In retrospect, “The Happening” seemed like the moment when Motown first lost its way: the beginning of the end. A theme for a painfully unhip cinematic attempt at hipness, written by Holland-Dozier-Holland with a Hollywood hand best known for TV themes (Family Affair, Gidget, My Three Sons).* It was a formal foot in the door …
Month: December 2012
There are many reasons why you might be interested in a law enforcement job. In many areas, these jobs are recession-proof, they offer stability and prestige and they can also help you bring in great salaries. However, landing a job in law enforcement can be tricky. There is a lot of competition, so you will …
Many thanks to Davin Michael Stedman and everyone at Staxx Brothers for premiering “Corn Rows for Christmas” on East Portland Blog two years ago. “Corn Rows for Christmas” is the tune which really put East Portland Blog on the map. Here it is in all its original glory: https://www.eastportlandblog.com/2010/12/21/its-here-staxx-brothers-corn-rows-for-christmas-a-world-premiere-original-song-free-download/
Merry Christmas from James Nicholson and me, along with all the other artists at Optional Art who made this one of the most fun musical projects I’ve ever worked on. Originally released in 1996, Cool Yule is still an annual revisit for many. Think of it as It’s a Wonderful Life meets A Peanuts Christmas …
Whether you work as a nurse now, or plan to do so in the future, get set for long hours. Shifts of 12 hours or longer are common, particularly in hospital settings. However, the good news is that often you’ll have a shorter work week in general, so that when you have days off, it’ll …
Released in 1967 on Atlantic Records, this tune features John Hammond on vocals & harmonica with Robbie Robertson on lead guitar and Bill Wyman on bass, laying down a pretty decent groove… – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. The companion …
Listen up, punk fans, there’s punk band out of Indonesia to look out for. Prison of Blues are a four-piece churning out throat grinding vocals, some manic guitar shredding along with manic drumming and a stand-up bass that plays so fast I wonder how the strings don’t melt from the friction. Their new CD Trick …
A geographic information systems analyst is responsible for tracking information on everything from a projected storm path to what impact an oil spill will have. The job certainly has its stressful moments, but more than 55 percent of those currently in this field consider the job low stress. Granted, there is a place for exciting …
According to a national 2012 survey conducted by Nonprofit HR Solutions, an estimated 43 percent of nonprofits will be hiring new staff this year. In a slow job market, any jobs are great news and many applicants like the idea of working for companies that are making a difference. Heavy competition means it may be …
It’s taken several decades, but maybe, someone has finally made Jack Kerouac‘s 1957 novel On The Road into a credible Hollywood film. This LA Times article tells the story of all the ups and downs along the way…. – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds …
Being a musician is an exciting career, but it doesn’t necessarily pay the bills. While you’re busy setting up gigs and building a fan base, you also need to make sure that you have a steady stream of income available. This doesn’t mean that you have to resign yourself to sitting in a cubicle five …
LA based artist Conquistador, aka Alex Antebi, is a true one of a kind! His look– body suits, Russian hats, heels, and award winning moustache— is just the start of it. He’s a true champion of freedom of self-expression and is proud member of LA’s LGBT community though he is straight. He’s been the doorman …
You’ve heard Rod Stewart sing “Gasoline Alley” many times, but check out this 1970 German TV performance in which he sings a sublime, unaccompanied, a cappella version. – Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. The companion disc for the book has …
When stars start to dim, producers tend to flail about, and strange music can result. By 1975, as Muddy’s sales figures were in decline, he became the first customer for Levon Helms’ Woodstock studio. Backed up by members of his own band, together with Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Paul Butterfield, and some accomplished studio musicians, …
This may have been a small step for Van at the time, but it comes across as a giant leap for Vankind 30 plus years later. Recorded at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1980, here is a clip with top notch sound of Van at a late career peak– Common One had just come out– …
They Might Be Giants have perfected their deliriously catchy, original sound over the past three decades. The New Yorker has said they “combine a Dadaist sensibility with smart hooks” while the Village Voice crowed, “They make defiantly uncool look and sound unbelievably cool…” The two-time GRAMMY winning Brooklyn originals return with charming wit, electrifying pop …
In every sensationalized court case, you see them on television – the lawyers defending clients that are either certainly or undeniably guilty. People commonly wonder what sort of person would want that job. How can they defend murderers and criminals capable of other heinous acts? Some might assume they were in it for the money, …
Buying a car insurance policy for a single day can seem a little strange. If you’re not a regular driver, you might wonder why being insured is necessary if you’re just going to borrow a friend’s car or maybe drive a vehicle to the airport before vacation. But most drivers know that accidents are always …
Go here to view the vid. Thanks to Pat Thomas for the tip.
Have you ever looked at your friends and wondered how they are able to earn so much more money than you? What sets these friends apart from the rest of your peer group? The secret they possess that you don’t is earning power. Your successful friends aren’t necessarily smarter than you or more lucky; they …
If you are looking for more responsibility, greater challenges or increased pay, then you are probably in the market for a nice promotion. A sweet promotion will not simply fall into your lap; you will have to take steps to make yourself more appealing to upper management. Here are some steps you should take when …
If somebody had told me that someday I’d appear in the same documentary movie as Chuck Dukowski of Black Flag and Keith Morris of the Circle Jerks talking about obsessive record collecting, I would have said “you’re high, you’ve very very high.” Yet today I was filmed talking about Black Power, they’re talking about Punk …
If you want to become a landlord, getting your rental ready for new tenants is an absolute must. A clean place will show that you take pride in your property, which will help it rent faster and get you better tenants. You can pay a cleaning company to come in, but if you do that …
Poet and mystic William Blake was considered a madman by his contemporaries. His work received little attention while he was alive. I didn’t became aware of Blake until I plugged into Allen Ginsberg’s versions of Blake via Ginsberg’s song/poems – and via Van Morrison’s Sense of Wonder and Veedon Fleece albums where Van quotes and …
Jerry Rubin died 18 years ago in a Los Angeles hospital. An anti-Vietnam War demonstrator during the 1960’s, he and Abbie Hoffman (and many others) marched on and surrounded the Pentagon in ’67, led the riots at the Chicago ’68 Democratic Convention, and inspired John & Yoko to campaign against Nixon in ’72. By 1980, …
This tune is neither as immediate or as disarming as her cover of “Pursuit of Happiness,” but it has its moments. I’m sorry I missed this when it came out in twenty ten.
With an original single that clocked in at 8:30, one of the granddaddies of late-night, groove electronica. (For the last 20 years, it has served as the intro music to paranormal radio show, Coast to Coast AM.) It should be required that either you have to have the lights off or be in a car …
The paradigm for the first two Duran Duran albums… This is the shit right here, it doesn’t get much cooler than this. – Steve Stav
An interesting cover of the Radiohead tune.
Right at the beginning of Beware of Mr. Baker, the film’s director, Jay Bulger, is attacked by drummer Ginger Baker, physically, with a metal cane that draws blood when applied to the bridge of the filmmaker’s nose. Mr. Baker, whom we will subsequently encounter in less agitated moods, is upset about the direction of Mr. …