Category: Field Recordings of the Future

A fitting Earth Day/Record Store Day celebration would not involve buying more plastic but I got so caught up in the festivities I was tempted to buy a another copy of Charlie Mingus’s “Town Hall Concert” from 1964 with Eric Dolphy. It is the greatest record ever made and they aren’t makin’ em like they used to. We came home with a set of Sir Doug singles in Spanish, a Marlena Deitrich lp and a Vi Redd lp. We kinda fell in love with her in the “The Girls In The Band” movie that played at Rochester’s film fest this weekend.

The Bop Shop was so busy our neighbor, Rick, was behind the cash register learning how to take the cash. An 85 year old Buffalo guy was playing blues on the piano when we left and then a young band was just setting up at the Archive when we got there. We missed “The Fox Sisters” but we heard the manager, Alayna, telling shoppers that they were expecting their biggest day in the history of the store. I find it hard to believe anyone is buying records anymore but my nephew was in line at Needle Drop before they even opened the store. We were planning on stopping by the House of Guitars but the day got away from us.

Bubbles in the Think Tank released a clear vinyl ep for Record Day. It includes this sensational Pete LaBonne track that addresses Record Store Day head on.

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The Democrat a& Chronicle still manages to crank out a daily paper but they are struggling to stay relevant. Last week we got an email from them informing us that the paper delivery may be delayed the next day in order for them to bring us reporting on the Syracuse Final Four game.

They are trying. They gave Jeff Spevak, the music critic, video equipment for his phone and asked him to make a few videos each week for his blog on their site. Only problem is you can’t find his blog. Their search engine and site are close to pathetic. Tucked away somewhere under the “HerRochester” tab is a video he made of Margaret Explosion along with this little blurb. We play tonight and this passage pretty well sums up the drill.

“Margaret Explosion is the Big Bang Theory of bands, only in far less volatile language. It does not rehearse. It merely exists.

Currently holding down a weekly Wednesday residency though May at The Little Cafe, 240 East Ave., the four musicians show up, assemble their instruments and chat amiably with patrons of the cafe, who may have shown up to hear the band, or are merely passing through on their way to a movie. At some point at around 7:30 p.m., the four pieces of Margaret Explosion – saxophonist Peggi Fournier, drummer Paul Dodd, Bassist Ken Frank and guitarist Bob Martin – drift toward the stage after hearing some kind of signal that only they can hear, and appear to be doing a sound check. But no, without any kind of an announcement (“Ladies and gentlemen, Margaret Explosion!”) they are now playing avant-garde jazz.

The music is slow, sinuous and spooky. It is David Lynch soundtrack material. All of the shows are recorded. Songs are frequently uploaded onto the band’s web site, margaretexplosion.com. At this moment, 150 of these Margaret Explosion relaxed accidents are available as free downloads. Most with their own cover art. I am listening to “Great Wall Flower,” with guest Jack Schaefer on bass clarinet, as I type this. I feel like lighting incense and assuming the lotus position on my desk, but that would be abusing company property….” – Jeff Spevak

We are not all “slow, sinuous and spooky” though. Once a year, usually in the Spring we play something in a major key.

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Funny that I live so close to the HOG now and I haven’t set foot in there since I bought a snare drum a few years ago. There was a period when I’d go there every week or so to buy music. That round display rack in the front of the store was always stuffed with the newest albums and the singles moved all over the store. They were upstairs with the instruments and out back and then for a while in the mid seventies all the cool stuff (UK imports and American underground stuff like the Cramps and Television) was kept in a locked case at the top of the stairs. They had everything but it was almost impossible to find it. You had to ask for help and Kim and Greg were the best. They would walk right over to an unruly pile and put their hands on what you were looking for.

Kim Torgerson married Dave Mahoney. Dave’s sister, an avid House of Guitars shopper, married Kim from the HOG. Greg got famous in the Chesterfield Kings. We ran into Greg at Spevak’s holiday party and did some serious catching up in the kitchen. Greg has a solo album out now and an action packed bio here.

Listen to Playette – Roomful of Voices. Dave handles the lead vocals and Kim does back ups.

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Do you want to feel young? Go to one the Regal theaters when they do their live HD broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera productions. You will be the youngest person there. We went to Wagner’s Parisfal, his last opera, and were in our seats at noon. The first act ended at 2:30 and the second at 4:30. We had to leave and missed the third act all together but wow, what a spectacle!

The music is heavy, the production almost painterly with white dresses soaking up blood, the story jam packed with the big issues, good versus evil, an exploration of human frailty, a spiritual quest where the pure and foolish are made wise by compassion. The female lead is being punished for laughing at Jesus on the cross while the brotherhood of the Holy Grail bring home the rituals of a high mass. Take of my blood and drink. Take of my body and eat.

If only there was enough time in the day to take in the third act.

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I think of our time, early twenty first century, as turbulent but pointing to a reflection of this turmoil in contemporary art or music is not so easy. The late sixties were very turbulent and the evidence is everywhere.

Alarm Will Sound, a new music group which started while the principals were students at the Eastman, returned last night to perform their newest work,”1969.” Three projection screens surrounded the 20 piece orchestra as they played arrangements of pieces originally performed by John and Yoko, Stockhausen, Luciano Berio and Leonard Bernstein, pieces that today clearly express those heady days. Images of Stavinsky, Father Berrigan, Hunter Thompson, Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights protesters, Kent State students and the soldiers in Vietnam cement the connection between the times and the art. I was thinking how Philip Guston’s art changed in that same period but that played no part in this program. These were our formative years so Peggi and I deserved the second row seats we took. Actually we arrived as the show was starting and someone was in our seats already so the ushers said we could sit anywhere we want.

I loved this presentation, short pieces of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass’, Lennon and Yoko’s “Unfinished Music”, the Beatles “Revolution Number 9” and Stockhausen’s “Set Sail for the Sun,” collaged together with dialog taken from the artist’s own words. The entire piece was centered around a connection that actually never took place, a meeting between Stockhausen and John Lennon. They did talk about it though.

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I loved dance music before the drum machine and still do.

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I took this video of Lakeshore Boulevard a few years ago with my old camera and finally got around to posting it. Christmas day was the perfect time time to stumble through iMovie. Peggi was driving and I stuck the camera out the window. We started at Durand Lake and immediately turned to drive west along Lake Ontario toward the Genesee River outlet. My mom used to take us swimming here when we were kids and it is still the place to be in hot weather.

Had we traveled east along the lake shore we would driven by the scene of Monday’s massacre. Joe Barrett and Jeff Munson have both emailed to ask if we went to school with the shooter. He’s our age but he wasn’t in the yearbook. Maybe he didn’t make it to senior year.

At my parents house on Christmas the conversation naturally turned to guns. One of my brothers led with “It’s not the guns” and my niece, who was always getting in trouble in high school, had many run-ins and then was mentored by the fireman/cop who was killed, agreed. My brother-in-law’s two eldest both had “Call of Duty” at the top of their Christmas/Hanukkah list and both were disappointed. It was a pretty well rounded discussion with most agreeing the gun lobby will say whatever it takes to sell more guns.

So, eight to ten inches tonight. Perfect weather for the Margaret Explosion. 7:30-9:30. Last Little Theater gig until March.

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This plywood nativity scene went up last week in front of the Church of the Transfiguration on Culver Road. I love that word, “Transfiguration.” The Transfiguration is an episode in the New Testament where Jesus is transfigured or metamorphosed. He becomes radiant and shines with bright rays of light. Moses and Elijah appear next to him and Jesus is called “Son” by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Father.

Last Wednesday, Jack Schaefer played guitar with Margaret Explosion and tried this holiday number (below). We might try it again tonight when Bob Martin returns on guitar and Pete LaBonne joins us on the grand piano.

Here’s Margaret Explosion’s version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

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Margaret Explosion plays once a week and in addition to the regulars there are always a few new faces at our Wednesday night gig. Just like with any band, people want to categorize the music and after the gig they’ll stop by to ask what kind of music it is that we play or they’ll want tell us who we remind them of. Pink Floyd, Sun Ra and Twin Peaks are most often cited. Last week Steve Greene sent us this note.

I think you might dig this vid. In fact I have often thought that M.E. were direct descendants of the Airplane. ( really ) Steve

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