Blogs

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This is my slogan for the rest of the year. I can't think of a better sentiment for the coming holiday season. If there is a silver lining to the daunting act of buying your way out of a depression I believe this sign captures it. Purchasing power has the ability to spread even more positive energy beyond the giver and getter. The benefits of putting a little more thought into where your purchases come from and how they are made are many fold. It might even be helpful, if you are one of those "hard to shop for" gift receivers, to point your potential benefactor in the right direction as well. That could be a present in itself. Post your favorite Small Local Merchant suggestions or experiences for Holiday Shopping this year. Also you can go here and discuss it more in depth on the OJ forum: http://www.olivejuicemusic.com/forum/2011/10/17/1628 Here's to all of us getting what we want this year.

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Both within, and outside of, the Occupy Wall Street movement, moving your money (if you have any) to a less cut throat bank is being discussed.
OWS does some of their banking with Amalgamated.

In 2000 I got married and my wife was using Amalgamated.
Sick of paying Chase $15 a month I switched over.
For 11 years I have used Amalgamated and they have never charged me a dime.

I don't know enough about them to give them a grade regarding ethics.

They are one of the banks suggested on a site for people interested in moving their money out of Bank of America, Citibank, etc.

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On the train again out to Long Island again. It's Memorial Day I really have deep respect and empathy for those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom and protecting our country, but do I have to sit around all day at a bbq far from the streets of my beautiful city? So I'm on the train and it is a long trip so it's a good time to go through a bunch of back issues of Deli Magazine. Deli Magazine doesn't come with a cassette sampler so it's good I have a computer with me because I can read about bands and then look up their music on myspace. Geezer on Diesel are new rock goth, updating Bauhaus, glam, Automatic, and Daydream.with a Strokesian finish. Best line " If you're looking for an answer try Satan". The live song out Out on the Lake ( recorded live at Glasslands) is hard rock fun. At Waking Lights.com I watched the video for The Waking Lights song Our Time Will Come (Clean), Our Time Will Come (Clean) is a commercial pop song, I can hear it on AM radio, the Strokesian break ( God how influential are those guys) mint the bubblegum content. This video is on Indiegogo, their motto is D.I.Y. or Die, they raised $2,860, and they have 0 time left. Read more »

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Occupy Update (October 10th and 11th)
I went down to Liberty Park on Monday afternoon for the afternoon general assembly. I picked up a copy of the Occupy Wall Street Journal. It has articles by Naomi Klein and Chris Hedges. You can check it out through Facebook: HERE!The amount of people had noticeably grown since the last time I was there about a week ago. The section of Broadway just outside of the park has been blocked off. There were about twice as many food carts and street vendors. The afternoon General Assembly was a bit more chaotic. I ran into a friend, Dave, who had spent the past few nights in the park. He said that there had been a rise in thefts perpetrated on the people sleeping there and that more of the general NYC homeless population was starting to show up. This was making stuff like sanitation and the general "No Drug" policy of the group a bit harder to control. I think this is an interesting issue that could be addressed and used as some kind of case study on how a society, literally, deals with their homeless population and how much that populations is connected to how we deal with stuff like mental illness and drug addiction. The Medical Working Group spoke out extensively about helping people who might be struggling with addiction. There was also a guy, who I recognized as an early organizer, speaking out about having been robbed in his sleep for the past 3 nights in a row. I thought about the irony of this considering the amount of 24 hour police presence encircling the camp. I spent a little time sitting around the library working on lyrics for a song. I manged to come up with a couple of more lines. Read more »

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1. How did we originally meet?
i was at sidewalk and remember latch trying to sell your album and talking about how it was on shoeshine records. a while later i heard about oj and i basically as far as i remember asked if american anymen could be on oj. you said yes and we started recording music soon after.

2. 3 things that make you happy?
skateboarding makes me happy. big audio dynamite make me happy. just saw mick a few weeks ago in boston when they did a reunion show. i love their big hats and there 1980 ny hip hop style. world war 2.

3. 3 things that make you sad?
the winter. working like a slave. rent.

4. What is your favorite color?
black. it makes girls look like women. and boys look like men.

5. 3 people who inspire you?
jimmy the gent from goodfellas. i love that they say in the inro scene that jimmy was the kinda guy who roots for the bad guys in movies. well so do i. william s. burroughs cause he has so much style and he loves cats. harmony korine cause he made my favorite movie "julien donkey boy." Read more »

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Erin and Dan's Wedding
This weekend I headed up to Woodstock to help celebrate the wedding of two members of of the OJ Distro Community: Erin Regan and Dan Penta (Cockroach, Larval Organs, Everybody Knows). It was camp out wedding. I managed to snap some kind of creepy pics on my new phone. I think everyone had a great time playing music and hanging around the fire late into the night. I wish the awesome couple much love and happiness in the future.

Read more »

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10-05-11
Rubber band.
Rubber brand.
Blubber bland.
Lubber land.
Rubber band man.
Blubber man band.
Lubber lamb bland.
Lover land. Love her land. Land lover.
Love lover.
Lover of love.
Lovers of loves
Rubber of rubs.
Rubber of rubbers.
Rubber of glovers.
Glover of Dans.
Lover man.
Love ban.
Love gland.
Love roller.
Stealer of covers.
Cover of others.
Other of others…others…others…lovers
Occupy covers.
Hover abovers.
Occupy others.
Occupy occupiers.
Occupy occupations.
Patience…patience…patience.
Patience occupations.
Occu pay.
A kill you-paaaay
Ffffuckin…pay you.
Pay…pay.
Paaaay shunts. You.
Ahhhh…ahhhhh…ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Bluuubb…..Bluuuuu….bleeeeeeeee….d.
Bleeeeed. Oooon you.
Bleeeeeeedooooon….
Ooooooon.

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In line with her previous records (Solar Bipolar and Shout Like a Lady), Randi Russo’s third studio LP, Fragile Animal, embraces the raw and the refined, some punk angst with some of the polished allure of the sensual and melancholic.

Produced by Russo & Paul Megna, Fragile Animal incorporates layers upon layers of guitars, backwards tracks, lush keyboard beds and thick harmonium drones. Raucous, angular lead guitar riffs mingle with some sweet slide guitar, as East meets what is mostly West, at times recalling Berlin Era Bowie.

Russo still flexes those lyrical muscles with her knack for “great outsider anthems” (Lucid Culture). Whether it’s a political song about immigration (“Head High”) or a song about one’s personal war with the world (“Invisible” and “Alienation”), a feeling of empowerment is given to those who live on the fringe. Listen closely to her “honest, provocative lyrics” (The Big Takeover), and you’ll get a sense of what Russo’s sound and vision is all about.

Randi will be performing at Juice Box #4 on October 25th at the Sidewalk Cafe. Read more »

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Temporary Solo Mission: My 10+ year, live-in, significant other (Nan) has gone away on business for 2 months. I'm going on day 3 since she left. I remember hearing somewhere that one of the reasons ending long term relationships is so difficult is that you literally are losing part of your mind. When we engage in intimate relationships, not only do we bond sexually and emotionally, but we actually start to meld in a practical sense. Through time, one mind starts filling in the gaps for the other. If the relationship is healthy, these "filling ins" are based upon personal preferences. For example: Nan is very sensitive to time. She hates to be late and she hates to wait. I'm a bit looser in this department but Nan's penchant for promptness makes her an excellent planner when it comes to directions and navigation. Needless to say, when going to a party with Nan, I often don't even consider where I'm going until I've practically stepped out the door. But I'm always sure that I'll be there, on time (if not a little early). With Nan gone I'm forced to do my navigating on my own. Read more »

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700 Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday. I wasn't there. If you were there please feel free to comment or blog about your experience right here. The more first hand accounts we get about this movement the more people can begin to unpack and realize its purpose. I've discovered that news commentary that includes police accounts of events are occasionally skewed to influence public opinion negatively. We've seen this with statements made about the protest by Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC police department.

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So I was teaching in a school in the Bronx and I was on a break, so I went over the Walgreens on Boston Road. It's residential there with a few stores and restaurants. I like going to Walgreens because they have a good selection of mainstream magazines so I can chill out and read the reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin, and grab some chips and a soda. So it's Bob Dylan's 70th birthday this year so he's been on the cover of a lot of magazines so I've been buying the ones I see on the newstand. I know it's an antifolk cliche and there's a lot of rewritten stuff but there's always some new arcane Bobby D. info someone uncovers. It's a cool excuse to buy different magazines that normally I just skim the reviews of and read the whole issue. So I'm at Walgreens and I buy the Rolling Stone and it features the 70 greatest Dylan songs. It's kind of a corny idea, but I guess it's always cool to read what Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Keith Richards think about Bob. The greatest Dylan song is surprisingly Like A Rolling Stone and the 70th greatest Dylan is To Ramona. Rolling Stone also put out a special collecters edition, The 100 Greatest Artists of all time. Read more »

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Juice Box is a DIY Indie party featuring live bands and DJ's brought to you by Olive Juice Music. (To stay informed about Juice Box events and other OJ related matters sign up for the OJ Newsletter to your left.)

Juice Box #4 will take place on October 25th, 2011 at Sidewalk Cafe (6th St. and Ave. A) All Ages/ No Cover/ Tip Jar/ 1 Beverage Minimum/ Free Raffles!
07:30 - Anders Griffen's Accompanied Open Mic
08:30 - Prewar Yardsale
09:00 - American Anymen
09:45 - Randi Russo
10:30 - Kung Fu Crimewave
w/DJ Spastic Yo Yo Man (Justin from Elastic No No Band) Read more »

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I was watching the videos of some of the arrests from the Occupy Wall Street marches and I couldn't help but think about what it might literally feel like to be forced to the ground, face down, on concrete. What would it feel like to have the full weight of a grown man's knee pressed into the small of my back while two others force my arms behind me? How hard would it be to fight the bodies natural urge to resist this trauma? How would if feel then to sit and wonder what would become of me now? How would it feel, stretched out like a poached animal, waiting to be subjected to the bureaucracy of the criminal justice system. Imagine the humiliation of what could amount to days of sitting and being subjected to whatever will your captors at this point wish upon you under the name of justice. How would if feel to feel so unsafe within the arms of an organization who's purpose is to "serve and protect?" I was wondering if most police officers could ever imagine what it might feel like, literally, to be arrested and detained in this manner? Read more »

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I Spent 8 hours yesterday at the Occupy Wall Street protest site. I witnessed 2 General Assembly meeting and got a chance to talk to and observe a lot of very inspiring people. I would highly recommend before placing any kind of judgment or opinion about what is going on down there to go and see for yourself. It's very hard to get a sense of the incredibly positive consciousness raising energy that resonates throughout this park through a livestream or press coverage. If you don't live in NYC it just might be one of the best reasons to come and visit this great city that I can think of in a long time. This is more than just a protest. This is democracy in action and you can feel it growing by the hour. There is lot of intelligent and constructive behavior here. And there is a lot of love. It's really something special. Come on down. Respect the process, educate yourself, and share the love. https://occupywallst.org/ Read more »

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The quirky and comic musical revue “Awesomer & Awesomer!!!: The Songs of Phoebe Kreutz” returns for another run of performances at the Triad (158 W. 72nd St.) on Monday, September 26th & Tuesday, September 27th at 7:00pm.

For years award-winning composer/lyricist Phoebe Kreutz has been singing her downtown “joke-folk” ditties in the dirtiest clubs in the Western world. Now her songs are putting on their fancy pants and being re-imagined by Broadway actors and musicians. AWESOMER AND AWESOMER!!! features Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5), Carey Anderson (Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q), Gwen Hollander (Little Women) and Adam Halpin (Glory Days). Musical direction is by Jason Loffredo (Xanadu) and musical supervision is by Gary Adler (Altar Boyz). The evening will be directed by Alan Muraoka (NAATCO’s Falsettoland and Sesame Street). Read more »

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Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.

The original call for this occupation was published by Adbusters in July; since then, many individuals across the country have stepped up to organize this event, such as the people of the NYC General Assembly and US Day of Rage. There'll also be similar occupations in the near future such as October2011 in Freedom Plaza, Washington D.C.
(Take from: https://occupywallst.org/)
NEXT GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1PM TODAY. Read more »

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It's hot in more ways than one. It's 100 degrees out and I'm done with work and tomorrow we have to go out to Long Island for Mother's Day. So I get off the 6 at 125th and I'm not going to bus it west, make a cold drink, and settle in and see if Fox started their baseball coverage yet, instead I'm going to hoof it west and do my Mother's Day and late birthday shopping. Whenever I go out to the island I'm always shopping for some kind of late gift. I can never get things in the mail on time. So I pass Harlem Underground and there is a great Jimi Hendrix shirt in the window but I have a rule that when I"m shopping for gifts I don't buy anything for myself so I pass. I am thirsty though so I want to get a juice. The juice place is totally so crowded so I go to the health food store a few doors down and get in line to order a juice. So there is only one person ahead of me so I figure I can order soon. The juicer is really slow and soon there is a long line behind me and the juicer is still making this one juice so I leave and go a few doors down and make fruitpunch/lemonade at Subway. So I leave Subway and I have to get gifts. Read more »

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New Jeffrey Lewis album "A Turn In the Dream-Songs" out October 11th, 2011 worldwide on Rough Trade Records

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard FALL TOUR DATES now announced (for Ireland/UK/Spain/Portugal)! The band on this tour will be a 4-piece: Jeffrey, Jack, Dave, and Nan (of Schwervon!)!

Sun, Oct 2 - Galway, Ireland - Kelly's Bar & Lounge (Bridge St)
Mon, Oct 3 - Cork, Ireland - Crane Lane Theater (Phoenix St)
Tues, Oct 4 - Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory (2 Temple Bar)
Wed, Oct 5 - Belfast, N. Ireland - Auntie Annie's
Thu, Oct 6 - Sligo, Ireland - McGarrigles (11 O'Connell St)
Mon, Oct 10 - (Possibly some kind of free art show/signing/talk or something, at the Rough Trade East record shop in London)
Tues, Oct 11 - St. Andrews, Scotland
Thu, Oct 13 - Granada, Spain - Planta Baja
Fri, Oct 14 - Seville or Alicante, Spain (tbc)
Sat, Oct 15 - Madrid, Spain - Neu! Club
Sun, Oct 16 - Gijón, Spain - Monkey Club Read more »

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Album Release Party, September 22, 2011 at Sidewalk Cafe 94 Avenue A, NYC, NY 10009

The release is a limited edition 100 12" vinyl pressing which will also be available for download. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the vinyl please email me. Since it is such a limited pressing, they will not be available for long.

"Elizabeth Devlin is a creative young singer from Queens, with a voice at once strong and ethereal. She accompanies herself on Autoharp, which casts her every song in shades of spooky." -TimeOUT NY, December 2008

On March 19, 2011, beneath the largest full moon seen in 18 years, utilizing one mic, an autoharp and her "at once strong and ethereal" voice, Elizabeth Devlin tracked 8 songs at FLUX Studio NYC, which will be released on For Whom The Angels Named, a limited edition, signed, 100 copy 12" vinyl pressing on Sept 22, 2011 at Sidewalk Cafe in LES, NYC.

"Elizabeth Devlin croons brassy dreams over Autoharp." -TimeOUT NY, August 2009 Read more »

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Pennies
Today I bought 3 rolls of toilet paper at the deli. The cost was $2.37. I only had $2.36. I asked the shop keeper if he could spot me the penny and of course he said, "No problem." I said I'd give him an extra one next time I'm in but it was understood that both of us we're not going to be losing much sleep over it. Occasionally, I'll make a purchase there and have a a few cents in change. Often I'll just tell him to "Keep the change," not wanting to even bother with things rattling around in my pocket all day. Sometimes I get annoyed with the concept of pennies. Their value has been proven to be worth less than the labor and materials it takes to make them. But I was thinking about how, in the retail world, pennies often serve as small tokens of good will. Read more »

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So I'm on the train going to Brooklyn Bowl. Dashan had texted me that he and Suz were going to see Johnny Corndog and that I should meet them there. I'm reading the new Uncut with Dylan on the cover. There were collectors choices for different covers, early sixties, mid sixties, seventies, and present. I picked the seventies cover. There is a great lost interview inside; classic, incoate, disoriented and incomprehensible. So I get off the train and text Dashan that I'm at Brooklyn Bowl. Dashan texts me that he and Suz were hungry so they are going to Blue Ribbon. So I had never been to Brooklyn Bowl and I did not know there was a Blue Ribbon there, so I was so pissed I turned off my phone because I thought Dashan and Suz had blown me off and went to Blue Ribbon for dinner. So I go into Brooklyn Bowl and I run into Dashan, Suz, and Kelly. Michael Hurley is the opener that night, so he starts and we decide to get something to eat after we watch his set. Michael Hurley is awesome. Unaccompanied on acoustic guitar, northeast hippie style, his songs are funny, friendly, and smart. Read more »

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1. How did we originally meet?
We originally met when I came down from the Hudson Valley to master my first album How to Hold Your Own Hand. I was 21, had just met Dan Fishback at a show I set up for Cheese on Bread and asked Dan over email where to master my album, and he was like, "why, with Major Matt Mason of COURSE!" The rest is herstory. I moved to New York a while after and started recording Fruits Commonly Mistaken for Vegetables, and working as the OJ Intern!

2. 3 things that make you happy?
1) People who make powerful art about their life experience,
2) hanging out in the woods/on the beach
3) bein' on tour with friends, performing, making costumes

3. 3 things that make you sad?
1) When the only reason a person can't do something is that they think they can't do it
2) When people who are hurting take it out on other people and
continue the cycle of hurt
3) when people are stuck in situations that hurt them and for whatever reason can't change them

4. What is your favorite color?
PURPLE!

5. 3 people who inspire you? Read more »

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Front Projects/Side Projects
Tonight I'm practicing with Kansas State Flower for the first time in a long time for our Juice Box show. We only play about 1 show a year so it's kind of a special event. I think it will be a good break since I've been in super Schwervon! mode for the past 4 month. Nan and I completed the first round of rough mixes for the new Schwervon! album yesterday so we'll let those stew for a few days and see what happens. I always go back and forth between where to put my energy. Schwervon! used to be a side project that has turned into a main thing. Before that Major Matt was just something I did because I couldn't manage to put a band together. It's cool to keep a lot lines in the water to see what bites but occasionally you have to up the ante for some better bait and you may not be able to cover all your hooks. Sometimes, I feel like the world is moving way to fast for me. Read more »

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9-11
Up until this day all of the TV and radio PR about the 10th anniversary of 9-11 were really putting a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing. But now that the day is here and I'm watching a bit of the reading of the names on television and I'm allowing myself to grieve. I was here when it happened. Ironically enough, I was working a freelance job in midtown recording a guy reading a book on tape for Stephen King's: Dark Tower series. Watching people read out the names of the people who died that day is bringing me to the brink of tears over and over again. Ten years ago, on the days immediately following the event, I was glued to my TV for hours on end. I used the event to lock out the rest of the wold. I was looking for some kind of reason and I almost went into a serious depression. Now it feels different. I rarely even think about it any more. If feels as if our anger has been diverted to the subway ambulance chaser ads soliciting 9-11 workers and downtown Manhattan Mosqe locations. Debates over the national debt and job loss have given us all a more tangible demon to fear for now. Read more »

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It's been a while since I posted, but since we're going to be NYC for a week as of this weekend it felt like a good time. When the flights were booked Sunday was the best fit based on work and family commitments, but now I'm somewhat apprehensive. To be honest, I'm sure it's the safest day to fly, but the human brain isn't always rational.

Anyway, during the Edinburgh Festival I recorded a number of podcasts. Most of these were about the festival fringe, which is predominantly comedy, but the last show was centered around a small two day music festival. I thought it might be an interesting one to post on the OJ blog. I feel the need to say that despite the fact it took place in a church hall, there was nothing religious about it. It's a great space that Emily from Tracer Trails has used to put on some brilliant shows in the last couple of years by people like Calvin Johnson and Darren Hayman. Read more »

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That's what makes homeowners the strongest and most powerful people in the country. Like the actual prison population who are also the strongest and most powerful people in the country. The future of the country will be home owners and the prison population united as the nations two states. So anyway Dina, Harmon, and I reused a couple of Duane Reade shopping bags by filling them with books, clothes, and toys. The next day Harmon and I were going to donate them to the Salvation Army. We donated clothes that don't fit us anymore, Harmon grows taller and bigger, and I just grow bigger. It reminds me of a joke I heard on the David Letterman show: What do you do when you get so big that your pants don't fit anymore? Get a bigger pair of pants of course. So we took the bus down to 96th Street to the Salvation Army. I was proud of Harmon because he really does care about other people and he was carrying one of the shopping bags. So we dropped off the bags and Harmon looked at books while I looked at CDs. Harmon bought a cool travel book that comes with pencils, markers, and all different kinds of games and activities, it's amazing they can fit it all into a book. Read more »

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Hello all. I just wanted to let the Olive Juice community know about my new open mic called the Radio Amateur Open Stage @ 116 MacDougal St (formerly the Gaslight!!) The opening night is Tuesday September 13th (the next show is Sept. 20th & then the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month after that) @ 10pm sharp. There is no cover and no drink minimum (although im sure the bar would appreciate if you bought something!!) We have some great feature acts lined up for the opening festivities, such as Major Matt Mason, Churchill Downs, Ben Lerman, Jeff Dickinson & The Fools!!! There is a full bar and a great old photo booth. You can keep up to date on all the Radio Amateur Open Stage information at https://www.facebook.com/Radioamateurnyc or follow us on twitter @Radioamateurnyc.

Radio Amateur also has a brand new podcast www.radioamateurnyc.wordpress.com. it features tons of music by local Antifolk and Art Star favorites as well as in depth interviews with the likes of Liam McEneaney, Ben Lerman, Churchill Downs & Major Matt. Upcoming guests include East River String Band, Debe Dalton & Thomas Patrick Maguire! Read more »

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First let me say that I am not under the false impression that everyone (or anyone perhaps) cares about the fact that I was boycotting the Sidewalk, or that I am coming back.
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Now---why?
Short answer is I just don't believe in it anymore, and I would rather do as my heart dictates in the moment than something I believe is no longer right for the sake of mindless consistency.
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The real mistake was saying I would do it for one year just because that was an easy amount of time to spew out in the moment without giving it serious consideration.

Though I could be deluding myself--I doubt that I am.
It's not about it being hard and just giving up.
When I believe something is right I don't mind the hardship of it.

It's not about being blindly addicted to performing.
I can play other places--GBM comes to mind, and I went a year while in Ga. without doing a show and was fine. Read more »

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http://www.pitch.com/kansascity/folkicide-darwinian-snuff-film/Content?o...
A handmade CD turned up in the mail the other day from Burnie Booth, a local guy who records under the name Folkicide. It's called Devotional Hymns From the Church of the Darwinian Snuff Film. The album art is a collage, the focal point of which is a nearly nude Filipina undergoing some kind of bloody voodoo operation involving a needle.

The music is no less provocative. Booth has a nasally singing voice and plays a kind of fast, punk-style, bar-chord acoustic guitar. The songs have an eerie, dissonant undertone, which he often achieves by bending the strings far above or below the original notes. But it's the lyrics that are most striking about Folkicide. You can read Atlas Shrugged as often as you want, but you're still a cunt, Booth bleats on one song. On another, he asserts with a sort of militant pride, I am a turd in the punch bowl, and I feel wonderful. He has a tendency to sing in complete sentences: I love my Mom and Dad, but I can't wait 'til the baby boomers are dead. Nothing good came from their generation. Read more »