Author Archives: fintan28

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Spill Challenge # ≥ [ x → ∞ ]

Dinosaur Shepherd

Our founder Saint Owsley & Little Ergot

The Asafareans (Ancient Mystical order of the Revered Dinosaur – Lahontan Branch) are once again holding their Memorial Day fundraiser concert at the Fillmore. An over zealous member has booked 11 bands with only 10 spots available. Won’t you, our parishioners, would be parishioners or even barely interested pagans please help us by picking one band to headline & one to go on next years list of hopefuls. Be gentle they’re all great folks &  just want to help others get their freak in order. Remember – Dinos are fond of a large aural space to frolic in so if you have speakers with a large set of woofers it’ll make them smile.  Play thingy on this side to listen to in a blissfully unaware state or play thingy with playlist for those impatient for knowledge on the other side.  Click gently so you don’t disturb the dinos.

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Bay Area Boys

Oakland’s Tumbleweed Wanderers

I  want to share a little new Bay Area music with all of you.   Tumbleweed Wanderers first album ,  So Long , comes tagged as Country & Folk.  I’d say that’s boxing them in.  Their video release of Roll With The Times starts with them shamelessly invoking a Sly & The Family Stone lick to great effect .   Well, that’s neighborhood music for these Oakland boys & I say more power to them.  Know your roots.

They’re fresh off a tour supporting  Australian Angus Stone & already talking new music.  Love the idea of moving it forward.  Here’s a couple of tunes that tickled my fancy.  Hard Times for it’s use of the banjo to set the mood and So Long Blues for it’s fine vocal harmonies & understated instrumentation.  Kinda reminds me of the Dillards.  Full disclosure, the keyboard player is a close friend’s nephew & I got to meet a couple of them when they did the music for her daughter’s wedding a while back.  Nice lads all & I’m wishing them well.  Click on the player for a listen.

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SPILL GAME WEEK 10 : SHRED ONE

A favorite view for years. Looking down into Washoe Valley.

A Perfect song?  Seems to be the consensus there’s no such thing.  I’ll posit though there might be perfect moments ( or as near we humans get).  And isn’t it glorious when that fleeting moment has a soundtrack?  I’ve skied to music for 30 years or so now & each year I start out with a review of last year’s playlists.  I used to have to do this on tape but digital has made it so much easier.   It occurred to me – big bright light this – Hey!  There’s a post’s worth.  So I’ve reduced it down to the required 11 & offer it up for dissection.  Each one of these tunes has provided me with a moment of exaltation that hopefully can be tapped for future use.  When I’m drooling into my own nappy maybe they can point my chair to the mountains, strap on the headphones & I’ll be able to press replay in my head.  So what makes a good ski tune?  Fluid energy, tightly constructed music, lyrics that don’t get in the way & something that can withstand repeat listens usually.  Got a favorite athletic or physical song (hopefully both) ?   Offer it up!  The mountains are calling.  Rules:  Raise one to the summit & leave the other in it’s own sitzmark.  Prime Spill points to the she or he who guesses the all time champion.  List on the other side.

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Spill Challenge #987654-321? What? WHAT?

Noticed there wasn’t a current Spill challenge up so I thought offer this for Wednesday’s entertainment. Let’s look for songs by a favorite artist that don’t fit their usual M.O. If Amy has the Stones doing Gregorian chants I’m calling game over. The farther from what made them famous the better. We all know the rules by now so feel free to break ‘em.

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The Saga of Steamboat Archipelago

Cormorant in upscale neighborhood of the Truckee

Hi, all.  I’ve done a kinda lengthy write up of birds on my local river.  To ease the time here’s a cut I’ve listened to dozens of times this summer while riding my bike.  I’m addicted to my instrumentals playlist for biking. This comes from Renaud Garcia-Fons, who I stumbled upon during the water topic & is now a Fintan household favorite.  See you after the break.


 

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The Spill Weekly Song Challenge #15 – Generations

I’m sure most if not all of us have favorite songs or artists that came to us via someone of another generation. Parents, Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, sons & daughters more than likely have contributed to our musical tastes.  Could be even an older or younger co-worker.  What I’m looking for though is a little more focused.  Songs that someone of another generation has tried to get you interested in & you initially brushed them off.  Could be it was a new musical form you weren’t ready for,  or an old one you ignored ’cause it didn’t seem hip enough.  Maybe you were just too damn busy to pay attention.  Then, bam, one day something clicks & you slap yourself for missing out on something good. Let’s have your grudging best.   There it is & for form’s sake we’ll use 20 years or so as a measure of generations. By now we all know the rules – First past the post owns the artist for that week.  Post ‘em if you got ‘em.

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Far West Coast Social 2011

Marconius7, Fintan28 & Tincanman weigh in on meaty matters

Saturday July, 23 2011 , the first ever (and hopefully not the last) Far West Coast mini-social was held in Maple Ridge, Canada with Marconius7 & the lovely Mrs. Marconius acting as our gracious hosts. It was a gorgeous Canadian evening complete with fine food, excellent beer, scintillating conversation & semi-competent Guitar Hero.

Fintan, Marco & Tin bite into Tears For Fears

A grand time was had by all.  Tinnie tried out for the BC Lions Cheerleading squad.

You should have seen the leg kicks.

Fintan had a major Ginkgo Biloba moment.

Check out that concentration

Marco was caught planning world conquest in his underground lair.

Hmmm? 10 DC5 listings in one week might be obvious

And all 3 found new careers as newscasters for a famous website.

The crack 'Spill news team hard at work

Photos by Mrs. Fintan. Butchered artwork by Fintan28.

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Happy 4th

Lookin' south to Lake Tahoe

Yesterday I was very pleased to enjoy a rare ( last time was 1996) event. One of my favorite ski areas open for the 4th of July weekend. Truly gorgeous day with loads of happy people with that mixture of bliss & stoke only acquired under such conditions. This song came on my player & I paused to take some pictures including this one. Still feeling it this morning & wanted to share. Cheers, Fintan.

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Euphoria Happens

Halftime at the U.S. Naval Academy of a not too interesting basketball game.  You might want to be somewhere else but as a cadet you need to support the Midshipmen team.  Oh, here comes one more boring halftime show to fill time.  Hey these kids ain’t too bad.  Apologies for the sound & shaky video but watch as a group of adolescents steal everyone’s hearts. 

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EOTWQ (& you thought your week was tough)

End of the Week Quints

 

Hope I’m not jumping ahead of the queue but as there appears to not be quiz yet thought I’d give it a go.  I approach this with some trepidation as I had to thrash my last Spill post due to my own incompetence.

1. What was the first music player you were allowed to operate by yourself?  Bonus spill points if you can remember the music.

2. In the picture above is the man the father , the doctor or an insurance agent?  Bonus spill points if you can name the babies.

3.  Is there an artist  you chose on physical appearance alone & do you still sneak the recording out for a listen?

4.  Speaking only of your own internal furnace are you hot or cold?

5. If you’re hot do you seek cold people to warm up or are you looking to start a fire?

If you’re cold do you seek hot people to warm you or are you looking to build igloos?

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Esperanza Spalding

I’m truly not a jazz aficionado. I usually stumble on a piece of jazz I like & just enjoy. One of the nice things about RR & the ‘Spill is I’ve been turned on to some great jazz I probably would not have encountered otherwise. Problem is I have little way of knowing what you here have listened to or discussed already but I’d like to return the favor. Esperanza Spalding is an artist I’ve come upon recently & it turns out she’s from Portland, Oregon where my daughter lives & went to college. Great music scene there. Esperanza was a bass player in a Portland band called Noise To Pretend and now it seems is making her name. Hope you enjoy. The new site is great!

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A Man Walks Into A Bar ( or a Pub or a Saloon or a Bodega or …)

So you’re on the road, spendin’ the night in a strange town. Gotta get up early in the AM but it’s too nice an evening to waste in your room, so you’re out taking in the air when as you walk by a corner a door opens down the street and a well played chord catches you’re ear. Nothin’ but unfamiliar doors down the street but now you think a pint & a bit of song will do. But which one? Careful there’s a 2 drink minimum.

OK, Now what did I do with the keys? Oh, there’s another!

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Evie Part 2

I’m still a neophyte on this blog post doo dah, so I’m sure there’s a way to combine this with my Evie Sands post Below & display the Youtube box & maybe even bring peace to the Middle East but as I don’t know yet, I’m getting ready to go to San Francisco with Mrs. Fintan & I just found this I had to share. The Link below should take you to a clip of Evie on the Johnny Cash show doing an old Ray Charles tune & in my humble opinion she just tears it up. This must have been when she was out promoting the album. Hope you enjoy.

and she likes bicycles
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Evie Sands

May1366′s post on the EWOTW got me thinking about this. If any of this is old news to anyone just think it a chance to listen again. Angel Of The Morning has always been one of those reach for the volume knob & turn it up songs for me. For years I labored under the assumption that Merilee Rush had done the original, but about 10 years ago I stumbled on the story of Evie Sands. Evie had a great voice & was first to some really terrific songs but a combination of bad luck & music industry shenanigans probably kept her from being well known. First up
, from 1965, Is Take Me For A Little While which was out & out stolen from her. Jackie Ross had a hit with it but didn’t know her producer stole it. Second is I Can’t Let Go which got lost in the shuffle of her legal battle over Take Me. The Hollies had a hit with this the next year. Third is Angel Of The Morning which she released in 1967 only to have her label go under just as it came out. Finally in 1969 she got an album release and some notice & I’ve included her cover of the Troggs Anyway That You Want Me from that. Can’t help thinking that with some luck she might have made it Big.
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On The Waters

A few weeks ago when we all heard the news that Rockingmitch’s wife had passed , I had composed a long post on RR that the ether gobbled & I had not the strength to do it again. My wife’s sister Annette had succumbed to MS 2 days before & I had tried for the better part of 2 hours to express my feelings in the post. I felt I had gotten close & didn’t think to save before posting. There’s no way I can get there again but I do remember the music. It’s always the music that delivers. The first 2 songs I won’t post here ’cause it’s going to be awhile before I can listen to them. Annette loved Cat Stevens unabashedly & Into White was the one for her. Yo Lo Tengo’s Tears Are In Your Eyes was for Mrs. Fintan. It’s sentiment & feel is perfect & it’s one of my favorites but It will be awhile before I can play it. The last was Hot Tuna’s Water Song. This version of an already terrific piece of music is from a concert I attended in 1973. They played this about 2:00 A.M. after about 6 hours of different bands. The tenderness of this version is striking & I remember being filled with palpable joy. They say the water washes away all pain & as Mitch is on his way to Watergate Bay (above) I offer this to all here to float away on.
From October 2, 1973 I give you Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Cassidy accompanied by the wonderful walls of Winterland. The Water Song
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WTF

OK. You’ve played the song for the 4th straight time & your room mate, sibling, partner , significant other or a total stranger stops you & says – WTF does that mean. I can’t make out a single word. You look quizical as if to say – words why are they important? The subject is earworms you have no or little idea what they mean & don’t really care, ya keep cueing them up.

First is the song that brought this subject up. My current obsession.

Noir Desir – Le Vent Nous Portera
 I can’t remember how I came upon this but it’s irrestible to me especially the mournful horn near the end.

El Watusi is most likely my first WTF earworm. Used my paper route money to buy the 45 & played it at garage parties. Got away with it ’cause it had a beat & you could dance to. Ya know Dick Clark rules.

Next up a 45 I bought when my room mates were all listening to ‘country rock’ or pretending they had been to Woodstock. Had to play it when no one else was home after awhile. Such an earworm Michael Jackson lifted part of it for Wanna Be Starting Somethin’

Ene Bada is a Basque band that’s played at the local festival a few times. Mrs. Fintan had to request I play it only in my vehicle.

Speaks for itself. Ry Cooder & Dick Clark rules.

Zexie Manatsa -This whole Album is one big earworm & it came to me by way of my daughter’s boyfriend. His stock with me rose immediately.