Logan Molen's Distractions

Roxy resurfaces, sounding just fine

2010-07-20T07:01:59Z

Roxy Music has resurfaced, playing two songs on Britain's "Friday night with Jonathan Ross" show last week.

As you might expect from leader Bryan Ferry, there are new faces compared to the lineup that toured the States in 2005. The core -- Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson -- remains, however.

The band is touring in Europe into 2011, but no word yet on when they might return to the States or whether a long-rumored studio album is in the works or set for release. Bryan Ferry has a new solo album called "Olympia" set for release later this year, but his last few albums have been underwhelming.

"Dragon Tattoo" movie worth the rental

2010-07-09T06:59:28Z

Just watched the Swedish film version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a faithful adaptation of the Stieg Larsson best-seller, and the first of three so-called Millenium Trilogy movies to be released in the States. The movie was released Tuesday, and the second movie in the trilogy, "The Girl Who Played With Fire," is set for release later this month.

English subtitles and dubbing are available, but I recommend the native language and English subtitles to get the full flavor of the story. Like the book, the action is fast paced. The casting is excellent, particularly Noomi Rapace in the role of Lisbeth Salander. I can't imagine any of the actresses rumored to be in the hunt for the American version coming close to Rapace's performance.

Warning: If you haven't read "Dragon Tattoo," be forewarned: the book and movie contain graphic sexual violence. But while the attacks may make some squeamish, they're a key part of the trilogy storylines.

Best music of 2010, so far

2010-07-07T06:55:26Z

Listeners of NPR's "All Songs Considered" think The Gorillaz's latest is the best so far this yearLotsa lists are starting to pop up highlighting the best music from the first half of 2010. Here's a roundup of the podcasts and sites I frequent:

The listeners get the spotlight at NPR's All Songs Considered, with a people-powered Top 50 led by The Gorillaz and The National.
Greg and Jim at Sound Opinions narrowed their lists to four apiece, with Greg really digging Janelle Monae and Jim slobbering all over Yeasayer.
Crawdaddy's eclectic Top 40 includes Surfer Blood, The Besnard Lakes and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.
Paste Magazine delivered six lists from top editors. Lots of names popping up on multiple lists, including Sleigh Bells, Phosphorescent, LCD Soundsystem, Janelle Monae, Titus Andronicus, Mumford and Sons, and Frightened Rabbit.

As for me? I've been spending lots of my time listening to older CDs I've been buying from Not Lame Records, which is going out of business and is in the process of an extended fire sale. But as for new stuff, I'm really liking the Janelle Monae tour de force, which is one of the best debuts I've heard in a long time; The Chop Tops; The Besnard Lakes; Alejandro Escovedo; and The New Pornographers.

What about you?

Alejandro Escovedo should be a star

2010-07-04T09:00:00Z

Alejandro Escovedo's new album is a knockout, and restores some balls-out rock to his sound, which had turned softer in the years since he nearly died in 2003.

Above is a stream of an excellent "Soundcheck" episode that chronicles Escovedo's rich and diverse musical background (from punk and cowpunk to recording with Springsteen), samples some of the new disc and leaves me marveling at how Escovedo's passion, persistence and sheer will continue to create great stuff as he heads toward age 60.

Google's brilliance, step by step

2010-07-02T07:01:31Z

Infographic by PPC Blog

Great visual that walks one through Google's thorough micro-second by micro-second process to deliver you satisfaction, millions of times per day.

The Pistols, unpeeled

2010-06-29T05:00:07Z

I can't get enough of a VH1 Classic series called "Classic Albums." I haven't seen a bum episode yet but the study of The Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the Bollocks" is the only one that repeatedly pulls me back in whenever I run across it.

YouTube has the episode posted in seven separate clips, and I've posted Part 3 above. I singled out this third segment because its interviews with the original quartet, producer, engineer and manager capture the magic behind an album that still packs a wallop 35 years later.

There's a telling quote from singer Johnny (Rotten) Lydon, about midway in the clip: "We controlled the energy. Our songs are not raging fast, they're real slow-tempoed. But they come over blistering."

I've never heard a more apt description of the Pistols' sound. Engineer Bill Price, a punk legend, re-creates the tight layers of "Anarchy in the U.K" at about 1:20 into this clip, and it still gives me chills every time I hear the breakdown of the individual audio tracks. Give close attention to the bits about Lydon's diction, subtle tricks that gave his snarl a little extra bite.

"Measuring what makes life worthwhile"

2010-06-27T03:51:20Z

Lots of good messages -- even mixed messages -- in this TED video, but the ultimate takeaway for me: You cannot wait for happiness to come to you, you have to reach out and grab it. Too many people keep waiting ...

Sister Rosetta rocks

2010-06-15T04:38:10Z

The amazing Sister Rosetta Tharpe shreds her Gibson SG on "Up Above My Head," giving traditional gospel an edge that I don't think has been heard before or since this performance some time in the 1960s. The blistering licks start at 1:25 but the whole song is worth repeated listenings.

Not a fan of swing music? Think again

2010-06-11T03:05:35Z

Stumbled across this crazy site called Music Machinery that uses Python code to turn popular songs into "swing" versions by "taking each beat and time-stretching the first half of each beat while time-shrinking the second half."

I always thought the original Guns N Roses lineup was the best because of the way drummer Stephen Adler swung and gave the band a loose but punchy sound -- particularly on songs like "Sweet Child O' Mine" -- but Adler has nothing on this altered over-the-top version.

"Enter Sandman" and "Money for Nothing" also sound good in their new incarnations, but, to me, "Don't Stop Believin'" is a dud.

This studio gimmickry is the kind of stuff that made Robert "Mutt" Lange famous, although he was less obvious in tweaking Def Leppard rhythms to drive the beat in radio-friendly ways.

170 bands, 13 stages, 1 memorable experience

2010-06-07T04:33:16Z

It's been a day since the Rock 'n' Roots festival in Bakersfield and I'm still recovering. The thought of a one-day festival with 170 bands on 13 stages is mind-boggling, and it was truly sensory overload. There were so many stages close together that sound often bled into shows from bands two stages away, forcing my brain to work in new ways. The day was both exhilarating and frustrating.
The Chop Tops play authentic, quality rockabilly
I spent most of the day standing watch near my daughter and her friend, so didn't get to sample as much music as I normally might, as if anyone could catch all 170 bands. I would have like to have stayed to hear Lee Rocker but the three of us couldn't stay that late.

The best band I saw was The Chop Tops, a killer rockabilly trio out of Santa Cruz featuring stand-up drummer, upright bass and a guitarist who respects the roots. I heard them out of the corner of my ear while tyring to figure out which stage to hit next, and thought, "Is Phil Alvin of the Blasters here?" No, but that's OK because the Chop Tops put on a terrific show, mixing great stage presence will killer musicianship. Highly recommended (the video above is from a different show but representative). I especially like their mantra of "no scenes," the cliques that too often permeate rockabilly and punk fans, even though both have foundations rooted in individuality.
Four stages along Chester Avenue were jammed side by side, leading to major soud bleeding from stage to stage.
Saw other good performances from Good Charlotte, Stick to Your Guns, Lightnin Woodcock, Boys Like Girls, Forever the Sickest Kids and local band Hello Friday. Not so good were an awful performance from Unwritten Law, who sound great on record but are a bloated, obnoxious mess in person.

One of the most interesting facets of the show was the booking and ticket sales. According to a friend whose son was in one of the bands playing, some -- if not all -- local bands were asked to sell at least 60 tickets at $35 per (below the $40 advance public price). The more pre-sale tickets a band sold, the later in the day they played. So, if you didn't sell a lot of tickets, you played at 10 a.m. when crowds were sparse. But pull in a big crowd and you get a nice slot.One of the stranger bands playing on a stage at the furthest reaches of the festival

So, doing some very simple math just for scenario sake: If half of the bands were asked to sell 60 tickets, and those bands sold 30 each, you have $89,250 in sales. Judging by attendance, there were many more than that jammed into Stramler Park. Sounds like a decent payday for local promoter Tim Gardea, who more typically is known for booking smaller but quality bands into places like The Dome and Jerry's, as well as venues up the valley in Fresno and Stockton.