Fun with UbuWeb

Some links from the quintessential online archive, in case there's still someone i haven't forwarded these to personally. I usually visit ubu.com for the avantgarde audio and video archives, but occasionally come across unexpected gems like the following, which deserve greater diffusion.

Kenny G meets John Zorn (No, really)

The Gaylords sing american hits in italian (from the 2007 365 days project)

A visit to the Postojna Caves (Sadly, it makes no mention of the fantastic hot-dog stand outside - a favourite childhood memory of mine. However, may i suggest an expedition to accompany this soundtrack? Pino, ci sei?)

Telemundo - Dificultades tecnicas (probably the funkiest beat i've heard today)

The Most Wanted Song and The Most Unwanted Song (Featuring Vernon Reid on guitar, ladies and gentlemen!)

First video of 2008

Trieste, 3:15AM, 1st of January 2008. Cinematic!
Someday i'll learn how to lower the volume on my videos so you can actually make out what's going on. I could also try to learn how to keep a camera straight while i'm drunk, but that would be hoping for a bit too much.

Weekend Download: Ominira

I had quite a surprise -and a pleasant one- the other day whilst listening to Vinicius Cantuaria's new album, Cymbals, when i realized one track was most familiar. And no, i'm not talking about the new Jobim cover he records for each new album (this time around it's Vivo Sonhando).
The song was Ominira, which i'd heard before on Lisa Ono's wonderful 2004 collection of lusafrican songs Naima ~meu anjo~. A little bit of research made me discover the song was written by Vinicius in 2002, with lyrics co-written by Angelique Kidjo for her Black Ivory Soul album.
Romero Lubambo, who was the guitarist on that album, brought the song into Lisa Ono's repertoire when working on Naima. And now Vinicius Cantuaria rerecorded his own version, complete with new portuguese lyrics.
Why so many versions? Easy: Ominira is one lovely song. And i've decided to share all three versions here.
(As always, right-click to save)

Vinicius Cantuaria - Ominira (2007) (320kps 10Mb 4:21 Mp3)

Lisa Ono - Ominira (2004) (160kps 5Mb 4:20 Mp3)

Angelique Kidjo - Ominira (2002) (192kps 6Mb 4:23 Mp3) (credits here)

There, now you can decide which version you like best. I already know which one's my favourite!

One last little thing i was wondering: Ominira is the Yoruba word for Freedom, yet this website says the lyrics are in Fon. Can anybody out there confirm or deny this?

No spoilers.

Location: The bar. Time: this morning.

Him: What? You don't know 30 Seconds To Mars?
Me: Um, no.
Him: They're good. The singer's the blonde guy from Fight Club, remember him?
Me: ...
Him: He was also in that movie about the death of John Lennon: he's the guy who killed him.
Me: Well thank you very much for spoiling the ending.

The more things change, the more they are a meme.

Location: Home, Sofa. The phone rings.
Me: Hey.
Him: Hey R., what are you doing tonight?
Me: It's funny you should ask. I was indeed planning on drinking myself to partial insanity. I was going to do it alone and already have a head start but you're most welcome to join me if you are so inclined.
Him: Um, well, actually we were going out with some friends and wanted to know if you want to come with us...
Me: Can i bring my beers?

Simple demonstration

Yesterday was a busy work day. So busy in fact that i did not one but two of these while not working. Two.

28

92%DRUNKARD

This post has been offered by: Lazy&Neverupdating Bloggers Theatre.

Um. Yeah. Sure. Whatever. What???

This is only temporary.

You may notice some differences on this blog today. The not-exactly-new-just-very-temporary header, for starts. Thing is, the time has finally come for me to change this antiquated template and put something more up-to-date in its place. So for the next day or twenty this blog is going to look extremely wonky, since i haven't really made my mind up yet about what i want it to look like.
In the meantime, check out the search button i added in the sidebar. Unlike all previous attempts (all one of them), this one actually works! Hours of fun.

Morning reflection on job security.

For the past couple years, My Father has finally entered the monetary status in life where you no longer need to crash on someone's sofa when he travels, but can now resort to mid-low-budget hotel accomodation.

My Father will be seventy in December.

Hmmm.

In Memoriam

Laika passed away 50 years ago today.

Link 1
Link 2

We miss her.

And then, suddenly

Crowd inside Teatro Miela before Trabant concert/launch party




The webmaster comes on stage for the encore playing surprise guest air guitar impossible parts. Special thanks to Elena for sending me the pictures and for being the only person this decade who's managed to make me look good in a photo. And to Trabant of course for the graceful surprise invitation.


And this one is from Fallenlady.com.
There's also a video of the event online somewhere but there's no way i'm linking to that.


Crowd outside Teatro Miela after Trabant concert/launch party

And hardly a week after holding a sold-out concert before 450 people and publishing their debut LP, what does Trabant go on to do? They go and win Italia Wave of course. And i can't help mentioning how adorably surprised they are about all this attention, wondering why people want to have them come and play concerts outside their region and giving good reviews a suspicious look because you never know, it might just be an elaborate joke from their friends.

Blogging explained in one sentence

Dear internet, my cat just farted.

Update for other people

I realize i should post a little info about what i've been doing lately instead of hopping around the continent and blogging. But i have my priorities - there's much to be told but i'd rather talk about what other people have been up to first. All sorts of interesting stuff has been going on around here!

Trabant


For starters, i'll be in Teatro Miela in Trieste tonight for the launch of Trabant's first album. Yes, it finally came out! Reviews are everywhere! And the funny thing is, most of the reviews compare them to bands that have only started to show up in the year that passed between the album's being recorded and its publication, but i digress. It's tremendously exciting for me to see a band i've been loving for so long get the appreciation it deserves, and tonight we're going to celebrate that fact. I'll probably be going around with a video camera in the immediate pre- and post-concert moments, so if you also show up you'll have a good reason to avoid me. There, that last bit was the best publicity for a gig i could ever write.

So what else is good in this boot-shaped country?


So as i said, Trabant's album came out and it's rather good (i'm not that biased in that if i hadn't liked it i would have immediately started bothering chuk about it), but what else is good in the italian indie scene? You're in luck, my dear imaginary reader who asks rhetorical questions, for said scene has been enjoying a most exciting rebirth for the good part of a year already. One specific work i feel the obligation to point out is the debut album from My Awesome Mixtape which you can listen to in its entirety here. It's been a constant soundtrack here at WGD Central for the past month or so (along with the new flaming lips live album, the FPM greatest hits double album, and the usual healthy doses of beefheart and P5) with its somber moods and essential arrangements. All the more fitting if you consider how much this summer had been shaped by their more party-oriented EP whose main single, The Painter And The Anthropologist, has a title which seemed to be constructed especially to make me fall in deep deep geeky love with it.

speaking of this summer...

I've uploaded another video from our August Guča Adventures. Featuring: More dancing! More musicians! More macedonians! And more Mitko! Click here to view, 'cause i can't be bothered to embed it right now.

Not related but still most notable

The 17th of July has been a rather eventful day, not just because of our shenanigans at Italia Wave, which was just starting that day to everyone's amazement. It was also the day former members of one of my favourite bands ever, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, decided to (temporarily?) reform. They met up at bass player Sr.Flavio's radio show where they talked about old times and most importantly performed some of their old favourites for an hour or three. The whole historical event can be downloaded at pleasure from Vito Rivelli's marvellous lfcrarezas website. Whether the reunion was really temporary or a sign of new adventures starting remains to be seen. But Fabulosos Calavera continues to be one of the best albums ever published, so whatever they decide to do is fine by me.

Pinochet Update


oh, and speaking of Latin America, My Father sent me this image the other day.
And no, considering who i got it from it is definitely not in bad taste.

That's all for now. I'll soon be updating again with links to stuff i've done. Forgive me for linking to interesting things instead.

Flo & Eddie explain the Music Business

It's all true...


Via Mark Evanier who adds some wise words of appreciation.

First thought of the day

Knowledge (and, if possible, a demographic) of how much people are paying for the new radiohead album is definitely more valuable than the album itself.

Actually, i'm pretty certain that somewhere in the world there must be someone who's thinking of how to hack the website just to get that information.


UPDATE: This website asks people how much they paid, but very cheekily doesn't give the results (unless you're one of the people who gave them the info for free). And it's very cheekily been set up by an online magazine which also does music business consulting. How unsurprising.

Flashback

Must have been around late 2004 or early 2005

Me: We can't go in there. It's evil.
A.: Robin, how can a shop be evil? People are evil.
Me: Ok, ok, let's go to bloody starbucks.

2'48" in Guča

Sorry, had uploaded this two weeks ago but forgot to link it here. Original text so you don't have to go over to its respective youtube page (and so i can finish this and go off to a party in time):

Recorded on thursday, August 9th 2007 at 22:48, at the trumpeter monument of Guča. Clearly visible are Sandro, Johannes, Dave, a glimpse of Derf, and Chuketti's hat.

Presto!

Hey there, i'm back and have to report at work in about 10 hours. Sleeping must therefore ensue. Plenty of content will come for those who have patience.

...is off again.

Once again, i'm leaving. Once again, to a festival. Once again, to a festival like no other.
And it also seems that in each of these festivals i have and will show a different face. In Rototom Sunsplash it was the face of the translator and bon viveur. At ItaliaWave it was that of the webeditor and music enthusiast (and, surprisingly, of the good team worker). In Guča, it will be that of the anthropologist and drunkard.
If you've clicked the link, you should already have seen that the previous sentence is thoroughly justified. However, it is my pleasure to leave you with this 1951 recording made by Alan Lomax during his travels through Serbia:
Library of Traditional and Primitive Music - Frula Duet(Serbia) (128kps mp3, 1.5Mb)
I dare you to figure out the tempo, especially in the final section. Anyone who succeeds wins a prize.

So, anyway. I'll be away for a week or more. This time i can't promise updates, because who knows when and where i'll be finding an internet connection. What i have done is to put a twitter update on the sidebar. I'll try to update that (from my cellphone) just to reassure people that i'm still alive.

A quote.

"I miss congrio. I remember when your father and I were still going out together, in Chile. One time he told me to eat congrio in a big restaurant, it was called El Rey Del Pescado. It was delicious. It was also expensive, i don't know how he could afford to take me there. We were students, and we were poor. Now we're teachers, and we're poor."

-My Mother, twenty minutes ago.