BLACK ROCK - MEDIA BLITZ - ETC

It's been a fairly eventful week, in politics, sports, and in the world of entertainment concerning bands, filmmakers and whatnot. I could easily fill up several posts with my usual astute or asnine commentary on the generally unfolding events in the media, as well as my personal political & social landscape. Since the weekend is basically here again and i gotta work through the whiole thing I'll just jumble a few thoughts out and let y'all sort it out as I ain't got a surplus of time to do it myself...

I don't know about you but I'm sure gonna miss ol' Tom DeLay... like I'd miss a hernia...

Tonight my anarchist rabble rouser pal Jim is back in town, and his band Shotwell is playing the Eagle Tavern, so I'll post a couple older Shotwell mp3'z for ya up front...



from their 1995 debut 7" on Broken Rekids


Shotwell - Through You

from their split LP with Miami on the flip

Shotwell - Ghost of A Chance



Also simultaneously happening there is an event on Thursday night here in the Bay Area that relates to my role keeping folks posted on indie film news at http://news.hiphopfilmfest.com


Thursday September 29, 2005

Fundraiser for Kevin Epp's New Film

Reception & Preview For Sponsors of "The Black Rock"

"The Black Rock"
A film by Kevin Epps

--------------------------------------------

Sept. 29, 2005
6:00pm-8:30pm
@ 111 Minna Gallery


"THE BLACK ROCK" FILM FUNDRAISING EVENT
co-presented by SF. Black Film Festival and Acteva


In an effort to raise funds to finish his latest project, "The Black
Rock", award winning filmmaker Kevin Epps will be hosting a special reception this Thursday September 29th in San Francisco.

His latest project is "The Black Rock", a film featuring the rarely heard about African-American experience at America's most notorious prison, Alcatraz.

info and trailer online at http://blackrockfilm.com/

Kevin's currently seeking completion funds and tax deductible donations to help finish this promising and unique documentary film. Epps' previous effort, the
critically acclaimed "Straight Outta Hunters Point" was a film about the evolution of a black community dealing with social, economic and environmental issues, has been considered "one of the most important films of 2003" by the San Jose Mercury News.

Epps was recently honored this summer as Favorite Independent Filmmaker for the Year 2005 by the Northern California Film Production Community (http://www.filmcalifornia.net/),

He has been busy working on several projects including "The Black Rock" over the past three years.

At the event Thursday September 29th he will be screening his latest work-in-progress cut, as well as discussing funding, sponsorship, in-kind donations, and what more is needed to complete this important and historically significant project.

More detailed information on these subjects will be provided for interested parties, including on how to make a tax deductible donation through his project's fiscal sponsors.





The fundraising event will be held:

Sept. 29, 2005

111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna Street (between Mission and Howard)
San Francisco, Ca 94105


reception: 6:00pm-8:30pm

ph. 415 424-0987

no-host bar & hors' doeuvres served

more info at


http://www.blackrockfilm.com

Mastamind Production, LLC
http://www.mastamind.com/

also this weekend is the Swift World Film Festival, featuring screenings of some other pretty cool new documentaries that I'd like to check out including...
Michael Franti's Middle East travelogue I Know I’m Not Alone shot on location in Israel, Iraq and Palestine during the summer and fall of 2004, the film is a musician’s journey, looking for humanity in the warzones of the region.

Here's Michael Franti & Speahead performing

Spearhead - Everyone Deserves Music



also showing is :

Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley

here's a couple tunes, including Buckley's version of that eerie Billie Holiday number recorded before he vanished into the Mississippi

Jeff Buckley - Strange Fruit

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah



-----------------------------------------------

other stuff going down:

An actual NBA athelete has taken the risk to publically agree with Kanye West about Bush's racism and spoken out against the war in Iraq...

AN ATHLETE'S OUTRAGE : I AM Totally Against This War

NBA star Etan Thomas is using his media access as a platform
to call out the murderous agenda & painful negligence of the Bush
Administration and the country's ugly racial divide.
http://www.alternet.org/story/26081/

-->>PLUS: Read the transcript of Etan Thomas' speech,
delivered last Saturday at
Washington's antiwar rally




Rush Limbaugh recently blathered falsely to his listeners that AP & Reuters are more interested in "collaborating" with Cindy Sheehan than reporting on the recent Hurricanes...

http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/limbaugh-200509230011.mp3

http://mediamatters.org/items/200509230011

and don't forget than Bill O'Reilly's cutting edge mic technique - is not for the weak

http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/oreilly-200508170010.mp3

http://mediamatters.org/items/200508170010

if ya like that sort of thing maybe you'll appreciate audio of members of the Billboard Liberation Front pissing off cops while working SF's Haight St Mickey D's location dressed like mutant Ronald McDonalds and moaning for cheeseburgers and celebrating Ronald's birthday.
more pix , vids and more at SFist



------------------------------------------

meanwhile in music news...

A Germs reunion gig is scheduled in LA on Oct 29th on a bill also featuring reformatted versions of Flipper & The Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies and a Marky Ramone's band. The surviving members of the Germs (guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom and drummer Don Bolles) recently played together with actor Shane West at a wrap party on the set of the Darby Crash bio-pic "What We Do Is Secret". Afterwards The Germs plan to tour the United States and Europe in the months ahead. Already confirmed is a performance during Riot Fest 2005, scheduled for Nov. 4-5 in Chicago, as well as a Nov. 25 date at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. The 3 original era members have not performed publically together since Dec. 3, 1990 but served as consultants on the film that has been shooting in LA.

a pic from the set




Here is the original band :

Germs - Media Blitz

Germs - Lexicon Devil




Germs - Ritchie Dagger's Crime

--------------------

The current East Coast band Boy Sets Fire has announced plans to reissue some early recordings through the Equal Vision label, and has signed to Eurotrash punk label Burning Heart for a new release in 2006.



"Before The Eulogy" a compilation of outtakes & rare B-sides etc will be out on EqualVision Nov 1st



here's some of their currently available material

Boy Sets Fire - Rookie


Boy Sets Fire - Phone Call 4 a.m.

Boy Sets Fire - High Wire Escape Artist

Boy Sets Fire - Release The Dogs


anyhow

I gotta get going

see ya later...

Lookout - Wake Me Up When The Lawsuit Ends

LOOKOUT - Wake Me Up When This Lawsuit Ends




Current mood: cranky

Not sure what we need to talk about today, but hey it's humpday & I guess I'll do a bit of rambling about Lookout Records & Green Day.

First up though I am gonna give props to T _ Rex.

Marc Bolan, mega hit maker & international man of mystery...

from sloppy drippy hippie , to forthright glam tastic maestro galore...

didja know he was one of the few old school rockers to take a liking too & prop up punk in it's early controversial daze... he allowed the Damned to open up his 1977 U.K tour...

anyhow... beware the Mash Up

U.K mash-up maven Tone396 has reconstructed the T-Rex hit Get It ON (Bang A Gong) in honor of the late great Marc Bolan's passing away some 28 years ago this month.

T-Rex - "Bang A Gong "( Get It On Tone 396 Remix)

Here's another one of my all time faves from Mr. Bolan

T Rex - "20th Century Boy "

and just to be fair, we'll offer up David Bowie & Placebo doing the same track as Bolan tribute in a joint appearance at the 1999 Brit Awards.

Placebo & David Bowie -"20th Century Boy"

Incidentally for all you glam fans out there, I recently picked up the new double DVD set that features a couple complete Bolan gigs from 1972, plus his silly long out of print movie "directed" by Ringo Starr. There's over 300 minutes of content on this thing, including a 47 documentary and beautifully restored rare film & 5.1 audio mixed by Tony Visconti. Here's a DVD cover link to get yer own for less than $25 ...

Other stuff:

Speaking of glammed out eyeliner wearing rock stars...



Green Day has come a long way since I stood with Dave MDC & Fat Mike at a backyard keg party in the East Bay circa 1989 watching some new kids from Pinole do a Buzzcocks on steroids imitation. Over the past decade plus they steamrolled on through to stadiums & have become a rock n roll juggernaut having sold literally millions of t-shirts & records.

I remember that first run in, when I invited them to submit a demo so I could get them a gig at the Covered Wagon Saloon, and their then drummer Al Sobrante chewed me out. He accused me of trying to corrupt the band with show biz b.s, and that they would never sell out or have a press kit.

Al is obviously no longer with the guys... I can only wonder what he does for money now. probably lives off royalties from those early singles.

Eventually they hit SF in 1990 at The Women's Bldg at a show promoted by a volunteer crew of our pals that operated under the title "Shred of Dignity" headed up by my friend Shawn who has since moved to Hawaii. Later that year Green Day came and rocked 11th & Folsom at The Oasis, where I helped promote the late October gig with a chick named Melinda, and I can only wonder where she is now...

I managed to get the guys to play SF at an all ages collectively run party space/ studio in an old auto body shop called Komotion. They played a memorable KALX benefit there for a hundred plus lucky kids in 92, and were already becoming quite popular on the underground circuit. We recorded the show to DAT and I chose a version of "2,000 Light Years Away" probably because I knew the title, when the band let us use a track for our cassette & CD sound magazine series. That issue is long out of print, and if ya find one it's probably pretty rare.

Billie Joe also came through with Pinhead Gunpowder, his side project featuring Aaron Cometbus...

Here's a live Pinhead Gunpowder MP3 from a 2001 reunion show at The Starry Plough in Berkeley CA with the band doing their punked up version of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"

Pinhead Gunpowder - Big Yellow Taxi

I remember calling Billie Joe's house once in Rodeo, and his uncle answered the phone telling me that "Billie Joe went down to L.A to get himself a manager"... and needless to say they came back and had one of those Beverly Hills booking agents and they weren't doing anymore wherehouse parties.

So, I'll assume it's been awhile since they've played many dives with crappy P.A's I suppose...

This week the band comes back to San Francisco, and they'll be playing SBC Park, a stadium that has also hosted The Stones & Bruce Springsteen...

After a couple years with declining sales, Billie Joe's well publicized DUI, it was about time for their latest album to return them to the top of the pops. They have infused their lyrics with more astute social observations, political realities and even dare we say "rock opera" aspirations.... kudos to the boys outta Berkeley...

here's the band rocking a huge crowd in Basel Switzerland earlier this year...

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends


And them doing American Idiot at The Grammy Awards

Green Day - American Idiot

Despite leaving the Gilman St gang behind, Billie Joe Armstrong has reinvested into the bay area punk scene through his indie record label...

One of his "discoveries" was One Man Army, who existed from 1996 to 2004, and was an SF area band that delivered yer basic flat footed & feisty millenial era speed freak "punk" trio thang. They whipped out tunes with all the faux fury of finding yer Warped Tour support slot shifted from sunset on the main stage to shlepping it at noon on the hot asphalt behind the porta poddies. They managed to ooze out two albums on Billie Joe Armstrong's Adeline imprint, as well as stuff via Fat Records and this EP that came out on BYO.

This track is from a split EP on BYO Records with Chicago's Alkaline Trio

One Man Army - The T.V Song


here's one from their debut on Adeline


One Man Army - Another Dead End Story

and here's another tune from their last CD on BYO
Rumors & Headlines

One Man Army - All Night Long

if ya like 'em, you can order the 16 track live DVD recorded live at The Troubadour in L.A from Kung Fu Films here:
...
Vocalist/Guitarist Jack Dalrymple has reportedly joined Bay Area stalwarts The Swingin' Utters...

In the meantime, Green Day recently decided to sue their old label Lookout Records, and take back their earlier releases after a long period of non-payment of royalties. Essentially, Lookout was started by a guy who sold the label awhile back to new management, and they apparently just dropped the ball.

I used to live in the same house as Lawrence Livermore, who had a xerox zine called Lookout...

After seeing the success of the Turn It Around dbl 7" compilation recorded via the burgeoning punk rock scene at the Maximum Rock N Roll magazine sponsored Gilman St. Project in Berkeley, Lawrence was compelled to put out some 7"s himself.

Pretty soon he had the label of record from Berkeley and had indie hits with Neurosis, Mr. T Experience, Operation Ivy ( who've since moved over 600,000 units alone on Lookout) and several other bands.

Green Day put out their first full length effort in 1990 I believe, did a couple tours, and soon in the post-Nirvana climate were offered a deal on Warner Bros.

After the band hit it big, they let Lookout continue to manage their back catalog, and as time wore on, making plenty money from their new albums, they didn't worry much about it. Larry Livermore continued to sign bands, write his column in MRR but gradually grew increasingly frustrated with punk bands wanting the same budgets and promo hype as those on majors. He soon tired of running a "big label" with a beehive of employees, a retail store, and overall style that started resembling and competing with the major labels he hated originally. Lawrence, now well older than his label's demographic, drifted away from day to day operations, quit writing for MRR & moved to the UK, went back to college, and cashed out his stake.

Amongst the complaints made now is that over the years, the new Lookout folks took Green Day profits/royalties and invested in bands that didn't break even, and even watered down the label's once stellar reputation. Perhaps with products say, like these guys below...

ex-members of Lookout band American Steel formed this more tender footed keyboard infused group and this track is from their debut Lookout Records release from 2004...

Communique - My Bay

The band is now still playing around, and shopping a demo, as Lookout is probably too broke to put out another money losing effort...

to read a fairly good overview of the Lookout situation click pic to see this recent article in the East Bay Express by Rob Harvilla

Stop The Senate From Eroding Organic Standards

Hey, I am a big fan of non genetically modified foods, and non pesticide laden organically grown produce... I just got this notice that the sneaky claws of big industry are getting Bill Frist & the good ol' boys in D.C to potentially erode and weaken the carefully defined standards for what amounts to organic food production.

This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on a "rider" to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that will reduce control over organic standards from the National Standards Board and put this control in the hands of politically compromised federal bureaucrats and former industry lobbyists that now work at the USDA .

With everyone distracted by other more high profile federal business, the Senate may quietly reopen and subvert the federal statute that governs U.S. Organic standards (the Organic Food Production Act a.k.a OFPA). Unfortunately most Senators seem to be listening to industry lobbyists who would benefit from weakened standards. If you are interested in ths issue send a quick letter to your Congressperson online here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm


Organic consumer activists contend that the USDA cannot be trusted, as their directors are appointees with interests who previously proposed in 1997-98 that genetic engineering, toxic sludge, and food irradiation would be OK on organic farms. Their vision is opposed to truly organic farming, and the chemical industry linked bureaucracy and factory farming industry lackeys at the USDA suggested in 2004 that heretofore banned pesticides, hormones, tainted feeds, and animal drugs would be OK to use again.

Activist keeping an eye on the issue would prefer to let the organic community and the National Organic Standards board resolve the differences over issues like synthetics and animal feed internally, and then proceed to a open public comment period.

In the past, grassroots mobilization and mass pressure by organic consumers have been able to stop the USDA and Congress from degrading organic standards. This time Washington insiders tell us that the fix is already in. So we must take decisive action now. Contact your Senators, sign the petition and send it on to everyone you know who cars about the quality of foods and environment


So before ya download the MP3'z below, do me a lil favor will ya:

* Call the toll free U.S Capital Switchboard here: 877-762-8762

* or send a quick note to your Congressperson online here:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm


Anyhow, today, I'm recovering from a busy weekend, and sitting in a control room , overseeing the videotaping of two mock trials at a lawschool...



Ironically, despite all the mics, gear, racks etc. my lowly win 98 control room computer that operates remote cameras, has no sound card, so I cannot hear any of the wonderful MP3z floating around in the blogosphere... so I am instead enraptured with the comments of law professors explaining the finer nuances of cross examinations to students...

I wish I was cranking these tunes yer about to hear ...

Here's one of the grand old men of alternative rock, Mr. Lou Reed performing with Soul Asylum at the inaugural concert for the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland Oh, recorded September 2, 1995.



Lou Reed w/ Soul Asylum - Sweet Jane



Texan born and now Frisco's fave Alt. freakish chanteuse on the loose from her Anti Records release Catalpa... recorded somewhat lo-fi stylee in an SF living room, this 2003 breakthrough got her named the " hillbilly Billie Holiday" in the U.K press and paved the way for her latest and more finely tuned effort Escondida.

Jolie Holland - Black Stars


Among the folks who helped bring Jolie's music to the wider world are a musical community of underground music making misfits in Frisco including guys like her producer Lemon DeGeorge and his studio Crib Nebula.

There are so many wonderful creative people intermingling and performing in the unknown zones of the Bay Area music scene that it is truly hard to describe or chart em all. Her drummer Dave Mihaly is a real character and I first saw him in a jazzy psychedelic combo that ruled the late 80's underground basement jazzoid scene, and they were called Bardo. Here's a track from the 1993 Quaternity CD by his next band that followed in Bardo's footsteps with some of the same personnel, The After The End of The World Quartet. They were a bit more mellow and used to play weekly at a bar I used to do sound at and sure enough, you don't know what you got til it's gone. As a drummer, Mr. Mihaly has played in many fine, and often obscure groups including Mushroom & Rent Romus' LORDS OF OUTLAND . I had the fine, warm and distinct pleasure to spend a late night/early morning bonfire jam with him and several others including the always amazing Jules Beckman on SF's Ocean Beach just prior to returning home for the Sept 11th 2001 WTC news hitting all our worlds. It's so strange to of all that horror & evil existing in the world, when there are also so many great musicians and wild untamed free spirited souls abounding as well...

Check out this track Dave composed for the After The End Of The World Quartet

ATEOTWQ - Shiny Noise



Here's one of Dave's other projects, the group Mushroom, that features him,saxophonist/flutist Erik Pearson, Pat Thomas and a cast of whomever they require.

Mushroom - Blues for Bobby Seale

Recently Pat Thomas put together a new CD on his Black Beauty label that features Caroleen Beatty fronting the Mushroom collective as she sings some obscure funky 60's & 70's covers from Bill Withers, Pentangle, Jefferson Airplane, and Ginger Baker’s Airforce and even "Let The Sunshine In" from Hair . huh?

maybe we'll feature that some other time...


Occasional Rancid keyboardist Vic Ruggiero fronts the The Slackers, a great traditional style ska band who give a rhythmic spin to a classic son of New Jersey fave...


The Slackers - Wanted Dead or Alive ( Bon Jovi cover )

The late and almost mythical Nina Simone is Feelin' Good, and this track has lotsa others doing the same, thanx to new exposure on HBO's Six Feet Under and via the Verve Remix Project.

Nina Simone - Feelin' Good





I'll let a random few hundred of my favorite lurkers & stray visitors suck these tracks up via search engines and whatnot, and we'll see ya later in the week...

toodles...

Cinnamon Girls & Some Special Stuff Por Vous

This Saturday Night in SF is the annniversary party of The Eagle Tavern, an instituition of sordid sorts in the South of Market district. So today I first offer up an mp3 of a band that was conceived on my front porch across from Mission Dolores several years back, somewhere around 1990 to be exact...



If yer in San Francisco and looking to blast yer eardrums a bit, I'd say it's more than a worthwhile stop , especially if yer a Neil Young fan...

Performing in drag will be members of Waycross, Posies, Camper Van Beethoven and Dirty Power... etc

Cinnamon Girls - Mr. Soul .mp3
..

for more info, videos of these dragsters in previous action and even a preview of the setlist see:
http://www.saucefaucet.com/cinnamongirls.html


Looks like the world's slowest moving Hurricane is still choogling along & up the Carolina Coast ... seems to be slowly dissapating, and hopefully leaves most folks out there alone...

here's a live Ryan Adam's tune recorded in San Francisco awhile back that seemed appropo :

Ryan Adams - My Sweet Carolina

OTHER STUFF :


"We found it absolutely incredible that the authorities had
no way to get there for four or five days, that they didn't go in and
help these people, and we made it in a two-wheel-drive Hyundai."

-- Duke University student Hans Buder who drove to New Orleans from North Carolina with two
friends to evacuate stranded residents

"3 Duke students tell of 'disgraceful' scene"
The Herald-Sun (NC), September 4, 2005
http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/000295.php



this above quote and link, plus other stories today I am listing up top was highlighted for me by the good folks at Newsdesk.org and their series known as "News You Might Have Missed"...

it's a worthy project that has folks digging up the dirt all over the net that might slip through yer normal media cracks...

ex.

The Army Corps of Engineers received millions for projects that
bolstered New Orleans' economy, rather than protect the city.

"Money flowed to questionable projects"
Washington Post, September 8, 2005
http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/000298.php

The Army Corps of Engineers received millions for projects that
bolstered New Orleans' economy, rather than protect the city.


Former ESPN & FoxSports commentator Keith Olbermann has gone "hard news" and recently made comments on how a slip of the tongue by FEMA's Michael Chertoff defined the government's ineptitude in the Katrina crisis.

"Keith Olbermann: 'Louisiana is not a city'"
MSNBC's Countdown, September 6, 2005
http://media.putfile.com/OlbermannSwings


GET INVOLVED!
If you see a story that needs more attention from commercial media,
contact them via :
http://www.newsdesk.org/nymhm/

..............................

SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA
Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and
projects supported by the non-profit Independent Arts & Media organization:
http://ArtsandMedia.net/ and the editors welcome your tax-deductible contributions:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695

.............................................................................

now for some slightly less important matters across the country, but warranted press releases none the less :


Viacom's MTV division is gonna start a Hi Def channel called MHD of it's typically lame programming in January

Gillette plans to launch a 5 bladed razor next year, "the Future of Shaving" which is 4 blades more than the razors of yesteryear!


anyhow, leaving the corporate blather dept., a couple more events here, and for the patient...mp3 rewards...

also on Sat in the SF area is the Mission Art Walk
from 3-9pm on Saturday
Sept 17th:
www.missionartwalk.org

This weekend in downtown San Jose CA at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), a Hip Hop Film Festival will screen films including :

• ``Bomb the System'' -- an award-winning film about the New York graffiti scene, 8 p.m. Friday

• ``Mixtress X'' -- a female break-dancing biopic, 2 p.m. Saturday

• ``Hip-Hop Homos'' -- a documentary about the gay hip-hop scene, playing with ``Ecology of Love,'' starring Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, and ``Spin the Bottle,'' starring Peaches Christ; 4 p.m. Saturday

• ``Ghetto Fabulous,'' about an Oakland crew that transforms vintage Ford Falcons into art, 7 p.m. Saturday

In addition to the films, there will be a live graffiti art exhibit. And in between the film showings, a DJ will spin some beats in front of a screen showing classic hip-hop films such as ``Beat Street'' and ``Wild Style.''

`

Where: MACLA Castellano Playhouse, 510 S. First St., San Jose

When: Friday and Saturday

Tickets: $6 single screening; $7 Friday night ``Bomb the System'' screening; $20 all access; (408) 938-3594, www.maclaarte.org

------------------------
well, yer still here eh?

ok...

how about some ska to pick it up now:

I'll throw in some classic tracks by 2 Tone UK ska meisters The Specials

The Specials (1979)

The Specials - Enjoy Yourself

The Specials - A Message To You Rudy

The Specials - Monkeyman

The Specials - Nite Klub (live in Chicago 1980)


plus a Special a remix of the eerie Ghostown

The Specials - Ghostown


not enough, o.k then just a couple more bonus tracks for y'all:

and from the folks that brought you the notorious website: Destroy All Celebrities and stuff like this great pic here:



here's a message from pornstar: KURT LOCKWOOD .MP3

and since they've already got the candy & ghosts out in all those store displays, we'll finish up with some Cleveland area hip hoppers and their 6 min ode to a Funky Halloween

T-N-T - Funky Halloween


have a good weekend y'all... don't forget to write

I will never give them any money again...

I just got an email from an EMT who spent one hectic week working at the New Orleans airport, a major staging area for immediate post Katrina medical treatment ...

What she reports is indicative of all the horrific media stories we now know... among her comments:

"If there is a major terrorist attack, we will not be able to cope, if Katrina is any example of how the Department of Homeland Security works."

"We rapidly ran out of everything, meds, supplies and water. We really only had water for ourselves. I'm told FEMA begged the Red Cross to come bring food for the shelter people as well as our patients, but they didn't show up until Sunday, truly a (few) days late and a (lot of) dollars short. I will never give them any money again."

" It would have been even a greater catastrophe but somehow the Air Force sent a team to see what we needed and really stepped up to the plate. They said tell us what you need in supplies and meds and they had stuff to us within hours, where FEMA hadn't been able to resupply us in 4 days! "

if you are seeking ways outside the usual Red Cross donation to help out the with the aftermath of Katrina please see my post of last week that highlights several unique non profits, charities and relief options.

Many Rivers To Cross, Many Ways To Help...

I have read other condemnatiuons of official handling of events ranging from recent comments by Al Gore to on the scene New Orleans activist Malik Rahim. Louisiana Gov Blanco and ex- Black Panther Rahim, while seperated by ideologies and background seem to agree about slow removal of bodies from the septic waters in the city... "In death, as in life, our people deserve more respect than they have received," she said while lashing out at FEMA shortcomings from her HQ in Baton Rouge.

Today finally, after his poll numbers hit bottom, amidstmounting evidence, and caustic critiques of rare bipartisan & international nature, the President had to concede to accepting something he has shirked for years, "responsibility".

Remember this president has not been to a single funeral for one of the almost 2000 American soldiers who have died in his war on Iraq, a country no U.S president had ever been to until 8 months after our second invasion of it.

in related Katrina news:

Charges have been filed over 34 deaths at a Louisiana nursing home in St. Bernard's parish where operators neglected to evacuuate the patients before Katrina hit...
Louisiana charges negligent homicide in 34 nursing home deaths


Meanwhile , at America's gulag :Over 100 on Mass Hunger Strike at Guantanamo


With Bush finally taking some sort of contrite responsibility for the failures of the Katrina evacuations and rescue, one of the web's shining hotspots dujour has to be Backwards Bush, which counts backwards the remaining days of our beloved president's term... as of my posting time today: just about another 1223 days...

they also will ship you, for a paypal donation of $10 , a credit card sized keychain that counts right along with you:

hmmm should we continue?

Well, I'm locked out of my office area momentarily, ( left my keys inside when I had to attend to an errand, and my co-worker split fora meeting) so I thought I'd use this time to scan the web on a pooter set up in the hallway... and it certainly looks like it's a good day for people who love bad news once again:




here's a soundtrack from a Northwest band to set up yer scrolling action:

Modest Mouse - Float On (from Good News For People Who Love Bad News)


Hey, speaking of the northwest, looks like Jimi Hendrix birthplace has been bumped around Seattle, but his childhood home has found a home in a trailer park in Renton, across from his gravesite. go figger...

A worker helped on Saturday to move the graffiti coated childhood home of the rock legend Jimi Hendrix for its 2nd move across Seattle to nearby Renton, Wash.
photo: Kevin Casey NY Times

Jimi Hendrix - Experienced

in other Seattle news:

Dr. Richard Klausner, the director of The Gates Foundation is leaving his post, and says it is not linked to a Government Accountability Office investigation of his activities when he worked at Harvard.

And Seattle PD have released a controversial video of a serious beating in Pioneer Sq of two Iraq war vets getting the sh*t kicked out of them...Video clip of the beating .

In music news: Tom Waits, Dave Matthews, Trey Anastasio, John Mayer Trio, Joss Stone and the Meters have signed on for a Sept. 20 benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event will be held simultaneously with a previously announced benefit at the city's Madison Square Garden featuring a host of top acts.

CBGB's lost their lease, but Blondie's Debbie Harry & PE both got their old crews together to perform one last benefit for the club in Tompkins Square Park organized by part time Soprano, Boss guitarist and radio DJ Miami Steve Van Zant. Blondie played a couple oldies for the press & fans and then took off for a tour of New Zealand.

Here's a link to a Blondie remix that was originally rejected by Sony, it's Blondie circa 2003 getting the whack job from DJ 2 Tall & his pal Mr. Trick :




Blondie - Good Boys ( waxdroidz remix)

Here's a link to the black & white silent movie style video clip of the original mix of Good Boys from The Curse of Blondie album.


Here's a couple tracks off a new record that's getting a bit o buzz... not that I'd care. For thjose who wanna be in the know, here's Cabbagetown, GA native Chris Lopez getting all hella moody on ya...

Tenement Halls - Plenty Is Never Enough

Tenement Halls : When The Swifts Come Home



But can ya bounce to it?

Let's get a lil more frisky why don't we?

here's that UK dj cat 2Tall and his remix of Roots Manuva

Roots Manuva - witness

hey... i know it's a little thin ain't it?

peruse the grooves of yesterdaze gone by in my "Archives "

April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005

Strange Days - Bush vs Katrina vs Kentucky Woman

I'm an info junkie, who carries at least three newspapers around at a time, and sucks up factoids, hyperlinks and articles like an out of control Shop Vac...

One of the best news & writing websites I know of is Alternet, it's writers cover many issues ignored by the traditional corporate media, and the site has numerous thoughtful essays from a wide spectrum of viewpoints. Among the contributors include notables like Molly Ivins, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Scott Ritter and Van Jones.

The editors recently grouped their coverage of Katrina and it's after effects with an easy to find URL to keep updated on their latest relevant stories.

http://www.alternet.org/katrina/

another good overview resource on katrina and the many issues surrounding it is http://katrina.internet2.edu

So let us check out a suitable track to keep this post on track ( in that darn I-tunes .m4a format )

Dirty Dozen Brass Band - I Shall Not Be Moved

Speaking of Not Moving: Notice how our now lame duck administration initially takes the slow motion hands off approach to hurricane relief when it's not an election year. The hurricanes that came during the election season of 2004 had both George & Jeb out there lifting sandbags & delivering groceries to white retirees in the politically crucial state of Florida. Not so much when it's 2005, and the folks are poor & black in Louisiana.

A study released by the Pew Research Center shows that
Two-In-Three Americans are Critical Of Bush's Handling of Hurricane Relief Efforts

According to Newsweek Only 38 percent of Americans approve of the way Bush is doing his job overall, a record-low for this president in the NEWSWEEK poll. (Fifty-five percent of Americans disapprove of his overall job performance.) And only 28 percent of Americans say they are "satisfied with the way things are going" in the country, down from 36 percent in August and the 46 percent surveyed in December, shortly after the president's re-election.

In honor of W's new polling reality we'll offer another tune to support our clueless leader a.k.a troopmaster flash, ( but secretly we'll hope he can stay in the sh*thouse for awhile ), punkers from Chicago, with a track off their infamous "Sh*t Sandwich" EP

The Tyrades - He's So Popular




Unfortunately, it takes a huge disaster to wake up the fat, f*cked up & fact ignoring people of this vast distracted country. If only this poll reflected a hope for immediate change, but it's a year late , since our 2nd term prez can just phone in his agenda and ride out the remainder of his term for the most part. I hear people wish for impeachment, inquiries etc. But, do we really wanna waste the energy & expect the Democratic party to look up from their masturbatory excercises in oratorial artery clogging and force any actual change to the status quo?

The "two party" system has us choosing between soft-serve vanilla in a styrofoam bowl, and vanilla ice milk with sprinkles in the pale stale cake cone... either way, it's sugary sludge.

Of course we'll get some minor squabbling going on over relief funding & Supreme Court picks, before the inertia sets in and congress can get back to work making the world safe for Wal-Marts, and the good folks of Daimler-Chrysler, Exxon-Mobil and whatever new merger is going on today...

___________________________________

This just in from the Organic Consumers Assoc. :

ACTION ALERT: CRITICAL BUDGET CUTS DEBATED THIS WEEK
The U.S. Congress has been ordered to cut $3 billion from farm and nutritional programs by the Bush Administration. This week (9/12-9/16), the final decision will be made by Congress regarding what specific programs will be cut. At the moment, powerful members of Congress are leaning towards cutting farm conservation programs as well as food stamps for hundreds of thousands of poor people. Maybe the big thinkers in Congress could instead take away the $20 billion annual pork-barrel subsidies that are currently being given to the wealthiest factory farms, commodity exporters, and industrial agriculture corporations. Iowa Senator Grassley has proposed an amendment to USDA appropriations that would cap taxpayer subsidies to corporate farms at $250,000 a year. It's no surprise that even this modest attempt at reducing corporate welfare is being attacked by corporate agribusiness. The nation's food stamp recipients, as well as the environment, need your support now, as this decision will be made in the next few days. Take action and support the "Rural America Preservation Act" (S. 385, a Senate bill which would set a cap on subsidies). Send a letter to your U.S. Senator here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd-subsidy.htm

I'll dedicate this one to James DeWitt, Clinton's former cabinet level head of FEMA before W put a buncha cronys & political hacks like everyone's fave idiot Michael Brown in charge. Too bad Bush didn't call DeWitt in sooner, although I hear he's lately been advising Louisiana's teary eyed governor Blanco.

It's an oldie but a goodie from the Irish pre-pop punk wunderkinds with original lilting lead singer Mr. Feargal Sharkey singing his heart out...

Undertones - You've Got My Number ( Why Don't You Use It )

Here's another track that doesn't begin to describe the insanity that transpired in the aftermath of the Hurricane and flooding that has swallowed one of America's most unique, famous and irreplaceable cities...

It comes to mind as I read more disturbing b.s out of Washington. Sadly amidst all the Katrina news flooding the pipelines, just gives more cover for sneaky lil' creeps like Herr Rumsfeld who is itching to get their hands back on the ol premptive nuclear trigger... : "The Pentagon has drafted a revised doctrine for the use of nuclear weapons that envisions commanders requesting presidential approval to use them to preempt an attack by a nation or a terrorist group using weapons of mass destruction. The draft also includes the option of using nuclear arms to destroy known enemy stockpiles of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons." - Source: The Washington Post 9/11/05

Taking ya back in a Psychedelic haze

The Doors - Strange Days


and now as the drugs take hold somewhere outside of Barstow, or Louisville or wherever we may roam, to wander off somewhat distracted, if not aimlessly for a spell:

That's a pic of Josephine Kirby Williamson Henry a late nineteenth century suffragette out of Versailles Kentucky whose greatest accomplishment was the Married Woman's Property Act, or the Husband and Wife Bill, passed in the Kentucky statehouse in 1894. Prior to this bill, married women had no rights to their own finances or independence. She lobbied and led a campaign that took years to end the policies were women were "treated as outlaws and all their property confiscated at marriage."

She led the way for other proud Kentucky women such as Mary Elliott Flanery, who was the first woman to ever be elected to the Kentucky Legislature in 1921. These ladies, and many more are profiled in the book

KKentucky Women, Two Centuries of
Indomitable Spirit and Vision

Here, in honor o' that, we'll let West Coast wannabee Mark Kozelek give his lysergic / lethargic sonic treatment to Neil Diamond's early 60's chestnut, one originally recorded for Bang Records...


Sun Kil Moon - Kentucky Woman

I'm just gonna throw out one more tune to tide ya over since ya made it through a testy little Tuesday rant.


This is a track I recorded with some comrades that highlights the effects of sex, drugs and alcohol on tender male minds wasting away while stealing electricity in a Pomona Ca boarding house.

Lil Mike & Inland Emporers - Cockblocker

Many Rivers To Cross, Many Ways To Help...

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