Listen:“Prelude For Time Feelers” by Eluvium from Copia
View: Image search results for Prelude For Time Feelers - above image is from the 1st page of results (and was originally from HERE).
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EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Tuesday) wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted. You can see all of EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.
XKCD is “a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language” published three times per week by Randall Munroe, a former contractor for NASA. It’s my favorite regularly updated webcomic and well worth checking out each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today, here on EAR FARM, we’ve collected ten of our favorite xkcd comics that deal with music in one way or another. Stop. Collaborate and listen.
- 10. Keeping Time (below)
- 9. The Perfect Sound (below)
- 8. Digital Rights Management (below)
- 7. Boombox (below)
- 6. Guitar Hero (below)
- 5. Important Life Lesson (below)
- 4. With Apologies to The Who (below)
- 3. Music Knowledge (below)
- 2. Rock Band (below)
- 1. M.C. Hammer Slide (below)
This is a song chain, based around the combination of sun and rainy weather we’re experiencing at the moment. A “song chain”? Sure. It goes like this: start with a two-word theme (here it’s sun to rain) and try to get from one to the other by connecting a sequence of songs where the last word from one song title is the first word in the next. Check out the list of songs below, you’ll get the idea.
Join EAR FARM’s Community for a link to download the entire mix as three separate ZIPs. (currently disabled)
EAR FARM’s Mixtape #25: Song Chain, from Sun to Rain
1. “Sun” by Burning Spear
2. “The Sun Smells Too Loud” by Mogwai
3. “Loud Love” by Soundgarden
4. “Love Buzz” by Nirvana
5. “Buzz Saw” by Xiu Xiu
6. “Saw Red” by Sublime & Gwen Stefani
7. “Red Red Red” by Fiona Apple
8. “Red and Purple” by The Dodos
9. “The Purple Bottle” by Animal Collective
10. “Bottle of Smoke” by The Pogues
11. “Smoke Attack” by Twisted Mind Records
12. “Attack of the 60 Ft. Lesbian Octopus” by Does It Offend You, Yeah?
13. “Octopus’s Garden/Sun King” by The Beatles
14. “King of Rock” by RUN-DMC
15. “Rock Out” by Motörhead
16. “Out Loud” by Mindy Smith
17. “Loud Cloud Crowd” by Stephen Malkmus
18. “Crowd Breaks Out” by John Murphy
19. “Out There On The Ice” by Cut Copy
20. “Ice Dogs” by Man Man
21. “Dogs of War” by Ghostface Killah
22. “War Hero” by Antibalas
23. “Heroes And Villains” by Brian Wilson
24. “Villain’s Dance” by National Symphony Orchestra
25. “Dance Hall Days” by Wang Chung
26. “Days Without Rain” by Patrick Cleandenim
27. “Rain” by Bishop Allen
*above/front image from HERE
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8tracks is a simple way to create and share mixtapes that we’re now using in lieu of Muxtape, we may even like it more. Check back, as we post a brand new mix each week on Friday morning. You can see all of the EAR FARM Weekly Mixes HERE.
“The Sweetest Thing” by The Daniel Nathan Band which clocks in at 9:50.
Bill Nicholson’s Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: about 12 servings
2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans fruit cocktail (undrained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9-ounce) box raisins
1 pinch salt
1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Butter Rum Sauce, recipe follows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top of donuts and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible.
Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled. Top with Butter Rum Sauce.
Butter Rum Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 pound box confectioners’ sugar
Rum, to taste
Melt butter and slowly stir in confectioners’ sugar. Add rum and heat until bubbly. Pour over each serving of Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.
Buy The Daniel Nathan Band HERE.
*front thumbnail from HERE; top photo from HERE; recipe from the Food Network courtesy Paula Deen.
EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.
The best words in music don’t always have to flow forth from painfully constructed song lyrics. Often enough, it’s the peripheral white noise of everyday idle chatter, catty back and forths, out-of-context quotes, musings, ramblings and ill-advised blog postings surrounding the actual music that provides the most fun and enlightenment for the armchair frontman.
Part “they actually said that?” part “wow, that’s fairly interesting” part “no shit dummy” part “Musicians: they’re just like us! (in that they also speak and write?)” and part “oh that quote must belong to Courtney Love”, we offer you a bit of a roundup of the latest words heard round the campfire over the past few days. Turn your thinking caps off… Read more…
Listen:“Total Peace” by Sebadoh from Sebadoh III
View: Image search results for Total Peace - above image is from the 15th page of results (and was originally from HERE).
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EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Tuesday) wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted. You can see all of EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.
In anticipation of The Bell House’s grand opening on September 18th (following a private opening on the 17th), I did a little reconnaissance mission this past Thursday in order to get a firsthand look. My curiosity was rewarded, because Jack (Skippy) McFadden - co-owner and booker of the Bell House (and booker at Union Hall) - graciously agreed to take me on the grand tour of the premises as the fully realized vision of the space continued to take impressive shape around us.
Armed with a camera and perhaps an inappropriate number of questions, I compiled the following picture tour to give you 20 vicarious views of Gowanus’s newest gem, The Bell House. But first, here’s what Skippy had to say in a press release circulated just hours after my visit there… Read more…
Taking a cue from Maura once again, I’ve decided to make this week’s mix an entirely autobiographical one. There are a few self-imposed rules, just to keep things fresh and interesting. Basically, I’ve chosen one song from each year I’ve been alive; however, the songs in this mix are not allowed to have appeared on any of the albums from the previously published Countdown: My Favorite Albums From Each Year I’ve Been Alive. Also, only one song per artist here. Other than that, it’s a wide open mix that features some of my favorite songs ever… some that were favorites during the specified year… and some that hold significance for personal reasons. I’m well aware of the fact that I missed a TON of great songs, but once I found a song that was a favorite for any given year I went on to the next. If I were to actually attempt to pick a “most favorite” song for every year I’ve been alive it would take months. Years even.
Anyway: mix time. Enjoy the audio tour of the past thirty-three years…
click the arrow above to listen to this week’s mix
Join EAR FARM’s Community for a link to download the entire mix as three separate ZIPs.
EAR FARM’s Mixtape #24: Autobiographical Matt Mix
1. John Denver, “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” (1975)
2. Aerosmith, “Last Child” (1976)
3. Rush, “Farewell to Kings” (1977)
4. Rolling Stones, “Miss You” (1978)
5. The Cash, “Guns of Brixton” (1979)
6. Pretenders, “Brass in Pocket” (1980)
7. Christopher Cross, “Arthur’s Theme” (1981)
8. John Mellencamp, “Jack & Diane” (1982)
9. New Order, “Age of Consent” (1983)
10. Cyndi Lauper, “She Bop” (1984)
11. Wham!, “Careless Whisper” (1985)
12. Madonna, “Open Your Heart” (1986)
13. The Smiths, “Death Of A Disco Dancer” (1987)
14. Sonic Youth, “Teen Age Riot” (1988)
15. The Stone Roses, “I Wanna Be Adored” (1989)
16. Depeche Mode, “Policy of Truth” (1990)
17. Morrissey, “Mute Witness” (1991)
18. Carter USM, “The Only Living Boy In New Cross” (1992)
19. PJ Harvey, “50ft Queenie” (1993)
20. Suede, “Killing Of A Flash Boy” (1994)
21. Pulp, “I Spy” (1995)
22. Placebo, “Come Home” (1996)
23. Portishead, “Humming” (1997)
24. Belle & Sebastian, “Sleep The Clock Around” (1998)
25. Trans Am, “Futureworld” (1999)
26. Yo La Tengo, “Cherry Chapstick” (2000)
27. The Faint, “Agenda Suicide” (2001)
28. Wilco, “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” (2002)
29. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Y Control” (2003)
30. Jay-Z & Danger Mouse, “99 Problems” (2004)
31. Brakes, “Heard About Your Band” (2005)
32. Jarvis Cocker, “Black Magic” (2006)
33. Grizzly Bear, “He Hit Me” (2007)
34. The Dodos, “Joe’s Waltz” (2008)
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8tracks is a simple way to create and share mixtapes that we’re now using in lieu of Muxtape, we may even like it more. Check back, as we post a brand new mix each week on Friday morning. You can see all of the EAR FARM Weekly Mixes HERE.
What’s this? It’s a pop song BATTLE! With a twist. Instead of only two artists squaring off over the same song, like we did last time with “See You Again” by Miley Cyrus, we’ve got four different artists and five different versions of the same song this time around. It’s a Royal Rumble! Our song: the post-punk goth classic “A Forest”. Our competitors: The Cure (original composers of our contended song), Bat For Lashes (art school student turned rock chanteuse), Nouvelle Vague (Bossa nova cover version maestros), Toadies (composers of ’90s alternative hit “Possum Kingdom”), and The Cure (again, you’ll see). How did we get here, and where are we going? Read more…
Listen:“The Night” by Morphine from The Night
View: Image search results for The Night - above image is from the 1st page of results (and was originally from HERE).
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EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Tuesday) wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted. You can see all of EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.
For the uninitiated, EAR FARM has a community called The Goondocks where people can download exclusive mixes and MP3s Read more…
It’s that time of the year again… back to school time! As summer wanes and the smell of textbooks again fills the air we’d like to offer you the following mix to enjoy on your way to class. Or while you’re skipping class. Or while you’re enjoying having the kids out of the house for a few hours every day. Whatever. Back to school, and back to mixes rather than muxes! (thanks 8tracks, you rule - get well soon Muxtape)
click the arrow above to listen to this week’s mix
Join EAR FARM’s Community for a link to download the entire mix as a ZIP.
EAR FARM’s Mixtape #23: Back to School
1. “Back to School” by Danny Elfman
2. “The Headmaster Ritual” by The Smiths
3. “School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell)” by Chuck Berry
4. “We Rule The School” by Belle & Sebastian
5. “Nights of the Living Dead” by Tilly and the Wall
6. “Popular” by Nada Surf
7. “Grade School Erection” by Frauke
8. “F**k School” by The Replacements
9. “Late For School” by Ponytail
10. “Cool Scene” by The Dandy Warhols
11. “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” by Pink Floyd
12. “Another Brick In the Wall (Part 2)” by Pink Floyd
13. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School” by Ramones
14. “Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen
15. “Summer’s Gone” by Placebo
16. “Be True to Your School” by The Beach Boys
*above picture of the Music Conservatory at Oberlin College from HERE; front thumbnail from HERE
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8tracks is a simple way to create and share mixtapes that we’re now using in lieu of Muxtape, we may even like it more. Check back, as we post a brand new mix each week on Friday morning. You can see all of the EAR FARM Weekly Mixes HERE.
“Poor Jackie” by Man Man which clocks in at 8:24.
The opening verse of Man Man’s epic song “Poor Jackie” sets the scene for a bawdry tale of a street walking murderess who cuts the hearts out of her victims and paints a moustache on her face to hide from police. The track is the sprawling gypsy-prog epicenter of an otherwise pop-forward album, and a highlight of Man Man’s career to this point. The song opens:
“Jackie hits the streets
She swears that all she sees
Is the hunger in their eyes
And the desperation in their speech”
What wonderful serendipity it was that I’d just listened to the song, lyrics still lingering in my mind, when I arrived at my favorite local espresso joint just the other day. Funny, because those lyrics could easily have been written about the woman working the lonely midday shift that day. It was 4pm, a transient hour. The place was empty except for one single man seated at a corner table reading private documents. Private? You bet. Had to be private the way he was twisted and turned to hide them from the world. I paid him no mind seeing as how he was seated across the room from my favorite spot.
My order: “Hi, I’ll have a latte please.”
Jackie: “Oh hey! Okay, is that to stay or to go?”
Me: “Hey, how’s it going? It’s for here. Thanks. How’ve you been….”
So, I “know” the barista at this particular place. Not because I’m the kind of guy who makes it a point to shake hands and make friends with people who serve me beverages, but rather because she’s nice and saw me enough to finally one day introduce herself - “You’re in here a lot. I’m Jackie…”
I come to this place as though it will energize my exhausted mind, or inspire it, or whatever. The drinks do that? The atmosphere? It’s all supposed to I think. There’s something that keeps bringing people back here. Jackie perhaps? She fixes up my latte and makes it all pretty on top with the foam and everything (the way they all tend to do at this particular place) and I go to my regular seat and set up camp. It’s the familiarity that keeps ‘em coming back here, and Jackie’s part of that. Thankfully, around this time of day, they’re not coming back in droves - the people who come in around 4:00 are pretty much all takeaways. Which makes it a perfect time and place to lose an hour. No bothersome conversations the next table over, no nosy jerks trying to see what you’re writing -or worse, asking “whatcha writin’?”- nothing. Just the purity of coffee-faced writerdom.
But no! Wait. Actually, come to think of it, I was missing those people! The human wallpaper. I thought I didn’t need them around but here it was just me alone with a blank computer screen and all the hushed atmosphere I could ever want and suddenly a realization: I really wanted some bozos to half-listen-to and half-watch. Bah!
That’s when I started paying attention to the steadily slow stream of customers stopping in for a quick order “to go”. All I could see was the hunger in their eyes, and the desperation in their speech…
Customer #1: (white male, 45) “How much are the cookies?”
Jackie: “Two dollars a piece.”
Customer #1: “For which? Both kinds? Are there two different kinds?”
Jackie: “Yes, oatmeal and chocolate chip.”
Customer #1: “Is the lumpy one oatmeal?”
Jackie: “Yes. Well they’re both lumpy. But the one you’re pointing at is oatmeal.”
Customer #1: “And how much is it?”
Jackie: “Two dollars.”
Customer #1: “For this one? It looks bigger than the rest. Is the chocolate chip better or is oatmeal better?”
Jackie: “That depends on your personal preference really.”
Customer #1: “Can I have one of each to try?”
Jackie: “Yes, for two dollars each.”
Customer #1: “Ouch….”
(extended pause: silence)
Customer #1: “I’ll have an oatmeal please. To keep. That one, the big one.”
Customer #2: (white male, 30ish) Nothing. Silence. He leans in and speaks to her. It’s not a whisper, I don’t think, judging by the look on his face and hers. This isn’t a special quiet moment, just a quiet man. An order is placed, I assume, and Jackie goes to work. The gargle of milk frothery fills the air: score! A latte to go. He turns and leaves just as silently as he entered. No “thank you,” no acknowledgment of any exchange, or service rendered, or goods purchased. Bamf! He was gone in an instant.
Customer #3: (Italian couple, late 20s) “Hey.”
Jackie: “How are you?”
Customer #3: “Can I gets a small coffee and -for the lady- a small coffee as well. That’ll do its, yeah.” (Italian flirt talking and coochie coos ensue) “Let’s go back outside, is beautiful. Yes?”
Jackie: “So nice.” (she hands them their drinks and they leave speaking Italian to each other) “Have a good one guys.”
Customer #4: (white male, 35ish) “A coffee.”
Jackie: “Small or big?”
Customer #4: “Uh medium?”
Jackie: “We don’t have a medium.”
Customer #4: “Oh boy. No medium?! Grande then. Yeah?”
(he seemed impressed with his Starbucks wit)
Jackie: (no sign of annoyance) “So that’s a large?”
Customer #5: (black female, 25) “Iced latte.”
Jackie: “You got it.”
Customer #5: “You dont drink iced drinks do you?”
Jackie: “No.”
Customer #5: “But in the summer… when it’s hot… it’s better. Like, when I’m working outside a lot I always have one. And I feel like it goes better with my stomach too.”
Jackie: “I could see that, iced coffee is funny that way sometimes.”
Customer #5: “Yeah, desserts too.”
Jackie: “Here you go, that’s $4.25.”
Customer #5: (counts change from her pocket, no bills) “Uh oh…”
Jackie: “That’s okay, I’ll just put it on your tab!”
Customer #5: “No, I want to pay you today! How late will you be here?”
Jackie: “Until eight o’clock.”
Customer #5: “Okay, see you later then… I’m working late, definitely see you later.”
Customer #6: (Indian male, 40) “Hey.”
Jackie: “Hi, how are you?”
Customer #6: “Pretty good. Just a latte.”
Jackie: “For here or to go?”
Customer #6: “That’s a good question. For go. I mean, to stay here. Yep.”
(she works wonders with the espresso machine as he nervously paces around the cash register/counter area… moments later his drink arrives)
Customer #6: “The way you do that foam makes me want to touch it. The design on it. And I’m not even that into touching things.”
(he really said that. Her: no reply. He tries the latte…)
Customer #6: “Is that different espresso?” (he licks his lips (ew) as he tastes and talks. He sounds like Paul Giamatti’s character in Sideways…) “Usually it starts moving towards berries but not this one. It’s real nutty. And. It’s buzzing. It buzzes in my mouth and hints of something floral.”
Jackie: “No, it’s the same.”
(he tastes again in disbelief)
Customer #6: “Whatever happened to Derek?”
Jackie: “He’s at the other store. He had to move on.”
(another prolonged taste - he savors the coffee and the moment)
Customer #6: “I guess we all do eventually. But good news for us here, it just means more time with you! Right? Well I’ll be right over there like I always am. Look, you can see me from where you’re standing.”
Jackie: “Okay…”
Jackie threw down some verbal ellipsis that signaled the end of the conversation and I decided it might be the end for me too. I’d observed quite a few more interactions, and wrote them all down, but I left out most of them due to their utter banality. This one though, this one left me feeling the need to leave after witnessing the extraordinary discomfort. I had to go and find sanctuary outside the creepy customer zone. But not Jackie. She couldn’t escape it, she still had three more hours to go.
Poor Jackie.
Buy Rabbit Habbits HERE
*front thumbnail from HERE; top photo taken by me
EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.
Oh, Pretty Boy, Can’t You Show Me Nothing But Surrender?
Horses, horses, horses, horses
Comin in in all directions
White shining silver studs with their nose in flames,
He saw horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses…
So opens Steven Sebring’s (above left) new film, Patti Smith: Dream of Life––or at least the photographic equivalent of the well-known Smith verse does. The first shot poetically depicts a slow-galloping pack of horses against a red background. Enter Smith’s narrating voice and a series of even more elegant images.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life endeavors to be true to its subject matter. It is a reflection of the artist and her art, reaped from the very root of her ideas. Accordingly, the film bends common conceptions of narrative and genre. It is neither a concert documentary, nor a biography of Smith’s life. It does not dwell on Smith’s music or poetry, nor does it expound upon the historical or social context of her art. No, Sebring’s film is a rhythmic meditation on an artist, an act of observance and detached reverence. By employing such a grand visual collage, Sebring reveals that his love for Smith is quite a brainiac-amour. But no more.
Steven Sebring met Patti Smith in 1995, when Spin magazine hired Sebring to do a photo-shoot with Smith. Smith agreed based on the recommendation of Sebring by Michael Stipe. Something magical must have happened on that shoot: for the next 12 years Sebring followed Smith all over the globe, immersing himself in her home life, her stage persona, her personal adventures, her entire world…
In an interview with Filmmaker magazine, Sebring describes a relationship that, to some, may resemble stalking: “I would usually meet her on tour. Like when she went to Japan, I said, ‘I’m going to go to Japan,’ and she wouldn’t believe me. And then I’d show up and she’d be like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ That’s the way it was. At her mother and father’s house in Jersey, it was like ‘I’m gonna go to my Mom and Dad’s house — do you wanna come?’ I said, ‘Yeah, of course!’ So it was like that kind of thing throughout the years.”
But this is obviously the most natural way to film a Smith biography. I mean, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to follow Patti Smith around? Going to each and every concert, visiting the graves of Arthur Rimbaud and William Blake, hanging out with her both at home and backstage, not to mention chilling with her parents in the house Smith grew up in… Yes, you can accurately state that Sebring is one lucky bastard. If I had a job like that, I think I’d just continue following her around for as long as possible, never actually making the film, but pretending to by carrying around a video camera at all times.
However, Sebring’s reverence––obsession, if you prefer––presents an alternative implication. One scene, in which Sebring follows Smith to the grave of Arthur Rimbaud, casts this relationship under a fresh light.
The camera shows Smith wandering around Rimbaud’s gravesite, focusing on the way she absorbs his spirit from the natural setting. Next Smith stomps around a wooded area where he once stomped, and sits in a urinal he used more than a hundred years ago. Patti Smith never had the chance to meet her hero, so she settles on the sensation she garners from his gravesite. Recognizing these poetic and musical influences is essential to understanding her art. Smith’s music and lyrics are inextricably linked to dead poets and rockers: to Gregory Corso, to William Burroughs, to Jim Morrison, to Jimi Hendrix. Their spirits enable her to create a beauty all her own.
Steven Sebring grasps this phenomenon and imitates the process; but the key difference is that his muse is still alive and in front of his camera at all times. Sebring travels to be around the spirit of his muse while she travels to be around the spirit of hers. Again: the only natural way to make a Patti Smith film is to be around her at all times, soaking in her energy and watching her soak in energy from her own sources. These are the transferences that guide this film and give it life.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life is the product of an intricate relationship. By persisting in close proximity to Smith’s creative energy for twelve years––by watching and observing and learning from his muse––Sebring was able to make his own, very remarkable, work of art. Go Sebring, go and do the watusi, oh do the watusi.
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View the Patti Smith: Dream of Life trailer.
Visit Patti Smith on MySpace.