Eclectic Grooves

I'm sorry that I haven't been posting much this week, but I've just gotten over a nasty cold. Thanks to those of you who commented on my 1 year anniversary post. I really appreciated the kind words, especially since I wasn't feeling great. I wanted to let you know that I have reposted the links from last years Halloween post here . While these songs aren't Halloween in the traditional sense, I'm sure they will fit nicely alongside the other spooky sounds in today's post. Also, you can sample selections from these three releases in My Box player on the left of the page. Please let me know what you think of the Box. Kid Stuff Repertory Theater "Mostly Ghostly" [Kid Stuff, 1962] In 1977, Kid Stuff released an intensely experimental Halloween sound effects album called "Mostly Ghostly. " The cover is very deceptive in that it looks like a Halloween record aimed at little children. What you get instead is a demented spookfest filled with bub...

Dull Schicksal- They Saved Hitler's Brain Unfortunately, I was unable to find much information on this album and that includes the cover art. This image was taken from the movie trailer for the 1966 Sci-Fi film that was adapted for television from the feature film "Madmen of Mandoras" directed by David Bradley. I do know that it was released in 1991 on the Dutch Label ADM, but it's extremely hard to find. Dull Schicksal was a Rotterdam-based band that existed from 1984 to 1999 with permanent members Lukas Simonis (guitar, synth, vocals), Hajo Doorn (drums, keyboards, vocals, also known as Raoul Goudvis), Colin McClure (accordeon, bass, sousaphone, keyboards, vocals, sometimes listed as Colin McClean), and Henk Bakker (flute, clarinet, vocals). I can only describe "They Saved Hitler's Brain" as avant garde prog punk jazz that sounds like nothing I've ever heard before. It has elements of The Ex , Marc Ribot and Dog Faced Hermans with marching band a...

Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls I posted something on here in dedication to the Sun City Girl's Charlie Gocher back in February. Here's a link to that post if you're interested in checking it out. I'm not sure if the links are still up for the music, but let me know and I can re-up them. I have been alerted by someone that the link for the Sun City Girls live show from La Sala Rossa is no longer active. Here is a reup of that show: Sun City Girls- La Sala Rossa Disc 1 Sun City Girls- La Sala Rossa Disc 2 Sir Richard Bishop's solo stuff is worlds away from the avant garde experimentalism of the Sun City Girls. Still, he is the only person I know of that can play an acoustic guitar so loud that you'll be reaching for your earplugs. I have seen him live about four times now, but there is really no way of explaining the beauty and noise created by his gifted hands. He is equal p...

Thanks for the positive comments on the Steve Reid post. I enjoy turning people on to creative and interesting music that they might not have been exposed to yet. That's the whole reason that I keep this blog up and running. I know that I haven't exactly been a prolific poster, but I hope to post more frequently in the future. First, I want to expose your ears to the euphoric sounds of the ethno-spiritual free jazz sextet, the Evolutionary Jass Band . Evolutionary Jass Band's founding members Jef Brown and Michael Henrickson(formerly of the Portland avant garde collective JOMF ) started the Evolutionary Jass Band around 2001 with the idea of creating spontaneous music with heart and soul. They were originally named the Steele Street Revolutionary Jass Band, but Jef felt that the band should be more about change and evolving. With a similar open-door membership policy to JOMF , their band members have included many of the talented multi-instrumentalists that have been emerg...

I wanted to let you know that one of the most amazing bands from the Congolese is coming to Portland. Konono No.1 has been mesmerizing crowds around the world with their unorthodox instrumentation and trance-inducing rhythms. Konono No.1 has often been compared to avant-punksters The Ex from the Netherlands who dedicated a song to Konono No.1 on it's latest album Turn . Beneath the power and distortion of the amplified likembes and distorted basslines lies beautiful African harmonizing that recalls Ladysmith Black Mambazo . I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than at the Aladdin theater tonight. This show is going to be too good to miss. I have posted two songs from each record to give you an idea of what they sound like in both a live and studio environment. Konono No.1- Lufuala Ndonga and Kule Kule Congotronics [Crammed Discs, 2005] Buy It Here Konono No.1- Zeyisalangayizama and Ku Hollande Lubuaka [Terp Records, 2004]

I have been so busy in the past couple months that I haven't had time to update. I have a billion thoughts rolling around in my head about what to post next, but I want to know what you guys want to see on this blog? Do you have any requests? Your comments are what keeps me going when traffic is slow, so give me a shout. I have some great stuff in store for this blog that will hopefully be just around the corner. To tide you over until the weekend, here is a great introduction to the Drag City band US Maple. US Maple US Maple are an enigmatic band that began it's aural assault on this unsuspecting world in 1995. They have only recorded five albums during the past decade, but each note on these records is well thought out and meticulously constructed. In fact, even though it seems like they are improvising during their live performances, it couldn't be further from the truth. They practice endlessly to create a live experience which emulates the sound and d...