WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Radio News You Can't Use

I apologize, it's been far too long since I've used this blog to geek out on radio news. A few recent happenings have drawn me out of this whole "working in radio" thing and into talking smack about it on the internet for a few minutes!

First up: Webcasting Royalties
In case you haven't heard, webcasters and SoundExchange (the web streaming arm of the RIAA) have renegotiated terms for webcasting royalties. Instead of accepting SoundExchange's initial offer of web performance royalty rates that would surely put webcasters out of business, webcasters threw a fit (we were part of the fit), held rounds and rounds of negotiations, and over a year later accepted a new rate scheme that would only nearly put them out of business. These new terms, which for large webcasters is a minimum of 25% of annual revenue, have been lauded by some. However, if you look at typical performance royalty rates for satellite radio (6.5% in 2009), or ASCAP/BMI royalties for terrestrial radio (roughly 1 - 3%), that 25% figure starts to look bloated. Luckily for WFMU, NFCB and CPB made separate negotiations with SoundExhange including more affordable rates, and we are covered under these terms.

New FCC Chair
The Obama administration's nominee for FCC Chair, Julius Genachowski, was recently confirmed by the Senate. After outgoing FCC Chair Kevin Martin thoroughly angered congress and the public with scandalous antics like that Details magazine spread, relaxing media consolidation rules, and "losing" an important study on media ownership (and all the while leading the fight against broadcast indecency) Genachowski has some mopping up to do. The good news is, Genachowski has heard of the internet: he believes in net neutrality and might actually re-do the FCC's website to make it a little less 1996ish (more on the Genachowski team here). The bad news is, Genachowski leans towards the gestapistic view of broadcast indecency (he supports enforcing fines for fleeting profanity), and the FCC's main proponent of 1st Amendment protections, Jonathan Adelstein, will be leaving the commission soon.

Nouvelle Vague Live at WFMU - hot vidz!

Oh my gawd, y'all, when these people were in Love Room, it was all I could do to keep myself from reaching through the glass and gently stroking their faces as they sang.

The two sexiest voices in English-speaking Frenchpop, covering Sex Pistols, Violent Femmes, Depeche Mode, and Talking Heads....DANG!

Listen to the whole show here.

Thanks a zillion to Aldona Watts and Raymond Park for doing the video.

2 MORE VIDEOS AFTER THE JUMP!

Nouvelle Vague's new album "NV3" will be out in September.  It features guest performances from Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Terry Hall (The Specials), Ian MacCullough (Echo and the Bunnymen), and Barry Adamson (Magazine).

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 23 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Thanks to the good souls at the terrific blog Uncle Gil's Rockin' Archives, word is spreading about the poor health of original Sun Records rocker Billy Lee Riley. Riley, who's endured an awful string of medical problems is now battling stage-four bone cancer and is in dire need of financial assistance. (Follow this link for info on how you can help.)

Cancer seems to be more everywhere than ever before. Some say it's all due to the general aging of the population, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach. The Miner just lost a friend in Chicago to cancer and skipped last week's post to spend time with his mum, who underwent cancer surgery. Talk about your Motherlode. Just be sure to take good care of yourselves and loved ones and don't forget to smell the audio roses along the way.

 

He's Made it Through Three Hip Replacements and a Quintuple Bypass
Billy Lee Riley  ~  "Rock With Me Baby"
(Blog: Free Rockabilly Music

This Pistol-Brandishing ex-Soap Star Is Now a Senator
Irma Serrano  ~  "Exitos de Siempre"
(Blog: Música Popular Mexicana)
From the album: La Martina (mp3)




Bailamos con Tito Nieves and Crew
Conjunto Clasico  ~  "Si No Bailan con Ellos, no Bailan con Nadie"
(Blog: La Musica Latina)



[7 more roses, after the jump]

Free Music Archive (in the) news (MP3s)

The Free Music Archive, a new collaborative project from WFMU and friends, has almost doubled in size since launching in beta this April. With nearly 10,000 curated mp3s, there's a lot to scope out, which is one reason I've been relatively absent from Beware of the Blog recently. Well, I'm back with this weekly feature that aims to highlight some "hot new added". Of course I'd rather just highlight everything, but you can keep tabs on that yourself by subscribing to the FMA's Recently Added RSS feed. Or follow us on twitter. Anyway, let's see...

Fellow curator KEXP is adding new tracks as I type, and I just had to re-post this, from Portugal's progressive kuduro group Buraka Som Sistema: Sound Of Kuduro/Luanda-Lisboa (Live at KEXP) (mp3)

Climax Golden Twins stopped by ISSUE Project Room last week, and brought some Sublime Frequencies videos with them to boot. If you're kicking yourself for missing out on the show, at least there's this archive of the CGT set (follow the link for the mp3).

The world's greatest insurgent country label, Bloodshot Records, shares promo tracks from the likes of Andre Williams, Dex Romweber Duo, and Jon Langford/Sadies/Waco Brothers. They've also curated a selection of archival recordings from their Bloodshot Revival series, like this 1960 song by The Sundowners - It's My Way (mp3)

Doncbruital did an excellent write-up of Montreal's Grand Trine, who originally released the warped anthem "Monochromatic Youth" (mp3), on cassette. Read more about them via the FMA here.

Podcaster Macedonia spotlights a world of hip-hop and electronic goodies from California to Budapest. Check out "With Or Without You" (mp3) from a free EP by Opio of Souls of MIschief, and "Funny" (mp3) by Hungarian artist Suhov via the BudaBeats label.

..and hey! The FMA was recently covered in The Wire, and in Billboard Magazine (where Vivian Girls were featured alongside Mudboy!?!?). Here are some other nice write ups that you can read on the internet:
The Portland Mercury called the FMA "incredibly awesome". Portland OR is also home to curator KBOO
CNET | Paid Content | Pitchfork | The Daily Swarm | and an in-depth g-chat interview by Rhizome Magazine

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 22 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

The terrific music search engine Captain Crawl appears to have slipped into the mists again. The Miner has been relying on the Captain's powers of blogservation to discover outstanding recordings posted throughout the ever-expanding universe of full-album sites. This search engine has disappeared before, so there's reason to hope that it will come back. But till then, you should consider trying another efficient search tool called Chewbone. If you're not searching for anything in particular, take advantage of blog aggregators such as Totally Fuzzy and Prog Not Frog's Blogwatch that provide an excellent jumping off point. Or, of course, don't lift a finger and just let the Miner drop another 10 slugs in your tin cup.

UPDATE: It appears that the URL for Captain Crawl has been hijacked or something. Good news comes via the terrific blog Pathway to Unknown Words Captain Crawl can be accessed here: http://85.131.190.173/index.php

 

Bloke Was the Sole Survivor of a U-Boat Attack on His Ship in WWII
John Doughty  ~  "Round Rye Bay for More"
(Blog: Gonzo-Archive)

Venezuelan Pop Rocker's Solo Debut
Ivo  ~  "Ivo"
(Blog: Hippy Djkit)




Don't Drink and Jive
Various  ~  "Jake Leg Blues"
(Blog: El Diablo Tun Tun)
[password=eldiablotuntun.blogspot.com]



[7 more wild geese you no longer have to chase, after the jump]

Omegle

We don't know each other.  Me "you", you "stranger".  But I'm going to strike up a chat room conversation with you and hope you're in the mood to strike up a chat room conversation back anyway.  Actually, I don't care if you are or not.  I just got back from work and, like Steve Albini, I'm in a baaaad mood.  Me "DiNozzo", you "hapless puke".

No, no, no...I love you, "stranger".  Please accept this pittance of my openness of heart and extension of friendship.  I already have this feeling that I know you.  Really know you.  Whoever the hell you are.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 21 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Fame Studios piano hero Barry Beckett died last week at the age of 66. Lucky for us, Beckett found himself smack dab in the middle of countless critical sessions over the course of his five-decade career in music. Beckett's contributions to recordings by Aretha, Dylan, Percy Sledge and many others are legendary, but the Miner will forever appreciate him for producing Eddie Hinton's Swamp Soul classic "Very Extremely Dangerous," which Capricorn released in 1978—and then promptly went out of business.

Capricorn's demise was just one of a long string of hard-luck happenings that doomed Hinton, himself a vital Muscle Shoals sideman, who toiled on the back line for years before finally stepping out with his Beckett-produced debut. (It was Hinton who had convinced Beckett to come to Muscle Shoals in the first place, despite his friend's hankering to head to Nashville.) Though he had no chance in hell to live as long, Hinton would've turned 65 two days ago.

 

Eddie Never Failed to Leave It All on the Pavement
Eddie Hinton  ~  "Very Extremely Dangerous"
(Blog: My Blog Too)

Throat Singing, Animal Imitating, Jews Harping
Sarymai Urchimaev  ~  "Altaian"
(Blog: Chenehuby)
[password=PaeOnia]
From the album: Jelmeigen Sagal (mp3)


Peyote Popsters
Pop Music Team ~  "Society Is a Shit"
(Blog: Música Ácida)
[password=mza-acid.blogspot.com]
From the album: Oda a la Chica Fresa (mp3)


[7 more very extremely wonderful records, after the jump]

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 20 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Every year, the Library of Congress taps culturally significant recordings for preservation in its National Recording Registry. Today the Library announced the selection of 25 more snippets of sound, including Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, Dylan Thomas reading "A Child's Christmas in Wales," and Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner performing their 2,000-year-old-man shtick. One piece of audio that hasn't yet made the cut turned 55 yesterday:

"Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last?"

The power and beauty of these words—a simple utterance that changed the course of American history—remain undiminished since they were first intoned by elegant, soft-spoken lawyer Joseph Welch on June 9, 1954. Welch calmly delivered this courageous rebuke to Joe McCarthy during televised Senate hearings investigating Communist activities in the U.S. Army. Like a pin prick to the hot-air-engorged witch-hunts of the '40s and '50s, Welch's words initiated the great unraveling of the Red Scare and shook a cowed Cold War nation out of its torpor.

In the spirit of exploring every corner of the audio motherlode, the Miner offers this historic 12-minute confrontation between Welch, special counsel to the Army, and Senator Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), who was attempting to assassinate the character of Welch's associate Fred Fisher: Listen (mp3)

About eight minutes into the exchange, Welch punches the bully McCarthy with another ringing blow, the sound of which, like the 10 musical selections offered below, fills the ear with a deeply satisfying sensation. Though not a succinct sound bite destined for posterity, Welch's words here were no less withering: "If it were in my power to forgive you for your reckless cruelty, I would do so. I like to think I'm a gentle man. But your forgiveness will have to come from someone other than me."

Valentine to the Genius Songwriter Andy Razaf
Maxine Sullivan  ~  "Memories of You"
(Blog: Soulful Divas)




Dude Was Short-Listed for the Poet's Chairs at Oxford and Cambridge
Benjamim Zephaniah  ~  "Rasta"
(Blog: Satta Massagana)
From the album: Dis Policeman Keep on Kicking Me to Death (mp3)



St. Louis Free Jazz Meets Ghanian Percussion
Mor Thiam  ~  "Dini Saffarrar"
(Blog: You Got a Problem?)



[7 more moments of decency, after the jump]

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 19 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Twenty-one years after having his prophetic auditory hallucination of William Blake reading "Ah! Sunflower" and "The Sick Rose" in his East Harlem flat, Allen Ginsberg recorded his own version of Blake's "songs" set to a dreamy score (with loving contributions from Peter Orlovsky, Don Cherry, Bob Dorough, Jon Sholle and others).

Today being Ginsberg's 83rd birthday, Mining the Audio Motherlode is celebrating by linking to a download of this 1969 album – along with nine other gems.

Holy Holy Holy!
Allen Ginsberg  ~  "William Blake: Songs of Innocence and Experience"
(Blog: Music Musica Musique)
From the album: Laughing Song (mp3)
[Note: Follow link, then click on "Music Links" on the left-hand margin.]


Some Outsize Entertainments
Various  ~  "Tiny Topsy & Friends"
(Blog: Twilightzone!)
[Note: This appeared on the original Twilightzone blog, which got taken down. The Rapidshare link, though, is still active. Click the above link, then scroll down to find two-part download.]



Chevy Chase's Old Band
Chamaeleon Church  ~  "Chamaeleon Church"
(Blog: Sir Psych's Psychedelic Shack)
From the album: Blueberry Pie (mp3)


[7 more mind-tongue moisteners, after the jump]

Why Do You Think They Call It Twit?

 There's no denying it: I've always been gullible. Really, really gullible. I don't know why. I'm not stupid, technically, but I am a very literal person. I take everything really literally, so maybe that has something to do with it. Anyway, I was totally thrilled when I heard that Kim Jong Il was on Twitter. I mean, of course I figured it could be a prank, but I read that one of his tweets said, "National defense is the sacred duty of the young and all other people," and I thought, you know, it could really be him. So I signed up for Twitter just so I could follow Kim Jong Il. And then some of his other tweets said, like, "I'm restarting my nuclear reactor and there is nothing you can do about it," and--my favorite one--"Bitches need to stop spreading lies. My satellite launch was successful," which reminded me of that guy Herbert Kornfeld who used to write the column in the Onion, and made me laugh, but also made me feel pretty dumb. 'Cause, you know, now I kinda doubt that it's really Kim Jong Il.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 18 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Warmest regards go out this week to the Miner's all-time musical hero and guru Yusef Lateef, who has just been awarded—along with seven others—a Jazz Masters Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. The recognition carries with it a one-time grant of $25,000 which is no small perk for any working musician, let alone a vital improviser, composer and educator, who's career is now stretching into its seventh decade.

There are no Yusef Lateef discs among this week's offerings, but there are many dozens of astounding recordings of his to seek out. (The Miner recommends "Yusef Lateef's Nigeria," "Psychicemotus" and "Yusef's Mood: The Complete 1957 Sessions" to start.)



Merlin in Ragas
Robbie Basho  ~  "The Falconers Arm I & II"
(Blog: FM Shades)



Sunny Ade's Secret Weapon
Bob Aladeniyi & His Juju Rock Stars  ~  "Juju Rock Sound"
(Blog: With Comb & Razor)




Killer Dillers from Chicago's J.O.B. Records
Various  ~  "Blues Is Killin' Me"
(Blog: Bluestown)
From the album: Things Going So Tough With Me (mp3) by Little Hudson's Red Devil Trio


[Yusef would dig the 7 additional selections, provided after the jump]

A CAMP (f/ Nina Persson of the Cardigans) LIVE tonight - with HD Video!

Wow, you know, every once in a while, things really just turn out pretty awesome, like this performance from A Camp that will air tonight on Sound and Safe.  Four perfectly-rendered pop songs - including a cover of Eddie Noack's weird and wonderful "Psycho" - done by my favorite singer in the world, Nina Persson, with husband Nathan Larson (of Shudder to Think) on bass, and Niclas Frisk (of Atomic Swing) on guitar.

We got some really nice HD video of the songs - check out a preview here, for the song "Love Has Left the Room." 

Thanks very much to Tim Smith and Jacqueline Castel for shooting the video.

Tune in tonight to hear all four songs and to see all four videos.  Also keep an eye on the Free Music Archive for MP3s of the set.

A Camp kicks off a North American tour at Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night.  Their new album Colonia is out now.

Alf as rendered by David Lynch

These have been making the ol' internet rounds for a few days now. Funny or disturbing or dumb? I *think* I like them. Here's an Alf - Blue Velvet hybrid.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 17 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

The Miner was saddened to learn this week of the April 27 death of painter Philip Stein. Longtime assistant to, and biographer of, Mexican social-realist muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, Stein's most famous work has been viewed by patrons in the world's most famous jazz club for the past 40 years. At the request of his brother-in-law Max Gordon, Estaño (as his mentor dubbed him) painted a vibrant, enigmatic three-panel canvas for the back wall in Gordon's Greenwich Village nightspot the Village Vanguard.

Completed in 1968, this untitled work wasn't Stein's only connection to jazz. He began collecting 78s as a kid and later produced a couple of records by Dixieland trombonist Big Chief Russell Moore. In the 1980s, Stein moved to Spain where he continued to paint and hosted a jazz radio program. Philip Stein was 90.



Cult Hero of Polish Jazz
Krzysztof Komeda  ~  "Astigmatic"
(Blog: Pan Mietek)



Amusing Thai Dancehallers (what a cover!)
Buddha Bless  ~  "Kat Man Du"
(Blog: Monrakplengthai)
From the album: Pak Takhrai (mp3)



Greatest Brother Act Ever? You Bet
Blue Sky Boys  ~  "Blue Sky Boys"
(Blog: Jeremy's Saggy Record Cabinet)



[7 more soundtracks to accompany the visions in your head, after the jump]

Horndogs Rejoice! - Sexlab Cometh

Have you ever wanted to ask a WFMU radio personality about cunnilingus technique, clitoral stimulation, anal doucheing or "the helicopter"? Yeah, maybe not. But this Friday you'll have your chance anyway, when Sexlab hits the Web waves.

Conceived in a hailstorm of double entendres by our illustrious Queen of Friday Nights, Pseu "Honey Pot" Braun, and gestated in a dong-shaped space station by Pseu and her colleagues / co-researchers Mark "ASS9000" Allen and myself, Wm. "Money Shot" Berger, Sexlab is designed to hold your, um, "hand" and glide you into this new century of suckin' and fuckin'.

While Dave Mandl fills in for Pseu at our FM frequencies and on the regular Web stream, Sexlab will be streaming (with volume AND distance!) at an alternate Web feed accessible at wfmu.org. As Mark says, "online only, because in the Internet the FCC can't hear you curse."

And me? I started rubbing it to Morticia Addams when I was eight years old, and I haven't looked back since. I've been told more than once that I have an "enthusiasm," a certain bonus zeal for the sex act, so hopefully my life of gradual transition from hyper-libidinous man-slut to happily monogged married man will be of service to someone. And my colleagues, well they're unrepentantly horny bastards, too. Either way, Pseu, Mark and I can pretty much guarantee it will be funny (and hopefully genuinely informative as well.)

Sexlab will be live on the Web, this Friday, May 22, from 8-11 p.m. ET. We'll be taking your calls at (201) 209–9368 (for those prone to jump the gun, store that load in your third eye and call us then, not before.) If you'd like to submit a question or suggest a discussion topic in advance (or during the broadcast), we've set up a special email address: asksexlab@wfmu.org

Sexlab Facebook Page (for throbbing members only)

Beware of the Blog now on Kindle

Beware of the Blog is now available on Amazon's Kindle. You can subscribe to it by going to this page though Amazon will charge you $1.99 for the subscription.

We would love to offer it for free but Amazon currently doesn't allow that as an option. The station gets 30% of the subscription fee which I suppose is still a better deal than being signed to a major label but much worse than the rumored split itunes gives for a song sold through itunes  (on a .99 cent track Apple supposedly keeps .34 cents and gives the content provider .55 cents). But nobody here wants to hear about the marginal costs of digital distribution, right? So subscribe away...

Now if they could only figure out how to make the mp3s and videos work...

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 16 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

This past January, the majestic tenor saxophonist David S. Ware released Shakti, his first studio recording in six years. Two weeks earlier, urgent news had come down that he was in dire need of a new kidney. Yesterday, following a successful search for a donor, David underwent transplant surgery and today he begins a three-month convalescence.

Unable to work during this period David has relied on donations to help cover expenses, and the fine people at his label, AUM Fidelity, have been coordinating a fund-raising effort.

If you choose to download any of the discs offered below — or if you've helped yourself to offerings in previous columns — then the Miner is requesting that you make a thoughtful donation to help a musician in need. Please go here for the details. Thanks.


Massive Tracks from '49
Orquestra Afro-Brasileira  ~  "Obaluayê!"
(Blog: Oro)
From the album: Índia (mp3)



Amazing Comps of Tunes from Derek's Daily 45
Various  ~  "Soul Deep, Volume 1"
(Blog: Twilight Zone
[And don't you dare neglect to grab volumes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8!]



Selfsploitation!
Manu Dibango  ~  "Countdown at Kusini"  (OST)
(Blog: Babe(B)logue)



[7 more vital organs (and other groovy noisemakers) after the jump]

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 15 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

We'll get to the music in a sec, but the Miner wanted to offer a tip of the illuminated helmet to radio hero Herb Morrison, who on this day, 72 years ago, narrated the tragic final moments of the zeppelin Hindenburg as it attempted to moor in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Covering the scene for Chicago's WLS, Morrison meticulously described the horror with shocking clarity. Listen (mp3)

Once the goosebumps recede, sink your ears into the following:



Her Pipes Are Smoking
Gurmeet Bawa  ~  "Love and Life in the Punjab"
(Blog: We Love Music)
From the album: Jugani (mp3)




Jimi Hendrix and Stan Kenton Had a Baby: This Groovy Album
Gil Evans  ~  "There Comes a Time"
(Blog: Kazuyann35)



On a Whole Other Plena
Cortijo y Su Combo  ~  "Baile con Cortijo y Su Combo"
(Blog: Flageolette)



[7 more "Oh the humanity!"-worthy selections, after the jump]

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up with String

Observe and Report. Dr. Colby has a way of rating movies on a scale of 0 to 12.5 dollars (because that's how much a movie ticket costs in Manhattan), and on that scale I give Observe and Report $25 because I liked it so much I saw it twice. The first time I went with DJ Kelly, and the nice ticket lady gave us tickets to Obsessed by mistake because she just could not believe that a couple of dames like us, out by ourselves on a Friday night, were there to see a dark, violent, completely incorrect comedy. (Which might describe Obsessed too, I guess, except that in that case it wouldn't be intentional.) On our way out of the theater, DJ Kelly stopped, considered carefully, and then said, "That was the most fucked-up thing I've ever seen." And she liked O&R.
So then I went to see it again with Sluggo, and he liked it too.

I'm not recommending this movie to anyone, though, because I can see how other people might not like it. Dr. Colby herself went to see it because I said it was good, and at first she gave it $2, but then she started adding a a little more here and there, like an extra $1 for the portrayal of the alcoholic mother, and she ended up giving it about $8 in the end. Still not a ringing endorsement. And if you're the sort of person who bursts into tears when someone says, like, "hospital clown" or something, you should not see it at all. But if you're curious about how a typical summer raunch-fest movie could strip away all the cliches and get down to the brutal rock-bottom awfulness of people's lives--and still be hilarious--this is the film for you. It's definitely the film for me--it might be my new favorite film ever.

The Nytpicker. It's not Lies of Our Times, but it's short and funny and free. And a couple of days ago they figured out that New York Times is an anagram for Write, Monkey. (I put the comma in because it bothers me too much to leave it out.) It's at www.nytpick.com.

The Local—Sweden's News in English. I check out The Local whenever I can remember not to keep calling it The State. (I don't know why I do that.) I finally bookmarked it so it doesn't matter what I think it's called. Swedish news is pretty warped. Last year there was a happy article about all the shop-window Christmas displays that featured penises. And without their sports reporting, I would have been completely unaware of the fact that Sweden had a fantastic come-from-behind, sudden-death OT  6-5 victory over the U.S. in the World Ice Hockey Championships last week. In fact, I wouldn't have even known the World Ice Hockey Championships were happening, unless the U.S. had won, in which case it would have been on the front page of, like, the New York Times. And then Nytpicker would have found something wrong with it.  www.thelocal.se

Numismaticism Update: The Guam quarter is out! Although I haven't seen one yet. But it features both the latte and the flying proa! And the Martin Van Buren gold-colored dollar is out, too, but, um ... you know. No flying proa there.

Thanks for reading my blogpost this time, and may God bless.

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 14 (MP3s)

All of us here at Mining the Audio Motherlode want to extend a firm handshake (followed by quick Purell shpritz) to new Democratic senator Arlen Specter. With Specter deserting the sinking GOP, visions of gaining a filibuster-proof supermajority in the senate have us all aflutter. Nevertheless, thoughts of invoking cloture also brings up bitter reminders of the senate's inability over the course of decades to defeat Southern racist filibustering of nearly 200 anti-lynching bills.

How ironic is it, then, that on the same day and at the same U.S. Capitol building were Specter switched parties, a bust of crusading abolitionist Sojourner Truth was unveiled (by First Lady Michelle Obama)—making her the first African American woman so honored. An even richer irony took place four years ago, when the senate voted to officially apologize for failing to act on the lynching scourge. That resolution was introduced by two white Southern senators, one of whom, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, invoked Billie Holiday's performance of "Strange Fruit" on the floor of the senate.

Speaking of thrilling music, here are this week's downloads:



Sioux Rockers from New Mexico (No Relation to Siouxsie)
Lincoln Street Exit  ~  "Drive It!"
(Blog: PHROCK)

 
 
Hysterical Covers from Mexico (and Brazil and Cuba and Peru)
Various  ~  "Easy Melodías"
From the album: Médico Brujo (mp3) by Manuel "Loco" Valdés
(Blog: Mexicovers)




Rare Self-Released Soul Outta Cleveland
Lou Ragland  ~  "...Is the Conveyor"
(Blog: Diggin the Crates)
[password = ghostfinger]

 
[7 more gavel-smashers, after the jump]