Wilco Loves the "Loft Life"

One thing I've maintained for many years is that a venue really is one of the most important aspects of any musical performance be it a live show, party, recital, theatre etc. I'm glad to see one of my favorite bands also feels the same way about their studio space. Here is a link to an article done by magazine "Loft Life" on Wilco's studio space in Chicago. They've recorded every album since the genre bending "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" in the space and have collected a museum's worth of gear along the way.

Enjoy!

http://loftlifemag.com/mu/?p=3503

A Legend Passes: Al Martino

That's it. The last of the great showbiz legends has passed. Today it was announced that Al Martino, long time Philly born crooner who popularized such hits as "Spanish Eyes" and "Volare" has passed away. As popular as either of those songs was it was Martino's turn as Johnny Fontane in the Godfather trilogy that cemented his place in the pop lexicon.

You might ask yourself, what significance this has for me personally. On the eve of the Millennium celebration (that being late December 1999) I had the honor of playing in a big band in support of Mr. Martino. On a cruise ship that sailed the Caribbean for Christmas and the infamous Y2K New Year, I shared a few dinners, and some unforgettable experiences with the legend and his wife. One of these experiences, the kind that money simply can't buy, was an evening screening on board the ship of The Godfather Part 1. Anyone who knows me will attest to my absolute love for this movie. A picture that stands alone in its triumphant ability to humanize the perils of mob life, and tell a moving tale of a complex family.

Taking my place beside the Martino's in the theatre, the extended opening scene of Connie's wedding begins to play. Suddenly Johnny Fontane appears on screen to the delight of the female guests in attendance, making his way to the stage. A serenade for the lovely bride, followed by a request to his Godfather to help make a movie role he's having problems landing come to fruition. We hear the famous "Make him an offer he can't refuse", and a horse's head.

All the while, playing each scene out in my head for memory, The Matino's regale me with fun facts and interesting trivia about the movie.
"That house there belonged to one of the producers of the movie"... "That's a real horse's head in that bed. It wasn't actually illegal to do that kind of thing back in those days, but it is now".

Amazing.

More intriguing though are the stories I hear from Martino's band leader as the week progresses. The idea that Martino was asked not to take the role by Sinatra's people (upset at the movies’ portrayal of the Johnny Fontane character as a patsy entertainer owned by the mob, believed to have been fashioned after Sinatra himself). Or the repercussions of taking the role, which included Martino's near 20 year absence from playing in Vegas. What's that about his file with the FBI? (A little less than forthcoming with these details). Whether these, or the countless other stories I'm told are true is irrelevant. To be furnished with such tales in the presence of a legendary entertainer is at least worthy of a posthumous retelling, an homage to my fond remembrance of the short time I got to share with him.

Playing in a band, supporting Mr Martino on stage however was something else entirely (a performance experience that still rings as one of my proudest moments to this day). The man's voice was still in fine shape, capable of capturing the audience and bringing them back to their youth (many of them happy to have enjoyed Martino while he was in his prime).

So, a simple tribute to the man. The last of the great entertainers.

NEW MIX!!! K2:::Get Deeper:::vol 1

I haven't released a proper house mix for public consumption in years. So it goes without saying I'm quite happy to have finally gotten around to putting this one together. "Get Deeper" is a collection of deep and tech house tunes I've been diggin' for the last few months. Download and enjoy!

http://soundcloud.com/tracks/search?q=strictlylampin

K2:::Get Deeper:::vol 1

::Makayuni – Alex Niggemann [8Bit]
::Supique – Gorge [Freerange]
::Plow Hand – Soul Minority [Kolour]
::Beatdown – Chuck Love (Jimpster Remix) [OM]
::Lassur – Hans Thalau (Milton Jackson Remix) [Caballero]
::Jungle – Sebastien Leger [Mistakes Music]
::Vabanque – Manuel Tur (Stimming Remix) [Freerange]
::Touch of Soul – Dominic Martin (Milton Jackson Remix) [Le Bien et Le Mal]
::Yebo Yebo – Neuroxyde (Aki Bergen & Doomwork Dub Mix) [Starlight]
::10% - Steve Mac & Nic Fanciulli [Ovum]

::Momma’s Groove – Osunlade (Jimpster’s Slipped Disc Mix) [Strictly Rhythm]
::Stop Space Return – Crazy P (Roberto Rodriguez Remix) [2020 Vision]
::Aundy – Claude VonStroke [dirtybird]

The Early Bird Gets... Duffy?

Yes, it's true. It has been a while since my last post, thought or idea made it's way to the pages of StrictlyLampin'. I've been pretty busy. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that's the self professed story of my entire life (which is true). I can't help being important, I've got a lot fo things to get done and only so much time to do them in. For this very reason it has become important to plan my time wisely, to pay attention to things that I have no control over and attempt to schedule them into my life. One such event that is seemingly impossible to schedule correctly is the mid week concert.

This past Tuesday I had tickets to see the newest soul sensation from across the pond "Duffy", who would be performing one of a very limited number of shows in North America. Let me qualify that, myself, my girlfriend, and a few others had tickets for the show, one we were anticipating for weeks. The tickets arrived in the mail and read 7:00pm ddoors open. That is one thing that has always bothered me about ticketed concerts. Why do I care when the doors open? It's such a random yet effective way of ensuring I have no idea what time the show starts, when I need to be there, or even how much money to bring along when I'm stuck holding the bar up for 3 hours waiting for the headliner (or anyone in some cases) to light up the stage and make something happen. How many shows have you been to where the mere sighting of a roadie can set off the drunken masses into a hysterical rush of hoots and holla's. No doubt they, like myself have fallen victim to the idea that a time posted on a ticket is really a marathon starters gun shot, announcing to the world that you may begin spending at the bar. Is it too much to want a utopian society where concert times are posted for paying customers to ensure they can arrive when they feel ready? Even movie theatres stick pretty true to the formula of starting 15 minutes of comercials and previews at the exact time the show is posted to start. Whay can't we get it right in the music industry (bar profits aside, which I suspect is the only logical reason for such ambiguity surrounding start times). Moving on...

Mid week concerts are tough to take in. Actually make that early in the week concerts are tough. When you work full time (not from home Ryan) in an early to start office environment you can rarely afford to take a significant hit in sleep so early in the week. Drinking compounds this problem. For this reason I had decided to use my experience with club shows over the past 10 years or so to my advantage as an older, wiser, office wolf in mid week concert going sheeps clothing (so to speak). If the doors opened at 7:00pm, I'll show up at 10pm, catch the set I've paid to see, and head home. I'm so clever. No, make that strategically equipped. Despite the concerned stares from my girlfriend, who on several occassions had this worried look on her face regarding my strategy, I was instilled with confidence. I know how these things work honey. Relax, and enjoy a drink in the less crowded confines of our dining room, taking in the warm up sounds of Rockferry (Duffy's first album).

As we exit our cab in front of the Mod Club at approximately 10:15pm it is immediately apparent that people are laving the club, and not in any sort of a "we're all heading out for a smoke" fashion. No, I had become a victim of my own creation. My clever idea had turned on me, and the music industry decided at the worst possible moment to take an interest in something I have always wished for - earlier mid week start times at club shows. I for one feel there is a valuable lesson to be learned from this situation. If and when I figure out what it is, I will let you know.

Oh My LOLLA!!!

When I was in high school, everyone looked forward to summer holidays (something that I'm sure hasn't changed). For some it was the opportunity to travel abroad, head to the cottage, louonge by the pool, get a summer job and the list goes on. For myself though (who had a job all year round, and didn't have a pool) it always meant the start of the summer live concert season! Leading the charge as one of the more anticipated line up announcements would be that of Perry Farrell's travelling alternative road show "Lollapalooza".

For two summers I went to Molson Park in Barrie to take in a diverse range of acts such as The Breeders, Cypress Hill, George Clinton & the P Funk All Stars, The Beastie Boys, Moby, Elastica, Hole, Sonic Youth, A Tribe Called Quest, Pavement, and the list goes on. It wasn't until the festival took a turn for the commercial worst, booting Farrell from any creative contribution (or so I was lead to believe at the time... I haven't fact checked that one) that the touring side show took a turn for the worst (although to be honest, I'm sure it would have been proper to see Orbital rince out at the 1994 edition of the festival... even if it was at Kingswood).

Fast forward to present day and Lolla has gone from cultural turning point, to the depths of insignificance, back to prominence in it's current one stop 3 day incarnation. Perry is back at the helm and the logistics of staging a touring troup of musicians has been abaondoned in favor of the festival format so popular in Europe.

Today the 2007 line up was announced featuring headliners Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Ben Harper, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Interpol, the Roots, My Morning Jacket, Muse, and approximately 100 other bands or musical acts set to descend on Grant Park that will grace numerous stages over 3 days in Chicago... smells like a summer road trip to me!

Check the link for the full line up... and if your looking for me August long weekend, you know where to find me!

http://www.lollapalooza.com/default.asp?fd=1&sid=1

Absolutely "ESSENTIAL"!!!

Yes, it's been a little while since my last post (or entry... I'm still getting used to all this blog talk). I can assure you it's all been time well wasted. If it's not school or work occupying my time it's the amount of things worth going out for in February and March, namely birthdays. In fact, it really makes me wonder what everyone in the world is doing in June and July (actually it doesn't, and I will let you do the math on that to your own conclusions... anyways...!!!).

One other thing that has been occuppying my time of late is going to the gym. This is an evolution in my life that is certain to baffle most who have known me for years. The benefits of working out can not be discounted though. It's a great stress release, there are the obvious physical benefits, my heart likes me a lot more now than it ever has, and of course the most important benefit; I get a solid 90 minutes - 2 hours of time to listen to great music un-harrassed by the outside world (with the exception of tht guy who interupted a blazing mix by High Contrast last week to find out how many sets I had left on the Leg Curl machine... you know who you are!!!). It amazes me how quickly the time can fly if you are wrapped up in a Derrick Carter "Ministry of Sound" mix down, or hanging out with Underworld "Live". In fact Mark Farina regularly gets me through 15 km on a stationary bike, only to have Mylo work me over in some resistance training.

Lately though, my iPod has been feeling too familiar. I know all of these mixes. I know all of these albums. And like any work out, the routine needs to be switched up every so often to maximize it's effects on you. Enter the "BBC Essential Mixes blog".

For those who don't know, Essential Mix is a weekly series of 2 hour sessions hosted by the legendary Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 that showcases the best DJ's from around the world flexing the latest and greatest wax for discerning legions of electronic music fans (and I'm certain it's soundtracking the late night, post club piss up at some blokes house in Cardiff). If you're like me and your schedule does not revolve around weekly television or radio shows (I think I might be in the minority here given the number of people who talk about Jack Bauer like he's a close personal friend) you need someone to put it all together for you, a place where you can peruse 10 years of great weekly shows in one glance. That's what the BBC Essential Mixes blog has done for me. With sets from the likes of High Contrast, Grooverider, Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier, and Pete Tong himself the list is long and nothing short of legendary.

My sincere thanks to the person who started this blog and has taken the time to post not only the sets themselves, but the track lists that accompany each one. I would highly recommend doing a strict regimine of at least one new set a week. Just remember to stretch.

http://bbcessentialmixes.blogspot.com/

This Saturday Night!!!

So, I'm playing a party this Saturday for some friends, none other than the "Notorious Walkers" Kerry and Scott. It just so happens to be Kerry's birthday, which just so happens to be the excuse we need to all get together, have a few drinks and get down with our bad selves. Always fun times and good people (and of course you can be assured of some groovy tunes courtesy of yours truly. Peep the deets... hope to see you then!

Hey there friends,

we are having a very special party, this Saturday February 24, 2007 at Harmony Lounge on College Street, to celebrate multiple birthdays (Tommy, Agnes, Auggie, Frankie Guns, and myself), Aquarians, the Age of Aquarius, and life in general. We would love it if you would join us for some cake, some sweet beats, and some proper Bachanalian fun.

Scott, and myself will be playing some fine house muisic for your listening/dancing pleasure, and Desroy will be sure to get your booty shakin with his awesome djembe skills. Joining us in this musical venture: the truly talented, musical maestro, and fellow funk warrior, K2. He'll be soothing our souls with his fine blend of uplifting, jacking beats.

Hope to see you there, and all the best from the Spiral Groove Sound Collective.

Harmony Lounge

589 College Street, West of Bathurst
9 until late
no cover