Tom et Mia

I know next to nothing about this, but it seems to be about a CD-book project, fine young school kids and John Greaves is singing. That's good enough for me, but I'll copy the info from YouTube for your pleasure:
"création d'un livre-disque avec 116 collégiens.
projet conçu par géraldine Aliberti et Vaidehi Nota
Avec : Artistes :
Géraldine Aliberti, Anne-Lise Boutin, Johann Molitor, Khalid K, Olivier Salon
Musiciens :
chant : Rosemary Standley (Moriarty) & John Greaves
instruments : Illya Amar, Antoine Berjeaut, Boris Boublil, Aurélie Branger, Maeva Le berre, Sébastien Miglianico, Séverine Morfin"

John Cale & Band Live

Now listen kids, in the old days we had almost no rock and pop on the telly! At least true for Norway. That´s why we were very happy when our NRK started broadcasting the German Rockpalast shows in the 70s and 80s (yes that is 1970s and -80s for you all). Run on over here to see who played.

The album "John Cale & Band Live" (MIG 2010) passed below my radar last year. Here we get one CD with John Cale and band from 1984 (David Lichtestein (dr), Andy Heermans (bass), David Young (g)), and one CD with John Cale solo from 1983, both recorded at Rockpalast.
This album is a real treat for Cale fans, with different versions of songs from the early solo albums , and the usual cover songs ("Streets of Laredo", "Heartbreak Hotel"). The band album is aggressive in front of a rowdy audience, and the solo album is more relaxed of course (?).

If you have not heard John Cale´s albums "Vintage Violence", "Paris 1919", "Fear", "Slow Dazzle" and "Helen of Troy", please check them out before or after you listen to the Rockpalast recordings. Also look for another live solo performance called "Fragments of a rainy season" (1992). A great album, and I´m glad I attended Cale´s concert in Oslo on that tour!

Lol Coxhill: Ear of Beholder

Lol Coxhill´s album "Ear of Beholder" was originally released as a double LP on Dandelion in 1971, and has been out on CD too (first (?) on See for Miles in 1994).
A remastered, double CD edition is now out on Esoteric Recordings (27 June 2011). Extra tracks on this version are the A- and B sides of two singles released by Coxhill and David Bedford in 1971 and 1972.

Robert Wyatt plays drums on one track ("A collective improvisation").

Let´s celebrate by going swimming with Lol.

Oslo - Tokyo Connection

Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug visited Tokyo this February(2011), to represent Oslo at the "Oslo  - Tokyo Connection" at the club SuperDeluxe.
Now hold on to your toupees, here comes Nilssen-Love with Akira Sakata (alto) and Michiyo Yagi (koto) and then with Lasse Marhaug (electrickery) and Nisennenmondai drummer Sayaka Himeno.

Stanley Brinks and The Kaniks

Any fans of Stanley Brinks (from Herman Dune) visiting? He has recorded an album called "Jamaica Inn" at a lighthouse outside Egersund in Norway. It´s released on the label Hype City (2011). Musicians are: Stanley Brinks, Erlend Aasland, Olav Christer Rossebø, Staale Holgersen, Ingemund Askeland and Kjetil Lundø (they play all kinds of string instrument and trombone).
The music is a mix of all kinds of styles, like bluegrass, country, calypso, jazz and probably other styles too, and (this may scare some of you!) you will probably start humming, or even sing along to the album. Both LP and CD available from
Robot.

I heard them do a midday concert in Sandnes (Norway) a couple of days ago, and they were magnificent, this time with Clemence Freschard in the band too. The songs sounded even better live,and Stanley Brinks was a sight, walking around with a cup of coffee, sitting down at the tables singing, and even emptying a vase when thirsty (not to be recommended I think).

Phonophani - "Nold" (Live)

Phonophani - "Nold" (Live) from Material Vision on Vimeo.

Phonophani (Espen Sommer Eide) Live from the 2011 Présences Électronique Festival, Paris. Video and sound by François Bonnet INA/GRM.
Amazing!

Seasons They Change

I have hardly read a music book with so many artists I have never heard about, but I did it! The music: Acid-, psychedelic-, alternative-, avant. or freak folk? You name it, but be a bit careful with "freak folk" (some artists don't like that).

If you are more than a little interested in music in said areas, "Seasons they change. The story of acid and psychedelic folk" (JawBone 2010) by Jeanette Leech, is probably the book for you. Most of you know Joanna Newsom, Vashiti Bunyan and Devendra Banhart, but in this book you get the full story of several waves of alternative folk music, mainly in USA and Great Britain. Leech is also visiting other countries (I never knew "Krautfolk"!) and even Norwegian Oriental Sunshine (with Ozark Mountain Daredevil Rune Walle) is offered some space "Dedicated to the birds we love" (1970).

The book is interesting and quite good, but it is a little bit of too much of everything for this reader. More on fewer artists, would have helped me at least, but the book really made me want to check out several releases! I still have not seen the movie "The wicker man" (starring Christopher Lee),or heard the soundtrack, but I bought my first album with The Holy Modal Rounders!

The index is fine, but I really would have liked a full discography here!