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wow.

The combined elements of the Doors’ music has transcended time and place to become more than a relic of American psychedelic sound. A ceremonial tone in John Densmore’s tribal drumming -- both earthy and jazzy -- evoked the mysticism and carnal pleasure of Sunset Strip’s Sea Witch. This held the rhythm for Ray Manzarek’s jazz/R&B organ (shot direct from Mother Neptune’s Coffeehouse) and the Insomniac brew of Robby Krieger’s nimble flamenco guitar lines, mixed with crunchy garage-band chords. But it was the baritone tremolo and lusty howl of Jim Morrison’s vox that took the music of the Doors to a subconscious level. Long after the shimmering klieg lights of L.A.’s psychedelic era went out, the Doors’ music continued to influence sub-culture on record.

By 1977, New Jersey’s the Misfits debuted their own brand of keyboard-driven psychotronic punk at Greenwich Village’s CBGB’s club. The single “Cough/Cool” b/w “She” featured somber, poetic prancing akin to the Doors’ earliest hits, while infusing an experimental art-rock indicative of the times. The Misfits glamourized sex and violence, as their increasingly guitar-driven sound pointed to a bleak, dystopian world at the dawn of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. As their brooding style began influencing the oncoming swarm of ’80s goth-rock, Misfits singer Glenn Danzig moved away from the B-horror garaginess of their best material, instead preferring the nascent death metal sound popular by the mid-’80s.

Britain’s Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy launched their band, the Cult, in the early ’80s, offering up a new-wave/goth sound that was heavily influenced by Native American mysticism. The Cult’s 1984 singles “Spiritwalker” and “Go West (Crazy Spinning Circles)” hit big enough to launch a revived interest in the type of sex/death/rebirth gravity that had critics talking about the ’60s Doors sound again. Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman’s book No One Get Out of Here Alive (1980) had already launched Morrison and the Doors into popularity with a whole new generation. The book would be adapted for the big screen in 1991 with Oliver Stone’s The Doors, and the Cult’s Ian Astbury would later front a ’90s Doors reunion, but neither were viewed as being inspired on the level of the book or earliest Cult records. The indie-spirit of neo-psychedelic, however, had more authentic offerings on the horizon.

In 1986, Seattle’s Screaming Trees unleashed the DIY garage-psych LP Clairvoyance -- a foretelling of the ’90s grunge explosion, iconoclastic and haunting all at once. The Middle-Eastern flair of Gary Conner’s guitar on “Standing on the Edge” laid the perfect backdrop for singer Mark Lanegan’s baritone intensity. It wasn’t until Pearl Jam’s 1993 Vs. album that another Seattle act would equal the raw absorption of Calirvoyance. Eddie Vedder’s passion and self-conscious immediacy on Pearl Jam numbers like “Dissident” and “Indifference” harkened back to the crunch-chord spontaneity of the best of the Doors. That same year, Glenn Danzig’s eponymous band had a surprise MTV hit with a live version of “Mother” (originally on their 1988 debut LP), though at this point, his sound was so far gone into death metal that it would doubtless fail to connect with anyone searching for the everyman blues of the Doors sound. Worse yet was the baritone banality of mainstream alternative bands like Stone Temple Pilots, and later, Creed. But by this time, there was a feeling that the sexual, good-time exploration of the Doors’ initial influence had reached a corporate rock nadir. The Sunset Strip’s mid-’60s inspiration continues to this day, but its purity in music has gone underground, as with most of the best sounds in rock, post-alternative.

Brian Chidester

Oh! The weather outside is delightful!   It’s so great to work in the yard now that it’s a bit cooler and less buggy.  The latest project is creating a stenciled board on the front of a new flower bed that says “Welcome to the Farm.”  Granddaughter Catie will be creatively adding flowers, leaves, butterflies and dragonflies. 

However, as I sat there painting, I couldn’t help but notice that the maple tree in the waterway looks pretty shabby.  We won’t be able to prune it until early winter. Some larger dead branches and some crossovers will need to come out.  The tree is a case of planting a wonderful tree in the wrong location!  Constantly soggy roots were not conducive to a healthy tree and we may need to replace this one.

As mentioned previously,  fall is a good time to plant a tree.  Choose wisely when purchasing one.  Avoid those amazing bargains.  Use a reputable nursery’s stock and investigate the guarantee prior to writing your check.  It’s a good idea to plant a balled or burlap wrapped tree in the fall.  Even a container tree should be o.k.  and will experience less stress than an open rooted specimen.  Ask about the tree’s adult height:  perhaps a dwarf model would better suit your location than a tree that may reach a height of 50-60 feet.  Plant the tree as soon as possible.  Dig the hole two to three times the diameter of the root ball.  The burlap will rot in the ground but remember to remove any rope or stakes. Water the tree well and keep the tree moist even into the winter.   Your tree needs to adapt to the soil in which you’re planting it so don’t amend the soil.  Amending the soil may create unwanted air pockets and prevent water from penetrating onto the roots.  Three or four inches of good organic mulch around, but not up against the trunk, will help to retain moisture

I have over-written about how I love cities, and how three, in particular are favourites. Most of you will know how I feel.

I don't remember having bade goodbye to Mumbai, about three years ago. But then, there is a good reason, that place is truly home. Then, this is too!

But I will miss:

The Tube
Weather
One Day Snow
Bookshops; Waterstones
South Bank
Tate Modern
Ales
Ales with friends
Pub Arguments (Read: Discussions)
That one pub in Glasgow!
Kebab Shops
Dodgy "Indian" eateries
Wearing overcoats
Suits
Ties
Cufflinks!
Train Travel
Train Conversations
Being in the "middle" of the world
Being a Londoner
Corner shops
Potion
Kew Gardens
Trent Country Park
Nero
AMT
The language
Scotland
My first home
298
299
My second home
267
237
65
Summer time adjustments
Watching people get the sun!
Friends who stayed back home, unplanned; planned
Foxtons
Thames
WH Smith
Jack Dee
Watermans Arms
Sri Lankan store in Hounslow

I'll miss you R, but I don't have to say it. You know it. I take back with me wonderful moments from the last two years or so. Right till today!

Cheers!

Although I don't think its my very best mixing, this 100% vinyl mix is well selected and flows nicely from start to finish with some very nice transitions from song to song.  The sound quality is very good considering the age of some of the records being played, although I think the sound effects are sometimes too loud, especially for the type of songs being played.[caption id="attachment_39" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="The Finest Years - classic reggae mix CD cover"][/caption]

The Finest Years mix begins with Ken Boothe's 'Everything I Own,' which I use at the beginning to immediately set the tone. The first blend brings in Alton Ellis singing 'I'm Just A Guy' on the Studio One label. At this point you can really hear some hissing and popping from the needle travelling along the grooves of the original 45 (7" record played at 45rpms). 'Love and Devotion' sung by Jimmy Riley (Tarrus Riley's father for those who don't know) is next followed by Eek A Mouse's 'Virgin Girl,' a Volcano recording.

The mix steps up pace just a bit now as I draw for "I'm Still in Love" sung by Marcia Aitken and produced by the legendary Joe Gibbs. This tune was made popular recently by Sean Paul and Sasha. For all dub lovers I feature Studio One's Ken Booth 45 of 'When I Fall In Dub,' (look for more dub featured on mixes coming soon). One good Studio One deserves another so another blend begins and The Heptones sing 'Pretty Looks' for us. Next is the first song from Dennis Emmanuel Brown, The Crown Prince of Reggae, 'Sitting and Watching,' followed by the Empress of Reggae, Marcia Griffiths with 'Feel Like Jumping.'

The mix then goes into a vintage classic, 'Loving Pauper,' by Dobby Dobson. I remember drawing tunes like this in the early days of Highlanda to the surprise and praise of the elders in the community who asked "is how you know dem tune ya?" The Heptones' 'Sitting In the Park' mixes in right on beat and ushers in more nostalgia before again the voice of Mr. D. Brown is featured with 'Have You Ever.' I had to let this one play for a while before transitioning smoothly into 'I've Got The Handle,' another Heptones Studio One classic, then Freddie McGregor's version of 'Let Him Try.'

The blend that follows is crucial as it brings across to your speakers the voices of Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths with 'Always Together,' a lover's anthem recorded at Studio One. I had to feature some Bob Marley so the next blend is into 'Nice Time,' original Tuff Gong 45 and from there back to Studio One with Alton Ellis 'Breaking Up.' To keep things interesting next up is 'Can't Stop Loving You' by Freddie McGregor and 'Missing You' by Dennis Brown, (This Dennis Brown version was recorded at Don 1 studios in Brooklyn, New York) and Cocoa Tea's 'Tune In' on the Far East riddim. Volcano label 45 'Rocking Dolly' also by Cocoa Tea blends in smoothly next followed by another Cocoa Tea hit 'She Loves Me Now.'

For many what follows is the sweetest part of The Finest Years mix. 6 Dennis Browns in a row blended masterfully starting with the Joe Gibbs dub version of 'Money In My Pocket' and moving into the original version, then 'Silhoutte,' 'Take It Easy,' 'Caress Me Girl,' 'How Could I Leave,' and 'Rocking Time.' Thank you D. Brown, we love you!

The next 4 songs are from Studio One: 'Party Time' by the Heptones, 'Truly,' by Marcia Griffiths, 'Play Play Girl,' by Johnny Osborne, and 'Fatty Fatty,' by Alton Ellis. Then an all-time favorite of mine 'Friends for Life,' is performed by Dennis Brown followed by The Melodians with 'Come On Little Girl,' and Cornell Campbell with 'Boxing,' another Joe Gibbs masterpiece. Featuring one more Freddie McGregor, the mix transitions into 'I Was Born A Winner,' and serious rockers tune 'Keep On Knocking' by Jacob Miller. The Finest Years closes out with Gregory Issacs's 'Number One,' and the classic ballad by Junior Byles, 'Curley Lox.'

Thank you for reading and more importantly thank you for listening. The purpose of this blog post is for the education of those who seek to learn more about this powerful force, this divine gift of reggae.

Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.

A look at the origin of Salsa

It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous ...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment. New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize. This is called "finishing," to enter the local market. This "finish" does not occur because the Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-Cuban Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of Cuba has evolved towards another new and equally flavorful sound.

Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None is better, only different.

By: Jaime Andrés Pretell

Hip-hop Republicans are Down With GOP. No, Seriously.

Skimming campaign news items last week I came across a commentary on the theroot.com that made me giggle. It was called We Down With GOP and was about Hip-hop Republicans. Nerdy title aside, I launched into the article with as much objectivity as I could muster.

Lenny McAllister, the author started by telling a personal story that convincingly explained why Republicans are real people who have a right to their political opinions. McAllister tweaked my interest a bit when he said,

“A lot of labels, theories and bits of conventional wisdom have been tossed around by pundits and experts lately, as they try to figure out how citizens will vote in November. We are conservative and liberal. We are boomers, Gen Yers, the hip-hop generation. We are blue-collar voters, working-class voters and black voters. There are energized Democrats, disaffected Republicans and unaffiliated voters.”

How true that most of us feel dizzied by the sheer number of labels thrown around by experts and where we fit into this identification glut. Unfortunately he immediately took his message off into left field in order to plug his agenda.

“There is one demographic category, however, that regularly gets overlooked. It is a group that most people simply laugh off, are puzzled by or outright dismiss. Meet the “Hip-Hop Republicans” of 2008.”

I’ve never heard of the “Hip-Hop Republicans”, but hey, I’m not all-knowing, so I checked with some friends who are hip-hop artists. Ironically when I asked if any of them had heard of Hip-Hop Republicanism, their reactions were amused, puzzled and dismissive…pretty much in that order. The following statement furthered my dwindling hope that this might be something other than a weak attempt to link hip-hop and republicans.

“The moniker may seem like an oxymoron at first, but the worldview that it encompasses fits the politics of many in the post-civil rights generation.”

Uh-huh. If you’re going to peg the post-civil right generation with a political worldview, you better have something to back it up with. So how does Lenny explain this broad assumption?

“It may be easier, in some ways, to begin with what a hip-hop Republican is not. A Hip-Hop Republican is not an Uncle Tom.A Hip-Hop Republican is not a sellout.A Hip-Hop Republican is not a race traitor, willing to sell out the best interests of the black community for the scraps off of the proverbial political table.A Hip-Hop Republican is not meek and mild, content to be a poster-child for GOP diversity”

Thank goodness Lenny! I thought you might actually be stupid enough to tout Hip-Hop Republicans as sell-out Uncle Toms....

sorry, you gotta click here to read the entire article

Downtown Troy Alabama

Originally uploaded by inspiritu

While researching family roots last summer I visited the library in Troy Alabama. Pulling out of the library and going around the block I encountered this scene and had to stop. What caught my eye was play of the late afternoon shadows on the buildings. Good fortune provided the figure dressed in white to walk by and give both contrast and scale to the scene.

The word attack is perhaps a strong one. What I talk of is, however, close. Very close.

There are people in the world who cannot comprehend the expanse, content, or the essence of a life. They see the obvious bits and pieces and pass terminal statements. Reverse binocular perception, I like to call that. They see the bits and believe that to be the world; their limited vision is all that they can fathom.

On this basis, they become the guardians of the truth; an incomplete truth -- one devoid of context. And they cherish this non-contextual truth. Only because it offers them the liberty to pass an easy statement; not a judgement; just a statement, bereft of analysis.

I would, perhaps, pay attention to these comments if they carried with them, even the least semblance of authority. But a statement, bankrupt of any position, loaded with a conspicuous malice and intent to hurt, is just a set of words, lost in purpose.

We are all vulnerable at certain times. Irrespective of that, everybody has a right to attack. The character of the attacker is defined in the nature, content and the time of the attack. That will tell you a lot about the character of the person who has attacked.

In that moment, however, how you react, will tell volumes of who you are.

adding more....

Shimla is located in the Himalayas in the clouds...just one of those ethereal places that combine perhaps the best of both the worlds...the physical, in only as much is needed for survival, to the natural, in its abundance....the clouds one can touch with hands...the noise of crickets after showers of rains...the pine trees....the valleys surrounded by a breathtaking display of mountain ranges playing hide and seek...small streams of water flowing down the face of a mountain...small walkways well hidden from view....sublime beauty...salutations be to thee...love and beauty....always ethereal...always awe-inspiring...oh beloved...

1. Elderly people are either the nicest, sweetest people you will ever meet, or the most miserable, bitter people to ever walk the Earth-- There is no in between.
2. Sometimes you have to talk to foreign people who don't know English like they're retarded, and it's makes you feel bad.
3. While explaining the schedule thousands of times these past two Summers, I realized people don't know the difference between odd numbers and even numbers.
4. People go insane over adding $2 to a ticket that was already $22 before the price change.
5. Small companies are just as terrible to work at as big corporations, just for different reasons. Therefore, all job are miserable.
6. Waking up anywhere between 5:45 and 8:15 sucks, and I prefer to be nocturnal.
7. Tourists who visit Salem are only interested in witch stuff. Unless they're from Europe, where they had much more impressive and more numerous witch hunts; and it seems that European tourists just kind of giggle at the several different witch museums.
8. Wearing polyester Hawaiian shirts in public is humiliating. Though I guess I probably had already assumed that well before I was required to wear one for this job.
9. French Canadians can be surprisingly snooty.
10. British/Irish/Scottish/Australian tourists are always nice, with no exceptions.
11. People are cheap as fuck.
12. But in the end, a job that lets me read all day at work while looking out at the ocean wasn't so bad

I'll be posting my sermon when it's done, which should be later today. stay tuned.