Soul Coughing

I'm not sure when I first heard Soul Coughing, but I do remember when I became obsessed with them. It was my first year at Tennessee and I was in my apartment back on Gallaher View. I was eating a pepperoni pizza, drinking a Peroni, and watching Cartoon Network. And bam. There it was. A video that integrated the song "Circles" from El Oso with a Betty Boop cartoon (an intentional moment of insanity which reminded me of an unintentional moment of ultrasanity involving Massive Attack's "Karma Coma" and an episode of the original Mickey Mouse Club while playing poker with Neal, Papaw, and Vaughn G.).

My mind was dazzled.

Well, yesterday I brought up to my friend Chris how I had just ordered all the Soul Coughing CDs for my collection (I have had El Oso stolen from me twice) and how I wish they were still around (the broke up a couple anos ago, much to my eternal angst and dismay) so I could link them to my blog and actually include some content. Well, that's when he whips out his iPod and lets me dig on some of Mike Doughty's vibes. And damnation they're sweet. So let me try and drop some knowledge worth knowing on you.

First off, you should know that Soul Coughing is not unlike Counting Crows, except they were interested in far less conventional themes and their repertoire of sounds, riffs, beats, and compositional elements was radically more complex. They represented one of the most truly unique sounds of any recent music, in my opinion, and I'm stickin' to it. Point of order, you might say they are like Counting Crows if Counting Crows had been influenced heavily by acid jazz and some of the smarter European techno, not to mention a subtle, almost hidden gospel sensibility. Yeah. . . all that.

So, let me drop some knowledge, cause they're actually interesting in this case. VH1's has a pretty super duper bio, but no fun tidbits. Not a problem - like always, if you want the bonus lights and buzzers, you hit MTV. There are some videos there, which is always nice.

You all know how I'm a little hesitant to throw up links from Wikipedia, but damnation if their discography on this one ain't pretty good - again, if that's your jonx.

Now you're nerding it up; you want more and by Gawd, you'll have more. Try SCUG. . . that's Soul Coughing Underground. Neat as Wes Boggs' room when it comes to downloads, and they have a tape-sharing section. . . that's pretty groovy. Also, its a touch obsessive. But awesome.

I ain't too smart, but I know that if you want to find music that's easy to hear and high quality, you probably have to hit mySpace. Hit THIS one and THAT one THAT ONE OVER THERE. Listen to every damn song. Now. But especially "True Dreams of Wichita." A song so beautiful I can't listen to it and drive at the same time. Seriously.

As for the what those guys are doing now, I got you some more. Mike Doughty's (the former Soul Coughing lead singer) homepage is awesome - plenty of samples and one of those rare blogs worth reading. Mark de Gli Antoni has a website called Horse Tricks. The former Soul Coughing keyboarder et al.'s site is, well . . . okay, I haven't really looked at it too much, but it seems, well a little crazy - he seems to be working more on soundtracks and their ilk now - but I did watch this cartoon linked from it in which everyone chokes except the chicken. As to Sebastian Steinberg and Yuval Gabay, well, there are rumors that they've formed a band named "U.V. Ray," which I have no reason not to believe (or believe), but I can't find'm on the ol' Net. Anyway, dig around explore, yatta-yatta-yatta. If you don't find yourself a Soul Coughing fan, well, I hate you.

Sorry. That's just how it is. Jerk.

Neil Scott Johnson

So there I was, in New York City, in Smith's Bar & Restaurant, surrounded by my students, about fifty assorted Northern-folk, three women from Louisiana, and a waiter named Denis from Siberia who apparently is a fan of Mexican liquor. We're debating leaving and we're debating staying, when a band starts to set up. The band's name? The Neil Scott Johnson Band.

They played Southern rockabilly country-rock.

In New York.

I don't know how else to characterize it. They're live show is great. Their recorded music, which you can hear or buy here (I have the album 5), is pretty solid - definitely worth a listen - its pretty good stuff, nothing that'll change the world, perhaps, but good all-around.

The website only has a clip of it, but don't miss, in particular, "Last Call for Fools in Love." I dig that jonx.

My only complaint is that they didn't know George Jones' "Yabba Dabba Doo," a song that might of well have been written for their style of play. Hawg wyld.

Invader Zim

First, right-click to download here.

That's right. I'll wait.

Now play it. I use Winamp, you can use whatever you want. It's America.

Let's continue. I love good animation, especially if it is original, if it is smart (e.g. by Mr. Jhonen Vasquez), and more to the point, if it involves potential annihilation of the human race. Invader Zim, enter stage right.

Of course, such a thing can exist no longer than a year-and-a-half thanks to the deprediations of "network executives."

Yeah, it got cancelled. Cartoon Network, from what I hear, wants it - though Nickelodeon is afraid to sell the rights and, thus, be shown the overwhelming error of their . . . um . . . error.

Regardless, Zim is a tiny, angry, idiotic alien whose incompetence is overwhelmed only by that of his assistants and the human FILTH!!! he is trying to conquer. He has a yelling problem.

Zim's creator(s) are obsessed with moose and pigs. And meat. And gnomes. And poop. Heh. Poop.

Zim's "people," the Irkens, have a political economy and sociology which are developed far more than any sci-fi animation ever before.

Zim rocks. The animation is beautiful, really astounding. The soundtrack (by Kevin Manthei - his site has substantial music available and a solid audio interview) is equally astounding - Go to the video store and BUY ZIM. My veins demand it. THEY COMMAND IT.

Yeah, so, all that said, check out Zim. It is one of those shows worth buying on DVD - you'll watch it endlessly - we're in the trust tree.

Also, there's Ultra Peepi.

Anselm Kiefer

Its been awhile since I posted the work of a visual artist and frankly, well, I'm all torn up over it. Well, I spoke with Vaughn this weekend and that reminded me of our old debates as to where the lines of expressionism should be drawn, and that in turn reminded me of the German chap who, in my mind at least, has saved painting from the dustbin of history. His name is Anselm Kiefer, and most of his work is aimed at critiquing warfare and German political culture, particularly the Nazi regime (and more particularly, the German general acquiescence to said regime at the time). His work is thick, covered, often, in found objects (tar, hay, etc.) and your just want to touch it, even as you're repelled by it - also, he has an explicit grounding in classical artwork, drawing many of his themes from European and Egyptian mythology. His two series that have moved me the most over time - his works on Icarus and his "monuments to the unknown artist(s)."

Okay, enough talking. I have put together a set of links here for you to help you get a good idea of the man's jonx. Dig:

Straight outta' the NYC we have three sites: MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art), the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art, my personal Mecca), and the Guggenheim.

The German National Gallery has only two Kiefer pieces (at least at the time I wrote this blog) on their site, but one of them is a really freaky sculpture. . . worth a glance.

The Broad Art Foundation has a great example of Kiefer's architectural style (Germany's Spirtual Heros).

As to the online museums, I recommend Artchive and WebMuseum - both have quite substantial Kiefer holdings.

Finally, well, Kiefer's more recent work, which is a bit lighter and oftentimes focused on China, is a bit harder to find. That said, the Museum of Fine Art, Houston has a really beautiful piece entitled Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom, where Kiefer is dealing with the legacy of Mao that is deteriorating as quickly as his statues.

Enjoy.

Zachariah

This one is going to be weird. I mean, more than usual.

You know I love zombies. Its a fact. Submit.

Well, I was in Abingdon a few weeks ago. Yeah. That's the ticket. So, there I am in Abingdon and my brother wants to go to K-mart. You remember K-mart, that species of superstore that roamed the earth in the millenia before Wal-Mart and Target. Regardless, I'm in K-mart, and there, before my eyes, is a zombie flick I've never heard of. Its called Dead and Breakfast and its supposed to be (emphasis on "supposed") the American answer to the brilliant, hilarious, dare I say it, uproarious (?) Shaun of the Dead. Hell, the credits listed Portia de Rossi from Arrested Development, arguably one of the five or six best comedies ever. So I bought it.

Dammit.

Okay, don't see the movie. Or do, if you want just good ol' goofy zombie blood-jonx. But if you're looking for a smart flick? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeahno.

All that said, there's this guy, Zachariah, who, along with his band the Lobos Riders (not to be confused with "Los" Lobos [non-riders]). Who cranks out the majority of the soundtrack. Which ain't half bad. How to characterize it. Hmm. California-interpertation, Western country (as opposed to country Western), white-rap-infused, rockabilly. Yeah. That.

It is insane. It is pop (not quite bubble-gum, harboring around, I dunno', Twizzlers - chewy). And frankly, it ain't Mozart. But it is entertaining (hell, it got me through that entire movie). So, check out their homepage - there's quite a bit of groove-juice there, though admitedly the quality is less than ideal. Also, they're on mySpace (doy, I suppose - oh, and the samples here are of a much higher quality, though there are fewer of them). Don't demand traditional country music and you'll be pleased. Maybe. I dunno'. Don't miss "We're Coming to Kill Ya'" (that's right) or "Tuscon Afternoon."

Also, he looks like Trivia-Guy. Inside joke.

A Journal of the Plague Year

Arguably the first true work of historical fiction in the English language, Daniel DeFoe's semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical A Journal of the Plague Year is as much a story about the City of London during the Plague as it is a story about being a Londoner during that time. Set in 1665, it ranks as one of the key precursors to all modern "apocalypse" literature (and other artforms) in the English world as well. At times it is humorous, at times its deeply disconcerting, and at times it is absolutely chilling. DeFoe's work comes off as a report, yet the vinettes and asides that deal with real people and their particular experiences or the rumors they dealt with, as well as the explanations of what we might call "plague culture" fill out said reporting, drawing you in and giving you a sense of having not only read a history but of speaking with survivors. Frankly, its beautiful, and if you like any one of a number of literary genres (e.g. 17th Century literature, horror, romance, historical fiction, and so on), you'll enjoy it, even if its heaviness requires some occasional respite (I had to put it down three or four times for a week or two at a time, admittedly, and recover). And if you're short on pennies, well, Project Gutenberg has come through again - read it or, and this is kinda' cool, hear it in mp3 format.

Holy enormous wigs, Batman.

Tyler's Blog Spot

I won't go into too much detail here, but let me drop you some knowledge. If you're a regular reader of the Blue Blog, well, you've read about Tyler G. Kidd, or as many call him (especially the FBI when referencing his file) TGK. Well, he's got a blog now, so I decided to drop him a link. Its still in the early stages, but its coming along nicely. . . give him a look-see, especially if you have a political bent to you. And I know you do.

Bloooooooooooooog.

(That's onomatopoeia.)

Also, there's a beaver.

Faron McNeal

Yeah, so, I've been in New York. That's a really big city north of Knoxville. By a ways. Sorry, but the net was $8.50 a minute there and I had some stuff to buy. Dig.

So, I get this e-mail the other day, and yeah, this e-mail has a link to a website, and yeah, the website has the name of a former student of mine from the ol' U of Tennessee - Knoxvegas. His name is Faron McNeal. He got a pretty good grade, as I remember, and he's in the Air Force ROTC, and he's Celtic. So, he's got that going for him. Which is nice.

Alright, alright we're getting their. Mr. McNeal lists his influences as, and I quote:

". . . Jack Johnson; the musical genius that is John Mayer; Maroon 5; Shawn Mullins (one of the greatest musical story tellers of all time); Dave Mathews Band; Garth Brooks; Third Eye Blind; Jason Mraz; Ryan Adams; Bryan Adams; Five for Fighting; The Eagles; Weezer; the soul full [sic] lyrics of Third Day; Train; the genuine rocking of Ben Harper; and Will Hoge. "

Hmm. Interesting mix, eh? I say, if you really want to know what yer' getting into, note in particular influence of the two Jacks, the Ben, and the Shawn. Mr. McNeal's music is early spring in Charlottesville (Virginia) music (I heard it, I think, at just the right time) - you know, when you're at a restaurant serving pasta al fresco, sitting outside under a viney trellis, preferably with Angry Brian and Computer Rob, an hour after it stopped raining, maybe drinking a nice amber beer (I'm thinking Peroni) or a really mild white wine, and you can smell the flowers and everything is green, and well, a band sets up, and you think, hmm, maybe I should leave, then you remember you don't have anything to do that night, so you order another beer. And you don't leave till they stop playing, which is too early. The song-writing is still developing, but it is entirely pleasant.

More to the brass nails. The production on the sample music is good for a young artist, though there are some weak spots. You can listen to his jonx on a number of pages. First, his homepage has a slew of such-have-yous, five quite good songs (note that with "Tangerine" there is a bit of well-intentioned pre-music conversation that you have to get past before the music starts, so be patient). McNeal's also got some ear-data available on the all-pervasive mySpace.com and on the semi-pervasive but visually less annoying purevolume.com.

DJ Intel One

Okay, so there I am, making fun of Natalie Portman. Nothing new - granted, she is beautiful, rich, and famous, and I'm a dumpy hillbilly halfway between impoverished student and impovrished scholar, but damn. Regardless, I'm making fun of her and I decided, for whatever reason, to check her out on IMDB, see what movies she was in. Frankly, it was more than I had thought. Who cares.

So, there I am looking, and I see this little link for trivia. Now, I'm a sucker for obscure, worthless knowledge (look at this site and you'll understand why), so I check it out. And there, before my wondering eyes, is a tidbit too disconcerting not to investigate. Let me quote it, "Has a CD named after her by Chicago-based DJ Intel One. The CD was done for charity, given away, and titled 'Love: A Tribute to Natalie Portman.' It featured songs by Shelley Duvall, Common, The Roots, and others."

Okay. Wow. Two thoughts came to mind. One, "somebody has a stalker," and two, "Intel One?" He named himself after a computer chip. Oh no he didn't. No.

But he did. And I looked him up to be certain.

Alright, here's the part of this I'm ashamed of. Sorta'. He's pretty damn good.

You can listen to his jonx on mySpace.com . . . everything he has posted pretty much rocks. As of this post, well, his homepage wasn't entirely set-up. But it looks nearly complete, so I'm including it for later consideration, and you can download jonx from it, including a zip file of "Love: A Tribute to Natalie Portman" (which I haven't listened to yet, but probably will, despite myself). Dig.

Muse

So, Mr. Phillips, one of my students over here at Maryville College, had some time to burn between courses so he and I spend a solid half-an-hour discussing music and movies. He specifically recommended a British band by the name of Muse to me. Let me pass it on to you. The consumer.

Muse is a techno-influenced rock band. Some of their songs are more techno, some more rock. Sometimes they smell like the Gorillaz. Sometimes like Rancid. Occasionally like System of a Down. And even more rarely, like Queen. Damnation. In other words, they're pretty hard to pin down. Regardless, if you feel like a little rock-action, well, hit up either one of these sites: their home page (click on the album player for headbanging delights) or their mySpace.com page.

Oh, and above all else, don't miss their song "Time is Running Out." Imagine the Gorrillaz did Fight Club's soundtrack. Yummy.

Mogwai

OH MY SWEET JUMPING DEITY!!!

DON'T THROW WATER ON THAT BIPEDAL CAT!!!

DON'T FEED IT AFTER MIDNIGHT OR ITS METABOLISM AND GENERAL PHYSICAL MORPHOLOGY WILL RADICALLY TRANSFORM, LEADING BIOLOGISTS EVERYWHERE TO AWE AT ITS PHENOTYPICAL ELABORATENESS!!!!

DO NOT SHINE BRIGHT LIGHT ON IT OR IT WILL SCREAM LIKE ANNE MURRAY ON SOME OBSCURE CANADIAN HOLIDAY!!!

Er. Wrong mogwai. Sorry.

Mogwai is a band, straight from Glasgow (Mother Scotland). I don't really even know who to compare them to (I keep thinking Dredj but far to few people are actually familiar with them, so, whatever). Just think instrumental rock and roll of the heaviest type, the kind that makes your head weigh down in the front when you listen to it, like lead in your sinuses.

Bad metaphor. Let it go.

Regardless, look for a rich musical experience-notice carefully that when I use the word rich I use it in the same way I would with a food-to imply that it is thick, full of flavor, and if you're not careful a bit overwhelming. You can hear a ton of their work on their homepage, or you can hit myspace.com and rock out. Either way, just catch "Friend of the Night."

The truth will set you free.

Hisashi Tenmyouya

I don't get enough East Asian art. It is true. I have long loved both Chinese and Japanese painting (its tough to be an expressionist and not, of course), and I became deeply acquainted with it back at the ol' University of Virginia when I took courses from Dorothy Wong and Yunsheng Huang, both of whom I highly recommend. Regardless, Mr. Echols dropped me some serious knowledge in the service of rock and roll when this metaphoric atomic device rolled staunchly across my brow. Bizzyzam.

How do you describe the work of Hisashi Tenmyouya? Um. . . think traditional Ukiyo-e meets H.R. Geiger. I know, you're weirded out. Maybe even a little nauseous. Trust me. Get in the trust bus and ride to Dollyvania. Bam.

What? Look at Tenmyouya's site. Ignore the rest.

Letters on England

I know I said the last one was the last one of the day. I lied. Sue me. I forgot I'd finished a book.


Voltaire's Letters on England. Basically, its English life, science, art, and politics from the perspective of an 18th Century Frenchman. Other than his gross underestimation of the English playwrights, well, it rocks. Specifically, it is quite funny and its utility as a primer on political philosophy is relatively high. If you understand the debates between traditional and social contract theories of political legitimization during the Enlightenment, well, you probably won't be surprised. If not, well, maybe you will.

Enjoy.

Citizen Cope

Okay kids, last one of the day.

Mr. Cagle and I were talking one night, say a year ago, and the subject of my love of musical groups that not everyone has heard of but, by all rights, should have. He mentioned Citizen Cope.

I got on the net and have been a fan since, so much so that I realized yesterday that I hadn't added Cope to my blog by virtue of my (incorrect) assumption that everyone had heard of him.

I won't go into too much detail with Cope except to say that if you don't like his music then you just don't like good music. I'll stand by that statement for the rest of my life. If you disagree, well, I guess it must suck you not liking good music and all.

His own website describes him as a melancholy balladeer. I'd describe him as jazz with an indie feel. Whatever. You'll love him. Check out his jonx on myspace.com, check out some of his videos on his homepage, and you'll be ordering his CDs faster than dancing could permanently incapacitate me.

Neko Case

Okay, I'm not a constant reader or anything, but if you pressed me, and not too many people where around, and I was drunk, and I was tired, and I had a headache, and I had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and I had an infected razor cut on my right "jowl," and I had just found out Michael Nesmith was an avid reader of my research, well, I might just admit that from time to time, at other people's houses, I read and enjoy GQ magazine.

I do not read for the fashion tips. That's Lee.

I read because they often have some of the most insightful reviews and interviews available - granted, they are buried in a horde of advertisements featuring men who have never eaten red meat, but they're good when you find them. That is how I heard about Neko Case.

I don't know a lot about Case yet, but I do know that she has a distinct accent which, GQ tells me is Virginian (Alexandrian to be exact), ANTI- tells me is Northwestern, and I think is kinda', I dunno', American. She seems to be deeply interested in the visual aesthestics of flesh-consuming mammals. She has associated with one of the up-and-coming indie supergroups (irony intended) The New Pornographers but remains on the free-trade list. Whatever.

So, her music is awesome. That's it. I'm not certain how best to characterize it, but the closest I can come is to say: imagine Loretta Lynn was born in the '70s, was heavily influenced by art rock as well as good ol' mountain music and bluegrass, and then have her spend her musically formative years in Canada. Bizzy-zizzy zam.

You can hear it yourself in a number of key venues - first and foremost Case's homepage and secondly ol' reliable NPR has a couple from her album Fox Confessor (ditto but different here).

In closing: if you like rock and classic country, you should like Case. If not, well, perhaps you should. Jerk.

The Bloggies

Damn! I cannot be contained!

I won't say much on this one, cause frankly it doesn't need much to be said. So listen up, children.


The Bloggies are pretty much the award for blogs. I will never get one. That said, the only reason I care is the links. This site is, to be frank, just one of those places to go when you know you want to surf, but you have no legitimate reason to be online. You'll love it.

Best I found so far? The ultimate PostSecret and the magical Daily Dose of Imagery.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

Look at the title. Now look at me. Look at the title. Now look at me. Yes. That's right. Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog.

The ultimate p-i-m-p Trivia Doug Big W (little lllllls) just dropped me a link to this blog. If you're like me, well, you'll find yourself revisiting sophomore English and madness of Chaucer, who, despite what we all pretend in those self-same classes, did not speak "English" so much as "headache inducing insanity." Regardless, it is funnier than the pig-devil in January (particularly "abbreviaciouns "). Sally forth and observify, thee electric deevice yeomen.

Fischerspooner

Okay, as I sit here taking advantage of my little brother's high-speed connection, I have decided to throw up like, eighty entries. Well, at least three or four. First on the list is a little band Mr. Echols introduced me to - they're name is Fischerspooner.

If at first you're thinking, hey, is that a new type of artificial fish lure, well, you're not alone. Probably. I mean, I didn't, but probably some one else did.

They're techno, they're a little awesome, and they're music is highly produced and ultra-slick. Like most techno that's worth more than a pop of X and a serious flip-out session (or a six-week stint as background jonx at a hockey club), well, its heavily dependent on creating original sound and beat combinations as well as interesting and complex lyrics. Check out some samples (not full-length, I'm afraid) of their jonx at the Echman recommended site, or check out their shizzle in a broaded, but related context here.