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Showing posts from January, 2012

Interview:--> Bill Goffrier (The Embarrassment, Big Dipper)

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" They won't be coming back... but their message will reach us. "  ~ The Embarrassment ~ Once upon a time, in the unlikely trend-setting Midwest metropolis of Wichita, KS, local time-traveler, guitarist Bill Goffrier and 3 of his college buds (Brent Giessmann, Ron Klaus, John Nichols) formed a little group that many fans revere as..."the best band you never heard of"... The Embarrassment . The Embarrassment were one of the original DIY indie bands.  Making tapes in basements and makeshift studios while flooding mailboxes with music.  Leaving phone messages with record labels and getting their share of late night college radio airplay.  And putting in the usual roadwork, of course, playing their way across the country. But despite receiving great reviews from underground music mags and top-crop critics The Embarrassment could never quite swing that elusive BIG record deal.   But they absolutely made their mark. The Embarrassment were a hidden-force

Lost Book Gem: "Endurance" - Alfred Lansing (1959)

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"Let me keep on sleeping F orget that I'm alone. One day of faceless living is 24 hours too long."      --> Angel City <-- In this amazingly true adventure,  Sir Ernest Shackleton and his handpicked crew of 27 men attempt to cross the Antarctic in a 3-masted wooden ship named the Endurance . Alfred Lansing's straightforward telling of the crew's extreme day-to-day living conditions are nothing short of harrowing. What starts off as a journey of exploration quickly becomes an exercise in stayin' alive. (And I'm not talking Saturday Night Fever.) Shackleton observing his men saving one of their boats. Forced to evacuate the ship or risk being crushed by the ice...the crew seek refuge on a moving ice floe. For 17 months, these strong-willed men have death looming over their shoulders. Daily battles with Mother Nature are a constant. No one else knows where they were and no way to call out for help. Fascinating still, was the l

Lost Gem: "Blue Red and Grey" - The Who (1975)

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"I know a crowd who only live after midnight.   Their faces always seem so pale." --> The Who <-- 1975 was a difficult year for hall-of-fame rockers... The Who. Excessive drinking and partying was the flavor of the day...nearly killing Pete and certainly playing a significant role in Keith's destruction. Friction between Pete and Roger had reached a physical point. And John E. was spending money faster than he made it. Plus the silly cheese hit... "Squeeze Box" ...given to radio from "The Who By Numbers" gave fans little warning of the more introspective and often darker songs found on the album. (It was jarringly NOT the party album buyers were expecting and it unfairly got a bad taint. ) Keith, Pete Roger, John E. But this is inspired Who .  This is Pete struggling to draw a line in "real-life" sand ...with the other bandmates bringing the  right weapons to the fight. This one's for the guy sitting in the back

Lost Stream Gem: "Kansas City Confidential" (1952)

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"Are you my friend? Are you my plumber?" --> Iggy Pop <-- "Kansas City Confidential" is a B-movie crime caper ...surprisingly taught and tight in the telling...and very pleasing to the eye. Noir films have always been a guilty-pleasure and this one easily falls in the "better than most" category. A well-executed bank heist causes an innocent flower delivery guy ( John Payne ) to be arrested. Later released, but fired from his job anyway...ex-flower delivery guy goes hunting for the real robbers. Neville Brand & Lee Van Cleef Jack Elam The story is standard noir fare, for sure...with some clever twists. But it is the inspired bad-guy casting that sweetens the shuffle. The bugeyed Jack Elam . The throaty Neville Brand . The mustache-less Lee Van Cleef (looking like Cosmo Kramer ). All younger actors playing the heavies and they steal every scene. "Mask"  -   Iggy Pop /   Beat 'Em Up (2001)    You&

Lost Gem: "Running With The Angels" - Russ Ballard (1980)

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"Engines scream You could hear her shout Look Out!  Look Out!" --> Russ Ballard <-- In the early 70s, British rocker Russ Ballard was providing lead vocals and guitar spank for the classic rock band... Argent . Songs like "God Gave Rock and Roll To You" and the familiar thump, thump,thumping of... "Hold Your Head Up" ... never fail to grab my attention. After leaving Argent, Ballard hit the solo road, writing songs and making records that never quite got enough push. If ya blinked, you might have thought he quietly disappeared and was tucked away neatly into the crowded and oft-forgotten Rock-n-Roll footnote pages... BUT HOLD YOUR HEAD UP BABIES! I wasn't hearing Ballard on the radio much...but I was hearing plenty of RB songs recorded by other famous artists. And it was klassic kool learning who some of them were. Many familiar songs... "Free Me" / Roger Daltrey - "New York Groove" / Ace Frehley - "On