I worked my ass off with the children in Detroit and Highland Park, MI and made my way home. My Fiancé’ handed me a 12″ by 12″ cardboard encased package and I knew it was as good as gold. The new album “Of Gold” came early because I spent the $17 bucks (including shipping) to pre-order it. And even though you can stream it on www.punknews.org I decided to wait for the drop of the needle. The album contains the energy of the live performances, yet allows the listener to appreciate all the little perfections that make Bars of Gold special.
I’ve included some pictures, as well as a promotional poster I designed while listening to the album.
You can order the record at www.frictionrecords.net
P.S. It is difficult capturing a picture of the entire band on stage with a Canon Powershot Digital Camera and decided that a picture of Marc riding a blue heron would work just fine.
Using my other reviews here and here, I’ve concluded that Bars of Gold are rock and roll scientists whose hard-work and love for their craft creates something emanate and beautiful. They helped support Childbite for their Album Release at the Magic Bag in Ferndale on June 19th. Bars of Gold is tentatively releasing their album “Of Gold” on August 24th. The record release concert is being held at Founder’s Brewery in Grand Rapids on Saturday, September 11th. Its $5 dollar entry. You can listen to three songs on their Myspace Page and their new single “The Hustle” at Friction Records website. I believe “The Hustle” is the only song they’ve released online that is fully mastered- however thats just a guess. One thing I’ve noticed about Bars of Gold is undeniably a Michigan band and its something I cannot find the right words to explain. Thanks to www.onethirtybpm.com for linking me here.
Fawn is a solid three-piece band destined for car speakers. My father and I had a discussion about how awesome it would be to have a Fawn CD for our drive to Copper Harbor, Michigan. During Fawn’s performance we kept glancing at each other with smiles. Fawn is exactly the band me and my Father love; its rock and roll with character. Dual female and male vocalists add to Fawn’s character. Also impressive was their drummer (who also drums for Javelin). I am excited to see Fawn again to hear what else they have to offer. You can listen to their music on Facebook here.
The first time I saw Child Bite they were dressed as Rage Against the Machine performing a set of cover songs for Halloween 2009. I could tell that Child Bite was quirky, but really wanted to experience what their music had to offer. I saw Child Bite as themselves when they opened up for Trevor Dunn’s Madlove at the Pike Room in Pontiac. I was surprised that there was no saxophone and only three members on stage, but the music was unexpected reminiscent of art rock or the post-rock genres. From the beginning of their set Child Bite was fast, aggressive and funky. Their album release show was solid and flashier than other performances -the audience loved them. With the $10 entry we were able to choose between CD, Cassette or Vinyl copy of their new CD on Joyful Noise Recordings called “The Living Breathing Organ Summer”. You can buy the album here.
Silverghost is a lovely two-piece creating pop music filled with fuzz and analog synths . I didn’t know what to expect when I saw a floating head move around on the screen behind them until my Dad educated me on the 1974 film Zardos. It was an a strange movie backing the bizarre and intriguing pop songs that emanated from Silverghost. You can download their new EP for free here.
We’ve reimaged the Sunday Idiom a bit and I’ve kept on doing the whole digital illustration-digital art- graphic design thing. It’s a lot of fun, but I keep disappointing myself with the lack of music reviews. Honestly it’s all about the money and disposable income. My fiancée’ just got cut to part time and keeping up with technology to keep the site running, as well as a list of other excuses is growing longer. Things are tight, but that doesn’t mean The Sunday Idiom is going to stop. I am going to continue doing what I love and nothing is going to stop me- not even Michigan’s bleak economy. Things like the Bars of Gold concert review may not happen as often, but they will keep happening. I am going to start school at the International Academy of Design and Technology in August with hopes it will take me down the right path. Top of Page
An Introduction: There are 28 days in February and I am challenging myself and the kids I work with to listen to a different black musician every day. I’ve chosen many that I haven’t fully experienced in hopes it will cause Black History to become an experience for me and my kids. We are in our fourth day of Black History Month and the ingenuity and talent I’ve neglected over the years is blaringly apparent because for me- music speaks the truth.
I’ve decided to bring this Black History project to The Sunday Idiom, as well as my feelings about the music. Attached to the music are also personal stories about how these artists found their way into my life. They may be long winded stories whose importance isn’t much to you (the reader), but these are memories I’d like to remember.
Jazz in my life: In a household of Rock and Roll enthusiasts jazz barely made an appearance. It wasn’t until high school radio class that I found something in the genre that was gravitational. A trio of musicians known as the Bad Plus first sparked my interest with their cover of Kurt Cobain’s “Smells like Teen Spirit.” It was interesting, challenging and a release from the monotonous sound I was being saturated with. Slightly after The Bad Plus’s influence I found myself highly intrigued by my friend Tom who began an early hobby in live-taping- a tradition of recording live concerts and trading them with others. This tradition has been promoted and embraced by musicians for years, but seemed to gain momentum with artists like the Dave Matthews Band, The Grateful Dead, Primus and others supporting the scene. A lot of these bands could be labeled as “jam-bands” but the more I listened to jam-bands the more realized how jazz influenced their styles. I’ve also noticed with time that many modern jazz bands were included on a list of pro-taping musicians and its something both genres have in common. These are naive realizations I came across myself before Wikipedia could answer all questions of thought. Anyhow, I never took it upon myself to explore the roots of the jazz genre and still I couldn’t tell you why.
Discovering and Remembering Billie Holiday: I remember writer David Sedaris reading an excerpt of the Santa Land Diaries on NPR, Sedaris mocked a woman named Billie Holiday when he sung “Away in a Manger”. It was the first time I remember hearing Billie Holiday’s name and I never forgot it. Years later I met my friend Joi in Grand Rapids with whom I could “talk music” with. Joi was the first girl I met who could challenge my knowledge of music and she was more than willing to introduce me to the music she loved listening to. I remember her room vividly, but what I remember most is her Billie Holiday poster. Joi and I never listened to Billie Holiday, but she did introduce me to Cocorosie a band I would later realize was highly influenced by Holiday’s style.
It was in February 2009 when I listened to Billie Holiday that the jazz genre was finally blown open. My Girlfriend and I spent an evening in her cramped kitchen listening to jazz CD’s. It felt perfect, as if we were in a small cramped apartment in New York City. And we listened to a lot of music that night, but it was Billie Holiday that swept me away. I was instantly aware that her voice was unique and irreplaceable. And slowly with time I grew aware of the influences that Holiday’s music will continue to be.
Another sad truth is that I never really researched her history until a few days ago when preparing to present her music. It is deeply disturbing and depressing, especially if you’re listening to her music at the same time. There is a reason Billie Holiday is an icon and her music speaks to me on many different levels. Some of them are more social and political than “musical”, but if you’ve read this far I still have your attention. Firstly there is no reason why women should have to submit to a lineage of patriarchy and sexism. And no reason an artist shouldn’t be able to control and profit from their art.
Olive Garden in Rochester Hills provides satisfying budget American Italian food at a quality level that is to be expected. Entrées Olive Garden offers many dishes that are expected of an Italian restaurant. In addition to that, they constantly offer a new specials menu with unique options. The sauces satisfy, the portions are large, and the variety of choic […]
Papa Vino's on Centerpoint in Pontiac satisfies the desire for authentic Italian restaurant food at a price much less than expected. Entrées With fresh ground pepper, sautéed garlic, and olive oil, these dinners do not disappoint. The food is tasty and filling. Papa Vino’s offers more entrées under ten dollars than most Italian restaurants in the area. […]
Loccino in Troy tries to look like fancy authentic Italian food, but the facade crumbles when the food arrives. Entrées The poor quality of the food stands paramount. Everything about the restaurant portrays fancy authentic Italian, except the food, which is Americanized and cheap while priced as if it’s fancy. Those with a weak stomach would be advised agai […]
