New Halloween tracks from The Snowman Electrical Band feat. EQ/Dynamics

Check out these new Halloween tracks by The Snowman Electrical Band featuring EQ/Dynamics. Listen closely for all kinds of clever samples and musical inside jokes. Happy Halloween, BXT mob!

Snowman Electrical Band artwork and tracklist for Halloween collab with EQ/Dynamics

The Bay Area's Snowman Electrical Band and EQ/Dynamics have teamed up on covers of Capt. Beefheart's "When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy" and Allan Sherman's "My Son the Vampire." The music drops tomorrow! Until then, listen to a mashup of The Smiths and Curtis Mayfield by EQ/Dynamics and watch the BXT-directed video for "Wicked Annabella" by the Snowman Electrical Band.

Snowman Electrical Band "Wicked Annabella"

Starcastle, Second-Children of Prog

“You mean you haven’t heard of Starcastle?”



Bees and Trees homie Bryan Jones said that to me one night with deadpan incredulity when I asked him about the Starcastle album I found in his stacks.

For my money, Starcastle was (is?) a spirited band of good players that suffered from an identity crisis. The band name implies reverence, sovereignty, celestial focus; it indicates faithfulness to the order established by a ruling body or social betters. It sounds real late-70's anyway... with the word "star" and all.



Their eponymous first album (1976) sounds like a Yes cover-band playing Yes songs you’ve never heard before. That's like the best and worst thing I can think to say about Starcastle. Now, if that doesn’t pique your interest, I don’t know what to say to you.

Lots of good Starcastle reading @Schlockmania. Read about the first Starcastle album here.



“Fountains of Light”(1977) and “Citadel”(1978) combine the Yes impersonation with stabs at radio friendliness, mostly by aping the slick, pseudo-prog stylings of Styx.



Read about "Fountains of Light" here.



Read about "Citadel" here.



Click here to check out some live Starcastle via The Luxor Dream blog.

If you ever wanted to hear what Jon Anderson (of Yes) singing for “Audio-Visions” era Kansas might have sounded like, pick up a copy of 1979’s “Real to Reel.” Turns out virtually nobody else wanted to hear that either, so that was it for Starcastle Phase-1, the Classical period. (In fairness, the dude doesn't sound that much like Jon Anderson...)



Whether it was intentional or not, “Real to Reel” cops its title from an obscure 1975 Arthur Lee/Love album called "Reel to Real." This kinda represents another case of Starcastle looking to the rock-n-roll pantheon (the star castle, get it?) for influence.

Some live shows in the mid-eighties didn’t really catch fire. I guess I can see why.



Fans of Classical period ‘Castle won’t wanna miss a weekend alone with “Shine On Brightly,” and “Chronos I.” Both are 2001 CD issues. “Chronos I” features early versions of Starcastle “hits”, plus three other songs previously deemed unfit for release.



“Shine On Brightly” is a live recording of a show in Boston from August 12, 1979. It is also marketed as “Alive in America.” It first appeared in 1999 with the curious title, “Concert Classics, Vol. 5.” Shine on, indeed. Where have I heard that?

In 2007, backed by a cavalcade of keyboard players and percussionists, Starcastle became Studiocastle once more with “Song of Times.” Diehard Terry Luttrell fans may be disappointed that he only appears as lead vocalist on one track. Alas...

Here goes the 2007 version of Starcastle givin' it hell.



The guys in Starcastle certainly had chops, and four albums of original material in five years is a testament to their admirable work ethic. It seems that Starcastle was just always in the shadow of some hot-shot older sibling. The Beaver to Yes’ Wally; the Jan to Marcia’s Styx.



I don’t want to give the impression that I dislike Starcastle, because I like them quite a lot. They’re just right for when I want the sounds of late ‘70’s prog, but am not in the mood to be challenged or to have my mind blown. Starcastle lyrics don’t reference arcane literature or deal with contemporary alienation and dread. The music may sometimes be ponderous, but it isn’t often all that pompous. I like listening to Starcastle at Christmas time in particular. Starcastle music is like Christmas music. It has a specific sound, and sometimes that sound is very appealing to me, more so than the lyrical content or the fact that the music is really not very original.



I don’t have a little brother, but if I did I would want him to be just like Starcastle-- totally in my formidable shadow, but still sort of awesome.

Halloween Tricks

The Snowman Electrical Band was in town over the weekend to learn and record these songs. These Halloween jams are some pretty obscure covers from the 1960s; one by a band of cartoon cats and the other, some adolescent girls of dubious musical ability. 17 hours with the Snowman Electrical Band left nerves raw and phaser pedals ruined. Truly terrifying. Happy Halloween, everybody!


My Girlfriend Is A Witch by theSnowmanElectricalBand

It's Halloween by theSnowmanElectricalBand

GIVE/LOVE is Here Now!

Free copies of GIVE/LOVE ship today!



At a lean and mean 16 minutes, it is the perfect soundtrack for impromptu Christmas parties with your most erudite pals, or when you’re all alone. You’ll feel like mistletoe has been hung on your brain. It’s that good!

Listen to a sample of “I Can't Sleep (On Christmas Eve)” performed by the Snowman Electrical Band, from GIVE/LOVE.

I Can't Sleep (On Christmas Eve) - Snowman Electrical Band

If you haven’t already done so, send us your mailing address and we will send you a copy. For free!

Devendra in Atlanta

Because we are Rock-N-Roll Renegades we drove to Atlanta, (on a Monday night [!]), to see Devendra Banhart. The show was well worth trip, funky and loose. However, I was surprised at how little the crowd danced around or otherwise expressed enthusiasm for the performance. I haven’t seen this much sitting down since the last time I saw the Allman Bros.

Here’s a good video (shot by someone else) of the show opening “Long Haired Child.”

I’ll see you at the next Janelle Monae show.

“Tightrope” from Letterman. This is where it’s at. Wow.

Phish on Phriday

It’s been a while since we’ve done a “Phish on Phriday” post, and truth be told, I thought about bailing on the whole idea. However, this morning I saw this and felt it was too good not to share. This is a video of Phish performing the Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup” on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night. Actually, it’s more like a funny video of a great big Mets fan in sunglasses (?) waving his arms furiously while Phish plays “Loving Cup.” Check him out, watch him go! It made me laugh.


Rolling Stones Week: Phish

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | MySpace Video

High Design

Bees and Trees have made our first foray into web design. We designed and built the website for the Asheville NC band Kovacs and the Polar Bear. Visit the site and listen to their album “Loathsome Teeth.” They are breaking out new material at their shows, so get to one if you can.

Imagine a scene in which two drunk kids in a purple jeep are chasing Dave Matthews around a muddy field. Now, imagine that those kids are listening to their favorite sad song at top volume. Kovacs and the Polar Bear are performing that song.
kovacsandthepolarbear.com

And here is a site that features a picture of the feet of someone in Kovacs and the Polar Bear:
lydia see

Phish on Phriday-- photos by Justin Horne

These are recent photos by Brooklyn-based Justin Horne. He sent them to me the day I finished watching the “Phish: Live in Brooklyn” DVD’s.

“Song I Heard the Ocean Sing,” which opened the first Brooklyn 2004 show, particularly reminds me living in NYC-- but in a good way! This combination of “Waves > Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > David Bowie” from Knoxville 2009 seems appropriate today.



I didn’t see the two Brooklyn shows when they happened in 2004, but Justin Horne did. He has a supernatural level of luck when it comes to getting good tickets (frequently miracles) to sold out shows, like the Brooklyn shows.



Like Mr. Wizard or MacGyver, Horne makes disproportionately cool things happen with what seem like small gestures. Natural principles are corralled and focused by simple means. Horne combines a strong color sense with minimal techniques to make a variety of formal works that deal with chance, transition and transformation.



See more at JustinHorne.com

Let’s Make the Water Turn Jimmy Carl Black

Bees and I just watched the fascinating and scholarly documentary “Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention in the 1960’s,” and we were both struck by the endearing character of drummer Jimmy Carl Black (“the Indian of the group”). It really broke my heart when nearly 40 years after the fact Black expresses his pride over having been a Mother and his confusion over the demise of the group.



Here’s a super cool 1968 instrumental version of “Let’s Make the Water Turn Black” from the German television show Beat Club. I’ve seen a video of them playing this, but I can’t find it anywhere. That’s a shame because while the band plays, Motorhead Sherwood makes a big, messy sandwich onstage while laconically shaking a tambourine. Pretty funny, I thought.



Just so you don’t feel cheated, here’s a nice video of the Mothers doing their inimitable thing in 1968, this time from French television. If you’re a M.O.I. fan you’ve likely seen this, but here goes for the uninitiated…Things to note: Bunk Gardner teasing “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” at the beginning, Zappa’s unique conducting of the band, Jimmy Carl Black holding it all together, and the sheer mind-blowing synergy of the band. The main musical theme here seems to be based on “Sleeping in a Jar.” But, heck, I won’t pretend to know what’s going on. If there are any music theory nerds, (or any other nerds), out there who care to chime in-- I’d love it. I like to learn.

Phish on Phriday

This week I thought I’d share with you some selections from 3-20-1992 in Binghamton, NY. This show was one the first Phish tapes I ever got. Of course, this was before the internet and getting my hands on Phish shows was way more of a catch as catch can type of affair.
So here’s the show opening group of songs, nice tight versions all:
Wilson, Reba, Brother, Glide



My cassette tape only included set one, but that's no reason you should be deprived. Here's Sanity and Harry Hood from set two:

Phish on Phriday

Last week we featured some tunes from 10-16-1994, and this week we’ve got more Fall Tour ’94 stuff for you.



From 11-4 in Syracuse, here’s Curtain>Mike’s>Simple>Mike’s>Tela>Weekapaug from the second set. I’m a big fan of Tela, and I think it’s rad to hear it in the middle of this group of songs. Go Page!

Phish on Phriday

Here we go with the first installment of our new and cleverly titled weekly feature in which we’ll provide some Phish tunes to get the weekend moving in the right direction.

And what better a way to kick the whole thing off than with some selections from my first Phish show: 10-16-1994, Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, TN. It’s a great show replete with relative rarities. My ticket stub is a real sign of the times. In the first place it really is a stub, because someone tore the ticket in half with their hands,(as opposed to scanning it with a laser), and in the second place the ticket itself cost $18.50. Crazy.



Rift and Horn start the show with style. Not rare but still fresh.

Rift, Horn - Phish - 1994-10-16

Also from set one is TMWSIY>Alvenu Malkenu>TMWSIY, which certainly surprised me. I won’t be holding my breath until I hear another one of these.

TMWSIY>Alvenu Malkenu>TMWSIY - Phish - 1994-10-16

Check out how quiet and respectful we in the audience are during the delicate opening of the second set Fluffhead.

Fluffhead - Phish - 1994-10-16

I also won’t be holding my breath until I get another encore like this: Highway to Hell and Harpua.

Highway to Hell, Harpua - Phish - 1994-10-16

Maybe next we’ll get into some more Fall ’94 jams.

“Do Yourself a Favor…”

If you like Daniel Johnston, you will like this video of two kids on the street in Brussels (I guess) singing Daniel Johnston’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances,” complete with mispronunciation of “grievances.”

If you don’t like Daniel Johnston, this won’t mean much to you.

But, if you do like Daniel Johnston, and you watch the video, be sure to stick around until the end for a cool surprise. Also, you’ll have to turn the volume up a little.

Back to Work

I'm not usually a "greatest hits" guy, but I am a liner notes guy. Today I was reading the liner notes of "All Over the World-The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra," and I came upon this bit of wisdom from Jeff Lynne:

"I had a lot of responsibility and it could get intense. But a good kickabout down the road would clear my head. Then, let's get overdubbing."

A kickabout for me and a kickabout for Jeff Lynne are likely to be two different things, but mine is no less good.

"Even Dracula will be there."

Happy Halloween! Bees and I plan to spend Halloween about like we always do. We'll give out candy, watch a scary movie and perform blood rites. In the way of tricks-and-treats, we have this to offer you: "It's Halloween" by the Shaggs. It's our favorite Halloween song. The Shaggs are a group that Frank Zappa allegedly liked "better than the Beatles." And if that's not a legitimate claim to credibility, nothing is.

It's Halloween - The Shaggs

The Shaggs

Halloween Means Big Business for Trees

In case you thought it was only the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead that keeps the B&T Ranch rocking, I’ve been pummeling my brain each morning with the monstrous riffage of Big Business. See, each October I get real excited about Halloween, and Big Business. The two go hand in hand for me. Maybe it’s the shortened autumn days, with everything dying outside that fit so perfectly with all the lyrics about barren earth and grave digging. Whatever it is, my mind was totally blown when I found this video that marries the Big Business tune “Focus Pocus” and the 1920 film “Der Golem” in a wry, Halloween PSA flavored ceremony. Take heed.

The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk, (Part 2)

“LSD is the bomb.” – Sgt. Joe Friday

Justin, over at Siempre La Luna, has composed a brilliant piece of music based on “The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk.” Refreshingly, his composition bears exactly none of the stereotypical earmarks of “acid rock,” and as a result it captures the para-linguistic nature of the LSD experience perfectly. But it doesn’t stop there.

The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk

I am absolutely astounded by the way in which Justin’s composition, also entitled “The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk,” provides such a suitable audio aspect to an idea that I evoked visually with my mandalas. An essential dimension now exists in Justin’s composition for describing the archetypal symbology present in “The LSD Story” episode of Dragnet. Do yourself a favor and go over to Siempre La Luna and read all about the conceptual underpinnings of the music as well as the technical wherefore’s and whatnot’s of it’s composition and arrangement.

Like all of the best and most complex music, “The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk” rewards repeated, and detailed, listening. Genius in its conception, expert in its execution and eloquent in its evocative capabilities, “The Ghost, The Beast, The Chief, The Hawk” will likely provide you with the most transcendent experience of your day. An MP3 of this sonic gem is downloadable at Siempre La Luna.

In order to keep things in (ahem) proper perspective, and to give Jack Webb his due, here are a few words from Joe Friday. Be safe, kids.

Now I've Gone Away

As Trees recently noted, we are living in a 'post-Stamos' era. Anyone over 25 will surely remember Jesse and the Rippers and their soulless cover of "Forever" by The Beach Boys. Unfortunately, for many, seeing the song performed on Full House may have been their first exposure to what is arguably one of the best Beach Boys songs not written by Brian Wilson. I don't blame Stamos especially. If given the chance it would be hard to say no to performing with any Beach Boys incarnation. Let's just say we forgive and truly, finally, forget.

Vivienne Strauss

Inmost Light

NuNuveau

Tina Crespo