Cool!

Got this photo today from Arlo Hennings (who is Shawn Phillips' manager 16

years now!!). Arlo self-described poet had a project called Left As Is (writer/guitarist).

Double album (I didn't appear on), but played some gigs (roto toms/cymbals standing up and vocals).

Cool album. One fav was the long song at the end where Arlo recited his poetry (low deep voice)

to the electronic/wave music, called Victims of the Glitch. During the out, he kept repeating

"victims of the glitch" - then recited "glitch...of the victims" and finally "of...glitch...victim."

Reminds me very much of Dylan in the hospital during that time he explained in a very

ryhthymic, slow way why there is no "light" button on the patient-call-remote, in braille.

Clockwise L to R: Shelly (great writer/guitarist/singer only vox in LAI) - Pugsley

(keys/sequencers) - Mark (lead vox) - Arlo Hennings (w/ 45's on jacket)

- Jan Hennings (vox) - me (percussion, vox).

THIS was the band that, because we'd only 3 music instrument players, played

"to tapes". Ran the gammit from very cool to disasterous, in application.

_________________________________________________________

Various musings and irons in the fire

Links to old friends and others from the TC scene I'm into.

Donna's Deck: heard the MP3 at friend - and sister of Dan Coffeen- Donna's urging, on her back

deck, blasted loud and full. She was right, it sounded really good. This was about 5 days after the

untrial was made so and I sat there totally collapsed, musing I'm gonna do this in the open air live -

I'll need singers...

Baby Tired: feel as or more tired as if I'd just had a baby. Someone said doh, ya just been thru a war.

Trying to be extremely nice to myself, scaling down expectations.

Looks Like I'm hosting a jam/rehearsal at my house in July. Room's boomy, kinda like Jared's studio.

Will have to add rugs and/or at least cover drums with towels. V. psyched about this, it shall be with my

first pro-band [ sans Hal who died... ] I hope we can get some video, I'd be happy with one good tune.

It'll be the boys plus others they now play with (sans their drummer so I'll be doing those duties). Don't

know if we'll do originals, but I think I'll suggest my MP3 song, and ask what do they have that's instantly

send-able. Already invited a violinist I recently met...we'll see.

Jeff F and I didn't video today due to a very stupid reason: sunburn! Day 4 and it's still knocked me for a loop.

Increasingly in touch with circa 80's Twin Cities musicians - just keep coming across people via the Web and sending them

"hey it's me if you recall" messages. Am in fun conversation with Danny Mangold writer/guitarist (pricipally) of

The Metro's (Metro All-Stars), who the cover band I was in warmed up for a couple times. Danny's had some

great gigs since, w/ Spin Dr's and etc; and lately had replaced Nancy Wilson on maternity leave from Heart. V. cool, he and former

Metro's doing a CD and was touched he sent me a track - which is very good, very tastyHUGE and sparse in its hugeness

and vice versa. + scroll down for Metro's and downloads

Dusty Cox of The Metro's has growed up very big and strong...incredible, downbeat jazz awards first as a reed player

in the 90's, now as a conductor of "Big Band I" at Adelaide Conservatorium in Australia. Played w/ (Prof) Darius Brubeck

S. Afrrica, and Grammy nominated soloist in '95! However, I know from experience Dusty's students (and he's versed

pianist as well) are probably his greatest legacy. Teachers! They are so imporant! + Dustan "Dusty" Cox

True to form, the exchanges have him sharing music (live at the school I Fall In Love Too Easily

beautiful and calming) and Dusty encouraging me to keep playing.

So I'm reaching out right now, wanto contact La Tisha Rae, WICKED bassist and

an astouding lead singer/writer formerly of Slave Raider. Tho Chainsaw

was the lead singer +

I'd forgotten

how HUGE metal was here. It was crazy, no one

could've taken in the complete scene in the Twin Cities in the 80's, it covered every genre from

Metal to Folk to Gospel, writers were in profusion, players & gigs. Just the Prince/Flyte Tyme (Jam

and Lewis) things alone spawned I think roughly 9 bands. Can't really count all the artists recording.

Checking out Terri Owen in The Oh's who I's fortunate to know and play with

+

I can't find Terri playing live with them...she's the black haired rythym player.

So am also spending time taking in parts of that scene I could not

do when it first came around, either from being underage, and then once of age, gigging myself.

One can't be everywhere at once, tho I saw many performances.

Jeff F's footage of The Time

and then someone's else's of The Suburbs +

This is a good representation. The Time is a later version I think sans Johnson, Lewis, Harris - I dunno if it's

Jellybean or Michael Bland or who on drums. Searched around and Jeff F's is the best for sheer

spirit /performance, but also sound unless I missed something.

They just kill it, it's great fun (I think Jerome the Valet is my fav)

Old Soul Asylum, and then non TwinCitian Larry Graham

of Sly and then Graham Central Station....yah-yah!

Writing: I's looking at a drum tutorial for 777-9311, but before I delved into it,

working w/ something in my head. To my astonishment

it was about indepence (of limbs), and I was doing stuff I'd not done before.

I wondered if the trauma has had my actual LIMBS in prison, cause I don't see

another way to explain that I could attempt this groove, much less write it.

Thankfully I've picked up another tapedeck which records "in the air" so I taped me to

104 bpm, then ran outside with the guitar (this is The Naked Song, my nickname for it cause

I play a bass lick for most of it on my guitar). While taping the drumming

it's actually 2 separate grooves which can be put alltogether. Tonight I worked

on stage 2. I think there'll be about 4 stages of welding the dif. parts.

I came up w/ a juvenile-ly simple guitar riff, two notes, REALLY happy about it

(that same night). Something / anything, I am in relief whenever I meet up w/ the old/real me.

I have never been an independence drummer. I guess I'm beginning to now. Just went with

basically what came natural, let auto-pilot and that musical-like ecstacy take hold. Not

that I didn't practice or craft things. But usually not! Drums came so natural that I let me slide

as in a real playground sliding or like the bird taking advantage of the wind to glide.

It is easier for me to play an uptempo jazz thing than a simple funk beat if this at all involves independence.

One last: That eve I drummed then played guitar to it, at a certain point I realized that I

know too much about guitar playing to say I'm not a guitar player anymore. And, after 150 years

the most recent time I heard Neil Young's Old Man, I discerned the banjo.