Catching Up with Klyma

If you haven't yet hipped yourself to the troubadourial delight that is Greg Klyma, here's a few bits of bait. Check 'em out and get hooked!

First of all, listen to a live streaming concert tonight, November 4, 8:00 Eastern. (6:00 my time):

www.wbfo.com

Or you can listen to some of his songs anytime here: http://www.reverbnation.com/gregklyma

And finally, check out klyma.com and buy some CDs. Or better yet, read up on hosting a house concert and buy a CD directly from Greg in the comfort of your own living room.

Liner Notes for "Best of British: A Tribute Concert in Memory of Patrick Flynn

I was recently invited to write a short remembrance of Patrick Flynn, late conductor of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, for the liner notes of the CD of their recent concert including music by Coates, Vaughn Williams, Walton, Holst and Elgar.

The music sounds great: mid-Michigan is so lucky to have such great musicians! Unfortunately, the disc is not commercially available, so I thought I'd reprint my notes here:

A nearly full moon rises from the mountain pass at Pine Creek. A vibrant, rainbow-hued corona surrounds it due to the haze of distant wildfires. From my CD player comes a heartbreaking Adagio of Mozart’s performed by the SBSO in March, 2008. In my mind, I see Patrick drawing out the music – craftfully pulling golden threads from each musician and weaving them into this tapestry of light. It looks like the moon that fills my window in a cabin 1,700 miles from the Temple Theatre and that stage, and that podium. But music created and performed with such passion can erase those miles with a single note. We are able to travel through time and space, through memories and dreams. For a too-short time, Patrick was our guide on this journey.
However, music’s ability to elude time and space means that he’s still with us: In each musician’s fingers, in each listener’s ear, in the hearts of all of us. These golden threads of music are also threads that connect us to each other. We’re all part of the same tapestry, travelers on the same journey.
The Adagio has ended, but the disc you are holding proves that the music, and the spirit of Patrick, the passion he inspired, live on. The moon is now hidden by clouds, but I know it’s still there, as bright as ever.

–Marc Beaudin
The Grizfork Studio, southwestern Montana
August, 2009

The Sinners Hit Strong, Eponymously

During a recent trip to the old stamping grounds of mid-Michigan, I was given The Sinners CD. I tried listening while driving back and forth to poetry gigs, friends’ cookouts and mom’s house, but the stretches of time were too short and full of distraction to really hear. But then on my way back to Montana, I had the vast solitude of the Prairie. It proved the perfect background for really hearing what this CD has to offer.

Somewhere in the middle of North Dakota, with the moon painting marshes and casting ducks and egrets in deep silhouette, I popped the disc into my player and let it wash through the Jeep. When track 14 ended, I hit play again; eager to hear many of the tracks once more. Especially the haunting “Chimney Sweep,” the bopping “Put Me On a Shelf,” and the melodic “Burn for Candy.”

Comprised of Liam McKay on vocals and guitar, Spencer Stege on keys, Joel Choate on bass, and Brian Hansen on drums, The Sinners remind me that rock music can be vital and virile. They deftly prove that you can be bad-ass and subtly poignant from one track to the next. Heart-thumping and heart-breaking from one verse to the next.

For a debut album, the self-titled The Sinners is a great document of a band that’s staking their claim to a tradition of strong writing melded with raw yet deft musicianship. If you wish indy/alt/progressive still meant something before corporate media sunk their vacuous teeth into it, this band will smash your cynicism with a hammer of hope. And one can only hope that this is just the beginning of a long, lyrical trip.

Visit The Sinners online at MySpace.com/LiamMcKay.

Random Mini Review #01

(I thought it might be fun to open my media player, set it to random play, and write a short review of whatever song comes on, no matter what it is. Maybe I'll do this once a week or so. Might be an interesting experiment.)

Song: "Aum/Venus/Capricorn Rising"
Artist: Pharoah Sanders
Album: Tauhid

Drums then sax rising like a rocketship, fighting the jealous grip of gravity, and breaking free with ear-bleeding passion. The aural trip races through pulsars and asteroids with increasing tension and terror until ... everything relaxes, falls into a gentle orbit around a soothing bassline; the coolest of horn and piano (from when cool meant cool, before the West Coast, easy-listening "jazz" players got ahold of it) leads us to the softest of landings, and the song ends.

Great Show at a Great Place

NORTHWOODS IMPROVISERS TRIO
at

FIFI's FRENCH PRESS
203 Broadway
Mt. PLeasant, MI

Thursday March 19th
8PM $ 5

playing 2 sets:

vibes / bass / drums
and
strings, flutes, marimba/bass/drums

Interview with Dave Asher of The Process

[We're trying out a new thing at Three-Mile Spiral: an interview conducted through G-mail Chat. It seemed to work out grandly and I was fortunate enough to catch up with Dave Asher of The Process to discuss his band's work and related issues. Enjoy.]


3-MS: Welcome to Three-Mile Spiral.

Dave: My pleasure, Marc.

3-MS: So, I've been listening to several Process CDs to get ready for this interview; at the moment, Dub Instructor. You guys have built quite a library. Is it fair to ask which is your favorite?

Dave: Well, personally, a favorite is hard to pick. However, I do love the trilogy of CDs we did with Gee Pierce: Craven Dog, Blood and Bones, and Weapons Of Mass Percussion. I guess Blood and Bones captures what we do best though.

3-MS: I know what you mean about having a favorite. My favorite poem is always "the most recent one." ... How did working with Gee come about and what do you think he adds to the projects?

Dave: Well, way back in 1992, when we were working on our 2nd album Baldhead Vex, the production team at the studio where we were working had a falling out. So we went looking for somewhere to finish the project. Gee didn't have a compatible set-up with them, but we kept him in mind for a project up the road and I'm glad we did. His genius is on all levels of production. He is a very exacting but supportive engineer. He draws the best performance out of you in a manner that accepts nothing but the best from you, while being very encouraging.

3-MS: Since you mention Blood and Bones, I have a few questions about that release. First of all, I think it's my favorite, especially "Spread the Money." ... But my question is, as three of the songs were previously released [“Run Them Down” from Baldhead Vex, “Rap Down” from Mystery Babylon and “Rasta Calling” from Live in Los Angeles], I'm wondering what made you want to revisit these pieces?

Dave: Our reason for wanting to redo a couple of those songs was that we felt they could be bettered, production-wise. Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, as well as many other reggae singers have a habit of “reversioning” songs. I was very happy with the new versions. We have some plans to re-cut some other tunes soon, as well.

3-MS: In my review of the DVD (Live at The Vassar Theatre), one thing I noted along these lines was that some of the old songs now felt like fully-realized structures and in comparison, the original versions are like blueprints. Does that make sense?

Dave: Well, the energy seems to come through live. In the studio, you try to perfect things. When you go out live you just play, you know ...

3-MS: Yes, I think with most bands (at least my favorites) it's the live show that really captures the essence of the band. ... With The Process, it seems that this is partly the energy and passion, but another important part is the aspect of theatre. How vital is the theatrical side of your performance in getting your message across?

Dave: Well, funny that you mentioned that. I've just been joined by Bill Heffelfinger [bass/keyboards/programming for The Process] and Seth Payton [of the ska band Stamp’D]! Bill is Mr. Production, you know. But I think the theatrical part of the performance was always there: before the lasers, lights and props. The passion becomes the theater. ...

3-MS: Well, give them both a big hello for me.

Dave: They say hello back.

3-MS: So would you say that the theatre serves to further the impact of your songs ... or are you just having fun?

Dave: You know it’s both, of course!

3-MS: Speaking of Seth, that brings me to Weapons of Mass Percussion, since Seth and a couple of the other culprits from Stamp'D appear on that. ...First question, though, what was the seed of the idea for this record?

Dave: Well, to look at the original concept, our releases were intended (by myself anyway) as a sort of double trilogy: Mystery Babylon and Baldhead Vex were versioned for the Dub Instructor album. It was always my intent to make Craven Dog and then another album and then a dub release, which became Weapons. But in the meanwhile, the Internet happened and then 9-11 and the so-called "War On Terror." These things gave the release a much different shape.

3-MS: Those events seemed to change everything. ... What are your thoughts on the melding of music and political activism?

Dave: Well, to me music is the real weapon of the future. Look at how reggae music helped to raise the world’s awareness of Apartheid and to overthrow it. I have a newspaper clipping I saved with the headline "Marley Music Crumbles Berlin Wall." That about says it.

3-MS: It's like Woody's guitar saying "This Machine Kills Fascists!"

Dave: True, true. ...

3-MS: On Weapons of Mass Percussion, you seem to pull out all the stops; pushing your style out of its normal range (if there ever was such a thing for The Process) and breaking new ground on many fronts. ... Is it your "White Album?"

Dave: I would say Craven Dog is more like that, style-wise. Weapons is like no other record I know of... Maybe it has a debt to Byrne and Eno’s Bush of Ghosts or African Head Charge.

3-MS: Am I hearing some Battlestar Gallactica Cylons sampled?

Dave: Yes. It took forever to clear the samples, that’s why the record took so long to release. It was a year in pre-production, also: gathering samples and sound bytes on the web.

3-MS: Time well worth it: Something chilling happens by mixing Bush with science fiction villainy. It somehow gets to the truth of the situation.

Dave: HAHAHA! So true, it IS unreal. But sadly the truth is stranger than fiction as well. When he says, "A mushroom cloud ..." Wow!

3-MS: I remember distinctly when I heard him say that -- it was one of the most terrifying moments of my adult life. It's that moment when you realize that the pilot of the plane you're on is completely, dangerously insane. ...
Earlier you mentioned Craven Dog. Which brings me to what I'm guessing is one of your most-known songs "Jah Made the Herb." I wondering if you have any comment on Michigan passing Medical Marijuana?

Dave: Well, the people have spoken and people who are truly sick can now get the medicine from a real Doctor. It only seems fair and decent.

3-MS: Amen to that. ...
More of a general question now. Is The Process a reggae band?

Dave: Really, I would say we are a rock band that plays reggae. The reggae ethic drives us though. A do-it-yourself kind of vibe.

3-MS: I'd have to agree. ...
Do Bill or Seth have any comments they'd like to sneak in?

Dave: Ask ‘em something and we will see...

3-MS: Bill: In a nutshell, what's the difference between Bill on-stage, shredding wraith and Bill off-stage, hard-to-imagine guy?

Dave: He says he'll get back to you.

3-MS: Fair enough. ... Seth: Are you ever going to pay alimony for our love-child?

Seth: Not without a DNA test!

3-MS: Bitch. ... Anyway, back to a serious note (or not), Dave, do you have anything you'd like to add, or is there anything we haven't touched on that you want to hit?
(No pun intended)

Dave: You know that’s how I … roll. … Well, I really enjoyed this chat, Marc. It was a lot of fun.

3-MS: Definitely. Thanks for your time. ...
Last question: If you had the chance to speak directly to these three people, what is your message for Bush, Obama, and Bob Marley?

Dave: To quote Proverbs Chapter 12, Verse 2: “A good man obtains favor from The Lord but a man of wicked intentions, HE will condemn.”

3-MS: So justice will come?

Dave: In Jah's time and on HIS timetable.

[Check out The Process here.]

"Closing Doors: Demise of a Small Record Store"

My friend Mike Johnston of The Northwoods Improvisers sent this my way. It's Tim O'Brien's wonderful and tragic documentary about the decline and death of independent record shops, featuring Mt. Pleasant's New Moon Records.

Closing Doors: Demise of a Small Record Store

Watch it. Heed its warning. And for god's sake, I beg you, stop shopping at the corporate mega-stores! So what if the local, independent folks have to charge a little more: it's a small amount to insure the survival of a true human culture. At Walmart and cronies, the product is you.

'Journey into the Valley' Reviewed on All About Jazz

Journey into the Valley
Faruq Z. Bey with the Northwood Improvisers | Entropy Stereo (2009)


By Clifford Allen

"Though in the jazz world, Detroit and southern Michigan often get the most credit for producing Hard bop talents like Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan and the brothers Jones, there has long been a slow-burning fire of free improvisation and creative music tapping into the Motor City's pulse. Reedmen Faruq Z. Bey and Skeeter Shelton, both onetime co-leaders of the Griot Galaxy, are longtime members of the region's new music community. A somewhat younger set (but not by much) are the Northwoods Improvisers ..." [READ THE FULL REVIEW]

(A review of their song "Rwanda" can be found here.)

Hotshot’s Boy Done Grow’d Up: The Panderers, "Hotshot’s Boy" EP

You can hear the roots buried firmly in this coal-miner/tobacco farmer’s son as Scott Wynn and the Panderers hit you fast and strong with the five songs that comprise Hotshot’s Boy. The liner notes explain that Wynn’s “one-eyed, 8th-grade educated” father was called Hotshot. I can imagine the wiry, hard-working men of the Appalachians, calling out with coal-dust voices, “Hey, Hotshot’s Boy, tell yer daddy the next round’s on him and it’s Jack’s ‘r better to open!”

The opening track, “Come On,” is irresistible. You can’t not move and groove and bounce and flounce and smile all the while listening to it. Tracks two and four, “Dig” and “Shane” seem to take you down somewhere darker; perhaps those coal mines, perhaps the soul of a man with hands hardened by hammer and plow, heart hardened by – what else? – a woman. My favorite track, partly because it’s just a bad-ass tune and partly for personal reasons (i.e. a woman), is the hump-track, “Montana.” The closer, “Mirrorball,” feels like more of an afterthought or an inside joke. It’s not a bad song, it just doesn’t seem to mesh with the rest of the disc; though I admit, it’s growing on me, especially the haunting, string-like, synth-work.

All-in-all, this quick intro. to The Panderers goes on my top-shelf for it’s spare, raw, tough, stripped down playing, and the ambiguous and fresh lyrics. Grab your copy soon, I guarantee it will hold its place on your top shelf, right between The Raconteurs and Hank Williams.

Check out The Panderers here.