan ha cominciato a presentare il gruppo: Andy, Livio, lui e si dimentica di Sergio al che il pubblico lo invoca a gran voce, Sergio si alza con mano sul cuore, si inchina e ringrazia. Morgan dice: 'Ah si, naturalmente c'è Sergio, avrebbe avuto un momento tutto suo ma vabbè', fatto sta che 'quel momento tutto suo' non è mai arrivato e quindi non ho capito a cosa Morgan si riferisse, evidentemente s'è inventato una scusa per giusticare la sua dimenticanza. Patetico.
Da loro mi aspettavo molto, era il gruppo da cui mi aspettavo di più, mera delusione. Al confronto l'esibizione dei Placebo di qualche anno fa è stata una performance di mostri sacri. Pezzi striminziti, suonati male, Morgan che interagisce col pubblico sotto effetto di metanfetamine o semplicemente del suo Ego, mima qualche passo ma sembra la caricatura di sè stesso, diverte solo quando onestamente ammette che non si ricorda come si fa. Hanno perso smalto, verve e la voglia. Se così devono continuare ad essere è meglio che vadano in pensione perchè fanno tristezza.
Voto: 4 su tutto. Sono fuori dal tempo. Alcuni gruppi si apprezzano solo in determinati periodi storici e i Bluvertigo l'hanno passato da un pezzo.
Ps: Fuori dal tempo non l'hanno cantata, era troppo calzante evidentemente.

La condizione in cui mi trovo è proprio...

Credits for the above combination go to Finucane on Plurk.

There are countless other examples of bands helping out their counterparts gain attention. And there is much to be learned from the path to national success of crucial bands throughout history, lessons applicable for local Madison Bands.

Recently I was watching Axiom, a local Madison alternative rock trio with a sense of humor; take the stage at their CD release party, when I took a glimpse at the crowd. The room was full of people, of course, but what really caught my eye were the other local bands in attendance. Local Madison bands not on the bill like Triibe and Lords of Discipline were in the house, and Kill Junior stuck around after their own high energy set.

It got me thinking of how important it is for local bands to be supportive of one another. Not only by coming out to the shows, but in all aspects of influence and cooperation. Sharing practice spaces and recording times, providing an opportunity for a fellow local band to play a show with you, and most importantly spreading the word about other local bands.

I got the chance to speak with Axiom after their stellar show, complete with lightsaber battle. When I brought up the subject of local band alliances, they were quick to point out “It’s important for musicians to treat their music scene as a community. If we don’t support each other, who will?” The support isn’t limited to hooking other bands up with shows, but also in musical influence. A band’s sound is in constant evolution. Axiom takes their influences from national acts such as Tool and Primus, but also credits local bands like Kill Junior, Ignorus, and Sunspot as an influential part of their sound. Evolving a unique sound to call your own is the essential appendage in the survival of the fittest in this unpredictable music industry.

In other words, succeeding in the music biz, even on a local level, involves cooperation. As Axiom stated in our interview, “The Madison scene is hit or miss… It would be nice to see the Madison scene revert back to the way it was 10-20 years ago, when everyone went out to their favorite bar to watch bands.”

Most working bands and musicians dream of making it big, gaining recognition regionally, nationally, somewhere other than their home town. And most want to see Madison become a national hot spot for music, a smaller version of Nashville or L.A. sans the cowboy boots and glitter.

What I’m suggesting is some kind of “golden rule” for local bands: If you want others to show up for your gig, you must to the same and show up for them. You never know where it could lead.

You can start out by checking out Meteorade opening for XYZ Affair and Roomate at High Noon on July 27 or the The Box Social opening up for the Toadies and the Whigs at the Annex on July 31. And don’t forget Kurt Cobain’s favorite band, the Melvins, at High Noon on August 3.

- Katie Jo Crubaugh, True Endeavors Public Relations Intern

(If you are on our homepage and wish to leave a comment just click on the title of the blog entry and scroll down)

People are making it easier for themselves and their friends, family and colleagues to enjoy good music without having to deal with parking traffic, Ticketmaster fees and binoculars. They are bringing the concerts home.

The way it works is someone (the future host) hears of a musician (for this example, let’s say me) through friends, radio, TV, or the internet. They get in contact with me usually through my website. They either say that they have a private event already scheduled and would like me to perform, or they would like to build an event around a performance. We set the date one or two months out. In between, the host and I get busy (separately). I send the host a few copies of my album so they can share the music for potential guests. The host sends out invitations, sometimes as formal as mailed cards, other times as simple as an email. The host also arranges catering or plans some sort of refreshments.

Meanwhile, I am booking my band (if a band was requested…. oftentimes I play solo to increase the already-busting-at-the-seams intimacy) and working out travel logistics. Hopefully, at the time of the booking, the host and I have worked out a payment plan and I can incorporate my traveling within the budget of the night. Mostly, hosts pay me a flat fee, allowing their guests to enjoy the music and have a choice to purchase CDs and merch. Occasionally, a host will collect money from guests prior to the show or afterwards, or pass a tip jar around. And rarely, a host will purchase a set number of CDs for their guests, guaranteeing me payment for the evening. To be intimate is to be full of possibility, so I stay flexible.

On the day of the party, I show up on time, earlier than the guests so I can set up. I love love LOVE it when the host has a piano in their home; I don’t need to lug mine, AND I get to try out a new piano (hopefully it’s in tune- something I remind the hose a few weeks prior to the party). I then spend some time mingling with the guests, who commonly don’t realize I’m the “entertainment”. For some reason, I think they get more exited when I first sit down at the piano, like “hey! I was just talking to the star of the concert about macaroni and cheese! She’s a real person!” It makes me, as an artist, more accessible. I think I’d feel the same way if I was at a bookstore, casually speaking to someone about her pooch named Sam, who then had to leave the conversation to do a book reading from her new novel on rock climbing in Ethiopia. Sweet.

Anyway, back to the living room. After the host gives me a brief introduction, I play a set of about 40 minutes, mostly playing my original tunes. I always throw in a few familiar cover songs; my Sheryl Crow (makes for great banter- “the other, slightly more famous Cheryl wrote this”), a Beatles song, my jazzed version of a Christina Aguilera tune. Keeping it interesting. I occasionally share what drove me to write a particular song, especially if it’s more unique, like, “I had a girlfriend who asked me why I always write songs about guys and when the heck was she gonna get a song. I could have pulled a Sara Bareilles and said ‘I’m not gonna write you a girl song’, but I did write a song for my girls, and this is it.”

After one set, I take a quick break, allowing the audience a quick meet and greet, more mingling, to grab a desert or drink, and give them the opportunity to “take me home with them”. . . in the form of a CD. I usually play one more, shorter set, keeping things personal and professional and musical, leaving my audience feeling that they shared in something special and creative, that their presence and listening inspired my performance. If that doesn’t result in CD sales and future bookings, I’m playing the wrong game.

On Monday night I caught US indie supremos Death Cab for Cutie at Koko in Camden as they played as part of the month long iTunes festival at the venue. Needless to say, after having a number one US album, appearing on the OC back when it was good, having a platinum selling big-label debut and selling out two nights at Brixton Academy in the past two years, getting to see them at the relatively intimate Koko was an amazing opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up.

The tricky task of supporting Death Cab went to Das Pop. Normally if you play the hottest pop band to come out of Belgium in a few years to a room full of indie Death Cab fans you’d be seeing amass exodus for the bar. Somehow though, they managed to win just about the whole auditorium around, with their catchy tunes that sound like Alphabeat songs done by Iggy Pop. Led by Bent Van Looy who looks like Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand), but with the energy of Mika, the four piece hurtled through 45 minutes of pure pop bliss. Culminating in a mass sing along at the end to “I can’t get enough of your love” and then current single “Underground”, we realised that although we’d come to see Death Cab for Cutie, they’d got a tough act to follow.

Bursting onto the stage from behind a very plush red velvet curtain, Death Cab for Cutie arrived and plunged through a mixture of old favourites and newer tracks from their massive selling “Narrow Stairs”. The new songs such as “Cath”, “No Sunlight” and “Long Division” fit just perfectly next to old classics such as “New Year”, “Crooked Teeth” and “Soul Meets Body”. A few technical troubles blighted the band throughout the set, prompting lead singer and chief songwriter Ben Gibbard to joke “I feel like I’m in a movie and I don’t know what’s going to happen next!” as he introduced “Movie Script Ending”. One of the biggest cheers of the evening came for the epic “I will Possess Your Heart”, an 8 minute rock out that looks set to be one of the best things the band have done, and a chance for them to stretch their legs musically.

Closing out the main set with “Sound of Settling”, Ben came back on his own to do an enchanting version of “I will follow you into the dark”, featuring everyone singing along for a proper hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck moment. To finish was the classic “Transatlanticism”, a slow builder that builds into a frenzy, a fitting ending to an evening with some of US indie rock’s biggest stars of today.

Written by Phil over at the There Goes The Fear

Firstly, The Futureheads played the Electric Ballroom all the way back on 29th May. They made me realise both how much I love The Futureheads, especially live, and how they have a rather charming crowd of followers who clearly love them as much as I do.

Justice gave one of the best performances I have seen this year at their Somerset House gig on 11th July. Unfortunately, it was attended by a crowd of some of the most arseholian people I have had the misfortune to spend time with. The fact it was a Friday didn't help either, I think, since a lot of the people seemed to take the gig as an opportunity to neck as much alcohol and ecstasy as possible and dance with arm movements clearly blissfully unaware of notions of personal space, or how much people might really, really detest you and your pathetic, showing-off, wankerish crowd of morons you choose to spend your time with.

So both bands come recommended, but Justice come with a crowd-based health warning. Namely, that if I see any of the people near us in that crowd again, they won't get any further warning before I give them a distinct and long-lasting change to their health.

This is an extremely exciting day.

View from FOH:

Der Contest geht in die 4. Runde und für DooLoad geht in der Kategorie DJ / Live-Act / Elektro Jano Brook aka PIE-PENTENOL ins Rennen.

PIE-PENTENOL tanzen im Quadrat und machen eine Funk Groove/Assride Mischung, die in einem Sorbet aus Minimal getränkt, endet.
But don't forget the Jazz Things.
Jede Show von ihnen ist auch eine nur für sich!

Desweiteren werden Popular Damage, Q.3.A, Hope's Matters, Will Frosta, ElektroBär die Menge zum Feiern bringen.

Wir freuen uns auf einen tanzbaren Abend und natürlich auf Euch!

Wie jede Woche startet der soKLINGTberlin Bandcontest ab 21:00 Uhr und wir sind wie jeden Donnerstag gespannt, wer am Ende das Siegertreppchen betreten darf!

So I was, therefore, very excited when I was introduced to Sanjo by a mutual friend. (I had written about him in my earlier post too). Sanjo was playing at another friend's place along with a couple of other musicians. The audience was small... around 25 odd people. Sanjo's performance was huge! An explosion. He was by far the star of the evening.

I used to tell all my music loving friends about Sanjo and his ability to create an entire evening of music (three hours non-stop, sometimes more) with nothing more than an acoustic guitar. Amazing!

That was way back in 2006. And then... suddenly, Sanjo just vanished. No gigs, no concerts... he was nowhere to be seen. Rumours went around that like all other Delhi-based musicians he had gone off to Bombay to seek greener pastures. I was disappointed. But it was great while it lasted.

Then someone from an event management company told me that Sanjo was very much in Delhi... all that stuff about settling in Bombay was crap. According to this source, Sanjo was busy working in the studio on a whole bunch of new material. That's why he wasn't active on the gigging scene.

Months went by... I lost track of Sanjo. At times, I thought he had really moved to Bombay.

And then, a couple of weeks ago --- Bang! Out of the blue I finally got news of Sanjo's whereabouts. And guess what... he's back on the live scene!

Here's the scoop. Somewhere in Delhi... I haven't a clue where (somebody told me West Delhi, Dwarka perhaps)... there are a series of private jam sessions happening. They are called Jam-boree, and are organised by a music industry professional called Ajay Madhavan. Madhavan runs the show as an exclusive, limited numbers "By Invitation Only" event. But... if you know somebody in his friends' circle, you can get in.

So... music lovers in New Delhi. Does anyone know:

(a) Ajay Madhavan

(b) Any friends of Ajay Madhavan

(c) Sanjo's email ID.

If I get any one of these, I'm in baby, I'm in!

My info is quite reliable. I got it recently from an American lady visiting India who had actually attended (!) several of these Jam-boree sessions. And she said they rocked!

Anyway... the great news is that Sanjo's back... and he's alive, live --- and rockin' the scene.

Now... let's find him.

Quando ho lo sbatto, le metto tutte

EDIT: Aggiunti 2 video - grazie a Renato e Flavio per foto e video -

Sabbaticals have a lot to do with imagination. Sometimes they arise when your imagination no longer fits within your current role. Other times, they come from a realization that your imagination has run dry. I thought mine came from the former, but I now recognize elements of the latter, too. In either case, it's helpful to identify others who are currently living out of imaginings that have the potential to inspire in the areas of your questions. Recently, I made two such contacts.

The first is The Gig in Kitchener, a community that exists for the sake of a larger community, in this case artists in the K-W area. While I've come across other churches that have an arts focus, they seem to do so largely to create artistic worship services and other programs. In the case of The Gig, the focus is truly on the artists themselves. This means much of the real work happens throughout the week in the theatre space owned by the community where artists are given space to preform while community members volunteer. Sunday worship services are not a big performance but rather a place artists at any place with faith can join with others in exploring Jesus.

Rob, the pastor, generously gave several hours of his time to me in conversation. What was most helpful was the theme of moving forward with our dreams. At times it feels like dreams can only be followed if we have a detailed plan with all our competencies in place and contingencies covered. Rob embodied and encouraged a movement forward in faith even when things aren't so neatly in place.

The second community I've connected with is the 614 Network, specifically the church in Regent Park, Toronto. 614 churches are embedded in under-resourced urban neighbourhoods. Like The Gig, the are communities that exist for a larger community, in this case the people that live in their neighbourhood. This is incarnational ministry at its most obvious: move into the neighbourhood, tie your fate to those you are living with and trust Jesus to do what he does best: bring good news to those who need it.

Having read much and talked to people involved in this kind of ministry, it was helpful to actually walk the streets with Zoe, a leader in the community. Theory quickly becomes real and messy when you see actual locations and meet people. For a suburban guy like me, the life of those in this community is a stretch. It raises pesky but helpful questions for me about how well I could give myself in love in such a context.

It's very helpful to be in conversation with people from both communities. I hope their vivid imaginations rub off on me!

Salamat ulit kay pareng JOB! astig talaga Nosi Balasi! At sa Exegesis Production na walang sawa na sumusuporta sa mga banda! Salamat din kay Nancy sa mga pics! At sa mga nagpunta, nanood, at pumalakpak! Maraming Salamat! Dahil sa inyo nabubuhay ang Musikang Pilipino!

for the pics click here

Last week I stumbled upon an article on freelancewritinggigs.com by an inspirational writer by the name of Sue Poremba called The Luxury Of No.  In it, she spoke about how it is sometimes necessary for freelance writers to turn down work when it pays too low or the client is less than cooperative.  We all know how hard this is to do.  We would (especially when we're just starting out) rather be working for very little, than nothing at all. 

But there comes a point in everyone's freelance career when you get a client who is just unreasonable.  They're not communicating with you in any kind of timely manner.  They're being rude.  They're changing deadlines.  Whatever it is that makes you loose sleep, have weird dreams and wake up mad!

Well today I was about to continue working for a client who took absurd amounts of time to get back to me about anything, never kept our phone-meetings and kept forgetting to give me essential information to complete my job.  But then I remembered Sue Poremba's words and I decided that I just wasn't going to take this laying down.  Here's the email I wrote to her today:

I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself.  My husband (who is always accusing me of letting clients walk all over me) was rather surprised that I finally "bucked up," as he put it.  It wasn't so bad.  Sure it's scary to think: "Holy-moly, I just did all that work and now I don't even know if they'll pay me."  But so what?  It wasn't that much money anyway.  And you know what the icing on the cake is?  With the time I saved arguing and worrying about them, I landed myself a better job with higher pay.  How about that?

We’re trying to line up a few gigs at different places around Perth in the next few months, so keep an eye out for us.

In other news we’re putting the finishing touches on our next song and in the middle of writing another one.

We’re playing this Friday 25th July at Swan Basement with Adam Tutana and the Ramuels, Kid Nitro and These Shipwrecks. Doors open 8pm, $5 entry. We’re trying to sort something out to record a bit of the set so if you’re able to get down there and make some noise it would be much appreciated.

That’s all for now,
Broon

Update: Apparantly the roof has blow off the Swan Hotel. Yes, you read that right. The roof. We're not willing to risk playing without a roof over us because there is a slight chance it might rain, and the majority of the band dissolve when we get wet. Gig will be rescheduled at a later date.

Also our website can now be found at www.heirofthedogband.com

I don't like photos very much despite that I am really fascinated by them. Especially I have very ambiguous relationship to photos of me. They are not "memories" as I never remember the moment they were taken, they work much more as a "feedback reflection" as I always see how horrible my haircut was that time.
Here are photos from our friend Soulmate capturing Rock for People show. Couple of pictures from Superbeat (including the one in this post) are here. and here. Superdance pictures are here. And a gallery from Czechian is here.
Some pics at Rock for People page are here.

Visit of Abe Cruz and his family in Czech Republic made a remarkable footprint in our memory and touched hearts of people (words courtesy of Tony Wilson). Hopefully, we will see each other soon with another collaboration. Till then I will hang out with Anne-Marie on iChat disturbing her from her work from time to time.

News and reports:

CT TV
Interview with Abe Cruz for Superbeat.cz
partypeople.cz
idnes.cz
idnes.cz #2
Helena v krabici
Muzikus
i-legalne.cz a even more i-legalne.cz
Rock for People

And as a bonus, some pics from MFF KV in Rotes Berlin, Karlovy Vary:

P.S.: For those with a password will find a hidden video of the evening soon.

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al

Paul Simon - Mrs Robinson

Paul Simon - The Boxer