Chalkhills Digest Volume 16, Issue 9
Date: Friday, 6 August 2010
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 16, Number 9
Friday, 6 August 2010
Topics:
keen pugwash tune...
Ape house web site
I been Botherated!
Andy on Lovelines
Dear God That's Funny
Partridge/Keneally collaboration
Classic XTC video
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:40:46 -0700 From: becki <ziglain@earthlink.net> Subject: keen pugwash tune... Message-ID: <C8622B6E.F14%ziglain@earthlink.net> greetings 'hillians, a nod of thanks to long-time-subscriber-first-time-emailer jon heal for posting the video of pugwash (and our illustrious dave) at the lexington on april 28th. must admit i'd not spent that much time listening to pugwash before, but wow that "here" tune is a beautiful little pop gem. after repeated viewings, i'm still unsure how they pulled off the strings sound. was dave managing this on his guitar, or was there an actual keyboard player to the side of the stage we couldn't see?? yep, i'll definitely be checking out more of their stuff. and so keen to see our dave playing out in the world, we all miss you man... --becki
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:25:56 +0100 From: Robert Wood <robert.wood@apostrophe.co.uk> Subject: Ape house web site Message-ID: <4C4025A4.3060703@apostrophe.co.uk> Was interested to read Todd's email about Andy's new album. Great to have something new from Andy. I was appalled at absolutely terrible standard of English on the website itself with schoolboy errors such as: "...you'll be automatically entered in a competition to win Andys original drawing..." "Fuzzy Warbles 4 Look what your missing on this disc." Looks very poor indeed. Rob
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:05:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com> Subject: I been Botherated! Message-ID: <814875.9983.qm@web32008.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi: Okay, lately my posts here have all been pitches for interviews and other stuff at the XTCfans MySpace site, but I've just heard an album so stunning ... so innovative ... so life-changing ... that I must tell you all about it. Some of you will remember music journalist Dom Lawson for his erudite and witty posts here. Well, not only does Dom like Heavy Metal more than you (he really does), but he plays it better, too. How do I know? I've been spinning a silver platter called "Botheration" by Dom's group Oaf for the past couple of weeks now, and have really been enjoying it. Oaf is (okay, British friends, *are*) a duo, comprising Dom on bass and vocals, and James Rayment on drums and "surprise vocals." How can a band of only bass, drums and vocals fill up a satisfying sonic space, you may ask? They do it very well, thank you. Dom's bass style emphasizes the fact that his four-stringed instrument is a bass *guitar*, entirely capable of having more than one string played at a time, and his use of effects like fuzz give the instrument a character not usually heard from conventional bands. That said, it's all still in the bass register, so there's plenty of high end left in the sonic spectrum, leaving room for James' excellent, conversational drums and cymbals to really breathe and shine. Dom's vocals are mostly the shout-y type (after all, he likes Metal more than you), but on songs like "The Black Whale" (an ode to Peter Hammill), he shows that he can sing quite well. Even the shout-y bits are pitch-specific a" to the untrained ear, it might just sound like yelling, but every Metal fan knows that it's singing in its own right a" and delivered with a deep, throaty confidence that draws you in and makes you want to shout along. As for the lyrics, they're as aggressively funny as his posts here have been, ranging from the hilariously offensive and insightful "I'm Retarded" (all of us know someone we'd love to sing this song to) to the offensively profane "Wanking with a Handful of Shit" (which Dom footnotes with "apologies to our younger listeners," but which still contains a chorus so catchy that you find yourself whispering it to yourself, since it's not exactly the kind of thing you'd sing out loud in polite society ... unless you're Dom, of course). There's also the amusing and apocalyptic "No More Tickets to the Time Machine" and the self-deprecating songs "Giant Ballbag" and "Tiny When Erect," all of which hold a mirror up to a self-obsessed and destructive society. Finally, there's even an XTC-ish singalong at the end of the sole cover song on the album, "Living on the Ceiling," written and originally recorded by Blancmange. The music itself is aggressive and frenetic, with plenty of cacophony to offset the catchy melodies lurking beneath the froth. There are also lots of rhythmic punctuations and odd time signatures to keep you on your toes, and if you're like me and listen to this while driving, your steering wheel will have to put up with a lot of punishment while you play along with a big idiot grin on your face. In other words, I highly recommend this album to anyone who likes an interesting and unique blend of Metal and Punk with their morning coffee, afternoon ale or evening spirits. If you're the delicate type who prefers Folk or Wimp Rock with confessional lyrics, stay far, far away. But you probably knew that by now, right? You can find samples for your musical enjoyment here: http://www.myspace.com/oafuckoff As well as musings from Dom here: http://domlawsonlikesheavymetalmorethanyou.blogspot.com and here: http://twitter.com/Dom_Lawson -Todd P.S.A By way of disclaimer, I should divulge that the album also contains a sensitive ballad titled, "Todd Bernhardt is a Friend of Mine." I've never been prouder, and can now die a happy and fulfilled man.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:55:27 +0700 From: Tom Yates <thomyates@gmail.com> Subject: Andy on Lovelines Message-ID: <AANLkTimZdEV2P6zv7SZ74M_yCrf_=PkZDh8sgGwQ9vA2@mail.gmail.com> In my search for old episodes of lovelines, look what I came across! An hour and a half of Andy helping the boys out trying to clear up adolescent callers' confusions about sex and stuff, from 1992, on the promotion tour for Nonsuch. Enjoy! http://files2.llarchive.com/1992/
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:28:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Versaci <michael_versaci@yahoo.com> Subject: Dear God That's Funny Message-ID: <488386.98367.qm@web30908.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Folxtc, This is hilarious even without the XTC shout-out near the end. http://www.break.com/index/door_to_door_atheists_bother_mormons.html - Mike
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:40:25 -0400 From: "Scott N." <sgot@busydigits.net> Subject: Partridge/Keneally collaboration Message-ID: <32247141.12366.1280508025669.JavaMail.servlet@pustefix135.perfora.net> Hello Upchalkers! -> From the lastest Keneallist, the Mike Keneally e-newsletter: "In the misty future dep't: ... [I'm] In the planning stages to record an album-side-length suite based on the music I've written with Andy Partridge over the last few years (which I'd love to release next year on vinyl and download)..." I'm soooo looking forward to this! Scott N.
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 12:50:36 -0400 From: "Stacy Carson" <stacy@himby.biz> Subject: Classic XTC video Message-ID: <ED40B2BE93864ED0AAED72A924842FB7@Himby> Check this http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2010/08/05/xtc-at-the-manor-towers-of-london-bbc-documentar/ out! I had no idea it existed. How very awesome. Thanks, Stacy Carson http://himby.biz
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #16-9 ******************************
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