text:
so if you were wondering about the word 'riff', the thing below's all hook + turnaround = essence of the blues.
so if you were wondering about the word 'riff', the thing below's all hook + turnaround = essence of the blues.
Captain Capitulation on October 12, 2014 at 11:53 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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making music with whales, making music to fight climate change, chattering with the squirrels, etc: these are very bad ideas. and the amazing thing is that even as you are frolicking grimly among the whales as they bellow like bono, you are doing less than nothing to save the planet. at least the music is irrelevant, though. but the new york times cannot run even a piece about singing with the whales without going brainbrainbrain. possibly, the idea is to compensate for not having a brain by saying 'brainbrainbrain' all the time. it's like getting hungry and feeding yourself the word 'sticky bun.'
Music expresses emotions, and that's why we love it so. Whales and humans may share a capacity to express complex emotions. You see, both our brains contain a mysterious kind of cell called the spindle neuron, that until recently was known only in the brains of primates. We don't know exactly what it is for, but scientists believe it has something to do with the ability to experience complex, layered emotions. And whales have three times the number of these cells in their brains than we do.
as per usual the spindle neurons are doing nothing for anyone, just stuck in there for the sound or something. the pseudo-science is completely out of keeping with the tone or point of the piece, but you can't write anything for the nytimes without putting that paragraph in it. scientists speculate that it is possible that mystical mystery neurons may be involved. astounding? yes. but that is what science shows.
and not to rag on y'all too bad, but i do want to point out that the times just published this sentence: 'Music expresses emotions, and that's why we love it so.' scientists speculate that the 'blank' neuron is responsible for the production of such sentences, and though whales have blank neurons too, they are so amazing because they never yap the boilerplate like that. climate change, though, may induce a human-like neurological erasure even in humpback whales. it is the tragedy of the commons.
Captain Capitulation on October 06, 2014 at 03:48 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (4)
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sometimes i seem awfully negative as a blogger. anyway, i think the thing below is one of the best pop songs of the last few years, by one of the best artists.
the lightness of touch should be a lesson to all bludgeoners, from bono to bruce. it refers to all sorts of moments in the history of soul, funk, hip hop, pop, but ed at his best is also inimitable and extremely contemporary. and he can extremely rap and play guitar and write.
oh and of course there this one - showing all them skills and then some - which conquered the world awhile ago.
Captain Capitulation on October 05, 2014 at 07:31 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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as i may have mentioned, i'm teaching a course on american popular music. it occurs to me that the twentieth century in american music was comparable to, say, the sixteenth century in italy in visual arts. i am quite serious about that. so, you know, botticelli, leonardo, michelangelo, girgione, titian, up to correggio and caravaggio. or: louis armstrong, charlie parker, bessie smith, blind willie mctell, robert johnson, jimmie rodgers, hank williams, tammy wynette, waylon jennings, billie holiday, duke ellington, sam cooke, otis redding, thomas dorsey, aretha, janis and jimi, run dmc, public enemy, biggie, eminem, bill monroe, early scruggs, muddy waters, little walter, b.b. king, duane allman, professor longhair, oh there is no need ever to stop.
Captain Capitulation on October 03, 2014 at 09:56 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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stephanie convery in the the guardian on iggy azalea: "actually, she is the inevitable product of neoliberal capitalism, and in some ways she is much a victim of it as a culprit." really, you have just got to, got to, got to stop this bullshit (rap that line). 'neoliberal capitalism', i assert, is a non-referring phrase, and the fact that people are still picking non-stop at the rotting scraps of marxism is just pathetic. you've got an intellectual structure, but no contact with reality whatsoever. and also that intellectual structure is stupid and useless and extremely over and extremely disastrous. just grapple with this assertion: iggy azalea is the inevitable outcome of economic forces. seriously, the dialectically material process of history was always going to culminate in 'new bitch'. you are talking about iggy azalea. shut up and enjoy the damn album, will you?
the idea that iggy is a victim of whatever economic structures are around her encapsulates much of what is wrong with this whole obsolete line of thought. she may appear to be a powerful and creative person who is expressing herself boldly in public space and who gives pretty damn good flow, but really it's all false consciousness, and if she knew her real interests, she'd agree with me, stephanie convery, and go work at a non-profit. actually, i think neoliberal capitalism is being victimized by iggy azalea. one might focus instead on the ways she is playing with race and gender, using the signifiers in her own project. the deafness and joylessness with which this post-critical-theory leftism approaches music is a good sign of the world that it wants to induce.
Captain Capitulation on October 03, 2014 at 03:37 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (4)
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and let me instruct bono & co. as to the nature of the miracle of joey ramone: it had to do with economy, directness, hilarity. joey ramone never took himself too seriously; bono never for a moment has not. joey warbled of lobotomies; bono delivers one, every time out. he is the very voice of my headache, a voice thatmight be described as migrainous, which, thankfully, turns out to be a word. great sunglasses, though.
Captain Capitulation on September 17, 2014 at 03:23 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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i'm teaching a first-year seminar on american popular musics. we're going blues, jazz, country, rock, punk, hip hop. (there are several whole genres i would have liked to add, believe me.) i am pretty deep in the standard histories. the first day, one of the students asked a pretty basic question: which came first, blues or jazz? i have been contemplating, but actually it would take a pretty long spelling out.
the short answer is that the history of these forms before publishing and, in particular, recording, is swathed in myth and will never be fully recovered. and in particular, i say the origin of the blues is up for grabs. early sources seem to hear something like it here, something else like it there: in the mississippi delta, around new orleans, in east texas, in georgia, in missouri, in arkansas. so the first thing you should do is divest yourself of the idea that any of these coud be in any way insular cultures; musicians and styles are traveling throughout the black south.
the idea that the blues originates in the mississippi delta makes it a 'folk' or peasant form, migrating to cities. this origin is far less agreed-on in the scholarship than it once was. and here is my theory, ok? it radiates from new orleans, the hub of the semi-circular blues region. in the 1890s or 1900s in nola, there may have been a sprawling group of musics known indifferently or at different moments or in different neighborhoods as 'blues' and 'jazz': i do not think these are distinct forms early on. one things the books say is that ma rainey, for example, 'hired top jazz musicians' like armstrong or oliver, but i wonder whether she or they heard themselves as playing two different genres. not, i should think.
if you were listening to the legendary originator of jazz buddy bolden, i bet it'd rest on the twelve-bar. most every jelly roll morton or king oliver recording is either a straight blues or rests on blues elements. most of them are called blues. they would be, in the early 20s, because the blues was something of a commercial fad (later superseded by 'jazz'/'swing').
no one knows what blues sounded like in the delta before performers from new orleans could have passed through, or even before people could have heard recordings of the new orleans 'jazz' bands playing the blues. obviously, we are flowing up and down america's first super-highway, and instantly it's in memphis and helena and st. louis and chicago.
really where i, like a lot of people, hear jazz exploding in my head is in the louis solos on "chimes blues" and "west end blues". one thing that makes them jazz is the virtuosity of the soloist, which is shown specifically by his ability to improvise on, play with, and potentially rip apart, the blues form. it is obvious he has known this form from the womb. this is true of that jelly roll thing too: it takes a 32-bar ragtime break in the middle of a series of blues verses. and yet the improvisation or break-out is precisely an improvisation on or from the blues: i am telling you they are not primordially distinct. but jelly roll always adds the syncretic element: the latin thing or the rag, and that eclecticism is characteristic of the unfolding history of jazz as it is not in the later history of the blues.
there is no less reason the blues should be a commercial form that went folk than that it should be a folk form that went commercial. and by 'commercial' i mean everything from storyville and parade crews to medicine and tent and riverboat shows to publishing and recording to people picking up gigs at parties or jukes, or even busking from town to town.
Captain Capitulation on September 13, 2014 at 02:50 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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i cannot tell you how past beyonce and jay-z i am. it's inexpressible how too much of them there has been. also, i await eagerly the as it were end of the era of the butt, in which butts such as be's, nicki's, and iggy's were celebrated in art and song and in which specific butts were feared and worshipped the world over. one of my life goals - my telos - is not to die of auto-erotic asphyxiation; another is not to leave behind me any encomia to my own ass.
Captain Capitulation on August 25, 2014 at 06:04 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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one of the most conspicuous features of country music now is the influence of bruce springsteen. in fact 'springsteen' was a hit for eric church last year, though perhaps that song is more an imitation of taylor swift's 'tim mcgraw' than of the bruce. and indeed, bruce has been an influence - or has been thought to be an influence - for decades, and the first steve earle album was greeted as springsteeny (at the time the greatest compliment available to the sort of critic who is always feeling for the consensus), with the small-town south replacing the urban north. but now it's everywhere. and it may not surprise you - since as you may know there are few things in the world i hate more than springsteen's music - that i think the influence is entirely pernicious. here's an example on the current charts.
why do i think springsteen lies behind this? well, the pounding, basically tuneless 4/4; the hysterical bellowing, unmotivated by the material (he's really feeling these feelings incredibly deeply - they are seizing his whole person and making him bray and bawl in pain or ecstasy, but why or about what is mysterious); the anthemic/bludgeoning lyric that on inspection dissolves into emptiness. (admittedly, currington isn't being as extreme as bruce in these dimensions.) to experience all of these features at their maximum, spin 'bored in the u.s.a'. then work out the trauma in music therapy. never has something that sucks so bad been greeted with such incomprehensible ecstasy. ok, ok, there is david bowie.
i don't hear that song as very bossy, though it is extremely excellent.
when he first came out, i heard bruce as playing in the mode of van morrison. "the girls walk by dressed up for each other, and the boys do the boogie-woogie on the corner of the street": bruce pretty much derived his lyrics from those lines, if i mistake not. but i say that anything he's done compares very unfavorably to, say, the song below. they really used basically the same band set-up, the same soul influences, the same performance style. but van played with real soul, real subtlety, real variety, real melody. plus van was doing this long before bruce.
Captain Capitulation on August 04, 2014 at 07:52 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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i would rather be eaten by dick cheney than listen to elaine stritch sing sondheim, so the last few days have been difficult ones for me.
Captain Capitulation on July 21, 2014 at 05:41 AM in death patrol, Music, terror and war | Permalink | Comments (0)
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who were the most important artists of the 20th century, and what were the most important art forms? oh you can advocate for, maybe, james joyce, or picasso, or pollock, or henry moore, or mies van der rohe, or something. here are my candidates: louis armstrong, muddy waters, hank williams, grandmaster flash, bill monroe, bob marley, fela kuti, thomas dorsey, eminem, aretha. popular music was the dominant art form of the century: the one with the biggest audiences and the actual effects. also, it was the source of century's greatest beauties and most pointed challenges to various conceptions of beauty. you can pretend that novels re-articulate lives, but i bet you and your friends could almost tell the story of your lives in songs. maybe it's hard to compare hank williams to schoenberg, much less picasso, but hank's music was so very much better, so very much more important to so many more people, so comparatively human, so democratic, so vastly more beautiful, moving, and challenging. so more true.
Captain Capitulation on July 16, 2014 at 07:33 AM in art, Music | Permalink | Comments (7)
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an old ramones adventure, in tribute to tommy.
Captain Capitulation on July 14, 2014 at 06:02 AM in drugs, Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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if you want to get the origin of hip hop, lee perry and the upsetters' 'jungle lion' of 1969 is a good window.
kind of an unimaginably radical pomo production. alright here's why it's proto-hip hop: samples galore (this is early for that); it's a sonic collage, achieved by hook or by crook. vocals are chanted or interjected rather than sung. there's even that early kind of beatboxing, invented by prince buster in the ska era. and the artist is the dj/producer, ok? on turntables and mixing board.
the biggest difference in what herc and flash brought to new york almost a decade later is the beat: perry works with layers of rock steady recordings, and they work with disco and funk: a much more foursquare beat as opposed to the rock steady-reggae lilt. but even here, perry starts the song on the square soul sample, then drops in the rock steady beat. i have to say that the jamaicans at their best created a richer sonic landscape than early hip hop.
then of course, the traditions just waver into each other again as hip hop comes to infuse jamaican music in turn by the 80s. it's a good example of how real popular music genres occur. later black nationalist themes emerge in hip hop, but that's there in perry too, of course.
Captain Capitulation on June 25, 2014 at 09:26 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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i'm re-obsessed with chrissie hynde. sasha frere-jones's piece in the new yorker about her and the new album is excellent, and i feel that chrissie is finally being appreciated at the rate she deserves. the one thing i'd quibble with frere-jones about for a second is portraying her as some kind of pure classic rocker. that is there, no doubt. but it is always bent. she definitely sounds nothing like the kinks, who aren't twisted enough.
i've been listening back through to try to generate a more definitive best of. in my own 2008 entry (linked second above) i was realy wrong about viva el amor! i think, a mistake rectified in the list below. like i say, one of great catalogues in pop music since 1980. in some ways one might compare her to her contemporary lucinda williams .
i go to sleep
mystery achievement
message of love
i hurt you
i'm a mother
how do i miss you?
stop your sobbing
middle of the road
birds of paradise
back on the chain gang
2000 miles
never do that
night in my veins
sense of purpose
money talk
hollywood perfume
brass in pocket
dark sunglasses
you're the one
boots of chinese plastic
can't help falling in love
the last ride
cuban slide
nails in the road
baby's breath
one more time
Captain Capitulation on June 23, 2014 at 08:33 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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speaking of brassy, i am definitely feeling miranda lambert's album platinum. she is a very distinctive and more or less wholly admirable artist. she is not one of the great voices in country history, but she can really sing in her very own way. not to be too negative, but replacing faith hill with miranda as the queen of country music is an extreme upgrade. oh man she radiates attitude like a girlish sun. and i feel the material is very worthwhile. actually, she's about as bluesy as it is possible to be in pop music today: basically the accompaniment is blues rock as only them nashville cats can kill it. also i think she's building up a whole account of what it is to be a youngish american woman now, with both good humor and genuine emotion. on the title cut she re-works nietzsche: "what doesn't kill you only makes you blonder", which is far more plausible than the original ("what doesn't kill you puts you an asylum, signing your letters 'god'").
Captain Capitulation on June 17, 2014 at 10:09 AM in Music, philosophy | Permalink | Comments (0)
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one of my favorite handful of pop artists, chrissie hynde, is very back. (i tried to say in the linked entry why i love the music, insofar as one can say such a thing, so i won't repeat it all.) this is her "first solo album" (well, the last was attributed to "chrissie and the fairground boys"), but though i'm sure that collaboration has been important to her, chrissie hynde has always been a solo act.
the fairground boys album (fidelity) was interesting in various ways, more rootsrock than her usual mode. actually, that's true of break up the concrete (the last album attributed to the pretenders) as well. but i guess after living with it for awhile i kind of let it go with a bit of diappointment; i wasn't necessarily completely feeling her man of that moment, 'jp', with whom she dueted on fidelity, the only real non-solo moment in the recording career). the new one, stockholm, is extremely good. "you're the one", e.g., started running chronically through my head after i previewed it for 30 seconds on itunes. the album has all the strengths of her best work, i think, and several songs that stand up well within her repertoire, which is one of the great collections of songs and recordings in the pop music of the last several decades.
oooh that one is good. nice tribute to austin, too, including mw's old gym.
janie is always puzzled by the way i use 'pop', which she uses to mean hyper-commercial teen-oriented dancy stuff, "pure pop", like katy perry, say. in other words 'pop' is a particular genre, as opposed to hip hop or country, for example (though there can be 'pop country' or 'pop hip hop' in this sense of 'pop'.) i basically mean 'popular' or all non-high-art music, so more or less everything but "classical" and maybe post-bop jazz. art music should be repressed, with mortar shells or napalm if that's what it takes.
Captain Capitulation on June 11, 2014 at 09:20 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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there have been some conspicuous absences in the history of hip hop, such as out gay artists and also white women. now white men have been extremely present in hip hop since the beasties/rick rubin in the early '80s, and black women have mc'ed from close to the get-go (get ahold of mc lyte, e.g.: i'm not going to do the whole history, starting with the real roxanne etc). and there have been occasional rapping white girls (oh, princess superstar, for example). but iggy azalea is the breakthrough. she's everywhere. she's good. she makes her own whitegirlness a theme, even as she sounds blacker than chuck d. it's like we elected a black president, only without the severe let-down.
ok i say the one below will be an extremely #1 pop hit.
(it helps to have a 13-year-old daughter!) ok a couple of slices of the early history of the female mc.
the main difference between black women and white women is that black women are sassy, whereas white women are brassy.
Captain Capitulation on June 08, 2014 at 03:31 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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continuing lp excavations: one of my favorite acts of the 80s was the bellamy brothers. if you are me, you hesitate on that a bit: you want to say you were listening to george jones or whatever it may be. the bellamy brothers are no hardass country act, but represent one of the basic pop modes of the era. there are many gimmicks, jokes, etc. ("if i said you had a beautiful body", "lovers live longer".) it's a sort of guilty pleasure.
and yet i'm not guilty at all. they had a bunch of great songs. the arrangements and vocals are extremely straightforward and have aged well. some of these songs have been running through my head intermittently since 1985; these are some of the songs i find myself humming, whistling, etc. most often. one move they made was to try to integrate reggae into country, sometimes rather primitively ("get into reggae, cowboy"). still they actually play it well for good ole boys.
it's not always the case that greatest hits packages are the best representations of their artists, of course, but i do think that's the case here. if i'm recalling correctly, "greatest hits, volume 2" was one of the last lp's i bought before switching to cd's. or maybe it was among the last lp's that record labels sent me in my capacity as a critic, before they all switched to cd's.
that is a very beautiful song, i think.
Captain Capitulation on June 07, 2014 at 11:39 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Captain Capitulation on May 26, 2014 at 11:33 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Captain Capitulation on May 25, 2014 at 07:23 AM in crime connoisseur, Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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you can't kill country music, i believe, and let's take the stunning new album by sturgill simpson, metamodern themes in country music, as yet another wave of evidence. first off, the name and story are, er, almost too good to be true. as i get it, that's kentucky coal-mining people (his grandfather "from way back up in the holler" introduces the album), navy, drifting and drinking, saved by the love of a good woman.
as in jamey johnson, waylon has to be the basic influence, and perhaps johnson writes somewhat better songs. but sturgill is an even better singer: maybe as good a country singer as there is alive. he is still emerging, if you ask me, and metamodern sounds is transcendently better than his good debut, high top mountain. but to the jamey/waylon thing he adds here touches of keith whitley, vern gosdin, george, randy travis, alan jackson; he's got the whole history of male country vocals right there. it is derivative, but at its most riveting moments more than that: he blows like a howling storm, baby. "it ain't all flowers" - which doesn't seem to be up on youtube, will show you what i mean. (i'd also like to give you "the promise")
he could still emerge more in the whitley hyper-supple emotive sector, but it's remarkable what he can do with that voice all the way round .
he can play some guitar. as to the "metamodern" thing; there are samply and phase-shifty touches, but i wouldn't make too much of that. "a picture's worth a thousand words, but a word ain't worth a dime": the writing's maturing too. he does steer away from country outlaw cliches, which come so easy for people who work in this style.
Captain Capitulation on May 14, 2014 at 11:24 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (2)
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so here's a somewhat better, or at least more seamless, version of the current mating of hip hop and country, currently top five on the country chart. one would think that this would be pretty controversial among country fans, but if so i haven't hear about it. it really is a version of the origin of all american popular music styles, which is not to endorse this particular song. it could be worse, though.
one possible goal from here would be to use this vocabulary to mean something.
Captain Capitulation on May 05, 2014 at 05:35 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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somehow i sort of missed pistol annies (angeleena presley, miranda lambert, and ashley monroe), like when i did my 2013 top five country albums. i had them vaguely in mind as a bit of fun commercial exploitation, a kind of country spice girls. nothing could be wronger, or - looking at it the other way round - less right. instead, for lambert, it is a shelter from the demands of being the queen of country music. the music is extremely traditionalist, the arrangements sparse and direct. the harmonies are very lovely.
[left to right: monroe, presley handling the low end, lambert]
one reason i missed them is that it took me awhile to catch up with monroe and realize that she is the great whitegirl hope, one of the very best singers and writers working in any genre today. pistol annies is to a large degree a vehicle for monroe; she's all over the writing, and perhaps also the dominant vocal presence. miranda lambert is actually quite a wonderful singer, which shows here even more clearly than on her solo records, and she writes up a storm too.
the material is part of the current revival of a great country tradition: the realistic, detailed representation of the lives and emotions of working-class women, as in the work of brandy clark and kacey musgraves. the whole country chart right now is filled with "get drunk and fuck" party songs; pistol annies gives you the various dark sides, which again is a return to the tradition, with various new flavors. the whole thing would sound great on the radio, but it is definitely not in the mode of the moment. lambert has to compromise with that if she wants to win a fifth acm best female vocalist award, but she also wants to do other things. that is admirable.
the closest analogy might be the 'trio' albums from the 80s: emmylou harris, linda ronstadt, and dolly parton.
god that is an incredible performance, and if i had to choose, i would choose dolly, emmylou, and linda as singers. no one needs to be embarassed about losing that competition, though i am beginning to hear ashley monroe as a singer getting to that level. but if i had to choose between the repertoires, i'd take the annies': they write their own songs (unlike DEL), and i actually didn't much listen to the DEL albums because of the songs. you know 'sandman' was just a gimmick, etc.
Captain Capitulation on May 03, 2014 at 06:56 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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all forms of american popular music are syncretic, and often consititute aesthetic miscegenation, the best response to taboos on interracial marriage. that pretentious sentence is an intro to this: country music is full of hip hop these days. this is not that surprising because (a) hip hop is in every form of popular music in the world now, and (b) country music is an interracial form. jimmie rodgers and hank williams were blues artists, and you really can't get to country without black gospel either. but however, jimmie and hank were very great blues artists, and i would say that even though many country songs now feature rapped verses, vocal effects, etc., country needs much better mc's. it was rational for florida-georgia line to use nelly, because even though they often rap themselves, they really don't rap very well. the only country-specialist rapper i know is cowboy troy, who hasn't necessarily solved the problem. i really think you need rick rubin or someone sitting down and figuring out how the synthesis should be realized.
frigging tim mcgraw is mutating into a drawlin will.i.am. also the extreme spray tan almost edges into blackface. through a variety of cosmetic processes, tim and beyonce have achieved the same skin-tone. they ought to mate and create a new master-race: the golden people.
Captain Capitulation on April 26, 2014 at 05:26 AM in Music, race | Permalink | Comments (3)
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You know, Carol King wrote this. What the hell, ehh...
The oddest things make you get all philosophic...which I suppose is why philosophers and those of us who are kinda, sorta like that, the modern Philosophe's or Philosopotasters (if you're not sure what that means, ask Crispin) lead such odd lives. Anyway, I saw a piece in American Songwriter this morning and it got me thinking about, of all things, rock and roll as Apollo's chariot, so to speak. The fact that a truly great rock and roll band has to be able to cover other people's stuff exceptionally well while finding their own way. And, some people you might not expect to have any patience with anyone can handle spoiled prima donnas better than most. But, mainly the fact that lots of us had our lives and sanity saved by rock and roll...
Full piece at the Defeatists. Lots of music. Maybe even some good thinking. Maybe not. Figure it out. Since Typepad has a problem with comments at the Defeatists for some reason, feel free to post here or just email me at email@example.com.
Crusader AXE of the Lost Causes on April 18, 2014 at 06:17 PM in lyrics, metaphysics, Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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back to my rummaging among lp's, in revival on a new turntable. i was a completist on the stones through the 90s; i bought everything. i really love the early albums. actually i really...like the early beatles albums too; it's only later that they slipped into mind-numbing hooha. in the comparison, the beatles circa, say '64, are a much more competent band, but the stones had an incomparable energy.
jagger isn't a great soul singer, like don covay or whomever it may be, but there's something amazingly present and compelling about his voice and approach: it cuts through the recording quality: quite the little knife. the recordings have an immediacy that sounds great from here, especialy on vinyl, enhanced by their particular kind of quasi-competent roughness. the boys were punks in the then-contemporary acceptation of the term, and it would also not be wrong to think of their first few records as proto-punk in the later meaning of 'punk'.
despite the gigantic hugeness of the stones, these recordings are a bit lost; they've been re-processed and selected on greatest hits packages (starting with hot rocks) so many times that the overall effect and many great songs have been kind of misplaced.
england's newest hitmakers: the rolling stones is quite barely-competent, which has its charms, but also does not quite make it. so let's start with 12x5 (1964). it's covers of r&b, r 'n r, and soul songs, with three originals ("good times, bad times", "grown up wrong", and "congradulations", which really is mis-spelled on the album cover). those aren't the best moments, though they hold up relatively well. jagger's limitations show as he struggles through "under the boardwalk", for example. it leads off with chuck berry's "around and around", which the stones used as an early signature. the guitars show exactly how you get from the 50s to "satisfaction", and the remarkable liveness of jagger is matched by the super-presence of richard's rhythm guitar. jagger plays a fair amount of harp on the album, and plays it fairly well, again with ineffable compelling presence.
up and down, but also a coherent suite and sound, lost when one listens to selected cuts on mp3's. the two cuts that get picked out for play most often are "time is on my side" (by jerry ragavoy; the stones heard it in the irma thomas version) and the bobby womack thing "it's all over now". the former is one of my favorite moments in the history of recorded music.
the rolling stones, now! (1964) is the first album of any sort i really really loved (though i was introduced to it later, being 7 when it was released, by my bro jim). i think they hit a perfect point here: they'd cleaned up a bit and gotten more competent as performers and writers, but they had not lost the slighly shambolic quality that signified reality and distinguished them from the cutesiness of the beatles. i still have jim's copy: disintegrating cover and a massively scumbled up surface. i think it's one of the best ten albums of the rock era (and i'm going to make sticky fingers #1). oh man the covers kill: "down home girl", e.g., or "mona" (the bo diddley tune). but now, just a few months later, it's the originals that really lay waste to the terrain, and they stack up extremely well to the jerry butler and the solomon burke. "heart of stone" and "surprise, surprise", for example, could be soul classics if we counted white folks as soul artists then.
and then out of our heads, and again the cover/original mix. and we can leave it there, because now they crystallize into what they became: the very definition of rock: "satisfaction". still they're working directly and with complete comprehension in the black american tradition, as on blow-away construals of "that's how strong my love is" (the great o.v. wright) or "play with fire".
Captain Capitulation on March 22, 2014 at 06:25 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1)
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little sumpin for your ears.
Captain Capitulation on March 20, 2014 at 07:05 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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there seems to be a gender oscillation in country music: 2013 was women, now the whole chart is dudes. i liked the female phase better. country music by boys is pitifully formulaic and predictable right now, for one thing in the lyric themes: if it's not her amazing ass in those tight jeans, the glory that is beer, and country boys and girls getting down down by the river, it's not saleable. unlike conway, though, these guys wear tighter jeans than "she" does. it's beginning to seem like they have computers in nashville generating lyrics in a mix-and-match process. the reductio ad absurdum is the oeuvre of the repellant luke bryan, and specifically the recent #1 hit "drink a beer", which, unbelievably, is supposed to be a highly evocatve tear-jerker. no matter how much one loves country music, the thought intrudes that maybe the whole thing was a terrible mistake, if this is where it led.
oy the emotion! the beeyar!
so all the guys below often work within the pop country cliches, some to better effect than others.
first eric church. i have liked him on and off; among other things i have been a bit obsessed by the perverse gospel love song "like jesus does". however, the outsiders rings false to me; i do not believe the countrier-than-thou redneckesque persona, and even though i can see some of the moves, like working into a zztopy hard blues rock on the title cut, i don't find the whole thing very interesting or convincing. sometimes a dude is out there trying too hard to be a badass to really work on the melodies. his dark side has a dark side, see. something like "that's damn rock 'n roll" is just silly. well, i do ultimately like the voice, especially when it quiets down a bit. like i'll take "a man who was gonna die young".
alright now we go to a pair, working in something like the same style (as one another): dierks bentley and david nail. these are rather odd names, i admit. they are traditional in themes and song structure, but the emphasis is definitely not fiddle and pedal steel; they create a smooth, mid-tempo overall effect in which it is somewhat difficult to recall one song rather than another. but the songwriting at its best in both cases is good. i do think bentley's "i hold on" is a thing they'll be constantly refinding on country stations for the next twenty years. but it's also the best song on riser. the album's consistently pretty good, though.
nail's #1 "whatever she's got" hits all the themes mentioned above like they are, um, roofing tacks. now, on the other hand, i heard it a couple of times on the radio and then found myself whistling it around the house, bellowing it in the shower, etc. so you can do even this if you do it in an extremely hooked-up way. i do like i'm a fire (er) best of these three. there are number of good songs, notably "broke my heart", and nail often deploys very simple three or five-note figures that are memorable, a contribution to the country arsenal. as the album goes on, he favors a constant harmony with a female voice, including lee ann womack on a fine cover of "galveston".
let me say this about the mood-ring girl who's never the same, makes her mind up just to change it, keeps you waiting around while she paints her toenails bright red, and do's whatever she wants etc: (a) she better be really really pretty, and (b) even if she is, it's going to wear off pretty quick.
Captain Capitulation on March 13, 2014 at 12:57 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Heidigger wrote someplace "Let being be..." I think most of us agree that after the first few chapters of Being and Time, Heidigger is basically useless, impossible to translate meaningfully into German from Heidiggerdido let alone to English...anyway, moments of clarity come from odd places. And, what serves me as clarity may obscure for another...so, when you find it, enjoy...
Crusader AXE of the Lost Causes on March 10, 2014 at 01:27 PM in language, lyrics, metaphysics, Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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right now on axs: highlights from the year's new orleans jazz and heritage festival, featuring billy joel, maroon 5, and john mayer.
Captain Capitulation on February 16, 2014 at 07:20 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Things to see and do - Surabaya
Leaving for Indonesia
Surabaya Zoo :
Nearby tourist sites
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ibis surabaya city center from413224 IDRBook
novotel surabaya hotel & suites from513000 IDRBook
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Surabaya Zoo
Surabaya Zoo : Michelin's recommendations
Created in 1916, Kebun Binatang is one of the oldest and largest zoos in Southeast Asia. It boasts a great variety of animals, including species endemic to Indonesia: boa constrictors, Sumatra tigers, calaos, and the famous giant lizards, Komodo Dragons, whose mealtimes are a sight to behold. Elephant rides for children. Some might prefer to avoid the bustle at the weekend, when the attraction draws in families.
Useful Information
- Address : Jalan Diponegoro RI - SurabayaSurabaya
- Phone : (031) 5678703
- Prices : 15000 IDR
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May 18, 2011
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"…that on October 4th, 1861, the U.S. Navy authorized construction of its first ironclad warship (later named the Monitor)? "
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Tried By War- Lincoln as Commander in Chief James McPherson. 2008, 329 pp. Softbound.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author James McPherson provides a fresh view of Lincoln during the Civil War. Without any military experience prior to becomimg President, Lincoln assumed responsibility for directing the war effort and with insight and determination- changed the course of the war and became one of the greatest leaders the nation.
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Lawmaker wants $60 million Penn State fine kept in Pa.
Penn State is beginning to make good on $60 million in fines stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and a leading lawmaker wants the money kept in-state.
Sen. Jake Corman said Thursday he will introduce a bill to guarantee the NCAA fine goes toward ``the betterment of Pennsylvanians.''
Corman, Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee, wants lawmakers to act quickly. The university has already made its first $12 million payment.
Corman says the money comes from funds raised largely in Pennsylvania.
He plans to ask a state court to block the NCAA from releasing any money outside Pennsylvania.
A university spokesman is declining comment.
Sandusky is serving a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted this summer of 45 counts of child sexual abuse.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Wilson man dead after chase, police-involved shooting
Foul language may stop plans to rename ASD field for Andre Reed
Police: Man provides false information about Eric Frein
Deadly shooting shatters quiet at Washington school
Tractor trailer accident stops traffic on Route 422
Police: Deaths of 2 men inside car a murder-suicide
Thousands of dollars raised for man repeatedly mistaken for Eric Frein
Family makes plea for help to save their puppy
Restaurant owners distraught over plans to condemn property
Woman pleads guilty in animal cruelty case


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William Hague marks International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
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Comments on this article are now closed.
Reader comments
Well, at least he's right on SOMETHING.
I was surprised to see the caption under his photo: "William Hague: Human rights are universal" … a bit ironic for a foreigner hating fascist.
I'm no fan of Hague or the Tories but I don't believe he's a fascist or hates foreigners either. I don't think this kind of inflammatory language is helpful at all.
Finally something we agree Mr Vauge.
Now lets see you put some pressure on our other euo neighbors who have some very questionable LGBT rights record….
I'm not holding my breath.
I say the laws work after the event something is wrong when we cant show affection in public
Ha, look at his voting record. Pretty speech but he has spent most of his career being a champions of homophobia and transphobia
But he makes a speech and we're supposed to forget that?
What is the point of looking back in anger? Isn't is better to live in the present where he's supporting us.
blah blah blah.
I can't kiss my man in public without risking harrasement so sod off
Where do you live James?
I often kiss my man in public, and have not been subject to any harassment for years.
It does depend on where you live I am sure, but things are much better today than they have ever been.
London I don't care what you say it's quite rubbish and dangerous
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Recovery of Mouthless Crab (Cardisoma crassum) Populations in Mangrove Forests of the Chone River Estuary (Ecuador)
1. CONTEXT 1.1 Mangrove ecosystems and their importance. Mangroves are found within the intertidal fringes of tropical and subtropical coasts, as this is a transitional ecosystem between marine and coastal environments. These areas consist of man... [ more ]


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Recommended shows
Countdown to the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular: Pablo Trucker (!)
I've loved Pablo Trucker just about as long as I've been in Seattle. Literally.
Picture it: Capitol Hill, 2008. It's summertime. I've got a habit of hiding out at the back bar in Victrola during the morning, often before I head in to work at my temp agency gig. Andrew Rudd, drummer and vocalist for the band, is my faithful barista, always taking a moment to chat with me while he crafted my morning brew. One day, our conversation turns to an intriguing red flyer on the front of the espresso machine. Pablo Trucker, it claims, playing one night of a Jack Wilson and the Wife Stealers residency at The Sunset. "You should come," Andrew says to me, over the whirr of the grinders. Having never heard of the band, knowing nothing of the sound, I tell him I'll be there with bells on.
And such was my introduction to Pablo Trucker. I made my way down to Ballard that fateful Monday night, rife with apology since it was getting late, and I wasn't sure if I'd make it through the whole show. Well, I wound up fighting those dayjob schoolnight blues, staying on for the set, and the mighty Pablo Trucker melted my face off with awesome. Never in my life had I seen and heard so much coming out of two people -- here's a clip from my first ever imaginary writeup:
I feel like I should have worn more layers, or prepared somehow otherwise, for what wound up transpiring. One guitar. One drumkit. Two voices, red spotlights, and enough ache to last all of us well into next year sometime. Beyond that, I don't even have any words for it, except go buy the album the minute it comes out, and go see them live next time you have the chance. Seriously. They're my new favorite everything.
Fast forwarding to this past fall: when I checked in with Andrew to see if he and Brian Wagner were up for playing our holiday show, I knew it was a shot in the dark. You see, the Pablo Trucker has been a bit dormant as of late -- Kory surfaced in Pickwick, Andrew and Brian haven't done m/any shows out -- a few of us had begun to wonder if Pablo Trucker was no more. Friends would tweet about how incredible a reunion would be, but no plans were laid out for a show anytime soon. And then, Andrew responded to my email with an enthusiastic "Count us in!"
Well, we've been party plannign ever since, and now that we're a day out from our Imaginary Holiday Spectacular {do you have your tickets yet??}, we found a few minutes in the happy holiday mayhem this week to catch up with Andrew about life since then, what's going on with the band these days, and more.
TIG: So, what have you and Brian been up to? We haven't heard much from the Pablo Trucker camp since that Christmas album you did in 2010.
Countdown to the Imaginary Spectacular: Lesli Wood (of The Redwood Plan)
It's probably impossible that you haven't heard Lesli Wood sing, either from her awesome Ms. Led days, or covering songs for Jenny George's annual Dancing on the Valentine benefit, or fronting her kick-ass band The Redwood Plan.
It also goes without saying that the imaginary girls LOVE the heck out of Ms. Wood, and are beyond thrilled that she's agreed to sing at our Imaginary Holiday Spectacular this Friday! (that's the 21st, people! SO CLOSE!) Every time she takes the stage, I'm personally blown away by her powerhouse vocals and amazing presence. Hell, sometimes when I see her out and about in Seattle I'm too awe-struck to say "Hi" because I'm rendered unable by my starstruck fandom.
I can't imagine anyone NOT loving Lesli Wood, and I'm so looking forward to seeing her play on Friday. You're coming too, right?
Head on over to the StrangerTickets site to grab some $10 tix before they sell out, because we really really really really want you to be there to celebrate the holidays with us!
Photo by Victoria VanBruinisse.
Countdown to the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular: Cristina Bautista and Leif Anders
Happy Friday! You know what that means, right? Well, besides the end of the work week, of course, it means that a mere seven days from now, we'll be gearing up for the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular at Chop Suey, full of friends and good cheer. On Monday we told you a little bit more about show openers Brite Lines and our pal Chris Otepka, and today we'd like to get into our middle-set stars, Cristina Bautista and Leif Anders.
We've loved Cristina B. oh-so-muchly for as long as we can remember, from her time in Connecticut Four to her days as a member of Visqueen {photo above from Visqueen's Last Show at the Neptune, RIP} to her much-loved recent excursions as a solo artist. If you only know Cristina in one of her previous incarnations, take a trip on over to her website to get a sample of her sound. It's sweetly upbeat without sounding saccharine, clean and gritty alt.pop without the pomp and circumstance, all while remaining decidedly Pacific Northwest: Gold Parts, specifically, is a soundtrack for the days when you need to kick ass (or be kicked in the ass) -- and fills those train-out-the-window movie-scene grey-day quotas we need filled around here in the wintertime too. [Editor's note: Am I the only one who thinks "Long Divisions" should be synced up with some kind of tormented day-starting modern-day Angela Chase scene in whatever the 2012 My So-Called Life equivalent is? I can't be!]
Countdown to the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular: Chris Otepka and Brite Lines
Happy Monday, imaginary friends! We're here bright and early this morning to start the week off right: there's just two weeks until our annual Holiday Spectacular {taking place on Friday, December 21st at Chop Suey}, and that gives us just enough time to get you as excited about the bands taking the stage as we are. Off we go!
First up, a familiar face: Chris Otepka of The Heligoats. If you think you recognize Chris from last year's party, you're right -- we adore him so much, we had to have him come and play for us again this year! We've waxed on and on about all the things we love about Chris, from his quirky songwriting perspective to his charming, bard-like delivery. If you know his sound, you know why we're so excited to have him back for this year's lineup -- and if you don't, check out some of his internet on his Facebook page, and then come to the show early and catch some of his beautiful deliriousness for yourself. Chris will be taking the stage second, after our show openers Brite Lines.
{Superfans, take note: The Heligoats have a new album in the works! It will be available in February, so keep your eyes here for release details and supporting tour dates.}
Brite Lines is fronted by our pal Zach Gore, and even in the band's simplicity, they span such a wide array of adjective from song to song (as evidenced on this year's EP Make Shift) that they're hard to sum up in a few short sentences. The music is earnest, rooted in New America; part haunted songwriter; broken-hearted and hopeful, with an all-encompassing catchy post-indie rock folk vibe. Somewhere between the pain of breaking up with your last girlfriend and the day that the sun finally shines through the clouds on your face lies your allegiance to this band.
This is what you're doing tonight: Charles Bradley at Neumos
Seattle is divided into two parts: those who know Charles Bradley (and The Menahan Street Band) and those who don't. If you know Charles Bradley + Co., you've already got tickets for their show at Neumos tonight, and you'll probably be there at doors to get a spot up front (after you've tuned in to the KEXP in-studio they're doing at 1pm, of course). You've bought the album and seen the movie.
And you were beside yourself at Bumbershoot and Sasquatch! these past two years at getting a chance to see them live.
And if you don't know Charles Bradley, well -- you're in luck. We're here to help you out. Here's his official video for "The World Is Going Up In Flames" off of last year's smash, No Time For Dreaming.
The Imaginary Holiday Spectacular poster is here!
It's all happening! Behold, the super-radtastical poster for this year's Imaginary Holiday Spectacular. Big thanks to our very own Imaginary Liz and Sean for putting it together!
If you didn't see the news flash earlier this week, pop on over here for our show announcement post. We'll be telling you more about the featured bands over the month of December as we count down to the show -- and we hope to see you all on the 21st!
Save the date: the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular is coming! {12/21}
Yep, you guessed it -- with the passing of Thanksgiving, the holiday season is now officially in full swing, and with that, we're super excited this morning to announce the 2012 lineup for the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular!
Get your calendars out and mark the date: this year's show will be taking place on Friday, December 21st, and we'll be returning back to the Hill {Chop Suey, to be specific} for a 21-and-up night of music, good vibes, and Santa-lap hilarity. This year's theme is Open Mic Night, and will be featuring some stripped-down sets from Pablo Trucker, Lesli Wood (of The Redwood Plan), Cristina Bautista, Leif Anders (of The Orca Team), Chris Otepka (of The Heligoats), and Brite Lines. Of course, we've got the inimitable John Roderick playing Indie Rock Santa for the evening, with John E. Hollingsworth bringing his photo-tastic skills to capture your special holiday moment. Hooray!
Tickets are on sale now, and if we do say so ourselves, ten dollars (!) is a mighty fair price to pay for an evening of all this fun! But if you still need convincing, stay tuned: we'll be posting features in the upcoming weeks about all the artists taking part in this year's show. And PS, be sure to head on over to the Facebook page for the event to stay in the loop.
Happy almost-holidays!
{Photo of John Roderick and Eric Elbogen from 2011's Imaginary Holiday Spectacular by John Hollingsworth.}
Latest comment by: Anonymous: "Thank you! I dug out all of my pearls and my Santa hat. Can't wait!"
Recommended Show: Ya Gotta Believe! at Richard Hugo House {11/16}
We wanted to give some love to the Richard Hugo House this week, because it's amongst our favorite artistic community venues, and we don't talk about it enough!
On Friday, November 16, as part of the 2012-2013 Literary Series, the Hugo House is hosting writers Ryan Boudinot ("Blueprints of the Afterlife"), Emily Kendall Frey ("The Grief Performance"), and Claire Dederer ("Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses"), who will lead a discussion of what to believe - and why Ya Gotta Believe!
With new music created by Jason Dodson of The Maldives, this event is going to be something super-extra-special, and super imaginary!
You should definitely snap up some tix online now, before it sells out.
{Ya Gotta Believe! | Richard Hugo House | Friday, 12/16, 7:30pm | $25 general, $20 HH members | All Ages, Bar with ID}
Digging in to Wintersong: Naomi Wachira and Kevin Long
As promised, we're coming to you today with a bit more of an in-depth look at some of the artists playing Wintersong, the Team Up for Nonprofits benefit we told you about last week. On the odd chance you're holding off on buying a ticket and putting fifteen of your hard-earned dollars to work for the cause, let's see if we can't get you on board with the lineup:
Naomi Wachira
Naomi Wachira is going to be one of the artists starting the evening off at the Crocodile in a few weeks, and are we sure glad that we took the time to listen to what she's been putting out into the ether. Holy heaven in a soundbyte! Rooted in Kenya and now hailing from Seattle, this local artist has got a style all her own, with a sound that "blends elements of African rhythm, American folk, and soul" -- all while dropping vocals like fine-tuned bells: punchy, clear and poignant in their every tone. Take your ears on over to the few tracks she's got up on her ReverbNation page, and be immediately sold. We can't wait to hear more at the show, and we'll be up front early on in the night to make sure we don't miss a minute.
Go-to track: "You Better." If you can get with Nathaniel Rateliff's hits-to-the-gut crosshatched through with African soul-sensibility, you'll love this brand of groove.
Latest comment by: Anonymous: "Can not wait! "
I love this shit: Husky
As we mentioned this summer, recent Sub Pop signees Husky have taken on the world with their "meticulous, soothing, gentle-assault, looking out the train window movie-soundtrack sound", and so far as we can tell, the masses agree. Since that post, we saw Husky come through town on a bill with Shearwater, and the next time we turned around, they're premiering the very video above on Rolling Stone's website. Bravah, Heathers -- the beautiful, attention-grabbing, slow-chugging train of "Tidal Wave" deserves all the attention it can get.
Husky just played a few dates in the Northwest last weekend -- but if you happen to be out in the rest of the country {Chicago, Boston, New York and the like}, you've still got a chance to catch them live over the next few weeks. Pop on over to their Sub Pop page to take a peek at their upcoming tour dates, and head on out to the shows if you can.


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Dr. Robert L. Yap, MD
Urgent Care Medicine, Mercy Clinic East
- 3524 E Milwaukee St
Janesville, WI 53546
- 1 Office Location
- Email a Friend
- (608) 756-7100
Dr. Robert L. Yap has been practicing medicine for 28 years. Dr. Yap graduated from the Davao Med Sch Fndn, Davao City, Davao, Philippines in 1986. He practices medicine in Janesville, WI and specializes in Urgent Care Medicine. Dr. Yap is affiliated with Mercy Hospital & Trauma Center. He speaks English, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and Korean.
Gender: Male
Years in Practice: 28 Years
Languages Spoken: English, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Korean
Medical School: Davao Med Sch Fndn, Davao City, Davao, Philippines
Graduation Date: 1986
Hospital Affiliations: Mercy Hospital & Trauma Center
Specialties: Urgent Care Medicine
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Respiratory Infections
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moreThe aim of the volume is to provide an authoritative and international treatise bringing together current knowledge in the field of respiratory infection. The book will be organised by presentation rather than causative organism, a differentiating feature from the existing competition, and will be divided into four parts - 'General Issues', 'Community-acquired Infections', 'Nosocomial Infections' and 'Respiratory Infection in Immunocompromised Patients'. Each chapter will conclude with a summary highlighting practical 'take-home' messages regarding patient management for the reader. It will be highly illustrated, including colour plates where appropriate. The principal market will be pulmonologists with a specialist interest in this area and infectious disease specialists, but that the text will also be of interest to clinical researchers and a useful library reference. less
Taylor and Francis; October 2006
812 pages; ISBN 9781444113549
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The Human Brain Book 2009 US$ 40.00 266 pages
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Feelings of security
1 Oct 2014
Charity Finance organised a debate on IT security, hosted by Ntegra. Ian Allsop accessed the discussion...
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Tax director, BDO LLP
Paul Knight is a tax director at BDO LLP, leading on the delivery of tax services to the charity sector and other not-for-profit clients.
With over 12 years of experience of working with not-for-profit clients, Paul has been involved in a very broad range of charity tax issues.
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Charities interested in feed-in tariff's for small-scale renewable electricity-generating technology need to be aware of the hidden direct tax liability.
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Paul Knight reveals how BDO and a group of major national charities agreed an analysis with HM Revenue & Customs that will take nearly all charities out of the Senior Accounting Officer rules.
HMRC is moving towards a more active role in the regulation of the charity sector, says Paul Knight.
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Hello all,
So in a recent thread I asked about a Taurus revolver and the results of that thread have made me step back and re-evaluate my choice of firearms in general.
I've been out of the hobby for about 20 years so I'm a tad rusty. I grew up hunting using an old bolt action .22 and a break open single shot 20 gauge as a kid.
In the Army I was trained on the M9 and M16A2, but issued a 1911.
While working security I carried a 1911 as well. I have a fondness for the weapon.
Now I'm looking for a rifle that can be used for double duty for defense and hunting, and a pair of pistols, one for conceal carry and one for the wife to use for home defense.
Ideally, they would all use the same ammunition and my wifes pistol must be a revolver.
I am open to any and all suggestions.
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Must be revolver.
That makes it pretty easy. Caliber should be .357. For home defense, I'd go for a larger frame like the Ruger GP100 or similar S&W. That would mean concealed carry would be along the lines of J frames in 357 or Ruger SP101.
Now were you wanting the rifle to shoot the same as well? You could look at lever action carbines in 357. I'm not sure of it's practicality as a hunting round, but it would make a mean defense combination.
Kinda narrows the field having everything in the same caliber. Maybe an ar, glock and ruger all chambered in 9mm?
I can't imagine your wife would enjoy anything bigger than that.
I don't need No stinking signature.
My suggestions. Rifle=AR chambered in .308 there a lot out there in AR rock river is always a good start. Pistol I would go 1911 I'm found of Springfield loaded for the $ but again a lot of good options. Then ya can get your wife a revolver chambered in 45acp. I would make my carry home/home defense the same system. Makes it easy to train with and not screw up when it counts. My 2 cents
How about this. The s& w governor for your wife which is 410/45lc/45apc. Then you could use the 1911 45apcc and pick up a 45lc riffle.
I too think that your criteria really limits you to. 357... there are some good options for. 44 mag too... as of right now though... only a.pistol caliber carbine could supplement other calibers...
1911 and a S&W revolver that accepts the .45ACP.
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The most practical caliber to fit all three is 357mag. Maybe a Ruger GP100, Ruger SP101 (or S&W alternatives for each), and a Henry lever rifle.
But the most practical decision is purchase guns of more than one caliber. 357mag can still work great for both pistols, but a true rifle caliber would be ideal if you intend to hunt anything that weighs over 100lbs.
A 12ga is pretty well the most versatile HD/hunting long gun on the planet. Or you could go with a rifle. Just look for a rifle caliber in something common (translation: easy to acquire, variety of loads/weights, and affordable appetite) like 30/30, 270, 30-06, 308. And keep in mind that rifle calibers can be precarious HD options if your surroundings are less than rural.
Am I mistaken here? The .357 magnum cartridge that fits in a revolver will not fit in a semi-auto, would it? I thought the .357 magnum is a revolver round and the .357 sig is a semi-auto round and they are not interchangeable. If this is the case, the OP is going to need to buy different ammo for each gun. So he might as well get different calibers if that helps in choosing guns.
Or am I mistaken?


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The Oscars are just around the corner, and everyone's speculating on who will win what. But you might not know that this month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has already announced some special honors bestowed this year for scientific and technical achievements.
The winners will be honored at the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on February 9th, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Among the Scientific and Engineering Award honorees are Imagineer Systems' Philip McLauchlan, Allan Jaenicke, John–Paul Smith and Ross Shain, who are being recognized for creating the mocha planar tracking and rotoscoping software.
I had a chance to speak with Ross Shain, Chief Marketing Officer for Imagineer Systems, about the Academy's recognition, the software, and the films using planar tracking.
First, congratulations on your award from the Academy! And thank you for taking time to answer my questions.
RS: Thanks very much, Mark. We are really excited to be acknowledged by the Academy!
What were the primary tracking options before mocha introduced planar tracking?
RS: Focusing specifically on the visual effects and post-production industry, before Imagineer introduced planar tracking, there were two primary options for tracking: Point Tracking and Camera Tracking. In point tracking, the artist identifies a small high-contrast "pixel pattern" that is constant in the shot. The software then tries to find the same pattern in every frame of a sequence. The resulting motion track data can be used to stabilize footage or marry new 2D elements to this tracked motion.
Camera Tracking (3D tracking) was the evolution of point tracking, in which software was developed to locate and track hundreds of features in a frame and solves their coordinates in 3D space. Then 3D models, sets and characters can be inserted into a scene and match the original camera motion.
Both of these methods are quite powerful, but both point and camera tracking can have difficulty tracking portions of an image with low contrast/few details (for example smooth skin tones) or soft details (out of focus or motion blurred pixels) and objects that go offscreen or are obscured by the foreground. mocha was designed to take on these challenges.
[Check out mocha in use on The Amazing Spider-Man HERE.]
What did planar-tracking change in tracking? In other words, how was this a significant step forward in tracking technology?
RS: We believe that planar tracking introduced a new paradigm for motion tracking that is faster and more user friendly than Camera Tracking while at the same time is much more robust and dependable than Point Tracking.
In motion tracking, it is quite common to confront shots that inherently "throw off" the software, forcing the artist to manually adjust and compensate the errors. Some examples here are when objects go offscreen, images are obscured by a foreground object or pixels are softened by focus or motion blur. Tracking coordinates for difficult shots are automatically calculated with minimal artist input or manual editing. The Planar Tracking process can save filmmakers significant, measurable time on manual tasks. Our software combines an extremely powerful algorithm with a very simple to use interface.
The significance in this is that we now see many more types of users working with tracking technology. For example, editors and motion designers who did not traditionally use motion tracking now incorporate it into their daily workflow to track text to objects. I think you see many examples of this while watching television, almost every commercial or broadcast promo is using motion tracking. Ultimately, when a filmmaker, effects artist or editor knows that they can relatively easily solve the motion of a scene, it brings more time and freedom to be creative and explore the options of what can be achieved.
How did you develop planar-tracking?
RS: In 1997, Dr. Philip McLauchlan, a computer vision researcher at Surrey University in Guildford, UK, and his student Allan Jaenicke were researching image mosaic algorithms and discovered some unique methods to "remove objects" from scenes. An early video test shows the result: they discovered that by applying temporal filtering to overlapped images, they could not only reduce artifacts, but completely remove fast moving foreground images! [See video below.]
Based on early feedback from other software companies and the visual effects community in London, this process was determined quite useful for wire and harness removal on stunt driven effects work, removing unwanted objects and even film restoration. Soon, the company Imagineer Systems was founded and the technology was developed into the commercial software, mokey.
By 2004, with the the input of London visual effects company Cinesite, Imagineer had created the software product, monet which was designed to track "planar" motion and insert new content, for example the moving Hogwarts paintings in the Harry Potter film series. Over the years, Imagineer refined both the technology and the user interface into the mocha software family, tools built on the foundation of our planar tracking technology.
Turn the page to keep reading about films that use planar tracking!
What are some film examples of mocha's planar tracking?
RS: mocha has been used on countless movies and for widely varied different tasks. A recognizable reference is the Harry Potter film series starting with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. Imagineer's planar tracking was used in many shots in the film series, for example tracking and inserting the moving painting in the Hogwarts castle or even used to solidly track the actor Ralph Fiennes to help digitally remove his nose to become the snake like Lord Voldemort.
Another famous scene is in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, where Natalie Portman sprouts feathers and wings to transform into a swan-like creature. mocha excelled at tracking the actress' skin allowing the company Look Effects to create a very memorable film moment.
[You can see more about mocha's role in Black Swan HERE].
Beyond the eye popping visual effects films, there are also hundreds of films in which mocha has been used that average general film viewer would never ever think about as a VFX film. For example, the company Level 256 VFX in Los Angeles has completed shots on many comedy feature films such as This is 40, Bridesmaids, Wanderlust and many more. mocha is often used to help apply "digital makeup" to alter an actors' looks, extend a set or even to change a performance. We've seen shots in which the director liked a performance, but did not like the body language and mocha has been used to help marry different takes into one seamless scene that is invisible to the general public.
Here are some great shots from films using mocha…
How does mocha planar tracking interact with other VFX and editing software?
RS: Our products support almost every commercially available VFX and editing product on the market. We are quite focussed on making mocha the most powerful and easiest to learn tool for motion tracking, rotoscoping and object removal. Because these tasks are part of so many areas in post-production from editorial to compositing to color correction, it is necessary that we integrate well with the standard tools of the trade.
Since 2008, our product mocha AE has been licensed and bundled with Adobe After Effects, a widely popular effects and motion design software. After Effects artists tend to keep mocha AE and After Effects running side by side and the data exchange is a simple copy/paste relationship. Our flagship product, mocha Pro offers support for a wide range of products including: Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid, Autodesk Flame & Smoke, Nuke, Fusion, Scratch and even 3D applications like Cinema 4D and Maya.
mocha's planar tracking is also available for licensing for companies that want to incorporate the technology into proprietary tools or custom workflows.
Can you talk about the impact planar tracking has had on rotoscoping?
RS: Sure. Rotoscoping is the process of creating animated shapes to isolate objects and is used in almost all visual effects related projects. This process has traditionally been a manual process, assisted by keyframing (the shapes "tween" between user created keyframes). Rotoscoping is used for many aspects of post-production including extracting elements out of a scene and isolating areas.
While we did not start out designing our software for rotoscoping, what we discovered early on is the planar tracking was very useful for "assisted rotoscoping". In this process, the artist first tracks all the areas on screen they will be isolating, then links the planar tracks to the roto shapes. This way the shape itself inherits the transformation, scale, rotations and perspective properties of the track. When the track is accurate, this process reduces the manual keyframing process by anywhere from 40-80%, greatly saving on manual labour.
Over the years, the rotoscoping process has grown to be a big new industry not only for VFX films, roto is a large part of the 2D-3D stereo conversion process. To take an older film, such as Titanic or Star Wars and to convert to 3D, every area needs to be isolated to determine the 3D depth, so beyond isolating each actor, set, background, within each of these elements are multiple, sometimes hundreds of isolations. We now work with companies that have hundreds of artists working on a film, rotoscoping every single frame. At this level of production, the efficiencies planar tracking offers becomes a quantifiable difference.
How did you first learn the Academy was giving you this award? What were your reactions?
RS: The application process to be considered is extensive and included multiple meetings and interviews with an impressive committee of digital imaging specialists from the film industry. We found out in early December by registered mail. It was very exciting and quite humbling, considering the previous winners and how few of these awards are actually given out. Imagineer is a small company with less than 20 employees. Its very gratifying for our small company, far from Hollywood, to be acknowledged by the larger film and video industry.
What is the next step in tracking technology? What are you thinking about and exploring as the next advance in tracking?
RS: We are hard at work on the next generation of mocha. A key area of development for us is multi-view support. This will allow artists working on the latest 3D movies to use better our tools, and also support projects using additional on-set cameras called witness cameras. These are used to capture different perspectives of the same scene to help the visual effects process. mocha is very good at rotoscoping rigid objects, but we are developing some new technology which will help with non-rigid objects too. Ultimately Imagineer's goal is to create well designed tools that enable filmmakers and artists to save time and be more creative. We have a strong commitment to research and development and I'm sure we will continue to address these goals.
Is there anything else you'd like to say about planar tracking, and/or about the award?
RS: The Academy Award is an amazing recognition to show how Imagineer's planar tracking is used within the film industry but also important to me, is that our tools are making an impact for students, hobbyists and independent filmmakers worldwide. The fact that our tools are bundled with products like Adobe After Effects and HitFilm (from FXhome) means that hundreds of thousands of young people making videos projects have access to the same exact technology used to assist big budget productions like the Harry Potter films. Many of the past Scientific & Technical Award winners have been in-house technology developed within studios or equipment that was relatively expensive and considered "professional only". I am proud that mocha was not only recognized, but offers tools that almost anyone can access and understand.
[You can see lots more samples and demonstrations of mocha planar tracking and rotoscoping software on their YouTube page HERE.]


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'American Idol' Runner-Up David Archuleta Debuts Music Video for 'I'll Never Go' (VIDEO)
Forevermore is a beautiful album and the new video is very moving. I love watching David sing love songs though it's a bit hard to watch him walk out the door. US and Canada can buy the album easily at their respective WOWHD sites with free shipping (and WOWHD has a few other country sites) - note the shipping can take a while if they haven't any on-hand. And there is info on David's official site about how anyone worldwide can buy the MP3's. August 7 watch for David's US album BEGIN - preorder has started at Deseret Books and it will also be available on Amazon, iTunes, Walmart. David worked so hard to leave music and videos for fans before his mission (as well as the 25-episode miniseries - we expect a DVD release of that at some point). BTW he's DavidArchie on twitter. There is no one I would rather be a fan of. #DA2014
David Archuleta at the Dentist
Aww :) David Archuleta right before he got at least 3 of his 4 wisdom teeth out. He did a video blog before heading there, tweeted this photo from the chair, then tweeted about each extraction. Follow @DavidArchie on twitter - he's on his 2-yar church mission but his manager Kari posts news, saved treats and bits from David's mission emails.
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When Reuben Slone penned his Harvard Business Review article entitled "Are you the weakest link in the supply chain?" he wasn't referencing the company that employs him. From the time he joined OfficeMax in November 2004 as executive VP supply chain, he has led the charge to battle a recessionary climate and often rising fuel costs without sacrificing an internal supply chain code that reads, "Never do we compromise service to our customers."
As economic woes have taken their toll on consumer demand, supply chain executives across retail have found themselves challenged by overstocks and out-of-stocks. But Slone, a self-professed supply chain zealot and published author, and his team have managed to outwit the downturn and do their part to contribute to OfficeMax profitability initiatives that resulted in net income of $24.8 million in the first quarter of 2010.
Senior editor Katherine Field spoke with Slone about how his areas of responsibility—which include inventory management, supply chain operations, real estate and store development—have survived, even thrived, in the downturn, and about how the chain will continue to maintain its course during the economic-recovery period.
In your role at OfficeMax, how have you managed to cut costs in the downturn with as little disruption to your customers as possible?
When it comes to supply chain, we have three priorities that are in a hierarchy: first, product availability, then inventory productivity and cost productivity.
We tackle all challenges—primarily declining sales and rising fuel costs—in that order. Never do we compromise service to our customer, which is measured via in-stocks at retail and next-day delivery for contract customers.
On the real estate side, we've partnered with our landlords to negotiate rent relief toward helping poor or marginally performing stores survive in this tough environment. Many of our leases have either come due or are coming due during this period—in fact, about 60% of our leases come up for renewal between now and 2014. That puts us in a good position to take advantage of the commercial real estate glut.
Will you allow some of those leases to expire and therefore further trim store counts, or will you use the opportunity to upgrade your real estate?
Both. We may relocate, and in a relocation we may effect a downsize. We may move from an existing location to one that allows us to reduce square footage from a standard 34,000 sq. ft. to less than 20,000 sq. ft. to accommodate our new Advantage store format. We may close a store in a micromarket and open a new store in a better location but roughly in that same market area. Or we may opt to stay where we are and refresh the store.
What is the status of the new, smaller store format?
The Advantage store format is 18,000 sq. ft., and we built about 169 between 2005 and 2009. The pace and degree that we open new stores has slowed substantially, and at this point we have no new stores planned. But when we relocate for the purpose of downsizing, the new store will be in the Advantage store format. If we simply relocate, the new store will be in the Advantage format, and certainly when we remodel or refresh we will do it within the specifications of the Advantage store format.
Specifically, what changes have been initiated to reduce costs and drive operational efficiencies?
At OfficeMax, we actually felt the recession in the fourth quarter of 2007. We saw the storm clouds on the horizon, and we took strong action. Sam Duncan, CEO, and Sam Martin, COO, focused us on creating a fortress balance sheet to weather the storm, and supply chain played a prominent and critical role. (Martin recently left OfficeMax to become CEO of Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company.)
The thrust of the effort was to reduce inventory and costs without sacrificing any of the priorities in our hierarchy. Of our approximately 1,000 retail stores, we operate at less than 85 out-of-stocks per store on any day of the week. And that's out of 7,800 SKUs. Of the top 2,000 SKUs, there will be no more than two outs. On the contract side, we maintain our 99.9% next-day delivery.
Between 2006 and 2009, while maintaining that customer performance, we took out over $250 million dollars in inventory, dropping our per-store inventory nearly 40%. In the supply chain area, we took out nearly $120 million in operating expense in that timeline.
We did that by employing intense collaboration among store operations, inventory management, replenishment and supply chain operation, and by external collaboration with our transportation partner Werner Transportation.
Explain the process of shoring up your supply chain.
We converted floor loading of our products to pallet loading, which involved converting our three Power Maxes (warehouses over 600,000 sq. ft. that feed the stores) that supply 250 to 300 stores each. The next step was working on load quality and working very closely with our stores to load the way we unload. We embrace Kaizen, which is a Japanese word that means "


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