SONG BY SONG: 'California Star' by Martin Stephenson and The Daintees (Part Two)

Yesterday we started a new feature here on the Gonzo Daily. It is called 'Song by Song', and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Basically I go through an album song by song, and then pass my notes on to the artist who made the album in the first place, and see what they have to say. And we start off this exciting new series with the irrepressable Martin Stephenson and his smashing new album California Star:

4. California Star

JD: The title song of the album has an immediately infectious tune and deceptively simple words, which have been going round and around my head ever since I first heard it. . Once again I am struck by the kindliness and gentleness of Martin Stephenson’s vocals. I was struck by what a nice man he was when I interviewed him the other week, but on several of these tracks he manages to communicate this easily in the way he sings.

What is particularly impressive about this song is that whereas most songwriters manage one hook for the verse, and if they are lucky another one for the chorus, Martin sprinkles memorable hooks across his songs with gay abandon. Bob Dylan is reported to have claimed (as I said in a review of David Dalton’s biography of him the other day) that each line of A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall is actually the start of another song. Well the same could be said about the melodic hooks on ‘California Star’.

MS: This song was a blessing to Mickey Rourke written when he was suffering, the music was written in a blink and again, could have easily been just one guitar. The engineer played lead acoustic guitar on it, so Im not really fussed who plays what, as long as its in the ball park, The song is also about my time in Hollywood working with Russell Kunkel and being signed to Capitol, Chateux Marmont etc

5. Ready to Move On

JD: Just when you weren’t expecting it, Stephenson changes pace entirely with a harmonica and guitar driven rocker that sounds of all things like classic Thin Lizzy. How does this man do it? He seems to put out such things effortlessly. It’s time to move on he claims. Why? You are doing perfectly well here.

And then just when you think the song is over, there is a storming reprise and a burst of his irrepressible North Easterh humour. Wot a star!

MS: Yes its pretty much a fun band song this, with not much intelligent content, features the wonderful Stevie Smith from the band ‘Ruthless Blues’ the wee cheeky cockney

6. Boy to man

JD: And then he changes pace once again with an acoustic country ballad featuring jaunty fiddle and mandolin, and the cheeriest whistled hook I have heard for many a year. It is a lovely song of childhood and murder, that really defies categorisation, and has a hook to die for. If I had to give any musical analogy, believe it or not it would be the Irish republican folk group The Wolfetones. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not making any political similarities at all, but the jaunty tune married to the grim subject matter has a few similarities.

And the heavily reverbed whistling coda is amazing.

MS: Yes this song is all about a curse, and the request to not be a killer granted to the victim.

This series will continue, and we shall be revisiting martin's fantastic album with what (in the good old days) would have been side two in a few days time. In the meantime check out his Gonzo artist page...

(with the band)
http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/artists/5931/Martin%20Stephenson%20and%20The%20Daintees

(solo)
http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/site.php?s=2&action=list_table&t=products&filter_id=152&dbf_search_for=Martin+Stephenson+%28artist%29&image.x=15&image.y=13

THE CURTIS MONOLOGUES: Goodness me it's Fred Titmus

Dear Jon,

It has come to my attention that Half Man Half Biscuit are playing Newcastle! It must be because I am a Catholic! It's so good to be alive and living in Seaham.

Joy to the world

Regards

Davey C

HAWKWIND: Three songs from the Edinburgh gig

http://thepoormouth.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/hawkwind-in-cracking-form.html

REVIEW: Jon Anderson in Seattle

It is nice to receive such enthusiastic reviews. Music has been one of the big guiding forces of my life for twenty years now, and I am always enthused by reading the words of other people for whom it is obviously equally important:

Wow, I hardly know where to begin!

Jon is my very favorite artist, of any genre, and I have followed his work for nearly 40 years. I was so, so excited to see him, and here is my review:

His concert was June 11, 2012, at the Triple Door, downtown Seattle. The venue was absolutely wonderful. All employees were so courteous and professional, and it is a warm, dinner theater atmosphere, seating about 250 people.

I was thrilled to have a front-row seat, so I was 7 feet from Jon. I could touch the stage!

Read on...

For tour dates visit www.jonanderson.com/tour.html

Jon Anderson 'OPEN' digital download available: http://www.amazon.com/Open-Single/dp/B005XT5Z8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1336499182&sr=1-1

Jon Anderson 'Survival & Other Stories' available through Gonzo MultiMedia: http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/

SONG BY SONG: 'California Star' by Martin Stephenson and The Daintees

Welcome to a new feature here on the Gonzo Daily. It is called 'Song by Song', and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Basically I go through an album song by song, and then pass my notes on to the artist who made the album in the first place, and see what they have to say. And we start off this exciting new series with the irrepressable Martin Stephenson and his smashing new album California Star:

1. The Ship

JD: The first thing that one notices with this song, and indeed with the whole of this impressive album are the rich and varied textures of instrumentation. This is something that I have always liked in music, right from the days when I was a teenager and used to listen to The Rolling Stones after I had been indulging in a suspiciously long cigarette. The mixture of delightfully laid back lead guitar which verges on the classical at times, with the warm funky organ sets out the stall for the album as a whole.

Martin is at his most soulful, like a Geordie Marvin Gaye, and – believe me – I don’t use such terms lightly. The whole thing has an elusive spirituality about it, and occasionally strays into gospel territory, which is no bad thing.

An impressive beginning.

MS: ‘The Ship is coming’ is a mantra that was channelled through the crown chakra a number of years ago, the music is merely a river for it to boat, although I did pick specific chords I stumbled on, particularly this Fsharp shape around the 2nd fret using open E’s, but I originally recorded the music with The Suns of Arqa in my house, there is still some subliminal citar gated in the mix which was played by Michael Wadada, this mantra sounds equally as good on an open acoustic guitar

2. Streets of San Sebastian

JD: Once upon a time Jack Bruce penned a song called ‘Theme from an Imaginary Western’, and this delightful song which takes a similar chord sequence to ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’, but marries it to a beautifully gentle vocal which suggests depths of emotion that one hardly ever gets in this genre of music. About half way through, some gorgeous cod-Spanish guitar, and an insistently martial snare drum take the song into territory vaguely reminiscent of Calexico, which as they have been one of my favourite bands ever since a bizarrely psychedelic night in the Nevada desert some ten years ago, has got to be good.

MS: It is a true story of when my first marriage broke, and I lost everything, I had to walk from a very controlling partner and leave my children as hostage, I had to make a really tough decision, when I was in San Sebastian I found myself in a square full of Basque folks, their collectivity overpowered me and my pain was overwhelming, I decided to take my life, and it was a simple glance from a child that made me stay, to re-connect with my children through the guidance of the Universe and not the dark companions fear and materialism, the story in the song begins where I left off, the ‘bridge of holding sorrow is symbolises the site (place) of suicide, from the streets of San Sebastian, the music is another medium to enhance the poetry/lyric/message

3. Power that is greater

JD: One of the things that I like about this album is that each song is stylistically different to the one before. This one introduces barrelhouse piano, reminiscent of John Lennon’s Crippled Inside. It is a glorious song of humility, if that is not an oxymoron. “I’m not important anymore” sings Martin as if it was a hymn, but follows it up (unless my ears are playing up) by saying that he doesn’t want to be a “savage whore”. A complete delight.

MS: Nope, I am saying ‘Im not an orphan anymore‘ meaning... we as travelling celestials with perfect knowledge in our physical casing (say ‘body cars), seek our bill of divorcement from the Father, (universe) or whatever language you use) ,eaning perfect knowledge, and set up our own illusory version and keep our attention on holding the imperfect dimension up, to do this we need the dark companions such as fear, pain, punnishment, death (illusory forces in our toolbox) where in truth, we are in perfection, so an orphan so to speak, is an Angel in Heaven (or Garden of love/Nirvana/whatever/ ) in denial, an oprphan is an Angel in denial, resisting true power and enlightenment, all that is truly real, so when an orphan, addict such as myself says, ‘Im not an orphan anymore’ I am saying I understand I am in the illusory world, but I will practice not giving it my full attention and study, I will hand myself over to a power that is greater, which is very 12 steps AA crossed with Eastern philosophies.

I don’t want to feed that savage whore’ is the same thing, meaning, I must turn my attention away from holding up pain and sufering as an addict, and step into the light.

Eric Clapton would understand this, as would Judy Collins, try em?

The music on the other hand is a jam, it could be anything...

There will be more tomorrow, and I (for one) am looking forward to it..

Glam Rock Icon Michael Des Barres Returns To His London Roots With 'Carnaby Street'

Michael Des Barres Returns To His London Roots With 'Carnaby Street'

June 18, 2012 - Los Angeles, CA - There is much excitement within the music press and fans alike around the world about the news of the return of glam rock icon Michael Des Barres and his forthcoming CD release 'Carnaby Street' On Gonzo MultiMedia, UK. Michael Des Barres has been in the rock ‘n’ roll scene for four decades now. A European nobleman, brought up in England, living in Los Angeles, but with an enduring love of delta blues and the rock and soul of the mid-60s beat boom, he was front man for such seminal 1970s bands as Silverhead and Detective (featuring Tony Kaye of Yes). Jimmy Page personally signed Detective to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song records in 1975. From 1982 to 1985, Michael was a member of Chequered Past, which included Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols. Clem Burke and Nigel Harrison from Blondie, and Tony Sales of Todd Rundgren ('Runt') and Tin Machine fame. Michael Des Barres was also the singer with the touring and LiveAid version of The Power Station, a Duran Duran spin-off band that became one of the most iconic live acts of the mid-1980s. In 1985, Michael penned the song "Obsession", which became a number one hit in 27 countries for LA new wave group Animotion; the track has been featured in numerous movies throughout the years.

After over 40 years of recording and performing, Michael has returned to his mid-Sixties roots with 'Carnaby Street', his first new album in many years. Revisiting his youth in swinging London, 'Carnaby Street' is an aural window into rock and roll's past through the eyes and mind of Michael Des Barres. “The music I am making now is inspired by my past in the mid '60s / early '70s,” Michael explains. “As a kid I would go watch all the skinny white blues rock 'n' roll musicians in the clubs and it hit me like a hammer! I was so influenced by both the courage of these young white guys combined with the soulful rawness of the African American bluesmen, and the hybrid was so fascinating to me that it really stimulated my entire musical vocabulary. So, a couple of years ago, when I started writing songs again, I realised that I wanted these new songs to be as authentic as I had initially heard and was inspired by.”

This album may quote from the idioms laid down by Wilson Pickett, Zoot Money, and The Rolling Stones, but it is no exercise in retro-stylings. This is very much a piece of the second decade of the 21st Century. It may even be Michael Des Barres’ most important work to date. The opening line of the title track immediately sets the tone of the album; “I was 19 in 1967, on the streets of London. I was in Heaven. I was Oscar Wilde in velvet jeans. Everything you've heard is everything I've seen.” He is adamant that this is not an homage to mid-Sixties music, but a contemporary album by a contemporary band presenting songs about that particular time in his life: a time when as a teenager just entering manhood the world as a whole was celebrating ‘The Summer of Love’. “The name of the album 'Carnaby Street', for me, is a metaphor for the swinging London '60s,” says Michael, “that whole youth cultural revolution that literally changed the world. So the name reflects my desire to go back to the roots, the joy and the love of the music when I first heard it.”

British born the Marquis Michael Philip Des Barres, along with his excursions into rock stardom, is also a gifted actor and is best known for his reccurring role as Murdoc on the popular television show 'MacGyver'. He has been featured in dozens of movies and television shows over the past 40 years (including Seinfeld, ALF, Frasier, Bones, Ellen, Nip/Tuck and Pink Cadillac with Clint Eastwood) and was also a featured actor in the '60s classic movie 'To Sir With Love' featuring Sidney Poitier. Michael was formerly married to GTO's member Pamela des Barres, best known for her top-selling book 'I'm With The Band'.

Recently, Michael Des Barres reunited with Silverhead for the first time in 38 years and performed to sold out audiences in Japan in April 2012. The reaction from the Japanese audience was electric! Michael is still very active acting and was featured in the US FOX television show 'The Finder' on May 4, 2012. A recent guest appearance on the new season of USA Network's 'Suits' will air sometime this summer. He is also featured in the movie 'California Solo', in which Michael plays the manager of Robert Carlyle's ex-rocker character, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on January 25th. In support of Michael Des Barre's new album release, several live shows are currently being scheduled. “The majority of the people that have come to see us play, and we've only played perhaps a dozen shows, has been 80 percent a young audience, early and mid-twenties, who consider us an indie band, ironically,” says Michael. “The music we are playing is below the waist rock 'n' roll, and I think that the audiences are kind of starved for a carnal, sensual, sexy blues music. There's nothing ironic about our music – there's nothing angry or apologetic about our music. We are there to make people happy and joyous and fall in love.”

In closing Michael Des Barres has this to impart to his followers of the past four decades: “The message that I have to say to fans and friends, and I don't think of them as fans, I think of them as friends – and they are friends. We should all be friends, and really my belief in connection and engagement and letting people into your life... and I say it in the briefest possible way – LOVE EVERYONE NOW!”

Michael Des Barres 'Carnaby Street' CD release date July 10, 2012

For more information visit Michael Des Barres official website: http://www.desbarres.com/
'Carnaby Street' website: http://www.mdbimmedia.com/

To pre-order Michael Des Barres 'Carnaby Street' CD (Special Edition):
http://www.gonzomultimedia.com/product_details/15483/Michael_Des_Barres-Carnaby_Street.html

WE TRIED TO FLOG THE PICTURES TO HELLO MAGAZINE, BUT GONZO DAILY OUTBID THEM...

We are back home, very tired but as you can see from these two exclusive images I did my bit giving away the Gonzo Daily Sub Editor Lizzy Clancy to her new husband Paul Bitakara'mire. I think you will agree that this is a pretty good excuse for having left the blogs in the tender care of Graham for the last few days. Actually, I think he did pretty damn well...

LINK: Troy Donockley UK Review

http://s14.zetaboards.com/Zeitgeist/topic/6698972/1/

TROY DONOCKLEY
Messages
Lantern 2012

Nah, me neither, but then I don't really keep up to speed with Irish pipers, despite my auld Irish mammy. Not that she would have thanked you for that description. But turns oot that Troy Donockley is a legendary uilleann piper both solo and as a member of Iona. Me, I'd only heard of him, because he tooted his pipes on the last (splendid) album by goth metal monsters Nightwish, and that he's off on tour with them. So it makes perfect sense for him to bung oot a best of album off the back of that.

The music on offer wanders all over the place from Celtic to prog to classical to alternative arrangements of auld tunes. He's also got a very large address book, and this compilation draws in contributions from the likes of Nick Beggs, Barbara Dickson, Heather Findlay, Tim Harries, Olivia Sparnenn and hunnerds of others.

It's in the nature of compilations from previously unheard artists that the quality can vary quite dramatically, but when it's good, it's very good indeed. So, plenty of highlights including the previously unreleased 'For Him Who Will Never Return', a traditional song here radically re-arranged. Then there's an extract from "Finlandia " by Sibelius, which features the Glorious Emperor String Quartet and which is, appropriately, glorious. The other new tune is 'Dunmail Rising', which comes complete with some serious fiddle, oboe and a great vocal from Mostly Autumn singer Olivia Sparnenn.

So, to be fair, a mixed old bag, but a bag with more caramel than toffee.

Here, as the returning Gonzo Daily editor, I would like to note that I like both caramel and toffee..

LINK: Rick Wakeman Live CD Review

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/06/08/rick-wakeman-in-the-nick-of-time-2012/

CHRIS THOMPSON: Polish review

http://www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8555&Itemid=26

Thompson, Chris - Berlin Live & Live At The Colos-Saal
Author: Arthur Chachlowski
13/06/2012.

Chris Thompson? Who is he? The less oriented to say that for sure you have heard his voice many times, even listening to the radio and zaśpiewanego his timeless hit "Blinded By The Light" Manfred Mann's group Earthband. Not only does this hit has made ​​it his "two cents". "Spirits In The Night", "Mighty Quinn", "You Angel You", "Do not Kill It Carol" and "Davy's On The Road" - this is only the first bank of the examples provided by the Mannfreda Mann and a team of great hits. Chris has worked with this audience as from released in 1976, the famous album "Roaring Silence", and then, already in the 80s, he headed his own group, Night.

It should also know that our hero took to the famous album Jeff Wayne's "War Of The Worlds", where he sang a song (a big hit on the lists in the UK in 1978) Pt. "Thunder Child".
Now, Chris Thompson recalls a concert release titled "Berlin Live & Live At The Colos-Saal." It's bloated tomiszcze, which consists of two CDs and a DVD disc, is a fantastic concert review of his work and still przeogromnych possible stage. The main part of the material contained on this album is Thompson's performance, accompanied by a team in the Berlin Radio 88.8FM June 4, 2011 year. The two silver discs CD is a complete record of the two-hour concert presented reportedly on a scale of 1:1, with no overtime and additions. Listen to this great. Repertoire, performance, live audience's reaction - it all adds up to a really great musical feast, which we can experience hearing these great songs performed. 12-minute version of "Blinded By The Light" simply crushes. Games played as an encore, "For You" and "Questions" are harming. But earlier, before them, we have a real festival of the best songs from the rich repertoire of Thompson and Mann's Earthband Mannfred.

Complementing this radio show is a visual record of the concert pieces in January 2011 in the Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg.Unfortunately, technical problems prevented the documentation of this performance as a whole. On the DVD so we get only 7 songs "rescued" by technicians treatments (such as "Do not Kill It Carol", "Martha's Madman" and "Whole Lot To Give"), plus a few recordings registered by the fans, plus interviews with Thompson and members of his team, which was provided just before the show in Aschaffenburg.

What else can I say about this release? Just because I recommend it with all my heart - that's for sure. And properly so, because the rest is music. Thompson's music and voice speak for themselves. Speak for themselves. Arms without any error. Probably because we are dealing with the professionalism of the highest quality. Let us at the end of the names of the musicians who accompanied this great singer's concert in the implementation of the project. The Mads Eriksen plays guitars, keyboards Gunnar Bjelland, Frank Hovland on bass, and drums Zsolt Meszaros (in the Berlin radio) and Steinar Krokstad (in Aschaffenburg).
Once again I recommend. Album-cudeńko.

Three-camera view of a gig (test vid)

Graham writes....

During tests to see what it's like editing concert footage, I synchronised the three camera views onscreen... and then ran off a 4-minute chunk of it before commencing the editing. I found the results quite entertaining!

direct link

Of course, split-screen video is a bit passé these days - it was popular in the 70s, used in films like The Andromeda Strain, but it's still fine for specialist applications like seeing three simultaneous views of Hawkwind's recent performance of "Sonic Attack"!

My camerawork (at ground level) is on the left, and the other two views (downloaded from YouTube) are from up on the balcony, at The Brook in Southampton a couple of weeks ago.

Brit Floyd and tribute bands

Jon doesn't like tribute bands but I sometimes do.I've seen Hoaxwind twice, and they do a pretty fair job of things. Oddly, Hawkwind also run their own trib, Technicians of Spaceship Hawkwind, in which several current members of Hawkwind have taken part, including Dave Brock, which I suppose raises the question of whether they're actually a trib or not.

There's no doubt that Brit Floyd are a tribute band, though.

The exuberant style of the guy on keyboards reminds me of Jean Michel Jarre! Anyway, perhaps it's nice for youngsters to get a taste of a Floyd-type occasion...

Incidently, the ABITW performed above is the instrumental.

Wychwood Music Festival 2012 review

Tom Smith reviews Saturday at the recent Wychwood Festival for the eFestivals site. The festival is held at Cheltenham racecourse.

Here, he reviews a right old mixed bag: Howard Marks, Doctor and the Medics, Danny Shah, Juju, Sharon Shannon, Hawkwind, and James.

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/wychwood/2012/review-saturday.shtml

BLOODY HELL, APPARENTLY I WRITE FOR JAZZ NEWS...

World of Jazz notices the upcoming Gonzo "Lost Broadcast" releases of Captain Beefheart....

6/7/2012 - London, UK -

Don Van Vliet, (1941-2010) better known to his legions of fans as ‘Captain Beefheart’ was one of the most enigmatic figures in rock music.
Unashamedly an artist, rather than a pop star, he forged his own idiosyncratic furrow through popular culture, producing some of the most innovative and uncompromising music ever committed to recording tape.

From the age of three he painted and sculpted, and had an obsession with animals and the natural world. As a teenager he was friends with Frank Zappa, and as early as 1963 they recorded a demo under the name ‘The Soots’. Sadly this was unsuccessful, and the world would have to wait a few more years before Beefheart’s own unique take on the blues would be heard by anyone outside his own particular circle of friends.

Read on...

LINK: Polish Rick Wakeman review (translated)

http://www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8539&Itemid=26%20%20

Wakeman, Rick - In The Nick Of Time-Live 2003

Author: Arthur Chachlowski

13/06/2012.

Rick Wakemana , this virtuoso of synthesizers, piano master of mood, co-founder of numerous masterpieces that have passed into the canon of symphonic rock, and, perhaps above all, an icon of British popular music, you do not have anyone present.Anyway, I'm not going to do, because this review rozrosłaby confident to record size. But I want to draw attention to the latest album by this artist. The latest, though containing archival (as of 2003) live recordings made ​​by our hero with an accompanying band The New English Rock Ensemble. The composition of TNERE there were long-time colleagues Rick: vocalist Ashley Holt and drummer Tony Fernandez, and the senior young musicians: guitarist Ant Glynne and bassist Lee Pomeroy (now playing It Bites and the new team of Rick Wakemana son, Adam, Headspace).

In 2003 in this very personal configuration gentlemen went on tour to promote issued a little earlier a good rock album "Out There" . And it works derived from it are the main point of the program are issued album "In The Nick Of Time - Live 2003".Although they were not alone. You should know that all starts with the theme "Catherine Parr" of the famous "Six Wives of Henry VIII" and the rest of the concert we also find many other compositions of the artist's most memorable records. So we heard here include excerpts from the album "No Earthly Connection", the title theme from "Olympic" soundtrack "White Rock", and even here stretched to nearly 10 minutes yesowski about the "Wurm", which is part of the famous composition "Starship Trooper" with "The Yes Album," perhaps the most remembered as a brilliantly executed finale trzypłytowego memorable live album Yes, "Yessongs" (1973).
As I mentioned, most of time for their gigs to promote the album "Out There" took it from the compositions. Well, I must admit that they are strong (in my humble opinion, the strongest) points the entire concert. Though probably be some who are used to study the originals will complain a little different from their vocal interpretation by Ashley Holt (the prototype of a studio singer Damian Wilson).

Someone once counted the albums under the name Rick Wakemana is already a total of 120 (sic). But even the biggest fans of his work, one of the outstanding and timeless probably include a few: "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" , "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth", "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table "," White Rock "," Criminal Record "," 1984 "," Return To The Centre Of The Earth "(me to this list today dorzuciłbym repeatedly cited" Out There "). I wonder which of his concert discs could be classified as the most outstanding. And guess what? In memory I can not find a better and more cross-cutting music collection Wakemana live than be discussed today by me album. Therefore, I strongly recommend release "In The Nick Of Time".

"In The Nick Of Time" is an album that contains material recorded even though nearly 10 years ago, is published in accordance with its title at the perfect time. This lasted just over an hour video shows the rock face of Rick Wakemana. Maybe he really liked, because the concert heard on the album Rick was in exquisite form, and often gave expression to the audience with their masterful kidnapping game for disaster and enthusiastic response. Album is a good review of the best accomplishments of the pianist in the live version as well, especially for beginners in his music, can provide an excellent introduction to his work. The more that the value of this release increases the carefully prepared booklet. It contains not only details of the recording program to fill the album, but a thorough biography of the artist and accompanying musicians, as well as a large, somewhat philosophical essay by our hero, throwing much light on his views on the circumstances shaping it as a rock musician , the sequence of the creative process leading to the formation of the timeless musical works from his participation ...

Music CD to listen to the disc, the accompanying booklet to read. Overall, for fans of Rick Wakemana thing is priceless.

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART: Probably my greatest achievement

Jon Downes writes....

A few years ago someone asked what the main sources of CFZ funding were, and to my great joy I could honestly say that we were able to earn money dressing little girls as Captain Beefheart!

Once upon a time Richard and I wrote the children's page for a tropical fish magazine and the editor (who is now deceased) tended to be the focus for Richard's and my jokes. For years it was an ongoing joke to insert drug jokes, extreme right wing political references and smut into copy to see if he noticed. We made these references as veiled as we could, and much to my great pleasure, we manage to get quite a lot past the editor.

One of the best was the children's fish costume competition for Hallow'een, when we managed to dress my friend Andy's seven year old step-daughter as Captain Beefheart!







And we got fifty quid for the article!!!!!

I thought that you would all be happy to learn that the people behind Gonzo Daily have such high and noble values!

Vanity Fair interview: Grace Slick

Vanity Fair magazine's interview with Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick on aging rock stars, drugs, and life as a painter...

Grace Slick in Vanity Fair

SWEET NOISES THAT GIVE DELIGHT AND HURTETH NOT...

About ten years or so ago a bloke called Andy Billings (now living in Canada but then a resident of the next estate up from the CFZ in Exeter), was a regular visitor to our HQ in Holne Court. He soon became a close friend and the CFZ Computer Consultant, but he is such a nice chap that we looked forward to his thrice weekly visits immensely.

The problem is that he was a teensy bit gullible, and for some reason brought out the worst in me and Richard, and became the butt of our stupid sense of humour. It was - I think - on his first visit that we found him peering at my voluminous and ever expanding CD collection with a worried look on his face...

"Don't you have any normal music?"

He said. We pretended not to know what he meant, and he went on:

"and, who ARE `Gong`?" he asked, "and do you REALLY need 27 of their albums?"

I protested that Gong were one of my favourite bands, and enthused about them so much that he insisted on listening to a track. I played him excerpts from Radio Gnome Invisible and he looked at me in horror.

The game was afoot.

Over the next weeks and months Richard and I would ensure that whenever we saw Andy's distinctive figure walking up the steps to our house, we would put on ever more bizarre peices of music. Eventually we spent several hours a week downloading weirder and weirder things (many way past the grey area that divides the listenable and the unlistenable. To make it even funnier, we made sure that we would sit, listening to the music, clicking our fingers, nodding our heads, and tapping our feet in time with the rhythm (when there actually WAS any rhythm - which in the case of songs like Zyclon B Zombie or Journey through the Human Body by Throbbing Gristle, or In the year of 1963 I was admitted to the Mental Institution by Wild Man Fisher, there usually wasn't.

Thank you for letting me share that.

LINK - 60 Frank Zappa albums to be released

The Zappa Family Trust, in a deal with Universal Music Enterprises, will release 60 Frank Zappa re-mastered recordings, beginning on July 31 with 12 albums....

Read on

Gig Review - Hawkwind in Southampton

From the "Reality Checkpoint" blog, a review of the closing night of the Hawkwind tour...

So, having tucked into my Jubilee street party grub I made my way to Southampton (The Brook) to see the mighty Hawkwind for (maybe) the 26th time (I have lost track). Excellent support was provided by Huw Lloyd Langton (review here). I quite like the new album Onward (review here) and was looking forward to a decent evening in the midst of our four day weekend (thanks your majesty!)..

So how was the gig?

Read on...

CANNED SURPRISE

I always enjoy getting emails from the Gonzo Daily readership. For example Ant from Norfolk sent me this:

Maverick pioneers of experimental German rock in the 70s, Can have earned legendary status with albums such as Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi. And if this wasn't enough, they went on to inspire Kasabian. Oh yes. And the good news for hardcore fans is they're about to release a three-CD box set of previously unreleased material.

Taken from 30 hours of master tapes found while dismantling the band's studio, the resulting tracks – taken from 1968 to 1977 – are not comprised of jam sessions or out-takes but rather finished pieces of music that didn't get used for one reason or another (for more information watch this trailer).

Read on...

I THINK THAT - LIKE ME - YOU SHOULD BE IMPRESSED BY THE CALIBRE OF OUR ROVING REPORTERS

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that both of Davey Curtis' recent Hawkwind gig reviews features pictures from the Middlesborough gig. Well we try for verismilitude here at the Gonzo Daily, so we asked Mr C for any pictures he had from Stamford.

This was his reply:

Dear Jon,

The only pic taken of the errr...Hawkwind gig at Stamford.
The first pint of the day.

Regards Davey C

AUBURN: Another slice of live 'wobblecam' (as Liz insists on calling it)

COMUS: Out of the Coma

The Gonzo Daily recently had a visit from Bobbie from the mighty Comus (who as you all probably know by now are faves of ours). She suggested that we post this version of 'Out of the Coma' from a Helsinki show.

Your word is my command ma'am.