Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.
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Music
I've had a pretty complex relationship with music over the years... ought to write about that sometime. Anyways: I listen to a lot of it, in genres like "rock" and "pop" and "folk", and play some of it, primarily in the genres "old-time" and "classical".
So, so much fun to find a Dylan lyric in a Spanish language text!
Remorseful at the news, there were a few of the men who wanted to call an emergency union meeting, to see what could be done; but the union leaders were in Antofagasta, waiting to meet with the provincial authorities. They would not be back until after Christmas. And then others, the most political, the ones who knew something was happening, but weren't sure just what -- in a low voice they were urging that we take the dynamite which the patizorros had cached (in case the strike lasted too long, and the military was called in -- they had seen that happen in other salitreras), and attack the guards head-on. But in the end common sense reigned, the decision was just to keep watch and make sure they didn't do Maguita any harm.
Mountain Station's practice yesterday was a lot of fun, here are some highlights. Our faces are more visible than in many previous tapes, which may be an asset or a detriment.
Was not able to hook up with John this weekend for a Dress Rehearsal Rags session... I tried taping some of my fiddle practice. Pretty pleased with the results.
See what you think -- it is a pretty free-associative groove spinning off from some traditional fiddle tunes.
posted afternoon of March third, 2013: Respond ➳ More posts about Fiddling
So I'm hereby formalizing what's been going on for the past couple of weeks -- Every time John and I practice this year I want to tape it and upload some highlights to you tube...
This week's session was a lot of fun, although the placement of the tripod and the lighting arrangement could both have been a little, even a lot, better. A rockin jam -- the best part was when John forgot to bring our gig book -- and I'm getting better at editing the tape.
Prodigal Son (take 2)
tuning
Stop Breakin Down
Arms of Love (Robyn Hitchcock)
Harvest Home
My Bonnie jam in D
Little Ditches (Mike Cross)
The Sailor's Hornpipe
tuning
Simple Pleasures (Kimberley Rew)
posted morning of February 24th, 2013: 2 responses
In later years music historians would speak of the Lonesome Nickel tapes as the birthplace of the Mountain Station sound.
Lonesome Nickel:
Circle be unbroken -- traditional
Green Eyes -- Coldplay
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll -- Bob Dylan
conversation
"ten little monkeys" jam
500 Miles -- traditional
God-damn Lonely Love -- Drive-by Truckers
Lonesome Nickel -- Jeremy Osner
Lonesome Nickel 2:
That's Alright, Mama
Clean Break
Lonesome Nickel
posted afternoon of February 10th, 2013: 6 responses
According to a 1955 assessment of the Library's manuscripts for the Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology Academia Sinica (Taipei, Taiwan, 1958) by art historian Li Lin-Ts'an, "The Yunnan Province was famous for Yunnan pines. Their wood, after being set on fire, liberates a soot which is easy to collect. This soot, when mixed with some glue and water, forms an excellent ink. During winter, the leisure season for farmers, the [Naxi] sorcerers, without any farming work to do, sat down by their fireplace and using a bamboo pen dipped it into their ink while humming to themselves, and they began to write a Sacred Book for pleasure or for some special festival usage."
Mr. Li wrote: "The books for sacrifices to those who committed suicide from frustrated love are the most romantic and poetic of the [Naxi] people. The [Naxi] youth all believe that at the upper part of the Jade Dragon Mountain, just under the white snow peaks, there is a wonderful land, with thousands of kinds of flowers covering its fields, called 'The Kingdom of the Suicide Lovers.' If any couple, who because of love frustration, climb to this wonderful place and kill themselves, they will never part from each other again and will keep their youth and beauty forever, and will be happy always."
Mr. Li reported that 440 of the volumes in the Library's collection were for funeral ceremonies. "This great number is due to the fact that the [Naxi] people look upon death as an affair of great moment." The Naxis believe the soul goes immediately to hell. One of the Dongbas' primary duties is to lead souls out of hell. Another 74 volumes were used for divination, wrote Li. "The [Naxi] people are a tribe whose members like divination above all other things."
Hm, haven't posted any fiddling in a while. Here is me playing an arrangement of "This land is your land" by Woody Guthrie.
Mountain Station played a song today at the Saturday Afternoon Song Swap in Millburn, and it was a lot of fun. Highlight of the afternoon was (maybe) the song (by a musician whose name I did not catch, rats) based on a Chinese funeral scroll that I need to find out more about.
posted evening of February second, 2013: 1 response
