Sam Beam does Six Parts Seven, Rogue Wave Bonus

I thought i'd share this song i recently rediscovered. I got "Lost Notes From Forgotten Songs" some time last year as a promo bonus from Suicide Squeeze Records. It's kind of a tribute type deal where a few singer/songwriters take a Six Parts Seven song (who are an excellent intrumental outfit), rework it and add their own lyrics. See a review here, for a better description. The following is Sam Beam's version of Sleeping Diagonally.

Sleeping Diagonally - Sam Beam

Speaking of bonus discs, i got a 4 song demo from Sub Pop when i pre-odered Rogue Wave's 2005 release, "Descended Like Vultures" a few weeks back. Here is a demo version of Publish My Love:

04 - Rogue Wave - Bonus Demos - Publish My Love
i can upload the other three RW demo songs at your request, kind and gentle reader.

Visit:

Iron & Wine
Six Parts Seven
Rogue Wave Visit RW's MySpace page. Shh! Don't tell anyone!
Enjoy!
These songs are for sampling only and will be uploadable for a limited time.

If You're Not Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention

Not sure where that phrase originated, but it sure is true.
Stay informed on what to be outraged about: Fired Up Missouri, because few things are more foolish than blind rage.

Missouri's own beloved Boy Blunt now has a 34% Approval rating. That is up a tick from 33% just six months ago. So, i guess congratulations are in order? Uhh..hold up a sec. His Disapproval rating shot up from 57% to 62% during the same period. More folks are feeling Blunt Trauma, evidently.

Song Spotter: Spoon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Monday night i was watching Kitchen Confidential on Fox. One might ask me, "Why?". I may answer, "Because i like it and it was on after Arrested Development." Like AD, i know KitchCon (i made that up) is only gonna be on a few more times before the idiots at Fox give it the axe, so i watch it looking for good qualities in order to prove just how stupid the Fox Execs are.
Anyway..Monday's episode focused on a feud between KitchCon's main character - a flawed but likeable chef at an upscale restaurant - and a chef at a rival restaurant, who is also flawed, but not ostensibly likeable. He's a womanizing, conniving, vile pig of a man. And he's French. His name is Michel. During the final scene, we learn that his last name is Valentine. My favorite Spoon song, The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine, immediately comes to mind, and seconds later, that very song comes on the TV! Wow! We then learn that Mishel V. isn't so conniving, and is not quite as vile as we had thought (but he's still a womanizing smelly Frenchman). As the show fades to black and the credits roll, you hear, "..Til you know the two sides of Monsieur Valentine." That's a tidy way to end an otherwise mediocre episode of a doomed show. It makes me wonder if the writers liked the song to begin with and wrote the whole episode around it.

I was watching The Office on NBC a coupla weeks ago. "But dude, that show is just an unimaginative American clone of the original BBC series!" I thought it sucked at first too, Mr. Inner Contrarian Dialogue Man, especially because the first few episodes consisted mostly of recycled scenes from the original. "Phooey!" i said in disapointment. But i kept watching, and i'm glad i did. It has since found its own space and i no longer find myself constantly comparing the American characters with their British counterparts. Not to mention Steve Carrel seems to have been born to play the role of Office boss Michael Scott.
Anyway...On this episode, Jim throws a party, and playing in the background is a fmiliar tune that takes me a minute to recognize. Then finally i realize it's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's song, The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth. i can't believe it took my brain that long to register it, since i've been listening to that album nonstop for a coupla months now. i think the file retreival system in my head inexplicably comes up 404 sometimes. Early dimentia?
So here are the songs i spotted on the TV for your aural pleasure. Keep in mind that these songs are for sampling purposes only. If you've not heard these two bands before and like them, seek them out. Go to their shows, buy an album or two, purchase a t-shirt. To save these songs to your computer, right click, save as...

Spoon (actually, it's just Britt Daniel) : The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine Live on KEXP
buy Spoon albums here.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah : The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth - album version
visit CYHSY here.
Enjoy!

Freedom ain't free...

...so say the sloganeers.

• Miami police to "shock and awe" random citizens by terrorizing them. This is how Florida conducts their own little War on Terror. Now shut up and show me your ID.
  
• Consumer confidence up, gas prices dip. Now be a good citizen and shop, shop, shop. If you don't, the terrorists win.
• Vatican: Homosexual love is not equivalent to hetero love. How do they know? Oh, yeah, God told them. Now shut up and pray. The Vatican has been working on this document for ten years! They are clearly obsessed.
  
• Alito supported the execution of 16 - 17 year olds. Death penalties for everyone, yay! Now shut up and climb up there on that electric chair. Here's a booster seat.
• California Rebublican Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleads guilty to taking bribes of $2.4 million. He cried at his press conference. Does anyone feel sorry for this guy? Tom DeLay called him a hero. "Freedom isn't free and neither am I. Now shut up and write me a check."
• The Iraq Debacle: The most foolish war since 9 B.C. Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
• Former Powell Chief of Staff on Cheney: "a moron, an idiot or a nefarious bastard." You forgot ugly, lazy, and disrespectful.
• Armored minibus carrying Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton crashes in Iraq. Skelton "doing well" in Germany. Best wishes to Ike and family, no snark.
• Bush to unveil "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq" tomorrow (11/30/05, 32 months into this war!). Details will be scarce, platitudes and vagaries will be abundant. Now shut up and support the troops. Here's a magnet for your car.
  

Get one for yourself here.
Hat tip to Carol for Peace via Jesus' General

Iraqis want foreign troops out

"CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Leaders of Iraq's sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq's opposition had a `legitimate right' of resistance."
Bring 'em home!!! Yay!!

"Debate in Washington over when to bring troops home turned bitter last week after decorated Vietnam War vet Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and estimated a pullout could be complete within six months. Republicans rejected Murtha’s position."
The Iraqi leaders are basically adopting Rep. Murtha's proposal.
Will Repugnicans reject the position of the Iraqis? I'm waiting for "Mean" Jean Schmidt to call them cowards for wanting us to "cut and run".

"'Though resistance is a legitimate right for all people, terrorism does not represent resistance. Therefore, we condemn terrorism and acts of violence, killing and kidnapping targeting Iraqi citizens and humanitarian, civil, government institutions, national resources and houses of worships,' the document said."
So they are saying that targeting US-led troops and contractors is not terrorism, it's freedom fighting. Fair enough. If some foreign government invaded the US, deposed our dictator and proceeded to destroy my country, i would also prefer to be called an "insurgent," not a "terrorist."

"The final communique also stressed participants' commitment to Iraq's unity and called for the release of all "innocent detainees" who have not been convicted by courts. It asked that allegations of torture against prisoners be investigated and those responsible be held accountable."
Oh, those cute Iraqis with their quaint notions about rair trials and the concept of "innocent until proven quilty."

"The statement also demanded 'an immediate end to arbitrary raids and arrests without a documented judicial order.'"
B-b-but Uncle Dick hasn't had a chance to torture them yet!

In other Middle-East related news..
Uzbekistan is kicking the US to the curb. Well, there goes our cozy relationship with that brutal totalitarian dictator...Re-deploy the troops!!


Blair talked Bush out of bombing Saudi TV Network Al-Jazeera.
You know this Administration is fucked up when a brown-nosing lickspittle is the only one who thinks taking out an ally's asset is not a good idea. Related: I heard that Chrisopher Hitchens convinced Bush not to nuke CBS news.

POTUS: Idiot

Bush tries to duck reporters, stymied by locked door.

The Art of Randall McD

My freind, Randall, is displaying some of his artwork on his website: The Art of Randy McDermit Most of his pieces are highly emotional figure studies done on large canvas with acrylic. On his site, you will also find a coupla charcoal and pastel pieces. i have also seen many smaller pen & ink drawings that are both bold and delicate.
Randy tells me he hasn't updated in a while, so maybe he'll put some more work in that space soon. The pieces on his site are representative of the body of work that i have seen at shows, around town, and all around his own home.
The most striking feature of Randy's paintings is his use of geometric blocks of color to emote the fractious, tormented souls of his subjects. The juxtaposition of warm and cool hues throughout the composition stresses the more emotive details of the figure as the rest commingles with the background, effectively creating a sense that the confusion of the subject is casued by, or part of, her surroundings. Or is it the other way around? Is the inner turmoil manifesting itself as chaos in her outer world?
On some of Randy's more abstract pieces, it's difficult to tell if the figure is emerging from the tumult or receding into it. Your interpretation will vary, depending on your current state of mind, and that is one of the reasons i think Randy's work is so successful. Although the figures may appear dispondent at this moment, Randy's careful and measured choices of color and composition effectively create a palpable sense of desperation as the subject reaches a tipping point. This is where Randy's talent is best displayed, and the efficacy of his work hits you as it captures the subject in that moment of inner peace as disorder swirls about them. It is left to the observer to decide whether the figure will maintain the placidity of the moment and emerge from dispair, or surrender and fade into the discordant milieu.
More photos of Randy's work are on display here on his website. If you would like to contact Randy and perhaps purchase a painting or two (x-mas is right around the corner!) please let me know. You can email me (most of you know my contact info), or leave a comment by clicking on "comments" on his website or mine..

-Enjoy!

Monday's news...

• Vice President continues to pressure congress to allow CIA, Dept. of Def. to torture detainees. John McCain, other Senators resist because they know torture is immoral, illegal, and bad for America.

"Just last week, Cheney showed up at a Republican senatorial luncheon to lobby lawmakers for a CIA exemption to an amendment by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would ban torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners. The exemption would cover the CIA's covert "black sites" in several Eastern European democracies and other countries where key al Qaeda captives are being kept."

McCain vows to add anti-torture amendment to every bill: "He vowed today that his measure would be 'on every vehicle that goes through this body' until it's enacted into law. 'It's not going away,' he said on the Senate floor. 'This issue is incredibly harmful to the United States of America and our image throughout the world.'" Hooray for John McCain, hooray for American values. Dick "Torquemada" Chaney and his apologists should be ashamed of themselves.

• President Bush says, "We do not torture" terror suspects. Oh, okay. Sure. I believe you. This is gonna be one of those statements that backfires. Remember these gems of eloquence?: "I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators." "Bring 'em on!" "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended" "The insurgency is in its last throes." The prisoners at Gitmo are "living in the tropics. They're well fed. They've got everything they could possibly want." Bald faced-liars, all of them.
  
• The US is using white phosphorus on Iraqi civilians. This is nasty toxic stuff that virtually desintegrates skin on contact. "Bodies melted away before us." Holy crap. Saddam Hussein "used chemical weapons on his own people" and they call him a tyrant. The US does it and we call ourselves liberators. This is how we win hearts and minds of the Iraqi people?
• Harper's: "A history of the Iraq war, told entirely of lies." The lies used to tell this history are all quotes from senior Bush administration officials.
• "When I Die" will be shown Saturday at the Starz Denver International Film Festival. The hour-long movie depicts the creation of the 15-story tower that was used to blast Hunter S. Thompson's ashes into the sky at a closed memorial service on his Woody Creek property in August." Cool.
• The Family Guy took on the FCC last night. Did anybody watch? i missed it, was watching the Redskins beat the Eagles. Related: T.O. out of Philly. Ok, who wants a belligerent man-baby on their team? Any takers?.......anyone? The sad thing is, somebody's gonna pick him up, and that somebody's gonna regret it very soon after.
• TV tonight: Don't miss the return of Arrested Development on Fox. It's the best show on TV (standard disclaimer: besides The Simpsons). Yay! Thanks to DTS for the heads up on that one.
  

Later!

Wednesday website tour

Here's a round up of what some of my favorite internets are talking about today.

• Think Progress: "Administration's Secret Prison System Violates Law" TP provides a quote from the White House that turns out to be *gasp!* bullshit. Here's the Washington Post story cited as the source: "CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons".
• DailyKos' Armando blogs on David Broder's WP article, "President Pushover" Mr. Broder says that the White House and other members of the Religious Radical Right (RRR) can no longer insist that W's judicial nominees get an up or down vote, given how the RRR and other conservatives successfully torpedoed Harriett Miers' nomination before she even got to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Atrios hosts a "ballsy" Harry Reid photo caption contest
  
• Rob at AmericaBlog tells us that the latest Gallup Poll shows Alito's nomination is a flop with mainstream America.
• Crooks and Liars has video of Harry Reid's press conference held yesterday after the Senate's secret session. In case you missed it, "...Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid dramatically wrenched the political agenda from the Republican majority Monday (October 31, 205) by forcing the Senate into secret session...Reid’s gambit was designed to prod Republicans to agree to speed up 'Phase II' of the investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, into how spy data was used or misused in the prelude to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003." Reid, et. al, provoked by the indictment of Scooteer Libby, want to know why Senate Repugnicans are putting politics before national security by continuing to stonewall Democrats and stall this investigation. Give 'em hell, Harry! You too, Jay!
  
• The Raw Story has details about the Repugnicans' stonewalling tactics including specific dates and methods.
• Tbogg notes that the RRR's favorite fascist faux-journalist, Michelle Malkin has a book out. Read some of the 5-star reviews here.
• Wonkette blogs the President's dance with foreign jounalists. The Presdient appears to be the only person in the world who can stumble over someone else's feet while doing the Macarena.
• Brad Blog continues his dogged pursuit to uncover the flaws in e-voting and election fraud in November of 2004. "The GAO report which The Brad Blog broke on October 20th, confirms that '[C]oncerns about electronic voting machines have been realized and have caused problems with recent elections, resulting in the loss and miscount of votes.' "
• A Lie A Day notes that the President's own church urges a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and calls for an investigation into reports of detainee abuse and torture. Do methodists ever excommunicate anyone? If not, they should start with George W. Bush and Dick "go fuck yourself" Cheney.
• The Onion reports: "Iraqi Constitution Ratified, Burned" "BAGHDAD—The people of Iraq celebrated the passage of their new constitution Monday, in a formal ceremony that included a stirring speech by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a series of explosions that left 77 dead, and a traditional dance performed by Iraqi schoolchildren." I noticed that The Onion is still using the Presidential Seal here.
• Fired Up Missouri blogs about an article in The New Republic that raises troubling questions about the relationship between Tom DeLay's money train and MO Governor Matt Blunt. See the post for a link to the article, or go out and buy your own copy of The New Republic.
• DTS is amused by a class action suit against Major League Baseball on behalf of those in attendance at the World Series games in Houston. The attorney filing the suit claims the fans got sick because MLB Commissioner Bud Selig mandated that Minute Maid Park's retractible roof remain open during the WS.
• Huffington Post links to an article about the the highly anticipated Sunday night debut of "The Boondocks" on the Cartoon Network. Yay! i can't wait!
  
• Songs:Illinois does his usual quality mp3 blogging by pointing to fantastic indie/countrified artists that i would like.
  
• Largehearted Boy introduced me to a site called The Space Lab with great photos of a recent Hold Steady show in Minneapolis, MN. I saw these guys for the first time last Thursday and they made me very happy. Go to their website for a listen to a coupla songs.
• Chromewaves reviews a show by Spoon, whom i haven't seen before, but will very soon (next Thursday, November 10!!), because their new album, Gimme Fiction grooves and rocks and makes me want to sing in my car. Navigate Spoon's official site for songs and videos.
• Early spreads are up for NFL's Week 9. i need to win some tacos this week, i'm falling behind in my league. i'm at a respectable .500, but way behind the leaders. Who's got the inside dope? Where's the smart money goin'?
  

Type at ya later...

Goodbye freedom, Hello Alito!!

The President successfully gave the media something besides his recent f-ckups to talk about. By choosing Judge Samuel Alito to be his nominee for Associate Supreme Court Justice, he gets plenty of "atta boy"'s from his base and the requisite outrage from those on the left. The Religious Radical Right Wing of the Republican Party got the kind of judicial activist they love and the fight they wanted to unite their fragmented party on Capitol Hill. The Liberals and Progressives got the kind of nominee they were glad they didn't get with Miers, but knew they were gonna get anyway, once they realized the Religious Radical Right got their panties all knotted up over her.
Expect a fillibuster. Expect the Religious Radical Right (RRR) to cry, "Nominees deserve an up or down vote!" which would be yet another 180 degree turn, bringing them back full circle to pre-Miers talking points.

More on this later. Meanwhile read Alliance For Justice's preliminary report on the nominee here (thanks to who else? AmericaBlog. Gotta go!

Bush vs. The Onion "#2": The Onion Fires Back

This is the ultimate nexus of my previous two
posts.
Hi-freakin'-larious!

"Doctors have been unable to locate hemorrhoids, ulcers, tumors, or fissures in her anus. After 150 days, the First Lady says she just wants someone to do something."

Given the context and the target, i think this is the funniest gaddamed thing i've ever seen on all of the internets.

Craptastic Headlines

* Dallas cab driver convicted on felony charges for tainting grocery store pastries with feces. Mmmmm...extra fudge...
* Mr. Floatie withdraws from mayoral race. "Of course I'm not a real person. I'm a big piece of poop."
* "Feces examination during the spring and fall semester used to be an annual event in school." Read on.
* Rare Species: The Canadian Crap Weasel Amazing.
* School expels children's author for 'crap, poo, fart' talk "I think that my language was appropriate," Reverend Graham Taylor said. Later, he added that the complaining teachers were being "intolerant poopyheads."
* Ad Guru Quits After "Crap" Comments. "A creative director who was forced to quit his job after saying women in advertising were 'crap' has insisted he is not sexist."
* Penguin Poo Wins Ig Nobel Prize What's an Ig Nobel Prize?
* Rod Stewart and daughter in spat over dog poo. "I cannot stand it when there's poo and pee on the carpet. It drives me mad." I think Mr. Stewart speaks for all of us.
* Meet Dr. Scoopy Poo
* Poo Bags for Beach Camels. Well, that's just common sense.

BREAKING...

*President Bush's attorney and "public scatology" expert withdraws her nomination for Supreme Court.

*" Turd Blossom" ponders plea deal? Stay tuned, tomorrow could be Fitzmas Day.
Treason's Greetings!

Bush vs. The Onion

Freakin' rediculous.










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Bible Study

Just like that song goes, "Don't know much about History/Don't know much Biology," i don't know much Bible-o-logy. Good thing i live in the twenty-oughts where all the information in the world is at my fingertips via the internets. With the help of this Bloggie-thingy, i am able to help enlighten my kind readers by directing them to interesting nuggets of wisdom that i find help to reduce my ingorance of subjects like the G-O-D and His writings.
i read a good chunk of the Bible when i was a senior in high school for a western civilization class. Yes, we read the Bible in public school. *gasp!* But it was used in the curriculum, a)as a work of fiction (because it is, duh!), and b)as the foundation for morality, on which most modern western civilizations were built. Plus it was California, so we were all like, "Whatever, dude!"
I enjoyed reading it becasue of the mythology and fables it contained were intriguing and fantastic enough to keep your interest, as long as you skip through all the begats and what have you's. But that's the last time i looked at a holy book of any kind, unless you count the 24-Hours a Day book that was once my late grandfather's. i find it inspirational just knowing that he opened this very copy when he felt he needed daily guidance as he struggled through tenuous periods of sobriety. i keep that book close by to remind me that sobriety is a constant battle that is easily lost, and every day i don't drink is an extra day i get to live and be with my family and friends.
To the point of this post, which, i'm afraid has gotten away from me a bit:
Helpful links for the Bible-Curious
First, check out Rev. Brendan Powell Smith's The Brick Testament.Thanks to JT for pointing me to the genius of this site a few months ago. This site shows Lego reenactments of scenes and lessons from the Bible. Perfect for the everyday ignorant infidel or as a primer for Bible beginners!

For you old schoolers out there, check out the charts of Clarence Larkin.This site that has some early 20th Century charts that illustrate some of the Bible's principles and prophecies to help heathens and holy rollers alike. Very cool. i have always been fascinated by late 19th and early 20th Century charts, drawings and wood carvings.

Although the Bible, at some point in history, has been used as justification for every evil ranging from persecution to mass murder, doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Enjoy!

Dr. Bill Frist: Miracle Worker

Wow! Not only can senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-TN) diagnose the dying via video tape, he can also miraculously enable his "Blind Trust" to see!

This photo shows the former heart surgeon showcasing his healing powers during a stop on one of his "Dr. Bill and the Miracle Majority" tours. These engagemnets wowed thousands of knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers across the South with prayers, "miracles" (which turned out to be cheap parlor tricks), and "Ask the Doctor" sessions(AIDS can be spread through tears and sweat!).
That guy in the first row looks like he's totally getting "Fristed."