Tuesday, August 23, 2005  

Back from Oya, Oslo Jazz Fest, and beyond. Taking a second job to pay for it all. That joint is tres cher.

Many memories from Oya, but having Satyricon play at the same time as Annie---and being torn about who I should see---stands out. Satyricon won (natch).

Until I can get it together and put it down, here's what others had to say about Oya.

Will/The Fader:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

The Guardian:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Nick Sylvester/Riff Raff:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Chris Monsen/Perfect Sound

Posted by CP | Link |

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Saturday, August 06, 2005  

Goddag, Norway

I'll be in Oslo from August 11-21 (with a few Western fjords in between), so if any Norwegian readers want to buy me a $10 beer and show me the seedier side of crispy, clean Norge, well, I'm all for it. Give me a shout at the e-mail address linked on the upper right of this page.

First up is the Oya Festival (though, sadly, I will miss club day, which features at least a half dozen bands I wanted to see) and then the Oslo Jazz Festival.

I have a rough idea of what I want to see at the jazz fest, and Oya as well. But there are a lot of Oya artists who are completely unfamiliar to me, so check the listings and weigh in on what you think will knock off my ankle socks (hey, it's friggin' hot in D.C., brah; fashion does not apply in the humidity).

Posted by CP | Link |

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Wednesday, August 03, 2005  

Joyeux Anniversaire a Moi

Alphaville
"Forever Young (FAF Mix)"
Forever Pop
(WEA, 2001)
"Forever Young (Live)"
Stark Naked and Absolutely Live
(SPV, 2000)
"Forever Young (Live)"
"Forever Young (Unplugged)"
"Forever Young (Demo 2)"
"Forever Young (Demo Remix)"
Dreamscapes
(A Different Drum, 1999)

Wayne Wonder
"Forever"
You, Me & She
(Prestige, 2003; rec. late 1980s?)

Born Jamericans
"Boom Shak-A-Tak"
"Boom Shak-A-Tak" (Dancehall Remix)
Kids From Foreign
(Delicious Vinyl, 1994)

Lester Sterling & Stranger Cole
"Bangarang"
Trojan Jamaican Hits Box Set
(Trojan 2000; rec. 1968)

Sound Dimension
"Real Rock"
"Real Rock Version"
7-inch
(Studio 1, 1967)

For the great "Boom Shak-a-Tak" the Born Jamerican fellas steal "Forever Young" by Alphaville, "Bangarang" by Stranger Cole and Lester Sterling, and the Sound Dimension's 1967 song "Real Rock," the last of which has accounted for at least 268 tunes on its own. (As the G-D-C chord progression is to indie rock, "Real Rock" is to Jamaica.)

And Wayne Wonder covers "Forever Young" like a young soul robot. So much for the feeling---well, as much feeling as a song by a 1980s German synth-pop band can muster. But as a pasty lad, I felt the Teutonic soul of the 'ville, brah. 4real.

I liked when the hi-larious Napoleon Dynamite used "Forever Young" at the high-school dance---sweet, yesssssss---because I voted for "Forever Young" as my class theme song in 1987. Glass Tiger's "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone" won. Phhhhtttttt!!!

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Tuesday, August 02, 2005  

Israel Vibration
"Craven Raven"
"Fighting Soldiers"
"Tippy Tippy Toes"
Fighting Soldiers
(RAS, 2003)

A polio epidemic swept through Jamaica in the 1950s, likely triggered by a shipment of tainted used clothing sent from England for the island's poor. (Ah, the sweet scent of colonialism. Thx, Queen Mum!) Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence contracted the disease, leaving the youngsters with partial paralysis in their legs. The lil' three met in a Kingston rehabilitation center and soon discovered their talents for harmony singing. After converting to Rastafarianism---and struggling with homelessness and neglect for many years---the sufferers now known as Israel Vibration finally got a break in 1977 and recorded The Same Song, one of the finest roots-reggae albums ever waxed.

Nearly 30 years later, and down to the duo of Wiss and Skelly, Israel Vibration continues to cut timeless roots records, including the pair's most recent, 2003's strong Fighting Soldiers. That CD's title track is pop-reggae at its finest---dirty-sax solo alert!---while "Craven Raven" is crucial roots and "Tippy Tippy Toes" borrows the melody to Israel Vibration fan Bob Marley's "Keep on Moving."

See Wiss and Skelly raise their voices and crutches to Jah on August 7 at 8 p.m. at the State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church, Virginia. $15. (703) 237-0300.

More tour dates:
Aug 4 - Starr Hill Music Hall - Charlottesville, VA
Aug 5 - Sunshine Daydreams Park - Terra Alta, WV
Aug 6 - Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park - Wilmington, DE
Aug 7 - State Theater - Falls Church, VA
Aug 20 - Red Rocks Amphitheater - Morrison, CO
Aug 21 - Suede - Salt Lake City, UT
Aug 22 - Breeze Nightclub - Crystal Bay, NV
Aug 23 - SLO Brewing - San Luis Obispo, CA
Aug 24 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
Aug 28 - Hollywood Bowl - Hollywood, CA
Sept 1 - The Jungle - Eugene, OR
Sept 3 - Deer Lake Park - Burnaby, BC (Canada)
Sept 4 - Bumbershoot Festival - Seattle, WA

Buy Israel Vibration CDs from Ernie B's.

Visit Israel Vibration's outdated Web site.
On Ras Records' outdated site.
Fan site.
Interview with former member Apple Gabriel by Carter Van Pelt.

Posted by CP | Link |

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