New Band Alert: Gayngs

I never have been to Minneapolis, but I beginning to rethink my position on Minnesota as a haven of merely cheese and football. Luckily, I stumbled upon a new band from the city of lakes, called Gayngs. They are releasing a new album "Relayted" early May 2010 which promises to be the album of the summer.

The band is a project led by Ryan Olsen, Zack Coulter, and Adam Hurlburt. However, the group is made up of so many people, its kind of a family band:

M. Vincent Vaughner Noyce: vocals
Katy Morley: vocals
Maggie Wander: vocals
Channy Moon Casselle: vocals
Justin Vernon: vocals, guitar
Ivan Howard: vocals
Phil Cook: keys
Adam Hurlbert: bass
Brad Cook: bass
Jake Luck: keys
Maggie Morrison: vocals
Joe Westerlund: drums

Enjoy the track below: "The Gaudy Side of Town"

The Sacred Mushroom

I am here at work, cranking out budgets for one of my initiatives, and am being blown away by a solo on a song by the Cincinnati, OH based The Sacred Mushroom. The song, “Lifeline,” is about 6 minutes of super impressive bluesy/psychedelic rocking, played to perfection.

The album was released in 1969 and, just like the band, never received a widespread audience, although the guitarist Larry Goshorn later joined the Pure Prairie League. Unfortunately, this was to be the Sacred Mushroom’s only album. It is definitely a catchy, well crafted album for anyone who loves sixties psychedelic rock and blues.

Check out “Mean Old World”

How To Fix Advertising

Although not the most enlightened speech, I find JWT's Sean Boyle's lecture on "How To Fix Advertising" rather informative on perhaps where many traditional ad agencies have stumbled. Overwhelmed by concerns to appease nervous clients and anticipate consumption behavior, many firms have allowed themselves to transform from bold, idea-driven shops into risk-averse, cautious, and therefore mundane places of employment, ultimately impacting the work.

The basic tenants of his argument:

1: Start Telling The Truth
2: Stop The Politics
3: Start Having Fun Again
4: Stop Overthinking Things
5: Start Doing Something
6: Stop The Incessant Research
7: Start Doing Good
8: Stop Banging On About Digital
9: Start Ups Again Please
10: Stop Using Animals In Commercials

It is a cautionary tale that too many agencies have ignored, so check it out:

The Clash and Kate Simon

The Clash

I am sitting here, enjoying a bowl of killer soup, and listening to the Clash’s “Straight to Hell” and “The Call Up.” It is in moments like these that make me feel like I am tapped into the world, that I have a purpose. I can’t say there are many bands out there making music that makes you want to shake your shit while concurrently forcing you to acknowledge – and act – upon global injustice. Both songs are fervent anti-war ballads, but could easily be misinterpreted as club hits (at least back in the 70’s and 80’s). I suppose M.I.A achieves this level of success with “Paper Planes,” but I take away frustration and anger from that adaptation of “Straight to Hell” instead of a sense of purpose.

On a related note, I just want to share a photo or two from my good friend Kate Simon, one of the closest photographers of the Clash. She has shot everyone – Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, William Burroughs, etc., etc. – and her work speaks for itself. If you haven’t explored her world, I highly recommend it. Word on the street is that she will be publishing a memoir in the next year or so, highlighting her extensive career.

Bob Marley and Kate Simon

Robert Plant, 1975

Joe Strummer, 1977

Eastern European Choral Legends

Thanks to Nico Muhly's "Mothertongue" album, composer Philip Glass, and some late night programing from John Schaefer on New Sounds WNYC, I have recently rekindled an interest in choral music. My knowledge of choral music was previously limited to Handel, Mozart, and Carl Orff; however, I am currently discovering a surplus of incredible choral music, particularly coming from Eastern Europe, that has reinvented the category in the past several decades.

A few of the artists that I have been listening to over and over are Veljo Tormis, Giya Kancheli, and Einojuhani Rautavaara. Tormis, considered one of the greatest Estonian choral composers alive, was born in 1930 and has written over 500 pieces, most of which found airtime outside of Estonia until the mid-1990's, given their exclusion by the Soviet Union in Eurasia. His music is based primarily on Estonian folksongs that, in Tormis' words, "makes use of me," referring to his desire to preserve and share Estonian folklore and culture with the world. Most of the work is layered with complexity, adding in very few instrumentals, and focusing primarily on the vocals.

Do yourself a favor, if you haven't already, and go pick up one of these masterworks. They are perfect for a quiet weekend at home or for exploring in the park in a snowy day.

Rid Yourself of Glenn Beck...and Shoes!

So I normally try to abstain from writing about things that upset me, but I am so moved/angered by a clip I just listened to from Glenn Beck that I must attempt to work out my thoughts on the moron.


I am privileged to receive a variety of awe-inspiring and often shocking video clips from my good friends that are intended to spark up a dialog. This morning, my good friend sent through what should be a thoroughly entertaining clip of Glenn Beck ranting and raving in his normal nonsensical fashion. At one point, he completely loses control of himself, screaming like a banshee at the top of his lungs. Please feel free to listen and smile at how strange the conservative right can be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA7-BvVDV10

Normally, I find sarcastic hyperbole to be a fun way to deal with issues that are nonsensical. It is a handy tool to use against an irrational persons whining - for instance, when someone insists that the apocalypse is upon us. It can be entertaining to reason with the dispensational viewpoint using hyperbolic concern and empathy!

BUT, now that the moderate republicans have disappeared into the woodwork and the perennial nut jobs have resurfaced (I love how Paul Krugman recently quoted Rick Perlstein in the Times: “crazy is a pre-existing condition”), logical discussions about health care, and reform in general, are being turned into doomsday-like discussions. Democrats now face their biggest challenge: irrational right-wing zealots that convince the general public that socialism is at large.

I stumbled upon Glenn Beck's project called the "9/12 Project" which is nebulous in its intentions, other than overtly professing those values we (supposedly) embraced post-9/11. Those include: the believe in the right to carry missile launchers to Starbucks, believing in God above logic/knowledge, and being a tight wad with no regard for those in need. Again, it is unclear what Glenn Beck is smoking but he is mounting a large and unfortunately popular movement of mindless drones that are confused about current events. He is galvanizing the uneducated classes to fear our democratic system. One of his loyal 912'ers is quoted as reminding Congressman Brian Baird that "the Nazi's were the national socialist party...they took over the finance, they took over the car companies, they took over health care in that country." I'm sorry, are we now implying that Obama plans to euthanize Jews across the great plains?

Enough, Glenn Beck is the scum of our country and it is sad, but predictable, that Fox News employees such a monkey.



On a lighter note, I recently ran across a fascinating book by Christopher McDougall entitled "Born To Run" which delves into the lives and history of the indigenous Tarahumara tribe living in Northen Mexico. They have a longstanding tradition of running long-distances from village to village which has resulted in their ability to run longer distances than most humans can imagine. Their secret? No shoes.


Christopher McDougall himself was not a huge runner prior to reporting on the Tarahumara tribe but has reportedly been converted to the no-shoe running philosophy. The basic theorem is that running shoes have impeded our natural ability as runners, effectively giving birth to running related illnesses. After a little help from my girlfriend, I discovered a blog dedicated to running barefoot, in which it describes in detail how to begin to running barefoot. I imagine that this will be a tedious and painstaking task, but I am determined to see if I can embrace it.

Fall Music Musings

After a long weekend sailing around Marblehead and Gloucester, I drove back to New York and got stuck in the predictable traffic and ensuing rainstorms. Having had the good fortune of picking up some new music while in Boston, I popped in several CD's.

Most notable was "Talking Timbuktu" by Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure, an exceptional mixture of traditional Malian guitar (Farka Toure) and American bluegrass/blues (Cooder). What an incredible album! I was blown away by the soulful similarities between such disparate cultures: American and Malian. It is such a treat to see them combined in such a way that they evoke one clear response, and they become indistinguishable.

Definitely grab Ali Farka Toure's "Talking Timbuktu" as well as his seminal album "Ali Farka Toure" when you have the chance, you won't regret it. Next stop: Mali.