Friday, December 28, 2007

new solah track

here is the new first track of our forthcoming lp, 'divot' (the tracks name, not the lp's name)

enjoy,

solah= jb ledoux & jay blanchard

merry new year

JB

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

flap shadowy sounds #1

humus: the life exploring force- don cherry- 'actions' w/penderecki
the shadow world- sun ra and his solar myth arkestra- 'the magic city'
what do you mean this is a dry county?- paul flaherty/chris corsano- 'the beloved music'
boreal gluts- no neck blues band- 'qvaris'
seven beat suite (three parts)- moondog- 'more moondog'
spirits- albert ayler- 'witches & devils'
pushing gravel- nest material- 'eastern horizon: a field guide'
peace on earth- john coltrane- 'live in japan'

Sunday, December 09, 2007

greg davis interview

a great interview with greg davis from the canadian music website/magazine textura. greg talks about the music and recording processes of six of his albums. a fascinating read.

rip kriya

the show last night at kriya studio was a rousing success- very well attended by an appreciative and attentive audience, i think everyone walked away from kriya for the last time feeling enlightened. i especially liked the piece 'stones' by christian wolff- i'm not sure how much was 'composed' because it sounded and looked like an improvisation to me- maybe greg or toby could help us out with this one...

well, i still have a cold and am feeling run down- i'm going to miss my third show of the week tonight when i dont go see the engines, and i feel like an ass because the sweethearts at tick tick were good enough to put me on the half price list... but life goes on...

Saturday, December 08, 2007

RIP

Karlheinz Stockhausen 8/22/1928-12/5/2007

Thursday, December 06, 2007

tick tick presents

Some Chicago free jazz coming up on Dec 9. It should be excellent! Some members of Vandermark 5, whom Greg booked last winter at the Firehouse, and they were awesome.



Tick Tick Presents:

THE ENGINES
Sunday, December 9th
The Firehouse Gallery
135 Church St, Burlington, VT
Doors at 7:30 pm
First set at 8pm, second set at 9:15
$7 advance tickets, $10 day of.

Call 802.540.0088 or email dale@ticktick.org for will call tickets.

THE ENGINES, one of Chicago's strongest improvising bands, announces a 13-date North American tour for December 2007, to coincide with the release of their self-titled debut on the Okkadisk imprint ( www.okkadisk.com). This collaborative band features four mainstays of the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene, with Jeb Bishop on trombone (Jeb Bishop Trio, Brotzmann Tentet, School Days), Dave Rempis on saxophones (Rempis Percussion Quartet, Triage, Vandermark Five), Nate McBride on bass (FME, Powerhouse Sound, Pandelis Karayorgis Trio), and Tim Daisy on drums (Festival Quartet, Dragons 1976, Vandermark Five).

The Engines started as a trio with a residency at Chicago's Empty Bottle in the summer of 2005. Bishop was added as a regular member after he joined them for one concert in May of 2006, since the dynamic of the group as a quartet worked so well. Since then, they've been working regularly in Chicago at many of the venues associated with creative music including The Hideout, Elastic, The Hungry Brain, and The Velvet Lounge.

All of these musicians have distinguished themselves as both leaders and sidemen, but formed this band as a collaborative meeting of minds and talents. Each member contributes original compositions, producing a wide set of expressive possibilities ranging from high-energy jousting over driving bass vamps to quieter moments of melodic exploration. With McBride on both acoustic and electric bass, the band can explore some of the sonic textures associated with the early AACM, or launch into hard-hitting Zeppelin-like grooves, and they use this range of possibilities to its fullest.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE ENGINES AND THEIR MUSIC IS ONLINE @ WWW.THEENGINES.NET

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

radiation

*UPDATE*
my show 'flap shadowy sounds' is a go! wednesdays from 6-8pm...be there!


just had my first meeting tonight with lee and jim of 105.9 the radiator womm-lp about having my very own radio show! i'm pretty excited, i've always wanted to be on the air and have never gotten around to signing up for a wruv show (plus i heard that was kinda a pain in the ass anyway)

i expect my show to be called 'flap shadowy sounds' and feature free improv, free jazz, experimental, noise etc.

so maybe as early as next week you'll be able to listen to the le duo spin some wax (er ipods) for the people! stay tuned...

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

greg davis, minister of the new new super heavy weird sez:

hi friends,
toby and i and ticktick are putting together a great concert of new
experimental music at kriya studio.
we are pleased to have duane pitre coming to burlington to present his
chamber ensemble piece 'The Ensemble Chord in Eb with a Minor 7th and
a Pump Organ Base". we will also be performing pieces by christian
wolff and james tenney. it should be a great night of music. come out
to listen, bring a friend and spread the word!
see you there,
greg

An Evening of Experimental Music:

Duane Pitre "The Ensemble Chord in Eb with a Minor 7th and a Pump
Organ Base"
Christian Wolff "Stones" (1969)
James Tenney "Swell Piece No. 2 (for Pauline Oliveros)" (1971)

kriya studio
333 n. winooski
burlington, vt
saturday, december 8th, 2007
7:30 p.m.
$7


Duane Pitre (with Ensemble)
The ensemble will consist Duane Pitre, Craig Colorusso, Greg Davis,
and UVM students, playing violin, cello, contra bass, oboe, alto
saxaphone, bowed guitars, electric tone generator, and organ.

"The Ensemble Chord in Eb with a Minor 7th and a Pump Organ Base" This
composition varies from the traditional sort as it is rule-based with
the score consisting of a set tonic, set pitch classes, playing
methods, technique restrictions, and spontaneous conduction. The score
is a structure for the performing ensemble to improvise on—order
spawning chaos producing order that is different on each occasion of a
performance or recording. Ensemble Drones is discipline and freedom,
both within each other, the first major focus of the work. Variance is
the second major focus of the composition; with instrumentation,
ensemble performers, tonic, pitch classes, and the physical space
varying from performance to performance, the results can never be the
same. One way to view Ensemble Drones is like a compositional "body,"
as in the composition taking human form. The score is the skeletal
structure that gives the "body" its general shape and feel. The pump
organ, for instance, could serve as the circulatory system, the bass
clarinet as the muscles, cello and saxophones as the internal organs,
the electrically generated tones as the nervous system, guitars as the
flesh, viola as the skin, violin as strands of hair, and the listener—
the listener acts as the eyes. Not in the sense of vision, though—each
listener will "view" the same compositional body differently, and, in
return, the body will view itself differently with each new set of
eyes. This helps to analogize the last major focus of the Ensemble
Drones score/composition, which is perception.

http://importantrecords.com/sounds/154_pilotram_1.mp3
http://importantrecords.com/sounds/154_pilotram_2.mp3
http://www.myspace.com/duanepitre
http://www.duanepitre.com

Christian Wolff

Wolff was born in Nice in France of German parentage. His family moved
to the United States in 1941, and he became an American citizen in
1946. He studied classics at Harvard University (he is a specialist in
the work of Euripides) and upon graduating took up a teaching post
there which he kept until 1970 when he began to teach classics,
comparative literature, and music at Dartmouth College until his
retirement in 1999. His early work includes a lot of silence and was
based initially on complicated rhythmic schema, and later on a system
of aural cues. Wolff innovated unique notational methods in his early
scores and found creative ways of dealing with improvisation within
his written music. Later pieces also often give a degree of freedom to
the performers such as the sequence of pieces entitled Exercises
(1973-). Some works, such as Changing the System (1973), Braverman
Music (1978, after Harry Braverman), and the series of pieces entitled
Peace March (1983-2005) have an explicit political dimension
responding to contemporary world events and broader political ideals.
At the age of sixteen Wolff was sent by his piano teacher Grete Sultan
for lessons in composition with the composer John Cage and quickly
became a close associate of Cage and his artistic circle which
included composers Earle Brown and Morton Feldman, pianist David
Tudor, and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham. During the 1960s
he developed associations with the composers Frederic Rzewski and
Cornelius Cardew who spurred each other on in their respective
explorations of experimental composition techniques and musical
improvisation, and then from the early 1970s in their respective
attempts to engage with political matters in their music. For Wolff
this often involved the use of music and texts associated with protest
and political movements such as the Wobblies. Wolff recently said of
his work that it is motivated by his desire, "To turn the making of
music into a collaborative and transforming activity (performer into
composer into listener into composer into performer, etc.), the
cooperative character of the activity to the exact source of the
music. To stir up, through the production of the music, a sense of
social conditions in which we live and of how these might be changed."

James Tenney

Tenney was born in Silver City, New Mexico, and grew up in Arizona and
Colorado. He attended the University of Denver, the Juilliard School
of Music, Bennington College (B.A., 1958) and the University of
Illinois (M.A., 1961). He studied piano with Eduard Steuermann and
composition with Chou Wen-chung, Lionel Nowak, Paul Boepple, Henry
Brant, Carl Ruggles, Kenneth Gaburo, Lejaren Hiller, John Cage, Harry
Partch, and Edgard Varèse. He also studied information theory under
Lejaren Hiller, and composed stochastic early computer music before
turning almost completely to writing for instruments with the
occasional tape delay, often using just intonation and alternative
tunings. Tenney's notable students include John Luther Adams, Larry
Polansky, and Peter Garland. He performed with John Cage, as well as
with the ensembles of Harry Partch, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.
Tenney's work deals simply and artfully with perception (For Ann
(rising), see Shepard tone), just intonation (Clang, see gestalt),
stochastic elements (Music for Player Piano), information theory
(Ergodos, see Ergodic theory), and with what he calls 'swell' (Koan:
Having Never Written A Note For Percussion for John Bergamo), which is
basically arch form. His pieces are most often tributes and subtitled
as such. Tenney wrote the seminal Meta (+) Hodos (one of, if not the,
earliest applications of gestalt theory and cognitive science to
music), the later Hierarchical temporal gestalt perception in music :
a metric space model with Larry Polansky, and other works. Nearly a
quarter of a 657-page volume of the academic journal Perspectives of
New Music was devoted to Tenney's music (Polansky and Rosenboom 1987).
Tenney also wrote the in-depth liner notes to Wergo's edition of
Conlon Nancarrow's Studies for Player Piano. (Nancarrow, as a favor,
punched the roll for Tenney's Spectral Canon for Conlon Nancarrow). He
taught at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, the California
Institute of the Arts, the University of California, and York
University in Toronto. He died on 24 August 2006 of lung cancer in
Valencia, California.
--

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Vive La Voce Puppet Opera presents

Die Fledermaus

A Puppet Opera

November 17 &18 at 8pm

Featuring Beth Thompson as Rosalinda, Roxanne Vought as Adele, Joshua Pelkey as Alfredo and Bon Provenzano as Orlovsky

FlynnSpace, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets Available at the Flynn Regional Box Office: $13 Advance / $15 Day of Show / $8 Children

In Person: 153 Main Street, By Phone: 802-86-FLYNN / 802-863-5966 — voice/relay calls welcome or Online: www.flynntix.org
Buying Tickets in person saves you money, buying tickets with cash or check saves us money. Thanks for your support!


FOR MORE INFORMATION: CALL 802.859.0344 or EMAIL roxanne.vought@uvm.edu

Thursday, November 01, 2007

from the desk of (ryan) POWER!

I'm having a cd release party tomorrow at Pine St. Studios. If you live in the Burlington,Vermont area you should come on down.

Directions: Heading south on Pine St.-----take first right after Gregory's Supply----as you pull in it's behind the picket fence baby

ryan



Jenny Montana is going to start around 9:30!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

solah

for the last few months its been my distinct pleasure to be playing in solah, a post-metal/noise/drone band with jay blanchard from spitting out teeth. our debut ep, darkcar, is available now free of charge at said blog. its basically two long tracks of loud, mangled guitar and synth with deep drum rolls and cymbal mayhem. being our first effort its rough in spots but pretty damn awesome if you'll allow me to say. in the next month or two expect some live shows, hopefully with a four piece band. also, a hard copy cd release. and, in early '08, a full length release. give it a listen and give feedback. word

Sunday, October 21, 2007

burlington sounds

hi friends,
just a quick note to let you know about a show coming up.
tom, who played a couple months back in charalambides, is coming back
to burlington to play a solo set.
kurt and ruth are part the brattleboro band, feathers. theyll both be
playing solo sets as well.
should be a nice evening of music.
spread the word and bring a friend!
see you all soon.
love,
greg

---

tom carter (of charalambides)
kurt weisman (of feathers)
ruth garbus (of feathers)

firehouse gallery
149 church st.
burlington VT

friday, october 26th
8:30pm
$7

Thursday, October 11, 2007



also "party star" at club metronome in like 5 hours...

hope to post more soon...

jb

Monday, October 01, 2007

phil spector

so phil spector got a mistrial, huh? not surprised- and not because i subscribe to the 'celebreties get away with everything' way of thinking. i dont believe that- and this summers paris hilton thing proves that- they threw the book much harder at her than they would have me. anyway, i watched a lot of the spector trial this summer and even though it looks like phil is shithouse crazy and has probably waved guns at people before- i really dont think he did it, and if he did- not purposely. whether he will be found financially responsible for her death, like oj, has yet to be seen. but i'll always have a soft spot for phil spector and his wall of sound- the ronettes fucking rule!


Friday October 5th
@ The Monkey House, Winooski
Horse Feathers (Portland, OR)
Johanna Kunin (Seattle, Wash)
Farm (Enosburg, VT)
Doors 8pm Show 9pm
$6 21+ $9 Under age



Johanna Kunin

Seattle-based Johanna Kunin grew up and draws her inspiration from the 10,000-lake-land of Minnesota. She describes herself as: "Midnight tangos with ghosts, journeys into the minds of suicidal insects, childhood memories set off-kilter by bad dreams" Her self-released debut full-length, "Clouds Electric" came out last August, and since then she has been touring in support, earning high marks from radio stations such as KCRW and being described as an "extraordinarily gifted singer" (Seattle Times). Says Damien Jurado: "Johanna Kunin is a strong force and her confidence really comes through...Her arrangements and melodies are perfect. I would give anything for a sliver of her talents."

More info at www.johannakunin.com or www.myspace.com/johannakunin


Horsefeathers

Justin Ringle moved to Portland, Oregon in 2004, and began to play open mics regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers. In 2005 Peter Broderick heard two songs that Justin had recorded in a friend's basement, and proceeded to track Justin down via the internet. Shortly after that, the two started playing music together. For the most part, Justin writes the songs initially, and then Peter helps to arrange them with varying instrumentation. The resulting sound is music.

www.myspace.com/horsefeathersmusic or http://luckymadison.com/pagehorsefeathers.htm


Farm

Farm is the Enosburgh based folk-indie-experimental trio. The members of Farm constantly switch instruments so there is no permanent player of anything. If you don't like the way something sounds don't worry it will all change by the next song. They play a wide variety of instruments including, synthesizer, organ, wurlitzer electric piano, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, trumpet, harmonica, horsehead fiddle, and a somewhat strange looking drum kit. Their new album "gray birds" has just been released.
www.myspace.com/farmtheband

eclectic dub

earlier this summer i told you all about eclectic music productions and their failed liberate! music and arts festival- at the last minute they couldnt get the required permits or convince the right people it was a good idea. the show was looking to be an epic event and getting canceled must have been quite a blow. anyway, not to be discouraged emp is putting on a show this thursday 10/4 at club metronome. come enjoy the reggae / afro-beat / indie stylings of giant panda guerilla dub squad-roots reggae and experimental dub. north american international body music. dig it...dance it...

Friday, September 28, 2007

thanks

i'd like to thank greg davis and akron/family for an awesomely rockin' outrageous show last night. i havent seen a show with that much energy in years- maybe never: the whole band looked like they were having the time of their lives- and after being on the road for a month, that must be hard. seeing the rock star/guitar god side of greg was neat, too- i knew he had it in him this whole time...didnt fool me! also, i'd like to congratulate the band for being the 10,000th group to play a dead cover at nectars/metronome!

turning on your love light,

JB

(posted from work at city market)

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

akron/family-greg davis-megafaun


this thursday (9/27) at club metronome

all the blogs are talking about this show and how their tour van was robbed etc etc. so all i'm going to say is everyone should go! i know the new akron/family album is kinda hippy but its cool and wonderful and the live show is going to rock i'll bet.

more here
and here

tick tick presents



Saturday Sept. 29th
@ The Monkey House, Winooski
Cuddle Magic (Boston)
Boca Chica (Pittsburgh)
The New Siberians (Burlington)
doors 8pm show 9pm
$5 21+ $8 under age

Cuddle Magic
is a Boston-based nine-piece playing an amalgamated psycho-orchestral-indie rock. http://www.myspace.com/cuddlemagic

Boca Chica is the lovely voice of Hallie Pritts and a Pittsburgh, PA band of guitars, bass, violins, drums, wurlitzers, accordions, piano, and many vocals. Described by the McKeesport Daily News as "folk-tinged, [and] bluegrass-stained. Their second record "Transform Into Beasts" is so good, so great sounding, it deserves some national attention (come on, tastemaker Web sites!)
http://www.myspace.com/bocachica


The New Siberians
Ted Pappadopoulos, member of Americana forerunners Go To Blazes(Glitterhouse/East Side Digital) and Brendan Devitt, a founding member of Burlington's own legendary "Ninja Custodian" join forces with drummer extraordinaire and "gad about" Simon Plumpton to make up The New Siberians.
Their e-press kit is here:
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.asp?epk_id=107819

tick tick

Monday, September 24, 2007

middle class machines


American Machine, a new play by james lantz, commissioned by the flynn center for performing arts, is "Part parable on the American dream, part cautionary tale taken from the headlines, American Machine tells the story of a great factory that once made parts for classic American cars. As a makeshift family of six friends come together each night to work, they're soon faced with rumors that their employer will be downsizing—or even closing altogether. As they begin working on a new order—making buckets and mops for Wal-Mart—the prospect of being split up looms before them, and their dedication to the once-proud factory is put to the test."

according to the lovely & talented jennifer jarecki (who is the assistant director) "(the play) focuses on the diminishing middle class and the severe economic divide in this country. Hey, there's a porn scene too!"

running from tuesday september 25th- sunday october 7th, there is plenty of time for everyone to see this play. i have never seen a local theatre production before, except the puppet opera (which is coming up this fall!), and i am very excited. arts in vermont! dig it...

Sunday, September 23, 2007

grizzly bear / beach house

tonight at higher ground. not familiar with either of these bands but everyone is telling me it will be rad. maybe i'll see ya there? if south burlington is too far out of your way, walk your bad self down to red square and see "party star"

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

it's a "party star" september!


burlingtons favorite party rock band, and friend of the le duo, "party star" has a slew of shows coming up in late september.

this sunday, 9/23, they rock red square with the dirty blondes, burlingtons best unsigned band, according to the seven daysies.

the very next day catch them from 6-8 on wruv's exposure, thats 90.1 on your dial kiddies.

friday the 28th, "ps" joins chuch for what can only be a fucking rock-n-roll tsunami at higher ground in south burlington. 10 o'clock in the showcase lounge.

finally, saturday september 29th, the party continues as the band plays with the freakiest of pop freaks nose bleed island at radio bean.

whew! damn!

there is also a rumored halloween show at speaking volumes with the jazz guys- but i'll talk more about that as the date nears.

Monday, September 17, 2007

autumn in vermont!


i absolutely love it! i heard geese flying south this morning and it made me think of my childhood and how my whole family would get excited this time of year for various hunting seasons and how i'd always go sight in my deer hunting rifle with my dad even though i never went hunting after age 12- and the smells of fall are great, too- corn and apples and leaves and pumpkin pies baking and endless amounts of goodies my grandmother would send over to our house. i get the urge to spend more time out of doors and go on grand adventures, but i'd settle for some casual hikes. i'm re-reading the hobbit- talk about adventures! that book, more than the trilogy, makes me want to up and leave and slay my own dragon.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

the cush/boston/burlington


the cush have two shows this week. first off, tomorrow monday the 17th they play upstairs at the middle east in boston at 10pm- not sure of a cover charge. wednesday they're at club metronome at 10pm sharp $5. if you havent heard the cush yet do yourself a favor and go to one of these shows! they are an amazing band in the psychedelic/experimental-rock vein and put on one of the best live shows in town.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

bring friends, vibe out, no sitting



brought to you by a snake in the garden

Jazz legend Joe Zawinul dies at 75


i think his contributions to the 'in a silent way' & 'bitches brew' sessions are almost enough to forgive him for weather report. story here

Monday, September 10, 2007

deep fried books

the burlington free press posted this video of drew and john's deep fried books exhibit at this years art hop at the green door studio. in typical free press fashion, they had to mess something up- this time it was drews name. his name is drew luan matott not drew luan. anyway, the video is not bad, if a little short & dry. soon i'll post some art hope photos & reviews.

Friday, September 07, 2007

luciano pavarotti 1935-2007

if this obituary doesnt bring a tear to your eye, this video of notorious p.a.v.a.r.o.t.t.i with mr. black cash money himself should:

Thursday, September 06, 2007

you're all invited



plus dan bolles gives us some love at solid state

"Friday night, the Green Door Studio is hosting a cadre of local bands that represent some of the most innovative and original artists in the area. The lineup features the rock stylings of Dynasty, free-noise auteurs The Le Duo, experimental whiz kids — and a Contrarian fave — Oak, the all-girl old-time outfit Hammer & Saw, the mustachioed indie-rock genius of Ryan Power and, the coup de grace: a reunion of Aaron Hornblas' pre-Cripples indie supergroup, Rock & Roll Sherpa. The show starts at 6 p.m. and should be one of the better events of the Art Hop, if not the entire year."

can i get my foot any further into my mouth? i'm just hoping the letter i sent doesnt get published just to make me look like an ass....

but i am an ass

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

letter to the editor/my bad

UPDATE: I just learned, via myspace, from fellow art hop entrepreneur anaii that she called seven days about listing the show shes putting on and they said they'd only advertise the art hop as a whole, smaller shows be damned. i know for a fact that casey rae-hunter wrote about the green doors show last year in the sound bites column, and maybe even the year before...i'm trying to find it online but may not be able to.

so just to show that i'm a good sport i re-emailed seven days and asked them to ignore the letter i sent. but here it is anyway:


got local music news? email dan bolles at ______
this is the header of each weeks 'sound bites' column.
i recently emailed dan about a show i was involved in, the annual art hop night celebration at a local studio. he responded positively, and so i waited for at least some mention in this weeks seven days. so i was a little confused today when i read the paper: the 'sound bites' column, which i believe should cover mostly local music news, was basically filled with a lazy attempt at a humorous review of the ray price/willie nelson/merle haggard show at the fair (haggard sounded haggard? give me a break) and a regurgitation of who's playing this month at higher ground (information that could be found on the very next page, where the higher ground schedule always is!) the ten local bands playing at either the green door studio or speaking volumes friday night were left unmentioned (including the first performance of 'rock n roll sherpa' in several years, a big deal to some people [me])

anyway, i dont want to sound bitter or point fingers, but if the information local musicians/promoters/whatevers email to dan dont get mentioned eventually people will stop sending them. and that would be bad for people more interested in local music than george clinton and parliment/funkadelics 147th stop at higher ground.

jb ledoux
burlington

ps. if this information was in the paper and i missed it, please ignore!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Paul Simon & The Oak Ridge Boys - "Slip Slidin' Away"

check out that guys beard!



i swear i'll get back to real posting soon!

Monday, August 27, 2007

art hop 2007...

... at the greendoor studio is less than two weeks away. expect lots of great music & art & a special surprise performance by local legends rock & roll sherpa. keep checking my myspace page for updated info etc.

here are some photos from last years hop:



Saturday, August 18, 2007

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

first post of august

well i dont have a computer anymore and i got a shitty part-time job parking cars (actually telling cars where not to park) at the vermont lakemonsters, so i havent had time to post. what have i learned you ask? 1. only about 1% of people fully stop at stop signs and 2. 85% of women seem to have cell phones surgically connected to their ears while driving and 3. i'm old.

its jerry week!! those special 8 days in august where we (I) celebrate everything garcia related. read what i wrote last year, i think its pretty funny...

as for local music, there are tons of shows coming up in the next few days including the cush, the nightbirds, the smittens, a snake in the gardens harsh noise fest, farm etc etc etc...

art hop is one month away! green door studio & speaking volumes (and others i'm sure) are going to have great music so get ready...

spitting out teeth has been updating like a mad man- check out this blog.

"party star" is playing higher grounds fantastic 4 dollar band night tonight. sorry you missed it.

i'm going to try to update more frequently but bare with me.

gahlord is trying to find sponsorship for this blog and if he does i'll update every day!

enjoy late summer nights...

the le duo

Monday, July 30, 2007

rock n roll sherpa

rock n roll sherpa was a burlington band that played from about 2000-2004. featuring aaron hornblas, alan beauregard, burette & gabrielle douglas, & ryan power, this supergroup released one album, 2004's 'you dont say.'

you dont say is a classic indie rock album. blending 70's psychedelic & garage rock sounds with j. mascis-like guitar solos, lyrics about unrequited love, and powerhouse drumming, this gem probably could have made a national impact if released 10 years earlier. aaron & alan split the songwriting & singing duties and their styles are very complimentary. ryan plays drums as good as anyone i've heard locally, he's a hard hitter and great when things get a little punky. gabby's bass work is solid & melodic and burettes whirling keyboards remind me a lot of the cush when things get trippy.

i've included two mp3's. the first & last songs on the album. flower is alans song and steps aarons. enjoy!

it must have been a month ago
when i said babe its time you go
i'm already looking back

it must have been a minute ago
when i said stop and you said no
i'm already looking back

Sunday, July 29, 2007

the end of an error...

er, era... tanner is moving out today and, since i always post from his computer, the le duo may not be updated as frequently for awhile. i have a record review of one of my favorite local records of all time complete with an mp3 or two in the works (rock-n-roll sherpas 2004 album 'you dont say') and hopefully i can post it tonight or tomorrow before my only link to the cyber world is taken from me. good luck tanner & jenny!

the ryan/cush/cripples show last night was great. i think people really enjoyed ryans djjd stuff, and the cripples brought it. unfortunately, we didnt stay for the cush- all of us were exhausted (me from chasing around & playing ball with kyles nephew cole for what seemed like hours at a 50th birthday party) - but the cute girl at radio bean said it was her first cush show and she was absolutely blown away. I bet.

Friday, July 27, 2007

introducing my new favorite band: drums: etc...


Farm put on an excellent show at the monkey last night. nimbly switching between instruments, the three members invoked everything from ballsy blues to late 60's psychedelic guitar rock. haven't been this unexpectedly impressed by a local band since the first time i saw the cripples. if you're a fan of anything from the band to wilco to the white stripes i recommend you check out any of farms several shows in the next few weeks.

for any of you into percussion/world music, the flynn center for the performing arts is hosting two interesting shows. the first, global drum project with mickey hart & zakir hussain takes over where the album planet drum leaves off. zakir hussain is a tabla master & of course mickey hart was an important part of the dead for all those years.

yamato: drummers of japan present 'shin-on (heartbeat)' a celebration of japanese music, dance & culture. 'With a massive Taiko drum made from a 400-year-old tree as its centerpiece, Shin-On (“Heartbeat”) blends thunderous rhythms with Japanese music of delicate beauty, celebrating Japan’s rich cultural traditions.'

so that takes care of my new favorite band & the drums, now for the etc. part...i'm adding a new link to the sidebar here at the le duo. speaking volumes (aka the super fun place) is a great books/vinyl/art shop located at 377 pine st. in burlington. some of you may remember it as the site of the massively insane post fireworks party a few weeks ago. surprisingly, the insanity didnt phase norbert & anaii one bit, because they are hosting another blowout on august 3rd & also at the art hop september 7th & 8th. a great new place to see local bands hassle free.

enjoy your muggy weekend & go see the cripples!

**UPDATE** jay at spitting out teeth gives the burlington music scenes care takers a little shout out- check it out!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

big band

Cecil Taylor & The Italian Instabile Orchestra

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

4 great shows

1. tuesday, 7/24 7pm- caspian, junius, carrigan, 28 degrees taurus, valkyrie- at 242 Main, 10 bucks. not metal or hardcore, which is the usual fare at 242, but more psychedelic, indie, experimental rock.



2. thursday, 7/26 8pm- farm, cccome?, drive the hour- at monkey house, probably 5 bucks. seven days says of farm, 'Farm are a unique band with one foot in roughshod rock ’n’ roll and the other in experimental folk-blues. The third foot, if they had one, would surely be in the grave.' i've been wanting to see them for awhile, its not often you hear a good band from the fc (franklin county)




3. saturday, 7/28- see oak first at the annual crombie street block party at 3pm and then at radio bean at 10- both free. the esteemed casey rae-hunter says 'burlington trio Oak are one of the most interesting and musically talented groups I’ve ever heard locally' -and he should know!




4. also saturday, 7/28 8pm- come celebrate the release of the cripples self titled debut with the cush & ryan power at higher ground- tickets are 6 bucks before saturday if you can get them from aaron jeb or andy & 8 bucks day of show. from what i've heard of the cd it is amazing- and you can always count on the cripples to put on a good show. the cush are at the top of their game & ryan is playing some weirdly unique music. its sure to be the show of the year.

Monday, July 23, 2007

ProgBlog

Casey Rae-Hunter's new progressive-leaning music blog, ProgBlog. Space/Psych/Kraut/Tech/Tweak. Hear what Casey has to say about what's cool. Or if not cool, then at least awesome.

tomorrow i'll blog about 4 must-see shows going on this week.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Slayer!

this is for jaime-lynn

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

july 17, 1967

summer of love. yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Trane's passing. here's a video of the quartet lookin' sharp & bringing it:

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

thursday through sunday

july 19-22 at #4 howard street (corner of howard & pine behind speeder & earls) the green door studio is hosting a dump sale. art- art supplies- lights- vinyl- music & electronic equipment- fabric- unique & scary halloween props- weapons- armor- bikes- cheap art & gifts- sculptures- traps- yarn- masterblaster.

also, todd is showing some original art i think; he's moving away & trying to get rid of a lot of stuff before he does. come take advantage!

and to top it all off, dynasty is performing what may be there last show as a full band on saturday night.

its the summer of dump.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

bastille day

the show last night was so much fun. i'd like to thank everyone in the (sextet), greg, toby, kyle, marnie, & sara paule as well as the other bands a snake in the garden, negative body, & hello shark.

i finally put some songs on my myspace page! they were taken from the great recording that greg made. they are both short & similar. please tell me what you think of them.

our next gig will be at the green door studio for art hop 9/7/07. not sure who'll be in the band then. hopefully we live up to our debut!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

nightbirds of a feather...




Spend an intimate evening with the Nightbirds at the Radio Bean at 11pm this Friday 7/13/07.... it will be a special rare performance... you wont want to miss....ALL AGES!!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

things to do




The Cush plays Calkin's Barn at the Intervale in Burlington, VT, Thursday, July 12th at 6:30 pm. It is an all ages show.

friday night, the sweethearts of my rodeo, the smittens are rocking club metronome along with new yorkers the beasties & locals colin clary & the magogs and missy bly. at midnight help celebrate davids birthday!

on saturday or bastille day, my new project the le duo (sextet) debuts at kriya studio with negative body (also debuting) a snake in the garden & hello shark. the (sextet) features former and current members of nest material, "party star", sun circle & oak and should be a lot of fun.


pick berries this weekend.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

labor (not) ready?

as many of you may know, i have been struggling for the last 8 weeks or so to find a job. the nest egg i received after leaving my last job didnt last as long as i hoped, thanks in part to the op and asiana house (and my own stupidity) well, today i decided to look into labor ready, the work today, get paid today temp place next to the o.n.e variety store on n. winooski ave. i went in and asked the lady how it works. its easy she says. two forms of i.d, pass the tescor integrity and behavioral test, and then show up at 5.30am when you're available to work. simple.

the test involved reading simple questions and then entering your answers on to a key pad that looked like a credit card machine. some sample questions:

in the last month have you done these illegal street drugs- meth, ice, crank, crack, coke, uppers, downers, poppers, mdma, etc?

1. always
2. sometimes
3. rarely
4. never


and

you feel its appropriate to hit some one who has angered you.

1. always
2. sometimes
3. rarely
4. never


a third of the questions were about drugs, a third fighting at work, and a third stealing from your employer. i answered the questions truthfully. no, i never fight at work. no i dont show up to work under the influence of drugs. the test took me about 8 minutes. after i was finished the lady said 'takes just a minute for the results.' i stood there wondering how awesomely i had done. man i aced this motherfucker i said to myself. then the lady turns to me and says, 'sorry, you are unqualified to work here. try back in one year.'

holy fucking christ

i stood there for about 5 seconds thinking this slack jawed bitch must be joking with me but no.

egad!

so, to wrap this story up, i passed an incredibly comprehensive background check to work for the fucking department of homeland security but i wasnt qualified enough to work at labor ready where crack heads & ex-cons clean shit out of toilets.

Friday, July 06, 2007

rock & roll


hey there music fans. the cripples brand new cd, who's title i'm not sure of, was debuted this after noon on dj spofford's show on wruv 90.1 the better alternative. download or stream it here. after you hear it i'm sure you're gonna want to see their cd-release show on the 28th at higher ground. tickets are available now from any member of the band. they have to sell some before the 28th so if anyone is interested contact them through their myspace page or drop me a line & i can connect you with them. ok enjoy.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

cherry soda & a pickle

han bennink was fantastic- i'm not going to do a play by play review because i suck at 'em, but lets just say the show started with han's drum kit covered with cardboard boxes which of course had to be bashed away & anthony coleman went right to work preparing his piano with duct tape & weird glass objects (maybe ashtrays, couldnt really tell) they played with more joy & creativity then any show i've seen in recent memory. being able to clearly love what you do after 40+ years in the biz is amazing.

we went to the famous schwartz's hebrew delicatessen for montreal smoked meat sandwiches- it was my first time & i loved it. such a simple meal but delicious- a great historic place to eat in montreal.

in local music news, tick tick has shows tonight tomorrow & saturday- saturdays show at kriya studio featuring casiotone for the painfully alone, the donkeys, & burlingtons own nintendo rockin' geeks the moon bank. also on saturday, magic sparkle & many mental mistakes play an early show at radio bean. sevendays says 5pm, johnny told me 7pm. who knows? the cave bee's & neil cleary at the monkey on friday. sounds like a great weekend of music! enjoy...




Tuesday, July 03, 2007

bennink in montreal

tomorrow jay (spitting out teeth) and I are going to the festival international de jazz de montreal to see han bennink, a dutch drummer who is quickly becoming one of my favorite musician. I used to try to get to montreal jazz fest every year- but its been probably 4 years since i've made it. the first time was an accident, i went up with my brother and some of his friends to see edgefest, which was a rock fest featuring collective soul, our lady peace, and the tea party (you stay silent, knowing, always in time- see how this love stays divine) but there was awesome street jazz everywhere and rush was playing at the spectrum and i stood in front listening to a good 10 minutes of neil pearts drum solo in awe (i was 16)

but i digress

han bennink is playing in a duet with the pianist anthony coleman, whom allmusic.com describes as '(a) talented standout of the avant-garde and klezmer-oriented jazz coming out of N.Y.C.'s downtown throughout the '80s and '90s" it should be an awesome show!

hopefully I'll see everyone tonight at the superfun place...bring beer, hoola hoops, and squirt guns.

JB

Monday, July 02, 2007

what happened, really?

so bush pardoned scooter libby. blah blah blah. is anyone really surprised? the part that really pisses me off is that MY nickname used to be scooter. it fell out of vogue probably 20 years ago and the last person to regularly call me that, my uncle vinnie, died last summer (rip)

july 4th is close- even if you dont want to celebrate 'u.s independence day' you should still go to a bbq because lots of shit happened this day including the death of bob ross or as jez & mark call him, god.

reminder from ben about this show: "reminder to bring your own drinks to the show and maybe make one of them a sparks. cause its goin late.
oak 10:15 - ryan power 11 - dynasty 12 - more powers 12:45 - cripples 1:15
approx...

i've caught some slack lately from some of my long time readers about not having anything personal or non music related on the blog anymore. just where bands are playing & shit. i told them i was trying to make up for burlingtons lack of casey rae-hunter. but you want personal? ok, the transmission on my kia died yesterday, ruining what was shaping up to be a lovely ride to carmel, ny to look at bernese mountain dogs with tanner and jenny. we were saved by a 16 year old girl and a 6'10" behemoth named andrew. read about it here.


Friday, June 29, 2007

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

7/7/7

jay showed me this great post at brooklyn vegan about a fucking fantastic concert the boredoms are putting on saturday 7/7/07 in nyc- boadrum 77 is a 77 minute piece of music performed by 77 drummers and yamantaka eye. its a free show but you have to rsvp in order to get in and i bet its full by now. i would love to see or be a part of something this big someday!

friday at the monkey

tick tick presents micah blue smaldone, anna pardenik, dynasty, & brown bird. one of the great, local alternatives to the big time show going on at shelburne museum. read about more local shows this friday night here.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

thanks ben!





the uvm lane series presents 'hooray for hollywood!"

a FREE outdoor Film + Music series at UVM - priced just right for starving artists and families!

On Saturdays in July, we transform the UVM PineGrove (just east of the Music Building) into something like Drive-in meets Music Festival. Picnicking starts at 6, Band at 7 and Film at 9. If you forget the potato salad, we also have Kettle Korn and other forms of sugar.

Saturday, July 7
Band: Anaïs Mitchell
Film : Singin’ in the Rain

Saturday, July 14
Band: The Will Patton Band
Film: The Purple Rose of Cairo

Saturday, July 21
Band: The Duhks
Film: State and Main

Saturday, July 28
Band : GrooveLily
Film : Sunset Boulevard

The films are kid-friendly and always worth the trip. Bring a blanket and your bugspray, and your favorite sweater. The sunset is spectacular up there.

Riding bicycles is encouraged. Parking is available in the Gutterson Parking Garage off of Spear Street. You can follow the signs from there.

More info (including directions) on our website.

Monday, June 25, 2007

hamid drake, xu fengxia, wilbert de joode

Short excerpt from a thrilling concert at the Bimhuis Amsterdam featuring Xu Fengxia on guzheng, Wilbert de Joode on bass and Hamid Drake on drums

wild bore

ex-burlingtonian, current-arkansasian, and all around nice guy ryan power & his wild bore tour 2007 roll through town this summer to bless us with a few killer shows. the first is a free after the fireworks extravaganza july 3rd at speaking volumes (great record/antique store on pine st. next to myers bagels) with dynasty, oak, & the cripples.

on july 28th, come celebrate the release of the cripples debut cd at higher ground with ryan & the cush.
tickets are 6 bucks and can be purchased from andy or aaron when you see them at 3 needs or the op or helping old ladies cross the street.



Thursday, June 21, 2007

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

the nightbirds, township & the new siberians

saturday night at nectars, come celebrate the release of the new new siberians cd. its an early show, t.n.s get on at 9pm sharp. with township & the nightbirds.


the lake champlain bluegrass festival august 10th 11th & 12th

held every year since 2001 (i think) in my home town of alburgh, vt- this festival was voted one of vermont's top ten events of 2006 by the vermont chamber of commerce. this years event is sure to entertain with bands such as doyle lawson & quick silver, rhonda vincent & the rage & the gibson brothers. more info here