hrrundivbakshi

WE REVIEW ECONO: Spoon

Mar 232010

Those of you who have been long-time, faithful members of the Hall should be well familiar with our running “WE REVIEW ECONO” feature. Under “WRE” rules, reviewers of anything — shows, albums, movies, 1970s TV shows starring Bill Shatner, whatever — are forced to encapsulate their feelings about the creative enterprise under scrutiny in one sentence. No more, no less — and no bullet lists allowed! Your sentence can be long and tortuous, or succinct and sharp; the choice is yours — remembering that the RTH audience can be ruthless when evaluating the critical brevity of your essay. Following is my one-sentence review of the Spoon live show I caught with Townsman cjdawson at DC’s 9:30 club tonight:

Spoon (at least in a live setting) seems to wish it was a trippy, neo-prog band — but, despite their occasionally successful, edgy Blur- and Radiohead- and Pink Floyd-isms, the fact remains that they’re a guitar pop band… and, thankfully, not a bad one, at that.

HVB

Thrifty Music, Vol. 19: Hit-and-Run With Lou Christie

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Mar 222010

I’m kinda glad we’ve had a specific request for some Lou Christie lately. I was unsure about how –or whether — the two singles I found recently on a scouring trip would hold up amongst the real thrifty gems I have in store for you. So, for now, I’m just going to pop these tunes up here, and let the chips fall where they may. I for one like these songs, but… well, then again…

Here’s my big probing thrifty question: you may know that Lou Christie is the guy doing all the falsetto stuff in these songs. Remarkable! But, I ask: Is anybody doing the male falsetto thing anymore? Seems to me that even in the urban/R&B category, there are precious few artists singing like little girls anymore. And I’ll add: I had no idea what Lou Christie looked like when I found that YouTube clip of Christie sporting the chest-wig and open vest Look. Has the day passed when a man could look so *manly* and still sing like a woman?

Anyhow, here are two obscure Lou Christie tracks for you to enjoy:

Lou Christie, “Guitars and Bongos”

Lou Christie, “Du Ronda”

HVB

RTH Musicians and Listeners: Help Us Help Haiti!

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Mar 222010

Fellow Townspeople, I come before you one more time as an honest supplicant, begging your favor and craving your collective indulgence on behalf of a devastated nation, still reeling from the effects of disaster.

You may remember about a month ago, my company co-sponsored a benefit concert for victims of the Haiti earthquake, at which we raised nearly $6,000. What I don’t think I told you then was that the artists at the show were being filmed by a multi-camera HD film crew, and that they’d be edited together by some of the finest editing professionals in the DC area. The idea was that these performances would form the “seed content” for a Web site that would allow unsigned bands and artists to share their music with the world, while urging listeners to donate to the charity of their choice.

Well, many weeks of volunteer work later, we have a Web site: www.indiemusicforhaiti.com. Now, we need your help. If you’re a musician, we want you to help us populate the site with great music — and we want you to spread the word about the place with fellow bands and musicians. If you’re an avid listener, we want your eyes and ears. And Haiti, of course, would appreciate your money, if you have any to spare.

I urge all Townspeople to check the site out. There’s already a lot of great music up there for you to enjoy — including a track penned and performed by yours truly, with the able assistance of Paul Garisto, drummer for the Psychedelic Furs!

Thanks, townspeople. As always… I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSES.

HVB

Hiprockrisy!

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Mar 022010

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I’ve made this candid confession before: as an idiotic 13 year old, I actually went through a phase when I thought Ted Nugent was a better guitar player than Jimi Hendrix. Eventually, as I acquired a bit more perspective on things rock-ular, I realized how stupid that was. One of the catalysts for my critical re-evaluation of Uncle Ted had nothing to do with how fast he could go “tweedlee-tweedlee-tweedlee-tweeee” on the guitar. Rather, it was a single line from one of his songs, “Free For All.” In it, avowed drug-shunner Nugent boasted: “Stakes are high, and so am I…”

Even as a 13 year old, I smelled a rat. It was certainly “cool” to make claims about how high you were back then, and — had it been anybody else — this lyric would have just been another effort at achieving fringed buckskin jacket and mirrored shades status. But the Nuge was different — he was the first “straight-edge” rocker, and here he was, bragging about how high he was. Just to sell more records! Hypocrisy!

This got me thinking about other rock star hypocrisies. I’m sure you can think of a few, and I know we’d all like to hear about them. I’d like to believe our musical heroes and heroines say what they mean and mean what they say, 100 percent of the time. To be painfully honest, though, I’m not sure that’s always the case. I think it’s time we brought these all-too-human shortcomings into clear — and perhaps brutal — focus. We need some tough love. How have your heroes let you down? How have they displayed hyprockrisy?

I look forward to your responses —

HVB

This Job Calls for the Lute: Sting in the Pay of Tyranical Uzbek Regime

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Feb 222010

I swear this is not an Onion piece, nor am I making it up. A must-read for every Sting-questioning rock fan! Click here to check it out!

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“I am well aware of the Uzbek president’s appalling reputation in the field of human rights as well as the environment. I made the decision to play there in spite of that. I have come to believe that cultural boycotts are not only pointless gestures, they are counter-productive, where proscribed states are further robbed of the open commerce of ideas and art and as a result become even more closed, paranoid and insular.”

Previously.

CHOOSE SIDES! Lindsey Buckingham

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Feb 162010

A recent post by an otherwise well-respected Townsman in another, unnamed forum (for shame!) has prodded me into action. This Hall member took the time to “join” a “group” professing their admiration for the works of Lindsey Buckingham. Now, we’ve discussed Lindsey in the Hall before, but I feel it’s time for folks to take a stand on this issue. I’m looking for a digital answer, people. No pipe-tamping, no donning of the lab coat, no dithering over shades of gray. Summon all the strength you possess and CHOOSE SIDES! Are you FOR or AGAINST Lindsey Buckingham?

Whodat?

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Feb 162010

This exercise is simple: Identify the woman whose image you see above. Note that this photograph has relevance to one of the discussions we’re undertaking today.

I look forward to your responses.

HVB

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