"Where else would you go when you have an ax to grind?"

Saturday, May 17, 2003

Oh and by the way, pete - I've added you to the admin list so you can get at the page code and mess with things
If anyone has any email addresses for people they would like to see invited to join the page send'em to me I will send out invites.

Hey I have too heard of the Foo Fighters! And I think they're basically OK - nice to see a band that isn't overly hyped. As for Japanese bands, well J-Pop music generally makes Brittany Spears look like Janis Joplin - I never tire of complaining of how bad the worst of it is. The most popular band in the country has had their own weekly tv show for about ten years now, and each member also appears on other shows regularly (at least one tv appearance by a band member every day) SMAP as they are known cannot sing, cannot dance, can't play instruments (one guy plays guitar on stage, and even a three chord wonder like me could do better) don't write songs, and for a band of five guys, are generally prettier than the girls I dated in high school. In North America they woul‚„ have been teen idol flavor of the month and gone is less than a calendar year (New Kids on the Block?)
That said there are still some cool musical things happening here- my favorite being a singer songwriter named Masayoshi Yamazaki, slightly affected but solid singing, a great melodic songwriter, kinda bluesy, good guitarist and great live performer.

Mike - Murakami is very cool!

Friday, May 16, 2003

Kevin,
you haven't heard of the foo fighters? before I give you a hard time about that, tell me what japanese bands I should know about but don't. not one of teose grrrrl bands with a lot of shrieking. foo fighters have a couple of good songs and a bunch of boring ones, kinda straighforward hard-ish rock. their frontman is dave grolsch who was the drummer for nirvana. he writes and sings better than you'd expect from a drummer but still.
new stuff that i'm listening to these days: the delgados (scottish band with deceptively sweet melodies and harmonies, mostly acoustic, and brutaly depressing lyrics) and radiohead. not sure why the uk kick except that they do downer music really well.

Hi folks.
Not sure who is here other than the venerable Hamish and, of course, Kevin. But I say good morning in any case....
Reading: Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Listening: various artists, Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood and Brush
Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Web: memepool.com

Mike

Thursday, May 15, 2003

A new blogger and old friend writes:
Hi Kev

How does one post to the 'shed. I'm keen to let the world know about a great book that I am reading about the ancient relationship between man and eel (no kidding). I read a similar book about cod last summer!

Cheers
Hamish

Hamish, just respond to the invite I just sent you and you should be able to jump right in with minimum of fuss. As far as the relationship between Man and Eel is concerned I think they have laws against that sort of thing.

This week's topic: New pot laws are coming to Canada!

Well, I just sent out a bunch of invites to people to join the woodshed, and more invites will be sent out as I collect valid email addresses.
Pete is your email working or is it still screwed up?

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

What I'm reading this week:�@Soul Circus by George Pelecanos - an excellent hard-boiled detective novel set in the poorer part of Washington DC
What I'm listening to this week: Slingshot Professionals by Kelly Joe Phelps - can't say enough good things about this guy. I bought his last album for about four different people for Christmas. Fantastic singer-songwriter-lap slide and acoustic guitar player. His music is like staying up all night talking and drinking too much coffee with you best friends. A mix of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Charlie Patton - low key and mellow but very intense stuff. What the Yomiuri page for my review soon.

Sunday, May 11, 2003

Say Pete,
You being the web wiz you iz, is there a way to monkey about with the web page to display the option of emailing either one of us and could the pictures of rocks at the top of the page be changed? do you have access to that from the publishing page? should we cross post links to your excellent if not often update home page? I there anyone else out there reading this?

Indeed, his high royal hipness is well represented at this link here with a wide selection of transcripts of his inspired art.

Hey Kev, you mouse clickin' daddy, let me lay this link on ya.

Dig Infinity

I didn't know if knew about this or not and I figgered this blog thing was the best way to get the link to you.
Oh, it's a new book on Lord Buckley for sale. Informative blurb though. (good name for a band "Informative Blurb")

Speaking of band names.... Here this month's Useless Information(tm).
I know nothing about this band except where they got their name. Do you know what a "foo fighter" is?
A page on foo fighters.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>P.T.A.H.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<