the of mirror eye

* Neko Case: Outro With Bees (3.0 mb) | Blacklisted (5 mb) | Make Your Bed (6.5 mb)
From Starr Hill Music Hall : Feb 26, 2005 : Charlottesville, VA

Yikes! I was originally going to post a different artist, but I just recently received this concert recording of the incredible Neko Case and just had to post some tracks. As with my last post, some of you may assume that my judgement is clouded due to my preference for Girls With Guitars, but please rest easy, this gal is the real deal.

After moving to Chicago, I was on a huge concert going spree. I would see, and this is a conservative estimate, two to three shows a week. You’ve got to remember that I was coming from a town (Portland, ME) where a good concert came, at most, once every couple of months. So I went totally crazy. But even after seeing all those shows, there’re only a couple that really stick out in my mind. Seeing Neko Case was one of them.

The show was absolutely amazing. It happened at a small, now defunct record store that used to host the occasional show. The line up was Neko Case and Sally Timms (of The Mekons). Everything about that show was great. My friend and I managed to get their early enough to snag front row seats. It was readily apparent that they were both really relaxed and enjoying themselves on stage. Now, Sally Timms is an incredible performer/songwriter, but I thought Neko Case really stole the show. She has a phenomenal stage presence, which is partly due to her drop dead gorgeousness, partly due to her fiery red-headed personality, but mostly due to her voice. She could be singing lines from the telephone book and this old man would need to be hooked up to a heart monitor to make sure my blood pressure didn’t go too high.

Ms. Case has been playing music since the young age of 18. Initially playing drums in a couple of punk bands, but has since been performing under her own name, as one half of The Corn Sisters and as part of The New Pornographers

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* The Girls: My Baby (2.0 mb) | My Love (3.5 mb)
* The Beattle-ettes: Only Seventeen (2 mb)
* The 2 Of Clubs: Heart (4 mb)
From Girls With Guitars : Ace Records : CDCHD 989

So, you might want to take the hyperbole contained in this post with a grain of salt. Not without good reason, I suppose. But for those who don’t know me, I’ve got something to confess. There’s precious little that makes the blood of this old man race faster than the sight/sound/idea of guitar wielding girls on stage and playing some rawk ‘n’ roll. So, you might think that my judgment might be a wee bit clouded when listening to this compilation, Girls With Guitars. But I’m pretty durn sure that if you just take a listen to these songs that you’ll agree with me: that these gals rock the house with their incredible music.

When I first saw this compilation in the store, I immediately dropped everything that I was holding in my hands, picked up this cd and started drooling. I mean, what could be better than a compilation of all girl groups playing garage rock? Even the cover is a work of art, with a picture of four gals with “oh so serious” looks on their faces, holding guitars and clad in all black. I wiped up all the drool that I could, immediately plunked down some cash for this and rushed home to hear it. And oh boy was I ever glad that I did. Honestly, there’s tons of fantastic tunes and not one bad one on here. I even had a really difficult time trying to decided which tracks to post.

So, we start with two tracks by The Girls, the quartet of gals posing on the aforementioned cover art. These sisters (literally) rocked the contest circuit before being discovered. They went on the perform in Vietnam for the troops and even for Bob Dylan at one of his mega-birthday parties. Then we continue on with The Beattle-ettes, rumored to be one and the same as The Shangri-La’s (of Leader of the Pack fame), here with their provocatively titled, Only Seventeen. And last but not least, The 2 Of Clubs chime in with their masterpiece, the guitar/organ rave-up also known as Heart.

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* The Incredible String Band: Perfumed Garden-Chinese White (5.5 mb) | Half Remarkable Question (5 mb) | Painting Box (4 mb)
From God’s Holiday Part 1 : Vol 1

So, I decided a couple of weeks ago that the phrase, “A pox on you” is not used nearly enough in our modern day society, (i.e. A pox on you if you don’t come out drinking with us!). This post is about a band that would most likely have used just such a phrase.

The Incredible String Band burst on the scene in the mid sixties as a fairly traditional folk trio. After some “experimentation” and listening to bands like Pink Floyd, they quickly expanded their horizons and started playing hallucinatory based acoustic folk music. My first exposure to them was with their second album, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion and I was blown away. The lysergically based lyrics really scared me and the non-traditional (or is that ultra-traditional?) instrumentation bored its way into my mind.

Though they disbanded in 1974, The Beatles, Led Zepplin and The Rolling Stones all claimed The Incredible String Band as major influences. They’ve had a minor resurgence and have been gigging regularly since 1999.

These songs come from a collection of rarities and live oddities put out by The Gimbris Group.

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For some reason, the topic of old age has recently become a hot topic amongst me and my friends. For me, it’s a constant preoccupation since I not only deal with old folks almost every day, but I’ve been claiming to be an old fogey for a long time now. So, back in the day (well, 1999 to be exact) and suffering from the post-graduation blues, I concocted this delicious alcohol based lemonade beverage that I named Grandpa’s Lemonade and drank it that entire summer. I lived in this huge house and would spend entire evenings on the back porch, drinking this lemonade, chain smoking cigarettes and sweating my ass off. Well, when I moved to Chicago, I introduced this drink to my friends who promptly renamed it Uncle Grandpa’s Lemonade, and Uncle Grandpa quickly became that relative you love to hate and hate to love.

* Dudley Perkins: Flowers (2.5 mb)
* Captain Funkaho: My 2600 (3.5 mb)
* Breakestra: Getcho Soul Togetha (Part Two) (6 mb)
From Peanut Butter Wolf’s Jukebox 45’s : Stones Throw : STH2044

Maybe about a year ago, I lent this record, Peanut Butter Wolf’s Jukebox 45’s, to a friend. After awhile, I forgot that I even owned it and was pleasantly surprised when she returned it to me recently. In all honesty, I can’t believe that I let this record go for that long. This whole album is smokin’.

For those who don’t know, Stones Throw Records is probably one of the best hip-hop/soul/funk labels out there today. Their catalog is incredible and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a release of theirs that I haven’t liked. If you’re new to the show, a great sampler is their recently released Stones Throw 101 mix cd and dvd. The cd is a mix by Peanut Butter Wolf of highlights and rarities from the first 100 releases. The dvd is a collection of all their fantastic music videos, some live stuff and some interviews.

At any rate. Back in 1998, label honcho Peanut Butter Wolf, decided that he wanted to release a series of 7 inch records. Nevermind the fact that the 7 inch record was essentially a dead format and definitely nevermind the fact that it was an especially dead format for the hip-hop world. This was something that he really wanted to do. So, after a couple of releases, the folks at Future Primitive sponsored a night of turntablists spinning nothing but 7 inch records and birthed the legendary Brainfreeze sessions with Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow.

Soon the 45 thing was in full gear. The industry finally caught on, and we couldn’t keep our 7″ records in stock….The 7″ series soon became both our biggest money loser and the format we were most excited about. Jank started doing weird covers like the die cut Highlighters sleeve, and we succeeded in releasing the first hip hop full-length on double 7″, Madlib’s Beat Conductor Instrumentals….So there you have it. A hobby that was supposed to be anti-industry has now been embraced by the industry that abandoned it years ago. Maybe we’ll have to go through with the 8 track series after all.

(From the liner notes)

So, this cd is a compilation of those 7″ records. And boy what a compilation it is. It’s got a little bit of everything. From hip-hop to soul to funky instrumentals to jazz freakouts, they’ve got it covered. I’ve gone ahead and included three of my favorite tracks for your perusal.

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I finally got a chance to watch Shaun of the Dead and I can’t believe that I waited this long to see it. What an incredible movie.

* Brother JT & Vibrolux: Comet (29 mb)
From Music For The Other Head : Siltbreeze Records : SB41

While writing the previous post on Brother JT, I re-realized just how much I love this song, Comet. This is an amazing workout of the subconcious mind. It’s kind of difficult to describe their sound, but think free form psychedelic guitar freakouts combined with stream-of-consciousness lyrical ramblings/vocalizations and you’re getting pretty close.

I remember playing this song to start off my radio dj set one time. The studio was totally dark except for the various lights from the equipment and the studio was slightly too warm for comfort. I was just sitting there getting into the song and about 15 minutes into it, the phone lights up. I’m thinking it’s someone calling to complain about the song. But when I pick up, it’s this low, creepy, growly voice intoning “the comets will come, the comets will come, the comets will come”. I about peed my pants and quickly hung up the phone. Shortly after that, I get another call. But this time it’s my sculpture professor on the phone, laughing and asking if he scared me. What an ass!

At any rate. I was kind of hesitant to post this one. Kind of because it’s such a large file, but mostly because I’m not too sure that there’s much of an audience for this type of music. But then I thought, the point of this blog is to introduce people to new music, so why the hell shouldn’t I post this song? So, hope you enjoy.

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Note that I’ve changed my contact email.

* Brother JT: This Is The Life (4.5 mb) | Oh Mother (6 mb) | Live Better Electrically (4.5 mb)
From Rainy Day Fun : Drunken Fish Records : DFR30

For no real reason, I’ve been thinking more and more of moving to Philadelphia. It’s kind of weird because I’ve never been there, don’t really know all that much about the city, and yet I’ve always been kind of obsessed with Philly. Here’s some of the reasons (not that y’all really care, right?)

1) First and foremost, the Philly Cheese Steak
2) Affordable
3) Proximity to New York City (hour and a half by train??)
4) Sun Ra was there.
5) History of great soul music.
and
6) A great music scene.

And one of my favorites from Philly (well, very close by) is Brother JT. Brother JT originally cut his teeth in a 60’s garage rock inspired band called the Original Sins. They released a bunch of albums over a number of years before deciding to call it quits. I heard about him when he decided to start a band called Brother JT & Vibrolux (RIP). Now that was an incredibly drug addled psychedelic rock band. The first time I heard them on “music for the other head”, I was blown away. The very first song on that album is a 20+ minute song that starts out with a great beefheart-ian chant: the comets will come > the comets will come > cooome > coome yeah.

He, at the same time, was releasing records and playing under the Brother JT moniker and continuing on in more of a drug addled psychedelic folk vein. These tracks are from that side of him. And I think they’re fantastic rainy day pop songs.

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