I GO TO A STORAGE WAR

I never thought I'd find going through the laundry bag of someones personal possessions a fun project. But with the popularity of TV's "Storage Wars", apparently a dreamer can believe there is gold in the bags and boxes of the poor folk who can't afford payment on their storage locker rental space.

"Storage Wars", an A&E television series, follows a group of second-hand merchandisers as they frequent storage unit auctions in California. The show's drama is dependent on the competitive bidding among them, and the valuable merchandise they may or may not find in the storage units they win.

The poor saps who lose their personal belongings when payment is not made on a rented storage space, abandon their possessions to the auction bidders who gather like vultures ransacking the pockets of corpses.

It's a gamble for the bidders who have only a few moments to canvass the items in storage and determine their worth. They can not rummage through the stored items, they can not even enter the storage units, but instead are filed by, like a guided museum tour, or a funeral line viewing of the deceased, to get a quick overview of the items up for auction. The entirety of the storage unit is then sold to the highest bidder.

The show is likely contrived, as you could purchase hundreds of abandoned rental units and never uncover the valuable merchandise that is discovered on each episode of the series. It's reality television, meaning - it's not real.

So anyway, the point of this blog entry, which I'm realizing should never leave the draft stage, is to mention I went to a local storage unit auction. I hooked up with my brother-in-law, also a fan of the show, and with dreams of signed Paul Revere candlesticks at the bottom of an old gym bag, we got up early and went to the auction.

But we only stood there in awe of the mega-dollars that were being thrown about. We were obviously "Storage Wars" fan boys among the seasoned baseball-capped bidders who flocked to this city auction. The most remarkable thing was how much the local storage auction resembled the TV show.

I couldn't get that catchy, blues driven theme music to "Storage Wars" out of my head. I wanted to swagger down a storage unit hallway and have "The Neophyte" written across the screen.

We couldn't get a bid in, but we had fun. It was all my effort not to raise the $5 winning bid for  a pathetic unit that contained a pile of old sneakers, a broken Fisher-Price toy, what looked like plastic furniture, and a mysterious cardboard box that certainly hid a valuable treasure.

Devendra Banhart Goes Island Hopping On His New Disc

I've warmed up to Devendra Barnhart's new album, Mala (Nonesuch Records). The folkie freak, who hates when he's referred to as anything resembling a hippie, cruises lazy Tiki bar rhythms and tequila sunrise musings on his latest disc. Soft marimbas and strumming acoustics lap against the shore of his island life fantasy, which isn't so far removed from Jimmy Buffett gone full-blown psychedelic.

It's cool, easy music, like Bobby Bloom's "Montego Bay", but without the snappy, whistling tropical edge that song delivers. Mala forces the listener to sip, slowly and methodically, like you would a tall zombie cocktail on an overpriced grass hut rental vacation, its curious tone of surf-side intimacy. One may want more from a new Devendra Banhart album, and the temptation is there to suck the alcohol out of every mouthful.

But it comes in doses. And like the effects of that killer cocktail, Mala creeps up on the listener unexpectedly with thoughtful, albeit tipsy drunken psychological adventures in sexland. Under a seaside moon, Banhart makes longing eye-to-eye contact with the natives in the cocktail drenched "Mi Negrita", that sounds remarkably like Jonathan Richman's excursions into Spanish eyes territory on his Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eye Shadow album.

"Your Fine Petting Duck" (smirk if you will) is an orgasmic night of lovemaking with an island girl call-and-response vocal that is as laid-back and rum influenced as a Kid Coconut record. It lifts like a rising wave (or a very happy petting duck) into a pulsating tropical electronica vibe.

The instrumental tribute to the celebrated and departed skateboarder Keenan Milton, "The Ballad of Keenan Milton", seems an homage to The Clash's southern hemisphere and their brilliant Sandanista! album. Its soft and sad plucking of an acoustic guitar above the barely audible sound of a siren wailing in the foggy distance is as entrancing as Sandanista's quietest and most powerful moments.

Elsewhere, Banhart's last night on Earth is more pop oriented than his freak folk image would suggest. His signature weird vocal warble, like gargling with stones, is heard only once on Mala, on "Won't You Come Over". It's a catchy melody with a Caribbean easy beat that vaguely recalls Jimmie Davis' blues-country classic "Come On Over To My House".

So I'm a bit hooked to Mala. It has all the strangeness of an exotic fruit and all the familiarity of a great pop songbook. The more I listen to it, the more I am aware of its several influences. Did I mention Elliott Smith? Possibly Mala is Banhart's attempt to bury his freaky folk dude persona once and for all, and celebrate other musical influences besides Donovan Leitch.

He has only himself to blame for the freaky dude label, which he has publicly detested. One story finds him showing up at a Halloween party wearing nothing but a skirt. He claims he didn't know it was a Halloween party.

this article was first published by the author at http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-devendra-banhart-mala/

Music Review: Unwound - "Live Leaves"

Unwound (1991-2002) were a Washington state post-hardcore band that flew under the radar throughout the 1990s, showering their small but committed fan base with a spattering of albums and singles, and boasting a workhorse ethic while constantly touring the U.S. and Europe. Noise-art rock with an atonal ear for spacey guitar drones, Unwound's music also possessed the verbal melodic catch that made it ripe for college alternative radio. At least one song from the Unwound canon, "Look A Ghost", from their 2001 swan song album Leaves Turn Inside You, should have been a huge hit single.

Released in late 2012, their Live Leaves album documents U.S. shows from the band's final 2001 tour. In a press release, frontman Justin Trosper admits to cringing while listening to some of the recordings of the tour, the result of working without an active soundboard. While there is nothing cringe-worthy in these stellar live performances, the softer musical passages of spacey guitar drone, intent on lulling the listener to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, are in competition with the bar-like conversation and chatter coming from the venues.

Listening to the album is like being there. The sound is the quality of an A-plus bootleg recording, with crowd sounds and beer glasses clinking, all rolled into the mix indiscriminately. One happy fan shouts enthusiasm while standing far too close to the microphone. His grunts of appreciation reach the decibel level of the loudest guitar. Patron conversation is distinct enough to be understood. It makes for a cozy but loud, atmospheric live listening experience. Indulging in the sound, the listener can become entranced with the mesmerizing imagery of a thick slab of drone and effects, and then feel the need to mosey over to the bar to tip another beer.

"Look A Ghost" sounds as hot and exciting as an early Rolling Stones record when experienced live. It's lazy, adrift studio version is electrified with the punk spirited antagonism of David Scott Stone's stabbing guitar and Trosper's snotty faux British accent. Percussionist Sara Lund does an inspired set of choppy rolls and discordant beats in the 10-minute "Terminus", a post-punk prog merging with pulsating barbed wire guitar work. The 14-minute set closer "Below The Salt" is a grand opus of drone, buoyed by wavering guitar chords that drift into the abyss like a Spanish lullaby. Bassist Vern Rumsey anchors the ominous soundscape with a commanding lead of sure-footed doom.

It wasn't so many years ago I googled Unwound, after discovering them on vinyl, and found the totality of information to be one Wikpedia entry which stated simply, "Unwound is a post-punk band from Washington state". These days, now that their song is sung, information on them is all over the internet. Live Leaves gives you the opportunity to hear live recordings of the best band nobody ever mentioned in the '90s.


this review was first published by the author at:
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-unwound-live-leaves/

MY OLD SCHOOL PLAYLIST

Here's my old school playlist. It's late, it's early, it depends how you look at it. When these five songs are played in conjunction, dark spectral beings are known to rise and make shadow puppet on the wall. G'night - but first let me tell you about a Commander Cody song I can't get out of my head ...

Steely Dan – My Old School
George Baker – Little Green Bag
Bob Dylan – Mozambique
Roger Waters – 5:01AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking HIKING Part 10)
Rod Stewart – You Wear It Well

CHEAP JUNKIE WEEKEND

I am a sucker for a moderately priced piece of worthless junk. I am a goldmine dreaming junkie for junk.  I am a bottom-feeding American Picker. I want to be rich. Here are some of my most recent "finds" as I trolled the winter flea markets, estate sales, and thrift stores this weekend.

 

This beautiful die-cast metal Marilyn Monroe 1955 Cadillac Eldorado was made by Solido, a renowned French maker of model cars. It's in pristine condition, with opening doors, red Marilyn Monroe decals on the hood and doors, and a Cadillac license plate. It is completely unblemished. It's got a red tag serial number on the bottom. Was there a crazed look in my eyes when I asked the thrift store clerk, "Are you sure you don't have the original box?". The car measures 10" from fender to fender. It glared at me from a showcase and I took it home for ten bucks. I know, I know, you envy me.

                                                                                        

 

At another thrift store I bought this cool looking souvenir from Bolgona, Italy for a couple of bucks. The girl at the register asked if I planned on putting it at the bottom of my aquarium. "Honey", I said, "this is not a guppy toy". It stands 8" tall and is surprisingly heavy. It is sandy to the touch, possibly a ceramic. It is signed by two artists - "Cerrimi", and "Fasuloa", who are both greatly unknown in the vast universe of the internet. It is an intricately hand carved replica of The Leaning Towers of Bologna, not Pisa!  The also-rans of leaning towers. The name "Bologna" is prominently displayed.

 

 

The pic doesn't do it justice. Its intricate detail of lines and design is impressive, full of contours, ridges and curves.

 

How can I pass on (7) 9 0z. "On The Rocks" Plasticware glasses with the Official Symbols of the 1984 Olympic Games and a patriotic parrot carrying the Olympic Torch, for 49 cents? Forty-frickin' nine cents? It's a no-brainer! Even though 2 of the 9 original glasses are gone. And even though the box they originally came in is now dilapidated. And even though they feel as if they would fall apart if you dropped an ice cube in them. It's my first ever Olympic collectible! Picture me on "American Pickers" - "I bought the Officially Licensed Olympic plastic glasses for forty-nine cents. I think I can get one hundred dollars for them.".

                                                                                                           - .49 + 100.00  =  $99.51

 

                                                                                          

Exactly what is an Electronic Snapkit? I had no idea but for $1.98, I was willing to find out. It was made by Radio Shack (2005) and according to the box, I can "build one hundred exciting projects", and "have fun learning all about electronics!". The kit is complete and looks as though it was never used. It's got the original instruction manual and a block layout sheet. Fun? You bet! Can't wait to get started even though Talking Heads' Burning Down The House is suddenly rolling through my mind.

 

 

                                                                                                

 

Bought this vintage astrological print for 3 bucks by artist Margot Johnson, 1968. It's under glass in a  black bamboo-like wooden frame with the original paper lining on the back and a wire for hanging. It measures 17" x 8 1/2", and it's a cool collectible from the psychedelic era. I researched the print and Johnson did an entire series of these astrological signs in the late 1960s, and they are currently scarce and desirable. I'm waiting for a call back from Christie's ... not!

 

 



I bought not one but two Buffalo Bisons notebooks for fifty cents each. I need them to store all the worthless baseball cards I've collected over the years. They're a 2003 Sorrento Stringsters Cheese promotion. I'm perserving Buffalo history! They look brand new.

 

 

 

An open-neck AC/DC black medium T-shirt. Three bucks. It's hanging in my closet next to my Jefferson Starship T-shirt which I will also never wear.

 

 

 

  

 





Chasing "The Paper Chase"

There are a number of film/TV titles which have never been released on video that I periodically search for. Some may have had an obscure VHS release that is hard to find or ridiculously expensive in its rarity, and others seem to have never seen the light of day of any home video release.

The early 1930 "talkie" film The Royal Family of Broadway based on the George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber play The Royal Family, is a film I've always wanted to see. It has been on my radar for several years and I finally found it posted on Youtube in multiple parts. It stars Frederick March and an actress unknown to me, Ina Claire, in parodied portrayals of the famous Barrymore acting clan (Ethel and John) of the early 20th Century, of which Drew Barrymore is descended. The quality of the video was poor but the film itself was very good.



















The David Lynch television comedy series from 1992, On The Air, an ABC show in which only 3 of the 7 filmed episodes were broadcast, is another title which is unavailable. The word was that it was simply too bizarre for network television. I missed the 3 televised episodes during its original run and I have been putting out online searches for it for a number of years. David Lynch has been known to sell videos of the series directly from his own website, but only occasionally. I have found the first few episodes on Youtube. It is a whacked-out show about a fictitious TV network in the 1950s putting on a variety television program.



Occasionally I'll search for titles that have been unavailable, and on a recent hunt, I was delighted to find that the television program, The Paper Chase has finally been released by Shout! Factory on DVD. So far only the first two seasons have been released.

It was a favorite program of mine on CBS during the 1978-79 TV season. It was a ratings disaster. Scheduled opposite the then most popular programs on television - Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley - The Paper Chase lasted one whole season dead last in the Nielson ratings. Legendary CBS founder and president William S. Paley, who built CBS up from a small radio network into the empiric television network it became, was fond of the show, and purportedly saw comparisons with the series' relationships between a renowned law professor and his students, and Paley's kinship with his own young television executives. It stubbornly remained in its doomed time slot for the entire season and was then cancelled.

PBS - Public Broadcasting System, in what was an unprecedented move for public television, re-broadcast the repeats of the series, marking possibly the only time an American network program was repeated nationally on PBS. There was talk of new episodes being produced by PBS, but it wasn't until four years after its cancellation by CBS, that fledgling pay-TV cable network Showtime renewed the series for three more seasons.

It is only the first season that I have been craving to see again. Strangely, the subsequent seasons on Showtime, resembled the bland familiarity of dramatic television. Being able to add more mature adult content on a pay-TV network, did little to improve The Paper Chase.  The whimsy and intellect of its first season on CBS was missing in subsequent Showtime episodes.

Based on both the 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn Jr. and the 1973 movie version, TV's The Paper Chase retained the Oscar winning actor from the film version, John Houseman (1902-1988), for the lead role of Professor Charles Kingsfield, a renowned law professor who intimidates but nurtures his students like a crowned king in the study of law at a prestigious American law school. Unlike other TV programs of its era, or any other era, The Paper Chase relied on story lines that rarely invoked the traditional formula of television network programming; action, comedy, adventure. Its drama was realized in the study of law being an adventure in itself. Plot lines would evolve around  legal issues and cases the students were studying.

It was partially filmed at The University of Southern California, giving it a tree-lined, hallowed halls collegiate appeal. The show follows first year student James Hart, a farm boy going to law school on a scholarship, played by actor James Stephens, as he contends with his utter fascination, fear and awe of  the infamous Professor Kingsfield. The supporting cast is made up of other students who form a study circle with Hart. They all share the common bond of being at the mercy of the god-like Kingsfield.

I'm 8 episodes into revisiting the program, and loving it again. A few celebrities have popped up unexpectedly. Marilu Henner of TV's Taxi, appears in the pilot episode as Hart's co-worker at his part-time bar tending gig.  A very young Kim Cattrall, Samantha on HBO's Sex and The City, has a featured role as the wife of a harried law student in the 6th episode, "Da-Da".

The catchy theme song, "The First Years" rolls through my mind every time I think of the program. It is sung by Seals and Crofts and written by Charles Fox and Norman Grimbel, who wrote the songs "Killing Me Softly With His Song", popularized by Roberta Flack, and Jim Croce's "I Got A Name".

The program may seem a little drab and crudely 70s-ish to some viewers. For all its gentle nature, it can at times become exceptionally heated and exciting. Witness the violent nature of Kingsfield (John Houseman) as he reacts to a paparazzi photographer invading his classroom in the episode "Nancy". The scene has all the fury of TV's most action packed moments.

Music Review: LIFE OF PI (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The soundtrack of the film Life of Pi will invoke images of the beloved film, but is alas, only a movie soundtrack, wherein dramatic surges in the score only serve as plot advancements in the film, thereby leaving the isolated music naked without closure. It is a design of images, not composition.

In a new-age, meditation sort of way, Mychael Danna's score is a lovely piece of music, combining traditional Indian culture - as is the ethnicity of the film - with thunder-rousing movie music, complete with full angelic vocal choir. A simple minor piano chord serves as the theme obliging the oceanic orchestra and Indian indigenous instruments (mandolin, sitar, and a host of other Indian percussion instruments).

While there are vocal arrangements throughout, the first track, "Pi's Lullaby", is the only piece with lyrics (and is sung by classical vocalist Bombay Jayashree). Its soft melody and lingering refrain - very much a lullaby - will kindle fond memories of the film. "Are you a flower or the nectar? Are you the fruit or the sweetness?" the song asks as if to a sleepy child. It serves well as a singular song in a "world music" vein, with its European accordion accompanying the languid sound like a drift down The Riviera in a gondola.

Too often the musical passages are simply too short to serve as separate entities. Surging violins will lead the orchestra for all of 34 seconds before one track ends and the next piece begins. It makes for difficult, stop-and-go listening that only serve as bold reminders of the movie.

The music breathes in the longer tracks. "Back to the World" explores the music's theme with slowly vibrating strings ushering in the soft vocal choir and tinkling keyboard invoking the twinkling of the starry night sky. It sounds very much like an exhaustive journey's end. "Tiger Vision" sounds remarkably like a tiger's soft paws stalking through a night jungle, with its quiet, cautious percussive sounds, and mysterious conch shell woodwinds creating a jungle exotica aura.

The album is full of sounds and passages that are both peaceful and disarming, as is the nature of the film. As a single piece of music, it is a bit abrupt. For serious students of music who love the film, it is likely essential listening.



this article was first published by the author here:
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-life-of-pi-original/