Frank Zappa interview - for censorship ?

Came across this interview sent to me by a friend, very interesting, I think it shows three things - the attitude of Frank Zappa, the intelligence of Frank Zappa and finally how 'America' used to be so hot passionate about these subjects -

I am a great believer in free speech within a certain limit, its always a question of who can set the limit where it has to be drawn and where the limit is derived from. "greater good" "religion of the people how set the law", or something else.

Gerry

Drumming - better than ... well, for keep fit

To look at me you wouldn't believe it, but I am on a bit of a keep fit fad, my gym membership is paid up and I have even looked over the class time tables, but I was surprised to read recently that drumming is better for you than almost any sport, including a full 90 minute football match!!!! So when the new game comes out on the Wii it will hopefully be a good enough incentive for me to buy a new Wii (not that their is anyything wrong with my Xbox 360- gamertag dergal btw) ...

So those of you thinking about learning and instrument and getting fit, well there is only one choice! If anyone is selling a soundproof room and a drum kit - I think you might find it on my Christmas list!

Gerry - a fat keyboard player

MOZES AND MOUNTAINS

The enigmatic Mozes of Mozes and the Cameras is an intriguing, charismatic character who is a thoroughly down to earth and humble man. He is the complete antithesis of what his name evokes or implies. Mozes is full of passion and laughter with the most disarming, self effacing charm. Although he is deadly serious about his music he is really relaxed about himself. He says that what you see is what you get and winks cheekily.

When it comes to talking about his music he does so passionately. He knows exactly what he is about and has a whole philosophy about what it is he is doing. He calls his music "Black Folk music " and adds that that description is both "of" and "by" pausing for me to fill in the blanks. He is inspired by diverse influences from whom he drawa energy and vibrations: the likes of Fela Kuti, Mahler, Curtis Mayfield, Van Morrison, Gill Scott-Heron, Beethoven, Richie Havens, Bjork, Maria Callas, and Tracy Chapman.

Mozes is fiercely independent and knows exactly what he wants. He wants the lot and wants it on his terms. A nice thing about my meeting with him was that he remained constantly alert to ensure that I was following the thread of his argument and comfortable with what he was saying. Mozes is such a nice chap it was a pleasure being in his company and I look forward to watching what happens with the new acoustic album he is about to record. Good Luck Mozes. You are the salt and pepper of the earth my man. Music is your medium, The stage is your pulpit You're half way up the mountain. and I hope you get to share your vision of life with a greater audience out there. I think you have important things to say and will win lots of friends in saying them.

As Mozes left he turned and said "I'm gonna "Moze" over to catch the number 1 bus now to get to Covent Garden to do some busking. See you on the Main stage at Glastonbury in June next year bro. You can give me the Paxman interview next time"

Checkout Mozes on Mixit.TV


Additional Information about Mozes by Mozes:

Mozes and the Cameras sound like Mozes & the Cameras however if you must compare... the sound is an inspirational gumbo of Richie Havens, Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Jon Lucien, Hootie & the Blowfish to name a few... and yes it is folk music but with a punchy left hook!

"A folky melodically organic international rhythm.."

Mozes' Influences:

Beethoven, Nat King Cole,The Killers, Studio One, Vernom Bush,Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Seal, Tom Wait, Geoff Buckley, Hendrix, Bjork, Maria Callas, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Amy Winehouse, Thin Lizzy, Muse, Radio Head, imagination, Lee Scratch Perry, Jah Shaka, Snoop Dog, Public Enemy, frank Sinatra, Van Morrison,The Wailers, Mahler, Arethe Franklin, Beatles, to name but a few


KING KING

BRITAIN'S GOT DA BLUES

Tom Colborn sometimes known as Delta Tom or Bluesman Tom is the real deal feel it in your bones, rhythm and sounds in deep tissues, from the Mississippi Delta to east coast Ragtime blues belta. This man plays his brand of bottleneck blues guitar in the old style troubadour tradition of what blues was in "dem good ol' days". You know back in the day' when blues men were the musical scribes, Griots and messengers of conscience within their community and travelled around from hamlet to town giving up social commentary on what was happening in their little corner of the universe. Tom is one a those guys reincarnated for twenty first century Britain got-da-blues. But Tom's not singin’ duh: "Oh My baby's gone I'm so alone" type blues, duh: “ I wanna slit my throat”, “You got my goat" type blues He's hollerin' the up beat "rag time" "jump jolly," Jelly roll".... "Funny thing happened to me the other day" type 21st century Millennia Blues.

I first saw Tom in an open mic acoustic session at the Durrel in Fulham when he was doing a sound check warm up before the session started and I was busily chatting away to my friends as you do ignoring the musicians go through their warm up session when this tall thin lick of a man got up on the stage with his guitar and started strumming away and almost right from the very first belt of his (really handsome acoustic) guitar stopped the conversation at my table and the next and the next stone cold dead and transfixed us with a force fusion of lyric and beat. He threw down some of the most brilliant steel guitar I have heard in a long time. Gotta tell you it was just a warm up but he got a standing ovation at the end of it and I know that everyone in the place knew that that was just a prelude to big treats yet to come. By the time the session got under way and the two other artist before him had done their thing there was an air of excitement and expectation when he took the stage.

I'm not going to bore you with the details. Suffice to say that he didn't disappoint. He stormed through his set with brio. Fantastically fresh lyrics and threw in a maestro quality string picking bottle neck sliding expertly delivered steel guitar instrumentals. punctuating each number with little witticisms. Tom Colborn is in my opinion one of the most accomplished exponents of the genre practicing in Britain today. If you like the blues? I mean the real deal Cajun type, railroad riding, String bending raw rending blues then I thoroughly recommend you go and see him do his thing. I promise you you will not be disappointed.

PS: One of the most profound things I’ve heard from an exponent of this music that I love so much came from a conversation with Tom. I quote:

“if you take the blues form as a philosophy of story telling that you can use to express your own concerns, desires, aspirations etc, and those of your peers. Without personal input, in lyrical and musical content, this music would simply be a dusty museum piece, and its vitality and relevance is so obvious as to need no advocacy from modern day me's.
A guitar workshop ad I once read ran 'today, the blues belongs to everyone'. Wrong. It doesn't belong to anyone - you belong to the blues. You give yourself to it, and in so doing connect with a tradition which has its roots in Africa over a thousand years ago. As with the ancients who worshipped their ancestors, the blues connects you with the past, enables you to address and reconcile the problems of the present - and therefore light the way to the future. ”

My Peoples! You understand why I am Biggin'Up dis Tom Colborn Bluesman Tom fella so much.... Don’t you my peops?

PPS: HOT OFF THE PRESS BLUESMAN TOM LIVE AT LITTLE TARDIS STUDIO WILL BE UP ON THIS SITE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS TIME



KING KING for Mixit.TV

Photo provided by www.charles2ndphotography.co.uk

don't RIP Don Bingo & Yoda...

Where have they all gone ? Yoda & Don Bingo ? I spent my formative university years in Sheffield Hallam Uni - occasionally attending the odd lecture and of course frequenting what was the best live music venue around - an old swimming pool called the deep end.

I saw some truly awesome. and some truly awful bands not only there but in the students union ... disapointingly not only has the deep end sunk, but so have these top bands! Don't get me wrong, Sheffield has produced some of the better bands - it is just that too much quality has sunk without a trace (so has the Deep End, with a bit of scandal).

This morning on my mobile, a song by a group formerly known as Don Bingo brought a smile to my face, they imagine Crash Test Dummies but a English Northern version (think US 'the Office' vs the Gervais original)

"Living in the open sky.."

If anyone knows what happened to "Yoda" or "Don Bingo" or that band where the white guitarist had dreadlocks and the lead female perpetually bounced (definently she needed de-caff)
I am just a tad disapointed that so much talent in the worlds gone today... Mixit is all about helping raw talent - shame we can't revive the dead.