Tuesday, December 01, 2009

...and we have a WINNER!

CONGRATULATIONS to Officer Jeff Stewart of the Garfield, NJ police department.

sittin' in Charlie Bloods last night (you've REALLY gotta go to this amazing restaurant), it was brought to my attention that Z-100 played Christmas Wrapping yesterday morning (at around 8:50am).

Officer Stewart will get $100 donated in his name to The Hoboken Library's Childrens Book Fund.

RUNNER-UP: Bill Hubay heard it on December 1st @ 5:30pm at Skyline Chili in Lyndhurst, OH.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- James MacMillan writes:

First European report?

Christmas Wrapping was heard in the restaurant "De Halve Maan" in Amsterdam on Dec 13 at 18:15

Another $5 for the library?

to which i replied:

J -

YES!

...and there by establishing a new tradition....the $5 James MacMillan Tip!!!

thanks so much for the email.

best/miss you...

cb


- Matty Karas writes:
"i assume i'm waaaaay too late, but just in case, 3:47 p.m.
today, friday 12/4,
picking up a late lunch at fresh on
seventh ave and 30th st., "xmas wrapping"
came over the
in-store p.a. it was my first for 2009. i'm not even sure
the xmas
wrapping trainspotting game still exists, and if
it does still exist, i imagine
someone else heard it back
around halloween, but anyway, just in case, there you

go, and i wanted to write anyway to say it was great to
see you a couple weeks
ago at bowery electric."
- WFMU's Ol' Pal Irwin Chusid emailed me on Friday, Dec. 4th at 10:18am that the song is playing on DeepIntoMusic.net.

happy holidays, everybody!

CHARLIE BLOOD'S: http://www.charliebloods.com/

NOW PLAYING1:

ME!

thanks to Chelsea Peters for this.



NOW PLAYING2:
The Who (at The Monterrey Pop Festival)/"Summertime Blues". all you ever need to know to be convinced that rock 'n' roll is all you ever need to know.



busted snare drum, busted mic, guitar banged out-of-tune = not bad for the 2nd song of the set...magnificent!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

THE 2009 WRAPPIE AWARD!













gang...

every year, i run this contest where the first person to contact me after hearing The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" song gets $100 donated in their name to The Hoboken Public Library's Children's Book Fund.

the contest starts at NOON on the Friday after Thanksgiving (11/27), and the only 'rule' is that the song be heard - say - at the mall, on the radio, in a coffee shop, etc. playing it yourself does not count!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

reports of 'sightings' are already coming in:

- at 1:46pm on Weds. 11/11, Fran Azzarto texted me that he heard it at Kohl's.

- the song is being used now in a commerical in the UK for a local electronics store!

good luck & happy holidays!!

cbutler

ps - i've had many requests to reprint these...so here ya go:

CHRISTMAS WRAPPING

[PLEASE NOTE: there is some website that sez that the A & P line is "A & P has pride in me...". WHAT???? that is a mondegreen = a misheard lyric. i can't tell you how annoying that is...]

bah! humbug! no...that's too strong, 'cause it is my favorite holiday
but all this year's been a busy blur, don't think I have the energy

to add to my already mad rush, just cause it's "'tis the season"

the perfect gift for me would be, completions and connections

left from last year, ski shop, encounter, most interesting...
had his number but never the time, most of '81 passed along those lines


so deck those halls, trim those trees, raise up cups of Christmas cheer

I just need to catch my breath, Christmas by myself this year

..............

calendar picture, frozen landscape, chilled this room for 24 days

evergreens, sparkling snow, get this winter over with!


flashback to springtime, saw him again, would've been good to go for lunch

couldn't agree when we were both free, we tried, we said we'd keep in touch


didn't, of course, 'til the summertime,
out to the beach to his boat, could I join him?
no, this time it was me, sunburn in the third degree


now the calendar's just one page and, of course, I am excited
tonight's the night, but I've set my mind, not to do too much about it

..............
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas...think I'll miss this one this year

..............

hardly dashing through the snow, 'cause I bundled up too tight
last minute have-to-dos, a few cards, a few calls


because it's RSVP, no thanks, no party lights

it's Christmas Eve, gonna relax, turned down all of my invites


last fall I had a night to myself, same guy called, Halloween party
waited all night for him to show, this time his car wouldn't go


forget it, it's cold, it's getting late,
trudge on home to celebrate
in a quiet way, unwind,
doing Christmas right this time

..............

the A & P has provided me, with the world's smallest turkey

already in the oven, nice and hot, oh damn, guess what I forgot!


so on with the boots, back out in the snow, to the only all-night grocery

when what to my wondering eyes should appear,

in the line is that guy I've been chasing all year!

spending this one alone, he said, need a break, this year's been crazy


I said, me too, but why are you...?, you mean, you forgot cranberries, too?

then suddenly we laughed and laughed, caught on to what was happening

that Christmas magic's brought this tale,
to a very happy ending

..............
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas...couldn’t miss this one this year
..............
NOW PLAYING:
TIN HUEY: Before Obscurity - The Bush Flow Tapes


















WE'RE A NEW RECORD!!!...which means you can buy it/download it!

as a tribute to Mark Price...as a tribute to whythehellnot?

NOW PLAYING 2 (and thanks to Bob Basone for this): Barbara Lynn/"You'll Lose A Good Thing"






cb...where are you?






NEW YORK CITY

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

RAIN CHOIR

from new pal Judith Ren-Lay:



an alternate version, with Toto's "Africa" worked in:

Friday, October 30, 2009

BOO!













thanks for visiting my blog. if you've landed here because of the NPR "All Things Considered" ghost hunt story, glad you were intrigued enough to bother to search.

am very grateful that they ran it, but there's more to the story than they were able to air.

please click on http://www.futurefossilmusic.com/ghost.htm for the full version. SCROLL DOWN to the find the player for the streaming audio.

also, there's a SIDEBAR with my new song based on Leadbelly's "John Hardy" murder ballad.


enjoy...and BOO!

best...

cbutler

NOW PLAYING: GHOULARDI 1963

Ernie Anderson's Ghoulardi was Cleveland's most legendary and infamous late night TV horror movie hosts. From 1963-1966 he ruled the airwaves. This clip features his notorious joke about playing poker. How he got away with this in 1964 is anybody's guess.




NOW PLAYING:
SCREAMIN'JAY HAWKINS/"I Put A Spell On You"



NEVER BE AT THE WRONG PARTY:
things you should make a point of attending!
























FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6th, AT FIRESTONE HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM,
333 RAMPART AVE.
$10 benefits the Arts Programs at Firestone High.

"A GAGGLE OF HUEYS AND A HOUSEGUEST" -- i.e., Harvey Gold, Michael, Aylward, Stuart Austin AND Dave Rich (aka 'The Kid' aka Alejandro the Slice) -- will be doing a set from around 9-9:30P, followed immediately after by our pals The Bizarros. Trying to work the right times for the old guy bands so we can all get home in time to catch the weather report from Dick Goddard and stare at the TV, wondering why Ghoulardi was preempted tonight

***
MORE BIG NEWS: TIN HUEY's new archival release on Smog Veil records, "BEFORE OBSCURITY: THE BUSHFLOW TAPES," with cover by derf and liner notes by Robert Christgau and spouse Carola Dibell, is scheduled for release on November 16th. Rumor has it that we'll have some ADVANCE COPIES AVAILABLE THE NIGHT OF THE BENEFIT. Any Hueys present will be happy to try to scratch our names on it, if requested.

Please come. We'll love seeing you; plus, people are putting forth a lot of effort with the hopes that the teachers and kids in the arts at Firestone can get something done here. Thanks much.

.........


















G. A. Lewis
BRONZE SCULPTURE

November 7th – 28th, 2009

Millworks Gallery
106 N. Main Street
(across the street from Luigi’s)
Akron, Ohio 44308

Public reception during the
November 7th downtown Akron
Artwalk 5:00PM – 10:00PM

Hours: Saturdays 5:00PM– 10:00PM
Website: GALewisART.com

cb...where are you?






UPSTATE NEW YORK

Friday, October 09, 2009

A GOOD DAY

1) the New York Times ran a feature on Wunder Gurl & the mini-golf: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/greathomesanddestinations/09Away.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

2) the Radio Gods have smiled on my ghost hunt story.

cb...where are you?








NOTTOOSHABBYLAND

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

SURF'S UP!








TONIGHT!

purplE k'niF
!
play Maximum Surf! and Hard Twang! Instrumentals
Friday, October 2, 2009, from 10:00 PM ‘til we’re done...

At

DC’s Tavern
Our Favorite Neighborhood Bar
505 Eighth St.
Hoboken, NJ
201-792-5550

NO cover! NO vocals!

Chris Butler, drumming
John Teagle, strumming
Ted Lawrence, melodious wiggling
Baker Rorick, boom, boom, boom


PEEVE DE JOUR: Bobby Graham, RIP.

[aside: people have often commented as to how much they liked my snare drum sound - the way its tuned...to which i answer - i tune it to the way Bobby Graham's snare sounded on "Could You, Would You" by Them. the sound quality sucks here, but it gives you a hint of how great and how great sounding a drummer he was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhcKtBrJhaM]

Legendary session drummer Bobby Graham has passed away, aged 69.

Graham played on an estimated 15,000 records in his lifetime, including Petula Clark's 'Downtown', Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You' and 'Gloria' by Them. Alongside those acts, he also worked with The Kinks, playing drums on both 'You Really Got Me' and 'All Day And All Of The Night'.

The Kinks' producer Shel Talmy described Graham as "the greatest drummer the UK has ever produced", states Bobbygraham.com.

The session musician also claimed he was approached by Brian Epstein to replace Pete Best in The Beatles, but turned the offer down because the band weren't famous enough at that point.

cb...where are you?






NEW YORK CITY

Friday, September 25, 2009

JAN SNEUM

Jan is a wonderful man. i've lost touch with him - this has helped me reconnect.

cb

.......

Down In The Basement - Into The Garage

Interview with Jan Sneum

The Danish musical underground has always been the beloved center in Jan Sneum´s life. How to fortify and stimulate the Danish music scene in the best possible way? Danish National Radio (DR)´s enthusiastic column of fire is turning 60 this month and I met him for a chat about punkrock, lo-fi poetry, willpower and the true values in rock music.

By: Helle Hellcat

The cold wind is howling and sprays of salty seawater whip the dark grey sky. At the roof of the fort by the sea stands a dignified gentleman with silvergrey hair swirling around his head and a big smile solidly plantet on his friendly face. From behind, you hear the pounding rock music from a hopeful band, who frenetically tries to split ears. The silverfox grabs his microphone tight. He is enthusiastically transmitting live from the garagerock festival to the listeners at DR. Wake up! Jan Sneum is out on his crooked mission!

Jan Sneum (JS) fills many posts. He is a producer at DR, photographer, music journalist, editor of musical dictionaries, leader of the P3 live programmes for many years and retired school teacher. For JS life has been all about medias ever since he grew up with a dad who was a painter and a mom who was educated in classic guitar from the Danish Academy Of Music. Sound and vision blended in very early and naturally created an inspiring platform for JS: " I think - in all connexions - music is the most important subject to be occupied with".


In the beginning the photography was the most interesting thing
... and what was more interesting to shoot in the end of the 60´s than objects such as rock musicians? In Brøndbyernes Pop Club JS was taking pictures like crazy, while listening to rock´n´roll music. Many things and friendships began here and soon JS was involved as photographer and journalist in Danish underground zines like Wheel, Rok and MM - often inspired by Rolling Stone magazine. In the 70´s the whole Punkrock movement and all it's bastards emerged for JS. Here came action!!
JS started in 1980 as a freelance reporter at DR and in the beginning the young journalist eagerly tried to fill all posts: "At my first job I managed both notepad, camera and taperecorder and it all went totally wrong", JS remembers, "I couldn't take pictures and hold the microphone at the same time, but I thought I could do everything myself and thought that this was a great idea. This was long before someone came up with the word media convergense". JS had to stick to one thing and here the radio was new and interesting to him. "I no longer had to transform the musical experiences to other medias such as writing or pictures. At the radio I simply played all the records I loved so much. There was no doubt, I thougth: I was on a mission!".


The willpower of the underground scene
JS has always been known in the musical underground environment as "Our Man From Inside ". He has been the primous motor in many enterprises at DR to emphasize the strength of the increasing rockscene. Amongst many other things he has delivered a lecture on the subject How to (maybe) make a commercial breakthrough. "If I have to draw a red line through all my years at the radio, then I must say, that what always have been the most interesting thing to work with is the underground mass of talents. Sometimes bands have asked me, if I could go out and tell the hopeful youngsters what to do e.g. to get a life at DR. But the lectures are not something I have systemized. It was more like a natural follow-up to some of the other projects we had been dealing with at the radio. And actually I don't think I'm competent enough of saying "this and that you have to do to become millionaires" or " this and that you have to do, then your band can play the Gutter Island Festival until you retire - but it will go no further". If I could, I would, right? But I will gladly tell which values we're looking for at DR."

LC: Maybe a solid formular of success doesn't exist? I guess the bands have to kick in some doors themselves?
JS takes a minute to think: "I think You're right. Many of the bands require a solid basis of true willpower. If You wanna make it in the musicbizz the willpower has to be there, because there is so much physical an psycological resistance: Your own lazyness, economics, family, studies, day jobs and so on. If You don't have the willpower there will be no results! Then maybe you drop out or find a state where it's just cosy to sing around the bonfire with your friends ... but that's all. That brings You to no record deal, no touring, no nothing."
LC: So willpower is essential?
"Sure, and this is where the punkrock and it's networking is really excellent showing you how to progress globally. What is going on in Odense? What is going on in Tokyo? ... and at the Phillipines? Many bands from Ungdomshuset (progressive ex-squatted punkvenue in Copenhagen. ed.) have been travelling around the world. The garagerock scene also has it's own network and this shows us, that - at least - for subgenres this determined, networking works! These genre networks often become a kind of a tribal culture, where the important subject isn't nationality, gender or age - it often has a reservation vibe to it - like i.e. at the Gutter Island Garagerock Festival."


Gutter Island Garagerock Festival
LC: You have been quite involved in the gutter Island Garagerock Festival yourself (www.gutter-island.dk). What is Your opinion on this event?

"For several reasons, this is a festival that I praise a lot. On the one hand: A genre I like a lot was miserably neglected and suddenly It came alive in Denmark. Earlier the whole Garagerock scene wasn't very visible and then - finally - the new rock´n´roll wave that had been going on for some years in Sweden, Finland and Norway rolled over Denmark. On the other hand, I think it was great that the garagerock community gathered together and created a festival along with local venues in an original way. I think Gutter Island has so many qualities. Also I think it's good that the festival is an every two-year event ´cause then there's time for some musically development and You have the time to get hungry and really be looking forward to the good times. If You do the festival every year in a genre that is so subcultural and narrow, well, then there's the risk that you'll meet exactly the same music as last year. As it is now, there's room for some new ideas, which I appreciate a lot. Also I'm very glad that The Burnouts, The Defectors and Baby Woodrose was into recording 12" live Ep´s from the festival - it has been really funny to be able to document the Gutter Island Garagerock festival".

LC: Documenting concerts with live albums was earlier a proud punktradition like with "Pærepunk", "Nosferatu" and so on.
"yes, that's right and maybe, again, it's because the networks for these subgenres are so close, that it's easy to get an idea and then fulfil it and that's wonderful. In so many other ways it's terribly complicated e.g. to clear and use DR´s livetakes".


Snotdum
LC: How did the idea of making the split EP Snotdum (Bad Afro) in Danish with The Defectors and Powersolo come up?
"The Idea emerged at the first Gutter Island Festival, where I heard Kim Kix and Powersolo as a duo with songs in Danish. I'm really proud of the Snotdum EP, but in many ways I would have loved to do it even more stripped down as Powersolo was in the beginning. It possessed a lo-fi poetry and beauty I have rarely seen or heard. The stripped down formula is interesting when the songs and the performance are good. The contrast is interesting: stripped down lo-fi and poetry. Powersolo has become so many other things later on and the EP is marked with all the traditional rock effects and fun you recognise in Powersolo, but the earliest fundament is gone. It's clear now that we should have done the EP in that moment and not have waited. But I'm really glad we realised the project. Then we can move on to other projects."

LC: ...and The Defectors?
"I don't know if the EP and their two songs in Danish have had any influence on The Defectors? Maybe they wanna do more songs in Danish in the future? It sure was new to them, but the result is very good, I think. It's important to focus on the good song, both in English and in Danish. Without the good song nothing works. You can do a lot with sound, special stageshow and a spectacular image but without a good song there'll be no success. The song that survives at home on an acoustic guitar or the piano has a great strenght."

"If I have to draw a red line through all my years at the
radio, then I must say, that what always have been the
most interesting thing to work with is the underground
mass of talents".

Networking with no limits
LC: Which qualities do you enquire with Danish bands? "Again willpower is the keyword. Right now I feel there is so incredibly many artists who really wanna make it, not only regarding DR and the home market, but who has the big lust for global thinking. All these bands who, by own drift, set up tours in Germany or Finland or where the Hell they go ... that is just wonderful! That is where the true values of rockmusic exist: When you got the strong urge and the willpower to get a grip on your music and use your network. And especially rockmusic is such an lovely international thing. If you don't have immediately success on your hometurf the fight goes on. There are so many opportunities with all the new ways of communication that the limits are gone".

LC: So it has become easier to get visible as a band with the Internet and so on. It gives You the opportunity to expose your band in different ways than earlier. But at the same time this means, that even more bands are competing about the attention on the various platforms that exist. What do you think of the Danish music scene today?
"The music scene has become so incredible wide. Once I thought I had a general view, but I indeed don't see the whole picture anymore. A neverending stream of new bands have emerged and even though I have been in the music business for years, I can not reach all corners now. Well, that is just wonderful, but it also means that, as a radio station, you have to make some choices, since there is only the same 24 hours in a day".

Fuck Denmark!
Punk, experiments and raw poetry is still a big part of JS´ life. Even though he turns 60 in December - at his own big surprise - there still is anarchistic sides to the radiojurnalist's personality. In 1979 a young JS wrote the liner notes on the livealbum - and portrait of a generation - Pærepunk and here, 25 years later, he wrote liner notes on the two punkrecords Fåk Danmark! ´03, (= Fuck Denmark!, ed.), and Ungdomshuset ´04. On Fåk Danmark! a.o. he writes: "The new names at the Danish punkscene dare to work progressively with the Danish language. And it's new. And wonderful. And necessary. Expressionism, wildness and gigantic spirit is in focus. Et spark i bolledejen!"

LC: The "Fåk Danmark!" cover shows Pia Kjærsgaard and Anders Fogh Rasmussen (right-wing politicians) in some VERY pornographic situations. What did You think, when you saw the cover? " Ha ha ha ha ... yes, that was a surprise. I must say, that when I saw that cover I thought:" Yep! Ungdomshuset is alive!" It's still possible to make provocative covers, but I never thought it would look like this. Maybe it was a strategically smart move ´cause suddenly the record got a lot of attention and the cover made the music more visible. Sometimes you need a provocation and I do think it is done with a lot of humour ... ha ha ... but I didn't know it was going to look like this."


From Ungdomshuset to The Opera

LC: What if JS had never worked at DR and been standing on the top of the windy fort during the Gutter Island Garagerock Festival transmitting live? Do you think the programmes on the Danish National Radio would have been just as varied as now? "Eeh - I don't really know anyone else at DR with the same perception of music like me, so well - it's hard to say, " JS´ cheeks are getting slightly red, " I think it meant something back then that someone like me, who wasn't part of the scene, but then again wasn't too old, via punkrock found back to the amusing roots of rock´n´roll. I hadn't been here today if it wasn't for punkrock. It was so lively, it turned me so much on and there was a close contact with the audience that I like - the element of " the people right there at stage are doing the things I would like to do too".

LC: You cleared the live-takes made by DR which appear on Ungdomshuset´s jubilee record? "If I have to talk about DR as a cultural institution, I think it's important that we contribute on that record with some songs. We make live-takes from the Royal Theatre as well and this width is very well documented, I think. We operate from Ungdomshuset to the Opera. But through my years at DR I guess I spent most of my time looking down the basement and into the garage.

NOW PLAYING: Dennis Diken & Bell Sound/"Late Music"

and...NEW TIN HUEY!

















it's on Amazon right now!!

http://www.amazon.com/Before-Obscurity-The-Bushflow-Tapes/dp/B002QEIQFO/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1253889856&sr=301-2

NOW READING: sixth book by Carl Hiaasen - "Sick Puppy". he's so good, but he's also killing Florida for me.

PEEVE DE JOUR: the speed trap in New Paltz

JOIE DE JOUR: learning Dennis Diken's songs. can't believe i'll be playing drums for HIM!!!

cb...where are you?









DENMARK...in my thoughts, anyway.