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| News |
 With A Little Help From Our Friends: This Sunday (10/14), the Juvenile Diadetes Research Foundation, No Mersey, The Jam, and thousands of everyday people join together for the annual Queens Walk to Cure Diabetes. At the conclusion of the Walkathon, No Mersey will rock the masses assembled at Flushing Meadows Corona Park with a free concert from 11 am to 1 pm. Come support the cause and enjoy a great day of music and spirit. |
Traffic
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Looking for a last-minute opening? Seize the day (or at least a couple of hours):
Monday (10/8): Studio 1: 6-8 pm, Studio 2: 8:30-?
Tuesday (10/9): Studio 1: 6:30-8:30 pm.
Friday (10/12): Studio 3: all night.
...and maybe more. If you're looking for time, call or email us.
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| Education |
 Our Vocal Workshop happens on Saturday, October 20, from 1:00 to 2:15 pm at The Jam. The esteemed Liz Caplan and her associates Matt Herrick and Natalie Wheeler will show you how to:
* warm up before a rehearsal or gig so as not to hurt your voice
* cool down after a performance
* increase your vocal range
* effectively use a microphone for stage and studio
* add different vocal textures to your tool box
* improve your pitch accuracy
The Vocal Workshop is just $15 for Jam Members, and $20 for everyone else. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants, so email now to reserve a spot. |
Classifieds
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[To place or reply to an ad, just
reply to this email - we'll take care of the rest.]
Brandon writes: "Experienced Guitarist looking to jam with on rock/prog rock (metallica, pink floyd, ac/dc, guns n' roses, kings of leon, tool etc.)"
Who tribute
band still seeks lead singer. Everything else is in place.
Blondie tribute forming: Singer seeks guitar/bass/drums/keys.
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Arts & Leisure
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 Recorded almost exactly two years ago, Bob Mould's Circle of Friends DVD is out this Tuesday (10/9) to the delight of Alt/Indie fans with a sense of history. The groundbreaking trio Hüsker Dü (which included two great songwriters in Mould and Grant Hart) defined Post Punk, fusing Beatlesque melody and abstract lyricism with the sonic onslaught of Hardcore. A few years ahead of their time, Hüsker Dü might have been Nirvana had Bob been skinny and straight. Alas, they have to settle for being great, and hugely influential.
After Hüsker Dü threw in the towel in '87, Bob went solo, releasing several albums, including the much-loved Workbook. He recaptured some of the Hüsker magic in the mid '90s with Sugar, a trio that had some excellent songs and the requisite roar, but suffered somewhat (IMHO) from overly-mechanical drumming and less-than-stellar harmonies.
For the '05 tour, Bob
assembled
a talented and sympathetic band of collaborators: The excellent
Brendan Canty (Fugazi) on drums, who provides muscular drive; keyboard
wiz Richard Morel, who brings a bit of off-kilter My
Bloody Valentine vibe, along with other textures; and bassist Jason
Narducy (Verbow), who covers both ends of the spectrum by adding the great high harmonies that have been lacking since Bob parted ways with Grant.
All-in all, perhaps the best band Mould has ever
assembled. Better still is Mould's willingness to revisit his older, most beloved songs.
There is a bit of bad news: Live, Bob has always had a tendency to depart from his
recorded vocal lines by altering the melody (inconsistently) and
throwing in the exclamatory "yeah", "oww" and "nooo" (constantly). I revere the guy, but it's distracting. For those willing to overlook some vocal idiosyncrasies (Bob Dylan, anyone?), Circle of Friends is well worth your time. The DVD boasts an in-your-face sound that's crisp and packs a visceral wallop: Fat bass and drums, ferocious guitar tone, and keys and backing vocals layered subtly to perfect effect (by contrast, Hüsker Dü never got the fitting live recording they so richly deserved - The Living End CD was assembled posthumously from a bunch of cassettes, and sounds like it). In the past 20 years, Bob has toured consistently both with bands and as a solo acoustic act, yet for that same period, Circle of Friends is his first live album in wide release. Diehards can track down a limited edition (and long out of print) Sugar disc The Joke Is Always On Us, Sometimes, as well as the mail-order LiveDog98, but neither approaches anything like a career retrospective). Perhaps in recognition of this void, we're treated to a excursion deep into the back catalog - 23 tracks over the course of an hour and a half. Although the setlist includes many recent songs, it also includes virtually all the Hüsker Dü, Sugar, and solo tunes one could hope to hear. Play it loud.
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| Postscript |
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"How do I explain Neil Young? Great question! I explain Neil Young as: I would kill to see his acoustic shows." -Bob Mould
The Dalai Jama
a/k/a Gregg Raybin
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