musings

“Give a man a match and he will be warm for hours.

Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.”

anon.

…. where’s that new album?

short answer - I dunno. my workload seems to have trebled lately, and the new label plans keep growing. at this point, we’re thinking next march or april for the anthology.

I have, however, been writing some new tunes and recording demos. I just got a new condenser mic and will be trying it out this evening.

so the aussie federal election is over - finally. most people expected kevin rudd’s labor government to win comfortably, but the early evening calls of a “ruddslide” confirmed that, here at least, the times they are a changin’.

the news that the former prime minster looks certain to lose his own federal seat - to a former abc television journalist, no doubt - was a surprise, even to jaded ol’ pundit such as I. what this means for the future will be revealed in the future, I suppose, but my gut feeling is that aside from a few surface edits, not much else will change.

so I’ll continue with my usual sunday routine, restringing guitars and dropping off gear to the pub for today’s gig, wandering around the local markets hobnobbing with the other musicians shaking off sleep and/or hangovers, and breakfasting on freshly made turkish gozlames.

the election is over. the emperor has gone clothes shopping. we now return to our regularly scheduled program.

… I’ve been trying to buy online - legally - the new mark knopfler album, “kill to get crimson”.

not on cd…. just digitally downloaded. I haven’t room for discs. and I don’t want to wait. I want the tracks now.

I can’t. the only places that offer it, such as napster and rhapsody - don’t accept accounts outside the usa.

so… very reluctantly… I’ve obtained the tracks er, elsewhere. and the next time I see mr. k, I shall place $20 in his hand in compensation.

see, I want to pay for this great recording. but, the powers that (still, feebly) be in the biz - won’t give me that option.

just one more glaring example of how the “traditional” music industry in the 21st century is doomed.

addendum:

this morning, after a second search, I found a uk-based legal site where I was eventually able to purchase the album as a download. mind you, I had to register and sign up for everything short of the tory party, and even then, I only got wma files that still needed conversion.

so i stand by my rhetoric rave. as long as the old-school industry makes it difficult to obtain music as fast as we now get our pizza, software, news, dvd’s and car registration, they’re sending the consumers elsewhere.

don lafontaine is a dead-set legend.

…. neil diamond wrote “sweet caroline” about caroline kennedy?

here.

peter case live at kulak’s woodshed.

abra moore live at criminal records.

leadbelly.

dr. john with the band at the last waltz.

lightning hopkins.

the byrds / eight miles high video.

duran duran / save a prayer.

the carter family.

miles davis in ‘67.

burt bacharach & cilla black, recording ‘alfie’ in ‘66.

led zeppelin in ‘69.

crosby, stills, nash & young in ‘70.

etta james, with keith richards, robert cray, johnny johnson & steve jordan at chuck berry’s film shoot.

ray price.

charlotte martin live, with her stunning cover of ‘wild horses’.

leonard cohen in ‘88.

and finally - cash.

started a new residency last night at the drummoyne sports club. nice little bar, great staff, good folks. had a few friends drop by for some tunes. I’m really enjoying playing these days.

I’ve got a half dozen newish tunes recorded, well rough demos. been talking to a few folks, including my label partner and am going to try experimenting with some percussion loops. I think it’ll work, perhaps I’ll upload a track to the myspace page.

I’m enjoying a rare saturday night off, spent the day in the guitar store and am off to have dinner with a friend.

overseas readers - looks 98% certain that I’ll be in austin this march for the annual south by southwest music conference. lemme know who of you will be there, would love to catch up.

one more week til this federal election if over and done with. I can’t wait, the hyperbole and desperately inflammatory rhetoric from all parties is starting to turn into high school locker room level discourse.

…. to my rose.

“..computer games don’t affect kids. I mean if Pacman affected our generation as kids, we’d all be running around in a darkened room, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music. ” - Kristian Wilson, Nintendo Inc. 1989