We have a Canadian colleague (and now friend) staying at Chez WhiteHirst this week and she brought with her the sad news that Steven Page has left the Bare Naked Ladies.
I know sometimes news travels slowly and I seriously thought this was something that just happened, but no; Google tells me it occurred in February 2009.
That says more about my interest in fandom than I’d like.
However, MC also went to JB and bought Moac and me a copy of the “new” Bare Naked Ladies CD, All in good time, which features a track (You run away) in which Ed laments the betrayal of a friend. It seems to refer to Page.
Where's Mr Page? Exit stage right.
The speculation when Page left BNL was that it had something to do with his cocaine bust in 2008.
Whatever the cause it seems that both Page and the band have moved on. All in good time is a pretty good BNL CD, the vocals and arrangements are similar, but perhaps without the band’s famous sense of fun, except on one or two tracks.
Page has an album out too; a collaboration with a funky and contemporary group of classical musicians called Art of Time Ensemble.
Page’s record with the ensemble is a series of covers, including this classic, ‘A singer must die’, from Leonard Cohen.
I really like ‘You run away’ and the first time I heard it – in the car on the way to work – I had to wipe away a nostalgic tear. I love BNL and I like Steve Page too, I will be going out to get A singer must die later today.
And, I would argue that this is still martini music. Rock for grown-ups to be enjoyed in a cool bar, or even at home. But remember, it’s not the drinking, it’s how we drink and I would be careful with the martinis here. Too many and you could get all maudlin and pine for the past. Tears before bedtime, not good.
My dream gig this week would be Sharon Jones with Hollie Smith. The big question: Who would headline?
If you’re reading this outside New Zealand you might not know Hollie Smith, but if you’re a fan of Jones and the Dap-Kings you will like the Kiwi singer too.
Smith’s voice has a deeper bass note and her music is not quite in the same danceable be-bop/funky groove as Sharon Jones, but the jazz-blues roots are there and so is the lyrical and musical weight.
They are modern divas of soul and both have new-ish albums out (as of Feb/March 2010).
Smith’s Humour and the misfortune of others is a hard-hitting mix of ballads and jazz-influenced rock-blues that move the soul and lift the spirits, despite being written to express Smith’s emotional roller-coaster existence through 2008-2009. The lead track and first single is “Mamma”.
The stand-out track for me is “Let me go”, it has a soul choir that wouldn’t be out of place in a Memphis tabernacle.
Jones and the Dap-Kings are based in Brooklyn, but they too have some bluesy roots and have got the funk-soul thing down to a fine art on I learned the hard way, their fourth studio album.
And they’d bring the house down live.
Jones is super cool, check out this interview from South by South West earlier this year.
There’s a 30 year age gap between Jones and Smith (alias Smith & Jones), but I’m sure they would get on and certainly they’d fill the stage and the auditorium if they were to gig together in New Zealand.
If you’re a promoter, get this double bill together and give Kiwi audiences a real musical treat.
A court case in Brooklyn NY has shown up the FBI’s misguided (putting it mildly) support of a well-known American neo-Nazi hate-merchant.
A right-wing blogger charged with threatening federal judges told a jury Thursday that his racist Internet rants were an FBI-sanctioned ruse to “flush out” dangerous neo-Nazi and white supremacist members of his audience.
“I’m not a white supremacist,” Hal Turner testified at a retrial in Brooklyn. “Never have been.”
That’s a beautiful line from the defendant: “I’m not a white supremacist,”
“Never have been,”…but…
Turner rants about a “Portable Nigger Lyncher” machine, “faggots,” “savage Negro beasts,” “bull-dyke lesbians” and “lazy-ass Latinos … slithering across the border.” And that is just the beginning. If you have a strong stomach, the link below will take you to quotes, Turner’s own words, from his radio show: http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/turner_own_words.htm
I love Gin Wigmore. She’s a real talent and deserves to be played at any party where Martinis are being drunk. Holy Smoke, released in September 2009, is a great debut album. Some really good tracks, a great overall feel, Gin’s interesting and strong voice and some pretty fine lyrics.
Gin’s backing band The Cardinals, used to work with Bryan Ryan Adams [tx Mark] and they provide a great beat and smooth melodies with some musical magic thrown in. For me the standout tracks are’ One More Look’ and ‘Dying Day’. Her work with Smashproof on their award-winning single ‘Brother’ caught my ear last year too and Holy Smoke shows that she is an artist with a future – great maturity and insight for someone under 25.
Moac and Em are blessed with some very good friends; the sort who buy you really good books that they know you’ll enjoy.
Over the holidays I’ve been lucky to have friends who care for me and want to help me on my quest to build a good library of drinking books.
I’ve already mentioned, several times, the excellent Martini: A memoir, by the Australian writer Frank Moorhouse. His stories of martini-drinking and avoidance of the dreaded crazy drinks are a real pleasure.
I haven’t mentioned so often the great little book about whisky, Raw Spirit, by Scottish writer Ian M Banks. Banksy is usually known for his sci-fi, or humorous and fantastic novels, but his whisky book is a good read and a handy primer on some of the finer single malts available to the serious tippler.
Raw Spirit is as much a travel story as it is a serious guide to drinking good Scotch. Banks and his fellow-travelers move around the various distilling areas of Scotland in search of the perfect dram. They have fun doing it too.
But this summer my reading has been a little more eclectic courtesy of Kingsley Amis and Victoria Moore.
Amis is well known to most adults who’ve ever read a book in English. He was a British novelist and essayist of some note and one of his most treasured pass-times was sharing a glass with pals. Amis wasn’t a fussy drinker. He pretty much would drink anything, but he hated stingey hosts with a passion.
In 2008 three of his less famous texts on drinking were published together for the first time in one volume: Everyday drinking: The distilled Kingsley Amis. What I like about this book is that it is unpretentious. It’s not all about the most expensive French wines, or the finest Cognacs (though they do get a mention).
This is a book about everyday drinking: the sort we like to do with friends on a Friday after work, or on a weekend. In daylight hours, during the evening, late at night and into the early hours of the following day.
But of course, I’m not advocating binge drinking. Let’s remember, it’s not what you drink, but how you drink that counts.
Amis is advocating educated drinking, without it becoming a form of one-upmanship. Though his tips for how to shill your guests if they overstay their welcome is priceless.
The other great part of this book is the recipes, most of which are not available in modern cocktail books. One that I tried a few times over the Xmas period – with a dozen Clevedon oysters – was Black Velvet. This is a heady combination of champagne and stout. Delicious, refreshing and so, so good with ice-cold oysters on a warm summer evening.
I’ve never been one for self-help books, but Victoria Moore’s How to Drink, was on my Christmas list (thanks Moac) and I’ve really enjoyed it. How to Drink is an updated version of Amis for the noughties. It has recipes too, but the main difference is that it also has sections on coffee, tea and soft drinks. It’s not a soak’s progress, it’s a serious (well, semi-serious) guide to modern drinking etiquette and some historical stuff about gin, brandy, various teas and coffee blends and the all important Armagnac V. Cognac debate.
I don’t have a position on that yet, but I bought a bottle of armagnac this weekend and I’m sure I’ll be comparing notes with Ms Moore soon enough.
Just so you know how things have changed since Kingsley Amis wrote the material that has been collected in Everyday Drinking. If you want to keep up with Victoria Moore, you can join her Facebook page, or follow her blog at The Guardian.
Mr Amis would be growling into his porter, right about now…punk, soul brother, but that’s for later.
A Christchurch judge has probably brought his tenure to a premature end after a comment from the bench in an opposed bail hearing. Brave and right but probably career-limiting.
Christchurch District Court Judge David Saunders made some very apt political comments from the bench about the government’s ridiculously popularist, but pisspoor “three strikes” legislation for punishing habitual offenders, most of whom are likely to be pisspoor and P-addicted.
The fiesty blogger Whaleoil has ramped up his campaign to reform New Zealand’s name suppression laws by launching a (so far) online crusade called SHAME.
It’s a shame to mix up Whale’s campaign for justice – ie. his legal defence – with this campaign to reform name suppression laws,which has a focus on sexual offending, rather than the broader debate about name suppression. There has to be more intellectual rigor around any campaign to change suppression laws, rather than the simplistic and moral-panic inducing call to expose alleged and/or convicted pederasts.
The Whale is also publishing “interesting names” on his Gotcha blog. They are mostly convicted and registered US sex offenders who have been arrested on serious charges in the last few days. The exception is Scott Ritter – former UN weapons inspector – who was recently arraigned on charges laid after a police online sting operation.
But for at least one of the Whale’s “interesting names” there’s more than one prominent individual at the top of the Google list. An indication of how releasing and publicising common names can also create accidental victims.
Whale is probably trying to make the point that NZ suppression laws prevent the establishment of a public sex offender registry like those operating in many American states and nationally, such as Family Watchdog. In Britain there is The RatBook, Unofficial and the no vigilante disclaimer seems a little hollow in tone and intent.
I’ve learned something from Whaleoil; he often describes the MSM as “repeaters”. It’s a nice term. It has a touch of the William Gibson and Neale Stephenson cyberpunk about it.
Today we had a good example of repeat-a-news with the awful, fawning coverage of the royal visit to Wellington.
We heard in driveling detail, about the prince’s dinner plans, his tussle with an iconic endangered species and saw far too many cougars and simpletons dribbling over the limp royal wrist.
The republicans and the Ministry of Justice proteters were the (repeat) sideshow.
The protesting workers belong to the Public Service Association. They’ve been taking industrial action to support their claim for fair pay and a fair pay system since October 14 last year.
“This was a peaceful protest to let the public know that the workers who run our justice system are being underpaid,” says PSA national secretary Richard Wagstaff.
“The government has spent $80 million on the new Supreme Court while the workers who run our courts are paid 6.3% less than the rest of the public service,” says Richard Wagstaff.
NZPA covered this, so it’s now on repeat, but it should have had more play in the TV news, rather than meaningless grabs with Prince-groupies; “It is understood” (repeat).
The Republican Movement was also there, but complaining that TV(repeat after me)3 got it wrong:
Supreme Court Opening: Its Time For A Republic
“Prince William might be a nice guy, but it should be a New Zealander, chosen by New Zealanders, opening our highest court of appeal” said Lewis Holden, chair of the Republican Movement.
“It has cost New Zealand taxpayers $200,000 to bring Prince William out to New Zealand. Monarchist claims that this figure has been paid off with free advertising are nonsense.”
What a fabulous line-up and what a great ticket price. I don’t think we can get Martinis at Vector, but this concert will fly with a beer or two.
Vector Arena is hosting a benefit concert to raise funds for rebuilding the lives of people affected by the recent Tsunami that hit Samoa.
After the tragic events in Samoa last week, a group of top New Zealand entertainers have rallied together for a massive benefit concert on Monday 19th October 2009 at the Vector Arena in Auckland.
When the Tsunami hit Samoa last week, it personally affected Scribe and Savage who lost their family villages and family members in the disaster. Along with Dawn Raid, Oscar Kightley and Ole Maiava, they rapidly organized a dream line up of top NZ musicians who had no hesitation in donating their performances to this worthy cause.
All businesses, personnel and artists have given their services for free, therefore 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Samoa.
We urge all New Zealanders to support this event to aid our fellow citizens of Samoa.
Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin dates and line ups to be announced shortly
Posted by Ethical Martini 
Ethical Martini 