Gettin’ Weird

There is one zone where the commercial music industry does not go, and it’s the truly weird. I know they get close now and then, but I’m talking about maximum weird here people. Home recording is special because it’s usually being made just for fun, and usually by people that have very little experience. The enjoyment of recording sounds and playing them back can entertain pretty much anyone that can get their hands on the equipment to do so.

There is nothing weirder than home recordings, and I tell you , I know it’s not for everyone. However, I believe that I am a connoisseur of the weird, and I can tell good weird from bad weird. Some things are weird because they are trying to be weird, but the truly magical weird things are those that don’t know they’re being weird. After the experience, great weird things can make us think differently. The weird that changes our minds forever, and changes normal things into unknown territory is the weird I like most. So there.

We start off with my good friend mopehead, with a delightful ditty: To Town I Go, from the Weird Songs CD found only at 13thTrack.com – so check it out, there’s lots of weird music & Flash animation at this cool site.

Tucker Fucker Katonah! does an impromptu ad for Carvelle Ice-cream.

Honeysuckle does a tune I call Cosmic Cowboy. I am playing Honeysuckle because they are the weirdest band I’ve ever heard that I absolutely love. They freak me out and make me laugh. I hear so many complexities in the noise of this three person act. I cannot believe that anyone would do this, so it amazes me in so many ways, (not all good), but they still amaze me, none the less.

Rain Station likes to goof off when they are doing a sound check, and they make up lots of ridiculous riffs while getting ready to play. It’s actually the best part of the act. Check out, Fancy Pants, it’s funny.

For a while in the early 90’s I lived with a buddy of mine named Brent Clifford. Brent is rock and roll royalty because his dad is Doug Clifford, drummer for Credence Clearwater Revival, one of the greatest bands ever, and still going strong as Revisited. One weekend Brent borrowed my Tascam 4 track and recorded some of the most bizarre stuff I’d ever heard. We end our podcast with the lamenting tale of Poor Little Froggie.

IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – August 14, 2005

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Tradition With A Twist

I think it’s really cool when musicians take the traditional music they grew up with, and turn it into something unique for a new generation to enjoy. The freshness of traditional music combined with rock & hip hop influences creates a whole new mix for the whole world to groove to.

Today’s image enhanced podcast starts off with Alin Rogoz who likes to mix traditional Gypsy music with rock, ska, reggae, and hip hop. Alin records on Garageband, and his tunes are excellent. Me and Baby Hoagie hop around and dance every time we play this tune, titled: Gypsy Street.

A few years ago, I was lucky to get a copy of Abdullah Anayat’s CD, The Nomad Of Love. Abdullah is originally from Afghanistan, and combines traditional rhythms with western grooves. This CD can be found at: NobodyRecords.com – be sure to check it out.

Then to cap off this episode, we enjoy a visit from The 8 Ball Girl who helps us all with our most difficult decisions. If you would like to ask The 8 Ball Girl a question, just email us, and we’ll take it from there.

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IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – August 12, 2005

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Love Gone Wrong

A lot of music, movies, and art revolve around the theme of, Love Gone Wrong. Tonight we share two different works that define love gone very very wrong. First up will be Writer/Cartoonist Eve Gilbert reading her story titled, A Swell Guy. For those of you listening via iTunes, Eve’s nifty illustrations will appear in the lower left hand corner in the artwork window. Just click the images in iTunes to pop ’em up BIG for a good look at Eve’s cartoons.

I met Eve in Portland Maine through Frank Hobbs – (aka Frank’s Depression) in 1990. The three of us collaborated on a video short titled: Window Watcher and that’s where I got the audio of Frank reading his poetry. The audio was the soundtrack to our video, but I no longer have the video. Maybe our friend Jordan Kratz still has a copy, who knows? (NOTE: he did have the video which is now up at: FranksDepression.com)

When I moved out west to the Bay Area of California, I bumped into Eve and Frank on the street selling their ‘zines in the Haight. They would often crash in my living room in Berkeley, leaving me free ‘zines when they got up in the morning. I still have them, and these illustrations by Eve are from one of the ‘zines Eve left for me. I recorded Eve at a small East of Market club in San Francisco called The Paradise Lounge in 1991. Eve has an illustrated book you can order through Amazon titled: Tits, Ass & Real Estate. Get it, it’s an amazing story – you just can’t put it down!

After Eve’s terrifying story, T2 does their tune, I Love You Jody Foster, which was inspired by the crazed gun slinger John Hinckley that attempted to assassinate President Reagan to prove his love for Jodie Foster. This was recorded in 1982 in my mom’s garage on a cheap boom box. Jim Lynch wrote this song, and provides great vocals for this Portland Maine based Punk Rock band.

IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – August 5, 2005

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80’s Punk Rock

Before there was Schwarzenegger’s T2, there was a Punk Rock band from Portland Maine called T2. I recorded this rehearsal in 1982 in my mom’s garage. A real garage band.

The song is Bottle Patrol which was about the local bums that walk around collecting bottles and cans for the 5 cent deposit. Jim Lynch fronts this act, Tom Densmore plays bass, I’m on drums, and Chris Horne plays guitar. Chris later formed The Brood an all girl retro punk band. Great stuff.

Any podcast about punk rock has gotta have a poem by Frank’s Depression. This one is titled The Day The Sky Died.

We end the show with Eyes On Me by Ghost Walks. Recorded at the Outlook studio in Bethel Maine in 1989. Vocalist Beth Blood, and guitarist George Ripley kept this band together for 12 years. George was also in the legendary punk band, The Stains.

IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – July 28, 2005

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They’re All Dead Now

When one collects recordings over 25 years many things come and go. It’s strange how much we appreciate a recording once that person is gone. I have many home recordings of people that are no longer in this world. I’d like to think they are somewhere in heaven, subscribed to our RSS, and enjoying the show. I’m sure heaven has a fast internet connection, I mean, it’s heaven after all.

In today’s image enhanced podcast we start out with Stu Bonney singing the song, The Observer, in the band The Pilots. I have to warn you that The Pilots are terrible. These dorks are all 13-14 and in the 7th grade. This was recorded in 1979. They are the best example of a band being so bad, they’re good again.

Stu later in life committed suicide. His wife asked for a divorce and Stu drove his car to his parent’s house, parked the car in their garage, hit the remote to close the garage door, rolled down the windows, and that was it for good old Stu. I think he was 26 years old. He was one of the most talented artists I ever knew, and I miss him to this day.

A podcast of dead friends would not be complete without Frank’s Depression. When I met Frank he collected wellfare because he had broken his knee. It looked like the patella had migrated south about 4 inches out of place. Just seeing it would make you cringe. He also claimed to have HIV due to sharing needles. With all this one would not expect old Frank Hobbs to last too long, but none of these things killed him.

Instead he was beaten to death by a bouncer in New York City that was fed up with Frank hanging in front of his club selling hand Xeroxed poetry mags. I’m sure Frank did not like to be asked to move along. He died Aug 21, 1996. He was 30 years old.

Another amazing artist that did himself in is Tucker Fucker Katonah! (He always wrote his name that way, exclamation point and all. Tucker is performing in his band, The Boring Films, and the song is, Forget There’s A World. I recited lyrics from this song that he wrote at his funeral. The lyrics go: “Forget there’s a world, Always speak poetry, Always seeking the new, Celebrate life. No excuses, Live in the present, Forget your fears, and walk freely.” One day Tucker took a bunch of tranquilizers, laid down on the beach in Portland Maine, and let the high tide carry him away. Very poetic, don’t you think? He was 25 years old in 1990.

And last but not least is San Francisco’s cult karaoke performer, Richard McGhee Star Vocalist. This 60 year old man became a famous crooner in the Bay Area. He got the coolest gigs, opening for Smashing Pumpkins, Swell, The Cramps, and other way cool bands. The kids loved him. He suddenly was diagnosed with cancer, and was gone in 3 weeks. Richard died in 1995, he was 63.

IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – July 27, 2005

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Story Tellers

Many of my favorite musicians also tell great stories. In today’s Image Enhanced Podcast we feature Mitchell Vaillant, our favorite New York City Cab Driver, performing his song, Old Army Cot.

Allen Frost and Dan Hanrahan recorded a nifty spoken word tape in 1992 called, Planet Fishing. The cut, Telephone Joe is the story we hear tonight.

From the exciting Flash animated adventure The S.S. Mopehead, sit back and enjoy The Fish Is On The Move by Mark Harvey from Nobody Records. Be sure to check out the epic Flash animation to see and hear all of Captain’s Sinkwrite’s search for Sleepy Pete the Ocean Sheep. A very visual trip to be enjoyed by all.

IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – July 26, 2005

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Dan Hanrahan & Head Cleaner

Another great home recorded band I have in my cassette tape archives is Dan Hanrahan and Head Cleaner. This image enhanced podcast starts out with a live rockin’ song, called Head Burner, that was recorded in Portland ME at Genos. Sound that night was by Jordan Kratz, and it was a great show. The podcast ends with an acoustic tune titled, Without You, that I recorded on 4 Track in Berkeley California, and it’s performed just by Danny. Great stuff. Even better – the old Head Cleaner posters have comic book style characters illustrating the lyrics of their songs. We’ve added the cartoons to the image enhanced podcast, so be sure to listen using iTunes to see the Head Cleaner Comics!

Also on this show is another piece from Frank’s Depression. I’m really glad to have found this old cassette tape Frank and I recorded on a Tascam 4 Track back in 1990. We recorded the whole thing in the basement of Beth Blood’s place, Suitsmi in Portland Maine.

The 8 Ball Girl pays us another visit answering the world’s questions using her mighty powers of prediction. Be sure to email us your questions to be read and answered on the show, and the lovely 8 Ball Girl will let you know what her Amazing 8 Ball says.

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IMAGE ENHANCED PODCAST – July 23, 2005

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