"WE LIVE IN THE SIGH OF OUR PRESENT..."

Not Beyond All Conjecture

December 10th, 2011
John Ashbery

Oblivion scattereth her poppy, and besides
it’s time to go inside now,
feed the aggressive pets, forgive our trespasses
for trespassing against us.

Other times
monotony is like a cave, the air is fresh,
tedium tonic.

We lie in a museum of helpful objects,
leaning toward the accomplishment of a small,
complicated task, like sailors in rigging.
Something no American has yet achieved.

"SHE SINGS LIKE SHE RUNS..."

philip used to sit in stair-wells & practice his guitar. of course, it was a way for him to meet tourist girls out on p'beach but i will say he always sounded good w/that echo amplifying his voice & finger-picking.

these girls sound pretty good too. neko posted: "wow! that just made me bawl my eyes out. what beautiful singers! i'm not worthy...holy god! they broke the shit out of my heart!" i remember watching neko cry when jesse winchester sang "sham-a-ling-dong-ding' on elvis costello's show. seeing beauty weep because of beauty is quite a sight to behold.

these are canadian school kids & this song really speaks to that experience in a lovely way. their school in peterborough ontario is being closed & this is a kind of protest.

here's where you can get that story: http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-break-neko-case-s-heart-sing-star-witness-like-angels

enjoy.

"AIN'T NO GOD IN MY HOUSE..."

their new album el camino is on my top albums list of 2011. they keep finding & exploring variations to their fundamental equation which adds depth & range while staying true to the original project. their unwavering devotion to that project is the first step on the visionary journey they began back in akron, ohio in 2001.

enjoy.

COCO ROBICHEAUX RIP

my last time in the city of my dreams i sat w/mr robicheaux in molly's. we took turns buying each other shots of tequila for several hours. he talked about fess & booker & earl king & cosimo. he invited me to lunch(someone else was buying)but i declined, knowing that i was headed for a tequila-induced nap.

sitting there w/mr wu the cat as our only audience & the decatur st morning slowly unfolding outside the large open street window of molly's, i simply listened to coco spin out a non-stop monologue about everything i love.

what a gift.

http://offbeat.com/2011/11/26/coco-robicheaux-passes-after-collapsing-on-frenchmen-street/

HOW I LOVE THEM OLD SONGS...

there's not much out there of mickey video-wise & i just stumbled onto this gorgeous piece at the no depression website. it covers all of the bases, as far as his appeal to me goes: voice, lyrics, & emotive delivery w/quiet grace & power. o, & he's doing it live too.

enjoy

"BURN ANY KNOT WITH A KISS"

this is black dub.
that's daniel lanois, brady blade, & daryl johnson laying down an incredible groove for trixie whitley to slip & slide along w/jaw-dropping intensity. there's quite a story behind these folks working together(it has a lot to do w/ms. whitley's father, the late, much & deservedly lamented, chris whitley). i'm just going to let this beauty speak for itself.

enjoy.

JOE FRAZIER RIP