Is Fake Steve Jobs Hungry? Walk This Way...

Hey...

Wanna take a walk down memory lane?

Well at least mine, in case you weren't alive 20 years ago, Run DMC & Aerosmith teamed up to do a remake (for newbie's that's a kind of precursor to the mash up, where you actually get permission), of Aerosmith's 1974 hit Walk This Way.

Well they're doing it again, on Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Tour – hitting spots like London's Hyde Park this summer. Here's Daryl McDaniels aka DMC to you, perform “Walk This Way.” Check out some video from a recent performance....

The aged warriors in Aerosmith have been making the rounds this summer, including reaping over $150,000 playing it's first concert on tiny Prince Edward Island (pop 13,000) with Cheap Trick, Ciara and others.

Aeromsmith vs Run DMC - Walk This Way ( 98 Remix )

Meanwhile, back in the blogosphere...

( for you newbies, a blogosphere, that's the virtual state of suspended judgement, you are traversing now, that has a sort of higher regard in the high tech field)...

Anyhow today is shocked to find one of their own, someone anonymous called The Fake Steve Jobs, is actually the editor of a real world magazine...Forbes.


a real life person, one with a reputation and everything?


High Tech blog scene? sheeeet, that's more like High School...

Isn't Forbes just a mag known for printing a list of rich people anyway?

Says Fake Steve of the busting of his cover:

Now you've ruined the mystery of Fake Steve, robbing thousands of people around the world of their sense of childlike wonder. Hope you feel good about yourself, you mangina. One bright side is that at least I was busted by the NY Times and not Valleywag.

Was 6 figure editor in real life known as Fake Steve really that hungry for attention?


Ed Anger of the Weekly World News was the best blogger in my lifetime, in my humble opinion...



and he started long before there were blogs...

and he wasn't real either...

Mark Twain was a pseudonym as well...and I guess he was a blogger too...

As was Voltaire, it was a pseudonym for Francois Marie Arouet...



more like closet-o-sphere...

yes...it's indeed a small world.

the blog readership is mainly other bloggers keeping up with the competition...

they used to be called newsletters, and later zines...or better yet, most simply didn't exist, because the stapling, mailing & mimeographing was a barrier that kept all but only the most passionate from bothering.

There may be millions now, but they are essentially shut ins for the most part, interacting with the world through a safe medium.

Rather than busking their psuedo-intelligentsia interweb enabled perspectives on the subways, street corner soapboxes and the likes, the can harass us from their pajamas.

Commentors use the internet like a teenager leaving curdled crap in a burning paper bag on your doorstep in the middle of the night...

ring your bell...just to see if you'll step in it...

The real irony is that the Real Steve Jobs is Fake enough ...

I though folks, would like y'all to know, I am the only "real" blogger...

I really am named Lil Mike...fact!

and you know what...I'm Real!!

All Opinions Here Are Mine ... and are the official opinions of Lil' Mike's Last Known Thoughts & Random Revelations...

at least the last known opinions...

Oh, and You know what else I am?

Real... as in

Real Hungry...

Real Hungry For Attention...

You can call me the "Fake Editor of Forbes"...

and so today since I am hungry, for attention not rational discourse...

i offer music about food...

and not food for thought...

Dr. John - Food For Thot

I hope yer ears are hungry too...


so load up and get it while it's hot, we gots a sonic soup, summertime potluck, bar bq buffet today:

Paul Revere & The Raiders - Hungry



Fats Waller - Hold Tight ( I Want Some Seafood Mama )



Bo Carter - Banana In Your Fruit Basket




Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong - Big Butter and Egg Man From the West



Cryan' Shames - Sugar + Spice


None More Black - You Suck But Your Peanut Butter Is OK

Ms Monique - Collard Greens & Cornbread

Mariachi Brass Featuring Chet Baker - Chiquita Banana


Joe Tex - Yum Yum Yum

Heavy Vegetable - Eggy In Bready II

Guitar Wolf - Three AM Noodle Shop


Paul Butterfield - You Are What You Eat

Jason Lowenstein - Casserole


Average White Band - Cut The Cake


Warrant - Cherry Pie

oh, and here's a couple from the great Frolic Diner collection...

Spot Barnett - Sweet Meats



The Royaltones - Tacos

Vinyl Vortex - Culinary Confusion - Groovin High

Lately over the past few summer weeks, I've been trying to get a grip on my music collection vinyl, CD, strictly digital and combinations thereof...

I've invested in back uo drives for storage, started trading discs on LaLa, and trying to get some old vinyl into the mp3 realm as well...

I've got USB cords criss-crossing the living room from turntable to pooter and whatnot...stacks of LPs about, CDs and whatnot...

and then I got interrupted...

Instead of burying my head into the headphones, I had a few old friends unexpectedly drop by the ol' homestead...

So I made time to ignore that pile of vinyl for a spell...

Had to play maybe a few games of pinball, finish some beers...

As fer the malty beverages, the remnants are pictured above, including English made Cherry Ale, some beers from all over Northern California, and even one brew from Portland Maine.

Last night's food intake was also uncentralized, but included some delectable treats, and even some huitalacoche & cotija tacos...

The sweet portion of the evening's food service included special sundae's at sunset served in the garden, made with a freshly picked berry reduction sauce I whipped up, topped over local ice cream...



Now fer yer eclectic musical mayhem for today that hopefully matches my stomach's creatively confused but somewhat satiated contents...

First up, in honor of the blackend corn smut on corn masa tortilla experience...

Let's go South of The Border...sorta

You'll hear the troubled trumpeter Chet Baker, and some LA session dudes attempt to cash in at Liberty records on the Tijuana Brass fever unleashed by Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss over at A&M in the mid 60's...

Despite it's predecessor being called a "A Taste Of Tequila", this followups' disposable cheesy quality actually was put together by some highly regarded professionals. Including folks like Jack Nitszche who is doing arrangements, on this tune, a Latin-lite instrumental version of Nancy Sinatra's hit of that summer "Boots"...

Mariachi Brass ( feat Chet Baker ) - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

If that's not exciting enough, how about another from this album... a true 60's maestro-piece written by Sonny Bono fer yer loungey liquored up listening pleasure.

Mariachi Brass ( feat Chet Baker ) - Bang Bang , My Baby Shot Me Down

Continuing in the quasi international mode, let's hang with Black Francis of the Pixies who has a new solo album out soon...

It's called Bluefinger, and nope it's not name after that Steve Martin & Eddie Murphy flick... I think that one's called Bowfinger actually.

Maybe it's called Bluefinger because he had a "Curse of Lono" type experience and put his hand in an airplane toilet chasing after a lost object.

If you don't know what a "Curse of Lono" type experience is, brush up on your Hunter S Thompson, who was by far my favorite travel writer.


Anyway, regarding ol' Black francis i.e Frank Black's upcoming Bluefinger CD is that there is probably some sort of travel theme. I deduce this without too much thought since. on this track, Mr. Black Francis goes off on a poppy tale that namedrops several German cities, and bemoans a certain woman who took all the money and left the fat boy there to die...

jeez...what's the "DEAL" with that?

Black Francis - She Took all The Money

Speaking of Germany...where incidentally some of my relatives emigrated from many moons ago...

How about a certain German interpolation of a fave San Francisco tune?

Here's Gerd Konig doing his Deutsche version of a song that Tony Bennett pretty much has the English language patent on...

Gerd Konig - I Left My Heart in San Francisco

anyhow...

It's getting late/early or whatnot and I've got to get out of this post...

and that leaves me with this track here also recorded in Europe...

at the Blue Note Cafe in Paris to be precise...

a classic lively Jazz thang from the early 1960's...

and one that need's no lyrics to speak it's mind...

Bud Powell - Groovin' High

The great & groundbreaking ESP label is reissuing this in the near future I understand...

so do look it up if you wanna acquaint yer bad self with some boppin tunes ....

Download "Groovin' High" (mp3)
from "Live At the Blue Note Cafe, Paris 1961"
by Bud Powell
ESP Disk

More On This Album

Monday's Miasma etc etc etc

On Saturday night I was an honored guest and official band bartender at the annual freak fest known as Parkerzalooza, which was headlined by san Diego's Earthless...

They play at a deafening volume...and capped off a night of many bands, mucho volume, and libations for all.

North Beach was alive with music & festivities over the weekend too as the 53rd annual North Beach festival took over the hood. Aside from the officially sanctioned entertainment on outdoor stages, there were other little combos working indoors along the streets. The usual blues bands were rocking SF's self proclaimed oldest bar, The Saloon where barflys buzzed around the doorway, and the unofficial beat community center Live Worms gallery even had a band playing for the art show. Amongst the other spots where bands played was the legendary corner bar the Condor, who recently were granted a permit from the entertainment commission. Of course, rumor has it, the benign live oldies band featured over the weekend, will soon give way to yet another adult themed strip/topless entertainment theme.

Meanwhile down a long lonely & empty stretch of Broadway, across from a boarded up pizza joint and shuttered Afghan eatery, a for lease sign hung on the spot formerly known as The Crow Bar. In the 60's this location was called Basin St West where the likes of Ike & Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Ramsey Lewis and other jazz & soul greats once played, but now, much like the rest of fabled North Beach, is just a faded shadow of it's former self.



North Beach was once the west coast's premiere entertainemnt district... whether you were a can can girl, comedian with an arrow through your head or struggling folk musician ... everyone cut their teeth there.

Everyone from Maya Angelou to The Dead kennedys, Janis Joplin to Metallica... all earned their chops in this San Francisco neighborhood...

Hoyt Axton - Greenback Dollar


Janis Joplin w/ Grateful Dead - Turn On Your Lovelight

The late bluesman known as John Lee Hooker should need no introduction to real American music aficionados.


Here's some tracks future SF club owner John Lee Hooker recorded back when he bounced around from label to label in the 50's & 60's using different names...



John Lee Hooker - I Love You Baby (Hug And Squeeze You - Part I)

John Lee Hooker - "Too Much Boogie" (mp3)
from "Too Much Boogie"
by John Lee Hooker
SnailWorx

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at Napster
• Stream from Rhapsody

More On This Album

A Bay Area lady, and original member of Sly & The Family Stone, guitarist Gail Muldrow remains an unsung hero of funk & soul. While Sly grew legendary, for his chops almost as much for his fabled unreliability, the talented crew that helped bring him worldwide acclaim too often languished in his shadows. Gail is Sly's baby cousin and after remained with Larry Graham in Graham Central Styation. Here's Gail laying down some greasy funk & serious bluesy soul from a recent solo disc.

Download


Gail Muldrow - "Where'd You Get Yo Funk From" (mp3)

Gail Muldrow - Stranger Things

from "Cleen Spirit"
by Gail Muldrow
Global Recording Artists

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Stream from Rhapsody

There are occasional opportunities to see Gail rocking with ex-members of The Family Stone, and rumor has it even with the reclusive Sly himself, who's scheduled to appear at an outdoor show in San Jose next month with members of his old crew.

July 7th, Sly and crew are scheduled to appear at Arena Green, right next to the HP Pavilion. The bill also features the Average White Band and the Latin Sensations (featuring Jorge Santana and other members of Malo, El Chicano and other Latin rock performers)








In the meantime, here's some more grooves you can definitely count on from Gail Muldrow...

I love how she pile drives through Nancy Sinatra's "Bootz" as fierce as Megadeth or the punk band Government Issue did in the 80's, only with far more soul. This recent solo disc also features Sly alum Greg Errico on drums. Worth a listen if you can appreciate the paths she paved to get to today.

Gail Muldrow - Bootz

More On This Artist From Her Own Website

In the interest of the arrival of Summer, I thought I 'd throw out some more tracks in honor of this hot time o year...

like this one featuring Gail with Sly

Sly Stone - Hot Fun In The Summertime

and it appears...with summer almost officially here...

then the heat is officially on...

from the beaches and boardwalks to boardrooms...

Sam Cooke - Summertime

In the silicon valley, the latest quasi casulaty is Terry Semel...although, it's hard to feel sorry for a guy who took home around 75 million in pay , give or take a few recently...

Yahoo, shakeup, more froth & fissure than facts or fiber...

Yahoo! Once the internet darling, the company that has slowly slid into a precarious position of irrelevance and now they reach for uh...Jerry Yang? This is the same kid who boiled like a frog for so long in the pot already, gave up control & let the whole shebang slip away...creating failed inititiatives, and throwing good money after bad...

He's the same guy that basically allowed Yahoo! to slide into it's murky miasma, and gloated as the company became so heavily capitalised they were rumored at one time to be near to purchasing Disney/ABC...

Now they have somehow let their golden goose die, from being the top dog in search, to a sick & lost puppy... albeit still clinging to billions in capital.

Strangest of all was how aghast they were as their own contractor, some startup named Google, actually out Yahooed them...


If I was a shareholder, I wouldn't expect to see much of a catalyst for change in effect by simply putting Jerry Yang back in there...

He created it, but he got paid handsomely and walked away... and the souless execs and MBA's ran it into the ground...

Feeling Carioca - Bikini Talk

from "Rio To Go"
by Feeling Carioca

SCUDPROMO MUSIC

• Buy at Napster
• Stream from Rhapsody

More On This Album


Anyhow... enjoy yer week... I'm getting back to the garden...

Chet Baker - Summertime

...and tommorrow night I'll be performing some Event Magic while bartending at the 4th annual Valley Schwag party south of market ...here's a shot from last year

see ya around...

Random Chance Rants & MP3 Revelations

Random Chance

I love it when stuff is just random...

Hence the title of this blog involving the term "Random Revelations"...

That's what we have today for ya...

seems like so much of what I experience in this modern life seems predetermined. overly affected and set in plastic molds...

But I loves me some "random"...

Tonight I just randomly discovered a record label called Random Chance Inc and their catalog of sonic treats.

They sorta appeared outta nowhere in my radar...I saw my local PBS affiliate was showing the great "Satchmo" documentary so there I was looking up some Louis Armstrong tunes to download. I stumbled upon an interesting looking tribute disc put out by this Random Chance label. Aside from the "Mental Strain at Dawn" disc that has some of the last recordings of Armstrong associate Doc Cheatham on it and tunes by Jack Pervis, Fats Waller etc, the label's done lotsa other stuff as well...

David Murray & Doc Cheatham etc - La Cucaracha (sample)

Really seems like they release an eclectic blend of stuff, a veritable microcosm and melting pot of all that's right and adventuresome that's possible in music these days...

The music they issue ranges from straight down-the-line harmonica infused Chicago blues, to jazz, hip hop, latin, world music acts and unique variational combinations thereof. I doubt there's much money being raked out of the market, but it's a well oiled labor of love no less.

A perfect example of the label's diversity might be Pyeng Threadgill who has two albums on the label. Long a fixture in New York at venues like The Kitchen, Joe's Pub etc she moved to Berkeley on the west coast a few years ago.

Her most recent CD "Of The Air" features tasteful lightly produced jazzy vocal numbers that flit & flutter with a simple & subdued sense of passion and poetry, often about nocturnal matters.

Pyeng Threadgill - Before Day

Pyeng Threadgill - It's Late

• Buy at eMusic

While the newer album lacks in a strong sense of production trickery, it is an amiable enough effort.

In her first Random Chance effort she takes some dirt encrusted Robert Johnson tunes and polishes them with a laid back moderne jazzy feel that makes 'em shine and glimmer brighter than the platinum platters of Norah Jones.

She'll be doing gigs in Athens, Rome & Paris this spring so all you int'l denizens & globe trotters , check out her schedule at Pyeng.com.


From : The Music of Robert Johnson...

Pyeng - "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"(mp3)

Pyeng - "They're Red Hot"(mp3)

from "Sweet Home: The Music Of Robert Johnson"
by Pyeng Threadgill

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at Napster
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody

More On This Album

If you liked that check out Angela Ortiz another young female vocalist ( & asparagus enthusiast) raised upstate NY but now out of Brooklyn whose got a CD called "All About You" coming out in March on Random Chance...

tracklist:
01. Everyone Changes (4:16)
02. Dustpan (5:22)
03. Days of Lemonade (3:54)
04. Finish What You Started (4:15)
05. Mr. Thomas (4:32)
06. Steven (2:51)
07. Last of Who You Are (4:45)
08. We Must Be All Right (4:32)
09. Cheshire Cat (3:30)
10. All About You (5:11)
11. Song For Lost Friends (3:30)

On her new CD she uses Ryan Scott on guitar who is also in Pyeng's band. For lyrical inspiration she told the website Musical Discoveries that she uses:

"Old books, and some new ones. Economics magazines and advertising literature. Very plain pictures of very normal-looking people. Court TV."

Angela Ortiz - Days of Lemonade

Angela Ortiz - Everyone Changes There Mind





Most Random Chance label music seems to be available at Emusic.com, a monthly subscription download service which I highly recommend, and helps make many musical discoveries possible...

This next Random Chance release I'm highlighting features one of the longest running Latin jazz groups in the world paying tribute to the music of Art "Buhaina" Blakey, and The Jazz Messengers...

Incidentally JERRY GONZALEZ AND THE FORT APACHE BAND
will appear in my homebase of San Francisco on March 9, 2007 @ The Palace of Fine Arts

Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band - "Rumba Buhaina" (mp3)
from "Rumba Buhaina"
by Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band

released via
Random Chance, Inc.

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody
• Buy at Napster

More On This Album

On this Random Chance album recorded recorded at Famous Dave's BBQ in Chicago in 1999 you hear a former 1950's roommate of Little Walter and Jimmy Reed, that being Little Arthur Duncan who has a Chicago blues pedigree and a classic juke joint harmonica style.

Download "Duncan Donuts" (mp3)
from "Live In Chicago!"
by Little Arthur Duncan

released via
Random Chance, Inc.

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at Napster
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody

More On This Album

With the nutcases in DC now declaring that since our Iraq campaign is going so well, we of course need to declare war on Iran...

Here's a Random Chance album needs to get heard before that is ever allowed to happen...

Baba Isreal - "State of Emergency" (mp3)

David Rovics - "The Draft Is Coming" {mp3}

from "Got the Impeach Bush/Cheney Blues"

released by
Random Chance, Inc.

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at eMusic
• Buy at Napster
• Buy at RealNetworks / Rhapsody

More On This Album

Here's one more sample from a Random Chance releases:

Chet Baker & Charlie Haden - Four















hope ya enjoy all the DRM free mp3 love ya get here...here's a note one of the formats early cheerleaders recently sent to Steve Jobs after his recent blogburst defending I-Tunes and criticizing the RIAA & major label execs...

MP3.com Founder Michael Robertson's Response To Steve Jobs' Call For MP3


Dear Steve,

First let me say that your iTunes/iPod success is unprecedented and awe inspiring to me. Your impact on digital music is astounding. I read your open letter to the music industry and wanted to respond. It's great seeing the #1 DRM vendor in the world acknowledging that DRM is an issue. I've been talking about this since I founded MP3.com so it's nice to finally have someone with your prominence raising awareness on this topic (read You Own Nothing - the highest rated blog post I've ever written).

I want to challenge you to take actions to bolster your words to insure you are genuine and your letter wasn't simply a deflection shield to escape government scrutiny. In your letter you stated that currently "customers are being well served with a continuing stream of innovative products and a wide variety of choices." The incompatible chaos of digital music today is not serving customers or the music industry particularly well. I think you know this too which is why you posted your letter calling for change. I agree with your suggestion that the industry is already selling non-DRM files on CDs so it's not a big leap to selling them online (of course, as you know, non-DRM files are available online from many unlicensed sources so now it's just a question of whether the industry is going to put a price tag and make some money on this behavior). You mentioned that licensing your FairPlay DRM technology is problematic. Microsoft widely licenses its similar DRM technology and it doesn't seem to be any more or less secure than yours, so I'm not sure I agree with you. But instead of focusing on political posturing I want to focus on real solutions that can change the industry.

My vision is that customers should be able to mix and match the type of computer, music software, retail option and music devices they want to use. No single company is the best in every product category so consumer choice ensures the best music experience. Here are some immediate actions Apple could take to help push the industry in that direction.

1) Start selling some content in MP3 format in the iTunes store.

It's my understanding that Apple has a license from certain content providers that allow tracks to be sold in the MP3 format, like the CDBaby catalog. While the major labels might be insisting on DRM files, that isn't the case with many indie labels and other music providers. Making those songs available for purchase in the consumer friendly MP3 format would mean that some songs from the iTunes store would be compatible on every MP3 player. The big criticism of the iTunes store, which has spurned possible government action, is the fact that purchases only play on iPods. By selling MP3s in the iTunes store, files become interoperable with any player. It will be a minority of files, but according to your letter, major labels control only 70% of music distributed. Therefore, if a significant percentage of the remainder are made available in MP3 format, this would have an impact.

2) Publish the database format for iPods so other music software can be used.

Files stored on iPods are done so in a proprietary database structure that Apple does not reveal. The only software that can reliably move files to/from the iPod is iTunes. Thus, iPod owners are forced to use iTunes software exclusively. There are many good media managers available that I'm sure people would like to have work with their iPods. By publishing the database structure for iPods these music managers to interact with iPods. This would not mean licensing the DRM that wraps each music file, so it should not affect security in any way.

3) Open the doors for iTunes software to work seamlessly with other stores.

Today the iTunes software is tied solely to your iTunes store. These two platforms converse over the net with a secret language. It's not complicated, but it's also not public. So iTunes customers are tied only to your store and iPods only work seamlessly with that store. There is a growing list of great online music stores which sell MP3 tracks such as eClassical, Magnatune, Broadjam and Wippit. By revealing the language or API that your store uses, other stores could use that same technology. Meaning, they could sell songs that load directly into iTunes software and from there sync to iPods.

4) Make iTunes software for Linux.

I talked to you a few years ago about making iTunes work on Linux. Apple made the leap to Microsoft Windows by releasing iTunes for that platform. Porting iTunes to Linux would be a relatively easy job and give people more flexibility in their choice of operating system. A Linux company I founded called Linspire would even do the engineering for free if engineering resources were an issue.

I hope you'll consider taking these actions - none of which require approval of the music industry, nor require you to license your Fairplay DRM technology that you see as problematic. All of these actions will demonstrate that you want a world where consumers have options as to where they buy and play their music; not to mention, you'll be putting Apple's leadership where your pen is.



Anyhow... I gotta go...

peruse the archives & keep vigilant