Uncle Dave's House of Useless Crap

Good News Travels Fast

This sent to me by Will Soderberg:

re-posted from the iheartnoise bullboard...

"I'm not sure of the project name and I don't want to get it wrong:

Four seasoned experimental and noise folks had a set together. It was
Adam, PBK, Will S., and a forth man I did not recognize (I believe he
was from Cincinnati). I was thrilled to see all four of them together,
as each had an air of authority. The set seemed fascinatingly
convoluted as each member contributed in a unique way. The man from
Cincinnati played a string instrument with a lighter (unlit) and a
keyboard, Adam had his 8-bit-porno case open, Will had his laptop, and
PBK had his stack of stuff and a turn table (I think! It was hard to
see from where I was sitting.); and it was just beautiful to watch.
Many gave them a standing ovation, and all four posed for a picture
after the set to punctuate the idea that this was a great moment."

~sinmantyx

This is describing the de fenestra show in Flint last Friday. Naturally I am "the man from Cincinnati."

Moogulatin' at the Elbow Room in Ypsi

Went to see Kalamazoo's Dr. Xeron and the Moogulators at the Elbow Room tonight. They played at the bottom of a three band bill which was led by Captured by Robots, whom I didn't see. In fact as this is written they probably haven't even played yet. It was a very good crowd for a Wednesday.

The Dr. Xeron was highly visual and theatrical, incorporating ideas which reminded me of The Residents, Sun Ra, Stockhausen, what have you. It was like characters from a Robert Heinlein story beamed down from another galaxy and playing the Elbow Room, attended by the countenance of the Elbow's dayglo poster of Elvis. The music was ultra-spacey, weird and not mixed too well by the house soundman. He put a mike on a small siren which easily could've been heard in the room with no help from the PA. When it was on it dominated everything, naturally. But he didn't have an overhead mike on the drums - I would've liked to have heard the cymbals and high toms. You couldn't hear the drums well at all, and sometimes the therimin was over the top. Vocals were only audible at one point in the whole 25 minute show.

Musically, Dr. Xeron was good, but kind of limited in a way - a rather simple approach to a very complex idea in terms of visuals and equipment. But that's not a bad thing. I remember a time when a band couldn't get a gig unless it could play three sets of material and keep going until the bar closed. That meant you repeated stuff later in the night (never sounded as good the second time), pulled out things that were only half-baked, learned songs that you wouldn't normally have considered but they were easy, etc. Nowadays it's the opposite - the Elbow Room doesn't like a band that plays more than thirty minutes, and this is the trend in small, local clubs. With Dr. Xeron that's a perfect situation - they can play more or less the same 25 minute show from club to club and not wear out their welcome, and audiences will love them, like they did tonight.

Habemus Amos

We have Amos - from the Amos n' Andy Show. His witty repartee keeps the cardinals in stitches.

Habemus Poopem

We have poop - from Pope Clement IV, a sacred and historic relic. It is 800 years old and is hard as a rock.

No! This was NOT the Speech His Holiness Gave...

I am your new Pope. I may not seem that new, as I am 78 years old. But I have waited a very, very long time for this moment. And the election of the Pope is not a popularity contest - it is a "Pope"-ularity contest. Hah, hah -- see, I make joke. So, Heil Hitler! Oh -- sorry, I didn't mean to say that...

(My most sincere apologies to all Catholic readers of this blog. There are no sacred cattle in my stable. There SHOULD be, I know.)

Uncle Dave Lewis
udtv@yahoo.com