eBay pick of the day: Schoeps CM61

Schoeps CM61 tube microphone


That swivel mount reminds me of the adapter AKG used to make for their 451 E's (it's called an A51, if you're wondering). Speaking of which, why have we phased out rotating/remote capsule mic designs? There are a few options out there, but the pickings are slim! Is there some sort of "mic placement correction" plugin that I don't know about? Angled caps just make life easier.

Anyway, be sure to check out the little Q&A at the bottom of the auction-- these Dutch guys are pros!

Q: Hello,, I interested with your stuff. i'll pay $3,700.00 and i want you shipp to my store in Asia. You can charge my credit card for payment. the only way i want you charge my card into manual swipe charge machine for safety reason.I can't make check or money order cause I spent my cash money for build my new store. If you don't have charge machine maybe you can find at your family, friends or the other. please let me know If you agree with that. reply to superdeal@realemail.net for quick transaction.Thank's. Sincerely, Johan Anwar Jul-30-07

A: yeah ! will pass it on to comedy channel ,thanks

Peter Heyneman podcast

I meant to mention this a while ago, but be sure to check out Contras drummer Peter Heyneman's Podcast and website, Cro-Magnon Jazz. Good stuff!

Great Lee Perry studio video

Check out his Bi-Phase!

Bonus video-- King Jammy "Jailhouse Rock"


Is he mixing on a Datamix sidecar?

Children's crusade

Last night on his WFMU program "The Long Rally," DJ Scott McDowell played a track by Lightbulb, a band featuring Thurston/Kim's daughter and Byron Coley's children-- you can stream the show here and check out his blog for more info, though the details are crumbs.

It got me thinking about Old Skull. You know, these guys:


I remember seeing them on "A Current Affair" way back when but cannot find a clip of the interview anywhere. If you can point me towards a link, please do.

My mind then drifted to the photo on the cover of the first Jodi Foster's Army LP-- am I wrong in remembering that JFA were really young when they started out? This video is from 1984, only three years after their first 7" and less than a year after the "Valley of the Yakes" record dropped. They already look, I dunno, almost twenty.



Open thread time: what was your favorite child-band?

The many faces of MC Ricky D

I don't know which Slick Rick I like more-- the mustachioed two-stepper or the eye-patched Ruler!


(Is that IZ THE WIZ from "Style Wars" at the end of the Rap City Crew clip? Of course it is!)

Worst photo I've seen on eBay in a while

From this auction. Dude must have been in a hurry! And what's a "limitor"?

EDIT: they're selling a working LA-3A, too.

Twin Beaks!

Finally!

FS: two FMR Audio RNCs

We're selling our two RNCs for cheap!

Click here for the auction

Edit: sold, 7/21.

FS: FMR Audio RNP

We're selling our RNP for $75 below the going eBay rate. If you're in the market, get this one.

Click here for the auction.

EDIT: sold, 7/21

"200 Bad Comics"

"200 Bad Comics"

How can we get on this bill?

Um, The Yardbirds are playing at Maxwell's on 8/25. It isn't listed on their website, but there are tickets for sale.

This is going to be a stupid question before I ask it because of course they'd want The Shamblers to open for them, but can we start a petition to have The Shamblers open for The Yardbirds? And what are the chances that Jimmy Page (who looks a lot like Gene Ween, come to think of it) is in the group these days? That guy hasn't worked in years!



Also worth noting, The Saints are playing at Maxwell's on 8/4, though, if Perfect Sound Forever is to be believed, they're no longer who they once were:

"Eventually the inevitable happened and the group split, acrimoniously as it turned out, with Bailey continuing to front a group called 'The Saints' to this day, much to Kuepper's chagrin. In partial retaliation, the guitarist later sported a combo called 'The Aints' to show he hadn't entirely lost his acerbic sense of humour with regard to this one."

The Aislers Set-- where are they?

Does anyone know if they're still up to anything? Is there a new Amy Linton band that I don't know about? There was a time when she seemed to be on a one single/month schedule, and I haven't seen anything with her name on it for a while now.

Speaking of which, if this is still actually for sale, get it. The Amy/Stewart split was the third thing 555 released and it sold out immediately. If you liked Henry's Dress and you liked Boyracer you'll wonder why the A/S pair didn't put out more than two 7"s together. RECOMMENDED.

Everything Networked

I was looking at some Real Fake Watches earlier today (even though I have a real real watch, I still might need a real fake one sometime) and they mentioned the Internet of Things, and more specifically something called Thinglink. What a great idea! It's a system not unlike the "Where's George?" stamps you find on dollar bills occassionally, only people who make stuff register for and add the numbers to their things, linking the things to the site. Infinitely more interesting than where your dirty dollars have been, right?

I'm really interested in this idea of ubiquitous computing and how everyday objects can be "networked" and "interfaced." This isn't quite as interesting as the possibilities inherent in new technologies like"smart paper," but it is a new and interesting way to interact with the handmade.

Cut-up in a cut-out mask

Tara does a Redd Foxx bit

What you can expect from the new Contras LP

Contras getting loose

New Contras portraits

Ben Young (vocals)



Jon Polk (aux. percussion)


Portraits from February here.

New Iran-Contras LP: in the bag

The new album by Thee Iran-Contras was recorded this weekend in scenic Quicksburg, VA. Look for more details/photos/videos soon.

Etsy Pick of the Day

Pete's out of town for a bit, so the fantasy shopping is all up to me. Decaying Industries has a great selection of badges (pins, Americanski) related to any number of cultural phenomena and catering primarily to geeks (see: Tetris badges). Our picks:



Vintage Combo Organs

and (of course)

Vintage Analog Synthesizers.

eBay pick of the day: Motorola F09LFD8458BG

Motorola F09LFD8458BG cell phone


It's no secret that I dislike cell phones. Nor is it much of a secret that I wish we lived in a world without them: cell phones make the sober act drunk, and make the drunk unbearable. Just walk around any major metropolitan city in the thick of the afternoon to see what I'm talking about: loud, obnoxious louts, halting traffic mid-sidewalk to punctuate their disbelief over some minor triviality in a "private" conversation with wild hand-wavings and strings of blue exclamations. One person after another like this, for miles. I don't want to sound like a soccer mom here or anything, but when did we all become such cretins?

While I understand wishing for a world without cell phones is like wishing for anything impossible, I do have a back-up dream: that our entertainment industry's infatuation with remakes and recent-event nostalgia will somehow re-introduce the giant portable phone into our popular culture. Something large and inconvenient, with a 2 hour battery life and AM radio reception. Something that you'd have either for emergency or status reasons, but not for casual chit-chat. And, more importantly, something that, if I had to watch people talk on cell phones and act like idiots all day, would at least make the whole experience amusing. There's nothing funny about a shoe store unless it's a shoe store that only sells clown shoes. Then it's hilarious!

eBay pick of the day: Digitech PDS 800 pedal

Digitech PDS 800


I've been turned on by the Digitech PDS pedals ever since seeing the photo on the back of the first (and, as far as I know, only) Tren Brothers EP of Mick Turner's complete PDS collection, patched and arranged in a circle around his red semi-hollow Epiphone on a white shag carpet. As gear shots go, it's beautiful bordering on pornographic.

The only PDS pedal I've owned-- a perfectly bad sounding PDS 3000 -- was used on every Gary Carters record, right up until the power supply died, the input jack stopped passing signal and one of the two foot pedals (the "Hold" one) stopped doing anything. All of that, in reverse order, in about a two week span. While it was working, though, it was great and, if you're lucky enough to find one secondhand, don't flinch at the opportunity. You can hear my ill-fated Pedalverb on this version of "Walkin' With Jesus," as well as on pretty much anything the Carters' MySpace page has on it (the "One of a Kind" cover especially).

Anyway, that not withstanding, the PDS 800 is the pedal to get. It isn't the best named of the PDS line (that honor goes to the "Hot Box"), but it's the most useful. And, chances are, at one point or another, you've heard someone use an 800 and thought to yourself, "why doesn't my guitar sound like that?" (Ira's other trick, from what I understand: two Rats in a row)

Side note: there's another PDS 800 on eBay as well, so if you get outbid on this one (by me), you can always try, try again.

Finally, if you're looking for it, here's the manual.

Haircut

More here for more committed Jess-watchers.

Whaaaaaat?

This is a joke, right?

eBay pick of the day: Grampian 636

Grampain Reverberation Unit Type 636


I really don't know anything about this machine, other than (a) it looks like a prehistoric Orban, and (b) it isn't passing signal. It's a $200 brick with 4 days left in its auction.

Why post about it, then? Because of this cool in-studio shot of Pete Townshend, obviously! You can see a 636 on the shelf in the back, in the shadows of those two EMT 250 looking things on the floor. Anyone know what they are?

Tramp Quarterly Publishes in PDF!

TrampQuarterly Iss...

Hosted by eSnips

Happy 4th of July, from R. Kelly

Warped Weeble Wobbles

Live at... is that the PWAC?

Wait, they're on Myspace?? Really! I hope they put "Sperm Filled Donut" up on that page immediately.

The story I most remember about the Weebles is the time they got the snot kicked out of them by Earth Crisis after ambushing the band before a show they were playing together and spraying them with milk from sportsbottles. Don't know if it's true, but that's what I heard.

Their only official release is still available if you're willing to do some snooping around.

"Thunderbird ESQ" & "Land of a Thousand Dances"

Chalkboard Fabric

I am extremely curious about this "chalkboard" fabric from Denver Fabrics. How well does it erase? Is it washable? How flexible is it? How many things can I think of to make out of it? Swatches are only a penny, and I do have a birthday coming up...
UPDATE: I got myself the swatch...and six yards of oilcloth...and some other swatches. Happy birthday, me!

New harmonica!

Here's our new harmonica-- thanks Paddy!

Two Gun Mathilda, pt. 2

Two Gun Mathilda came over and recorded another track for their upcoming album on Colonial. Tonight, the group featured Stephen Van Dyck and Paddy Welch, both formerly of the esteemed band "Meathead."

eBay pick of the day: modern Moog modular

Voyager rack, VX-351 & VX-352


I was wondering when I'd start seeing these pop up. Can I start a rumor? Moog sequencer in 2008.