Archive
Breakfast with the Beatles
Food sculptor Paul Baker has taken food art to a new realm with a rendition of the Abbey Road cover made entirely out of British breakfast foods. Brilliant, eh? (via Dangerous Minds)
Springsteen’s Tribute to Clarence Clemons
by Cat Johnson
The other day we threw the latest Bruce Springsteen album, entitled Wrecking Ball, on the stereo and a conversation ensued about who it was playing the saxophone. A look at the liner notes revealed that the sax work on two tracks was the last recorded work of the late, great Clarence Clemons who passed away in 2011. It also revealed something that made me tear up a bit, and if there’s something I try really hard not to do, it’s tearing up at Streetlight. Especially over liner notes. But every once in a while something comes around that reminds me that we are more than this life. We are more than our work, and our stuff, and our drama; that there is a connectedness between us that transcends earthly chatter and exists on another plane. The last page of the notes has a tribute to Clarence from Bruce. It is touching and sweet and if you’re not in a place that you feel comfortable tearing up, you might want to save this for later. Here it is:
“…standing together we were badass, on any given night, on our turf, some of the baddest on the planet. We were united, we were strong, we were righteous, we were unmovable, we were funny, we were corny as hell and serious as death itself. And we were coming to your town to shake you and to wake you up. Together, we told an older, richer story about the possibilities of friendship that transcended those I’d written about in my songs and in my music. Clarence carried it in his heart. It was a story where the Scooter and the Big Man not only busted the city in half, but we kicked ass and remade the city, shaping it into the kind of place where our friendship would not be such an anomaly.
…I’ll miss my friend, his sax and the force of nature that was his sound. But his love and his story–the story that he gave to me, that he whispered in my ear, and that he gave to you–is going to carry on.
Clarence was big and he made me feel, think, love and dream big. How big was the Big Man? Too fucking big to die. You can put it on his gravestone, you can tattoo it over your heart.
Clarence doesn’t leave the E Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die.”
-Bruce Springsteen
Best Songs About Weather: March Madness Style
by Cat Johnson
This time of year there’s a lot of talk about brackets, underdogs and who’s advancing to the next round. It’s a time for fans to rally around their favorites and showcase their ability (or non-ability) to pick winners…such as “Good Day Sunshine,” “Purple Rain,” “Here Comes the Rain Again” and “Summertime.”
Yes, that’s right. The Weather Channel’s Best Weather Songs Tournament is well underway and it’s not too late to get involved by voting for songs that are a thunderclap above the rest.
Thanks to our mailcarrier Mark for the tip.
Boostive In-Store: a Photo Recap
There’s no way around it. Boostive tore the roof off the joint the other night. In celebration of First Friday, the local dubhop band played an in-store set that had people pouring in the door, dancing in the aisles and bobbing their heads in delight. There is no doubt that these guys are going to make quite a splash in our little beach town. If you’re already a Boostive believer, catch the band’s next show at the Catalyst on March 8.
Photos by Brian Crabtree of Blank Productions
Is That Tether Horse Playing in the Dollar City Window?
Yep, sure is. Check it out.
Slumber Party played too.
And someone named Pajamarama who had Gizmo attached to her jammies.
Film Footage of Robert Johnson?
Rare footage shows a delta bluesman playing guitar on the street. Is is Robert Johnson? It doesn’t seem likely, but there is little, if any, footage of the early delta blues musicians, so it’s a valuable (and very cool) find regardless.
And as a hat tip to Robert Johnson, here’s an animated video of “Me and the Devil Blues”
and “Crossroads.”
10 Seconds of Every Hit From the ’70s
by Cat Johnson
Yes, it’s true. Nat Roe of WFMU in Jersey City, New Jersey has pieced together 10 seconds of every hit song from the ’70s…and the ’50s and ’60s too. He’s going to take on the ’80s in a few weeks. Color me impressed by his dedication to provide for us a wormhole to the radioland of the past. And, as if the music alone weren’t enough, Nat was kind enough to include his thoughts on MP3′s, time travel, data and non-directionality. Here’s an example:
“The appearance of time is an illusion of perception. Lift the veil, my friends. All songs are being played in all orders forever in all directions. Furthermore, they are being remixed in all conceivable ways all at once.”
Head over and check out the project. But I must warn you, it is a total time-suck. Think of all the hits of a decade, pieced together, one wonderful year at a time. As one commenter said, “This shows that 10 seconds is actually a pretty long time.”
It’s the Shoes!
Shoes that make music? Sounds like the recipe for an interesting afternoon.
Anybody given these a spin?
.
And an old favorite…Breakdancing Baby!
Free Drive-In Movies at the Felix Kulpa Gallery
UPDATE: Due to rain, this event was postponed. As soon as we have a new date scheduled, we’ll let you know.
IT CAME FROM STREETLIGHT!!
This fall we’re previewing a new series of events that will start in earnest next spring: Join us for free outdoor showings of classic B movies and 1950s and ’60s sci-fi at the Felix Kulpa Gallery. Bring your own chair for a night of thrills and chills!
First screening: Teenagers from Outer Space, 1959
A classic alien invasion flick featuring flesh-melting ray-guns and giant killer lobsters. An amazing and terrifying combo!
When: Saturday, November 5th 2011, 8PM
Where: Felix Kulpa Gallery, in back of Streetlight Records
FREE! To get in, just bring a Streetlight receipt from within the last month.
Please bring your own chair or pad to sit on.
The Sound of One Hand Playing
by Cat Johnson
I find that the best way to learn about classical music is a little at a time. It’s a vast genre that spans not decades, but centuries, and it can be a bit overwhelming to get familiar with all the composers and artists. But, it’s a genre full of stories: tragedies, comedies, adventures, outrageous characters and love, and once you know the stories surrounding pieces or composers, the music becomes easier to get a handle on. In a recent interview I did with concert pianist Adam Neiman, he said, “Knowing what you’re listening to is half the battle.”
French composer Maurice Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand (written between 1929 and 1930) is a dark and lovely piece that was commissioned by Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein after he lost his right arm in World War I. Hailing from a family of means and influence, Wittgenstein commissioned a number of composers to write music for him to perform, including Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev and Benjamin Britten. Ravel’s Concerto is the most famous of all the works.
As the story goes, Wittgenstein wasn’t that into the piece when he first heard it; too rhythmic and jazzy for his taste. He grew to love it, though, and now the Concerto is forever linked to him and his story.
An interesting side note: Ravel was adamant that this piece was only to be played with one hand. But after he died, some people not only performed it playing with two hands, but even recorded it. Seems like cheating to me.
If you want to learn more about classical music, come in and talk to our classical guru Rob Z. He has stories for days and is a constant source of information and insight into classical composers and artists.
Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand is pretty long, but here is Elisso Wirssaladze playing the first half of it so you can see what it’s all about. The piano comes in at the 2:31 mark.
And here’s Wittgenstein playing it, though video camera’s were before his time, so you get photos rather than a video of him playing.
