In Memory of John Lennon

R.I.P. John Lennon

John Lennon - Instant Karma

Buffalo Killers

Here's something these fellers here have in common with my great-great-great-great-great grandpappy, Mortimer Jehoshaphat Kazynzky.  He is the proud gent below standing by hundred-ton pile of buffalo bones.

Meet my favorite rockers of the moment, The Buffalo Killers. They follow an old Cincinatti, Ohio recipe for a kick ass music video: Take some big dudes with neckbeards, add the american flag and throw in a few women standing in a field. I hope they drive that rusted out pickup through New York some day.

Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride

NOTE:
 EVERY DAY, ANOTHER SONG DOES NOT CONDONE THE KILLING OF BUFFALOS. 

WFMU Record Fair

This past slushy Saturday, I down to the annual WFMU Record Fair to get my vinyl fix. On my trek down the entire city was basically empty, however when I entered the Metropolitan Pavilion, it was SWARMING with like-minded wax-centric individuals. After a day of heavy negotiating, I welcomed eight new members to the family.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Ray Charles - A Touch Of Gold From Gusto, The King Years
2. Paul and Linda McCartney - Ram
3. Talking Heads - Fear of Music
4. The Band - Stage Fright
5. Canned Heat - Human Condition
6. David Bowie - Hunky Dory
7. Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino
8. Paul Butterfield Blues Band - East/West

It was an amazing time. I geeked out hard with a bunch of vendors, collectors and musicians alike. I was lucky to hear the Black Hollies perform while I was there, but I missed one of NYC's most unique treasures, CSC Funk Band perform on Sunday. I've gotta give a shout out to my Oboe Brother (O-broe?), Dave Kadden, who is the only man truly insane enough to funk out on the double-reed devil. Luckily, WFMU posted a few (horribly skippy) videos of the action on their website.

CSC Funk Band At The WFMU Record Fair 2011!.

I feel like I would be doing an egregious disservice  if I didn't include a bonus song from my epic haul. My current favorite is the album in the middle, the Sir Douglas Quintet output introduced to me by the creator of one of the best music resources in history, TheRisingStorm.net. Here's the title track off Mendocino.  

Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino

Halloweenies

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! 

Come back often for more Tricks and Treats from Every Day, Another Song.

Photo by Ossian Brown
taken from his book Haunted Air 

Son of Dave - Shake a Bone

Lady Liberty

Happy 125th Birthday to the Statue of Liberty, you've come along way baby.

In honor of the Torch Bearer of the Atlantic, I thought it appropriate to post a fierce performance from the woman that nearly set the island on fire. Here's one of my favorite (and free-est) concerts I went to this summer; tUnE-yArDs, Live at Pier 54, rocking the river with her lazerfilled anthem, "My Country".   

tUnE-yArDs - My Country

Beautiful Mystery

This is the most beautiful song I have heard in such a long time. It goes perfect with today's light Manhattan rain. Over the past year I've become more and more infatuated with the rich Psych history of Africa during the  70's. It must have been such a ridiculous blast to be at the clubs and shows at this time. The problem is most of the bands from that time only have one or two recordings that have survived long enough to let today's listener enjoy them. I have come into such a dilemma with The Elcados, I found only two songs and I've already worn them out and even deep searches come up empty. I guess this period is just filled with beautiful mysteries.

The Elcados - Ku Mi Da Hankan

iRIP

An Ode to Steve

From the Mind of S.D.

He was the true Mac, known to dapple,

Got that iPhone 5, how you like them Apples?

Bill Gates, was just another underachiever, 

Steve Jobs, now that man was a true believer.

He got that drag and drop and I got that fever,

 I be usin' touch screen, He be drivin beamers.

He got those iToys out for all consumers, 

All they got for him... pancreatic tumors.

When I heard, I couldn't even believe the rumor. 

See you at the funeral; Afternooner. 

Now we got no jobs, and I'm talking bout Steve, 

 Now he's on a vacation called long term leave.

Hibernate in Peace

Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

The Sea and Cake - Sound and Vision  (David Bowie Cover)

Squbbily WHOAAAA

Last Tuesday (9/20) I was down at Highline Ballroom taking in one of #EDAS' reggae favorites, Barrington Levy. This was my second time seeing  the man famous for his 'Squbbilys' and 'Whoas.' His famous inflections were showcased all evening and his voice has barely changed since he  took Jamaica by storm at the age of only 14. 

Listen to his trademark sounds in a live-concert video below, but be forewarned, the bass is "Dangerously" overwhelming. 

Now a more satisfyingly mixed version chock full-o-squeebs. Here's one of Barrington's mainstay hits, Under Mi Sensi.

Barrington Levy - Under Mi Sensi

Them 9/11 Blues

The other night, the purity of the first football game of the season was soiled when Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly interrupted the game to report on a credible but unconfirmed Terror Threat. 

Appropriately enough,  New York City is on alert this weekend;

The 10th Anniversary of 9/11. 

Locked down... Somewhat...  Once again... 

Forgive me if I thought the whole point of the last 10 Years was to not feel terrorized. Now I can barely  leave my house, not because of the threat itself, but because of the influx of tourists and politicos who are in some ways, ripping the actual events of 9/11/01 from their context and repurposing them into whatever form best suits some elephant or donkey's crooked agenda. I'm not a conspiracy theorist and I'm not hating on anyone in particular, but I think the true strength shown by us New Yorkers only begun on that fateful Tuesday; it was the continuation to September 12th, then the 13th, then October and November, then the first New Year of 2002 and then onwards to '03; Through the various Wars, and collapses, '05, '06, '07, '08, 'O-bama and the new decade, the attempted attack of Faisal Shahzad and any cowardly copycats, all leading up to today, 10 years later. 

The victory is how this enigmatic, dynamic and prismatic Urban Organism got up after taking the worst sucker punch in the country's history, dusted itself off, and went back to work. I guess I'm saying that if going down to Ground Zero and hearing all the names of the innocents who perished provides you with a sort of healing, then please go forth and do so. I just think in a city where everyone lives, loves, and mourns differently, closing down half the city for a memorial, especially while the heroes and first responders sit at home unsure if their next treatment will be covered,  kind of brings back an eerily familiar feeling I don't care to relive. I'd rather celebrate September 12, the day the great city rose from the ashes to maintain the most beautiful and diffuse way of life this world has ever known. 

If you want to see real evidence that the terrorists lost, pick any other day and go watch the High Schoolers spaz out in Union Square or Old School Rollerbladers skate-dance through Central Park; go to Bryant Park during lunch hour and see all the working stiffs (myself included) using their 60 minutes to smush into a single block of greenery before rushing back to their cubicles so they can afford to do it all over again tomorrow; ride any subway at 4am and watch as half the people drunkenly stagger to get home, while the other half are just leaving theirs, heading to work to make an honest buck. 

The feelings surrounding this day are as varied and complex as the people who feel them. I have lived 3,650 days since 9/11, carrying the events I eye-witnessed with me for each and every one of them. I will never forget exactly what happened and exactly how we fought so diligently and emotionally to preserve and protect the security of our culture, I don't need a media circus to help me remember it. 

I wish everybody reading this (and even those who aren't) all the comfort and strength a fellow human-being can, but I wish you more than one day's worth, I wish you enough strength to carry on forever, it's all we can do.

God Bless America

Simon and Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy in New York

Blood Brothers

Up late night finishing reports. JEFF break, my favorite video of theirs so far. NSFW though, unless you work in a blood-covered, naked lady factory.

JEFF The Brotherhood - Wastoid Girl

Happy Labor Day.

Time really flies when your workin'. I have already been back for days but between a swollen inbox and a belated bout with Montezuma, I haven't had a moment to post. In honor of Labor Day Weekend, here is a double dose of work for the holiday weekend.

Here is one of the true New Orleans stalwarts, Allen Toussaint with his ode to menial lugging, followed by the De-evolution version of the same song.

Allen Toussaint, 2009, Brooklyn
Picture by Matt Katz
Enjoy the long weekend.

Allen Toussaint - Working In The Coalmine

BONUS SONG: Devo - Working In The Coalmine (Live 1988)

Callers

Last week I privileged enough to attend and amazing show at 92YTribeca. The bill headlined by avant garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, but the undercard featured one of my favorite acts today, a classically haunting trio called Callers.

MattKatzRocks

The Friday night show brought a great crowd downtown to see the inventive group put on a wonderful and inspiring show. I was fortunate enough to get some great photos and set them up on my new concert photography website, MattKatzRocks.tumblr.com. Check out Callers newest Album, Life of Love. It is one of the most beautiful albums I have recently picked up, inside and out. 

Callers - You Are An Arc

Vacation

I'm going on vacation! I will be spending the next week in Mexico, Cabo to be exact. Close enough to California that I don't need to worry about being beheaded, but far enough that I still can't drink the water. I'm not counting on an Authentic Mehican experience, but I am looking forward to some sun and water, baja style eats, reading an e-book about Native America and getting away from the daily grind for a moment. I would assume there is also going to be some Mariachi sounds at some point. I hope everyone appreciates it as much as this li'l guy.

There may or may not be any posts for the next few days, I can't be certain, but if you have yet to catch up, now would be a good time to do so. Enjoy the week! suckers...

Long Beach Dub Allstars - Rosarito

EDAS To Go

PEEP THE NEW QR CODE SUCKAS

What is a QR Code you may ask? A QR code is basically a unique internet based barcode that can be scanned in through your SmartPhone's camera using Apps or Programs such as RedLaser or Google's App. You are instantly transported to the website, so tap on over to your local app store, pick up a reader and scan away. This one takes you straight to the brand new MOBILE VERSION of EDAS!

If you happen have a regular-ol' non-smart phone and you don't have the foggiest idea of what I'm talking about then don't even bother, just look up from your game of Snake, and go to www.everydayanothersong.com the old fashioned way... First by using Al Gore's Telenet Protocol System, followed by squeezing through a series of tubes, to finally arrive at your Online Musical Destination.

Before you go scanning every Code you see, be forewarned that you probably don't want to be subject to the internet suggestions of the average Perverted Nerd; stick to the Perv-Nerds you trust, like yours truly. Enjoy the new ability to keep Every Day Another Song in your pocket and take it to go.

A Tribe Called Quest - Lyrics To Go