Phil's Poetry part 2

What delight
Imagination censors time
The licence permitted has introduced a result
a phenomenon of freedom

The subject is
In the galleries of words
The entire subject
Continually living to solve
It suffers greater freedom

source material:

What delight the poetic imagination takes in making game of censors. Time was when the poetic arts codified the licences to be permitted. Contemporary poetry, however, has introduced freedom in the very body of the language. As a result, poetry appears as a phenomenon of freedom. - Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, Introduction

The speaking subject is the entire subject. - Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

...Lonely prospector in the galleries of words. - J.B. Pontalis

We are continually living a solution of problems that refection cannot hope to solve. - J.H. Van den Berg

Poetry constantly surpasses its origins, and because it suffers more deeply in ecstacy or in sorrow, it retains greater freedom. - Pierre-Jean Jouve

Tour Stories part 1

In 1992 my then main band Adulterous Woman went on a short tour (our second) to the Northwest, mostly to play in Portland and Seattle where we had booked two shows each. Travelling with us (us being Heather, Natalie and myself) were my girlfriend Kelly (now my wife, she is also Heather's sister), and our friends Aimee and Mike. Mike used to let us practice at his house in South Phoenix and on the tour he decided he would act as our manager, which we all agreed might help smooth over any problems we encountered.

We had rented a minivan for this tour. On the previous tour we had taken two cars, and on the way back one of them broke down. This was before the affordable cell phone so logistics were difficult. When we got to Portland we had arranged to stay with a friend whose band i was in briefly back in Phoenix a few years before. He had a gorgeous old house pretty close to downtown Portland. He was also really in to drugs, which our "manager" Mike appreciated. In fact he appreciated it so much that he decided he'd stay behind while we went on to Seattle to play at the OK Hotel. They actually had scored something really good right outside our Satyricon gig the night before.

The OK Hotel show went really well. We headlined, i believe, being the out of town band on a weeknight. It wasn't because anyone had heard of us necessarily, although Kevin (Love Battery) and Chris and Carla (The Walkabouts) did come to see us. We had met them in travels before, both ours and theirs. The opening band was called John The Baptist, and after we performed it became clear that they were quite impressed with us. Their drummer was very complimentary, and when we were just about to go ask Kevin about possible accomodations, the drummer invited us to stay at his place. He said he'd be glad to let us stay there and he'd go sleep at his girlfriend's place to make more room. We thought this was nice so we accepted his offer.

After loading out in the wee hours, the drummer-guy brought a biker guy over to us and said that his friend would ride with us in our van, because the directions to their place were a bit confusing. This should have been red flag number one. But we were young and probably a little naive. Kevin said, upon hearing about this arrangement, "if things don't work out, call me", and he raised his eyebrows in an all-wise manner. This should have been red flag number two.

The drive to the house we were to stay in was indeed very confusing and even the biker guy got lost a little. This should be red flag number three. After about a 45 minute drive, we finally we got to the house. I recall that it was north of Seattle's downtown, so yeah it was the suburbs edging towards being the sticks. The house sat on a corner and had a fairly high cement stair climb to get to the front door. After biker guy went up to the house we all sat wondering if perhaps we should make up an excuse to leave. But we were tired so we plodded in, each with a light load of gear, just to get the lay of the land.

And what did we see as we entered? A small living room with a guy, who i call video zombie, sitting on an ottoman, so lost in the game that he didn't even look at any of the 5 people entering the house carrying band equipment. Well, ok maybe he didn't even live there, so big deal. But as we walked around the corner in to the kitchen there were two guys playing a different kind of game. One of them had a gun and seemed to be showing the other one a particular kind of choke hold that is suitable for a mugging, or perhaps an armed robbery. I remember feeling my stomach drop but just continuing to follow our biker guide, who had met us at the door, down in to the basement to where drummer guy apparently lived.

Now i was thinking, "basement apartment: must be more than large enough to accomodate us", right? Well, not really. The entire basement was perhaps 12 feet by 12 feet with a huge bed taking up most of the room. We all stood looking at this small room and for a few seconds tried to figure out how we could work out a tetris diagram of where we'd all sack out. I recall someone, probably Heather, saying, "well Kelly, you and Todd can have the bed".

After a minute sanity hit and i suggested that we just find an excuse to leave. I figured if we made it past the gunman, we were home free. The interesting thing about the gunman, too, was that to my memory neither he nor his student, just like the video zombie, said anything to us or even seemed to acknowledge that we were there. It only just occured to me at the time of this writing that perhaps they were ghosts, and that maybe even biker guy didn't see them, although all 5 of us definitely did. My wife and I both had seen what i could only explain as being a ghost on our previous tour, but that's another post.

When we called Kevin at about 3:30am, he was incredibly understanding and listened to our freaked out adventure before heading back to bed, leaving us his wonderfully huge (by comparison) living room in which to crash. His wife had to be up early for class, or a job, i can't remember which, but we were able to sleep in until mid-morning before heading out for Portland to pick up our "manager".

review of Fibulator - Even From Here You Look Big

The Oakland, California band Fibulator never became well known, but they sure did make some interesting music, and two great vinyl records. In later interviews the members unanimously panned this, their first vinyl but second overall release, as they did also when I talked to them about it in 1994. At that time they much preferred the work they had just created, their second vinyl album drankfromtheasphalt. Personally, although the latter is an equally great record, I have always liked Even From Here You Look Big a bit more.

Fibulator's sound is hard to describe. My first impression was that they reminded me of Art Bears, Fred Frith's post Henry Cow band from the late 70's. But i later understood them to be influenced by other San Francisco Bay area bands like The Residents and Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, both being not too far from the Art Rock path (sic). But influences aside, Fibulator's music is complex, engaging, and at times funky, ambient, quirky, angular, and darkly humorous (and more).

The main lyrical theme that seems to thread through Even From Here You Look Big is that of emotional manipulation. That idea is present in several songs which dissect different kinds of relationships. The theme definitely translates for me as a concept, although most bands would vomit at the suggestion that they've made a concept album.

The first track on the album where the theme seems most evident is Confuse Me. The lyrics concern a situation where the singer is arguing with a stalker-y sort of guy, perhaps a fan. Some of the best moments play on dark humor, "Don't send me letters filled with my old poems....Remember this song's really not about you", with the refrain always being something to the effect of "I can't be your friend, you're trying to confuse me". There's an emotional tension that is wonderfully captured in the vocal performances and equally supported in the well-crafted and well-played music.

In Slabsides, another kind of relationship is presented. The protagonist, identified on the lyric sheet as Laura, reveals a manipulative nature as she burns ants on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass. But she is reflective about the act, and philosophizes about her mental state and how her environment contributes to her whim. Again the vocal parts are emotively acted out with strong dynamics that elevate the song to more of an experience. Just like a movie where you forget that there are actors reading lines, you begin to live in Fibulator's songs.

On the second side of this vinyl only release, the song Waiter deals with yet another manipulative character, this time a random coffee shop patron. The song isn't about the waiter, but rather about the brief relationship between a woman sitting at the counter waiting for a bus and a bullying man trying to talk to her. Halfway through his bullying she begins pleading with the waiter "can i have a glass of water?......do you have the right time?......can I get an ashtray?......I need another napkin please" as she nervously endures the patron's intimidating tones. You can feel her frustration as she tries to divert attention away from the man, hoping perhaps that he'll just leave her alone. When she does speak to him he makes her doubt her answers as he mocks them. When at one point she passively agrees "i guess so", he aggressively digs in, "What, what, what, what do you mean you guess so?" to which she stutters, "i-i-i, i-i, i mean i think i don't really know....why can't i say what i mean?"

Prelude to the Cactus seems to be a short glimpse of a father/daughter dinner engagement and features a strange, one sided, philosophic conversation. The daughter at one point questions, "Father will you forsake me?" and goes on, "Knowing that you will, i'll forsake you first, i'll skirt the worst, my family will love me still, and i will know this with bitterness."

There are complicated emotional processes going on in these scenarios, and they are all presented in perfectly matched musical environments. The vocals range from the furious screamed chorus of Slabsides, to gentle whispers in Loose Ends, to the almost operatic Prelude to the Cactus.

Musically, Fibulator utilized odd time signatures and jarring stop/start arrangements. They created musical worlds with their songs. There's tension, dynamics, loping repetition, moody atmospheres, and grooves aplenty. The melodies are catchy, but not in a hooky top-40 way. It's clear that the members of this group had imagination, and knew how to work well together to come up with multi-faceted rock compositions in which no one instrument or voice ever dominates. They were a true group in the best sense.

The musicianship is of a very high quality while still having a loose, improvisational feel. The songs aren't over-rehearsed, and seem very organic. Like i said before, you could live inside this music, and take in the musical landscapes that they have created. It is one of the most engaging records i've ever heard. Finding a copy may be difficult as the band broke up in the late 90's. If you want one but can't find a copy, contact me....maybe we can work something out.

Even From Here You Look Big and drankfromtheasphalt were originally released on Electro Motive Records. Their final album, unhammerlike, is still available on CD at Silly Bird Records.

Welcome to NaBloPoMo

It's November and that mean it's National Blog Posting Month. Coming up here at Philfree we'll have Tour Stories from Phil's bands, Phil's poetry, some record reviews, and much much more.
There are many wonderful and talented bloggers to check out. So...well....check em out!

Phil's Poetry part 1

For Alaska

something spilled
a toxic harmful
we celebrate the imbalance
calling all squadrons, alert
i have a feeling tonight
some people are going to get hurt

along the axis a craft flies
legs of light walking in place like a mime
hovering
beach neck overboard
stones fill up a part of what it was to be empty
below surface albeit above the law
the blame lies like a wounded raven
can be pitied
serves as our world conscience
tells more in its exhoneration than most men could forthright

Random and Weird

I've been Memed again....and the task i've been charged with is this:

Link to your tagger and post rules.
Share 7 facts about yourself, some random and some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of post and list their names.
Let them know they were tagged by a comment on their blog.

btw, i find all of these to be both random and weird. but you be the judge.

fact one: when i was in fifth grade i lived in florida. at school one day i slipped and fell in someone else's vomit in the bathroom. back in class i was told i could not be excused to go home and change my clothes. i've hated florida ever since. i don't even capitalize it.

fact two: i was a virgin until i was 25 years old. and not just a Meme Virgin either.

fact three: i find music of The Partridge Family to be at times interesting, compelling, and poignant.

fact four: my childhood friend Jeff and I tried to make a super-8 science fiction movie called "Metamorphosis in the Fourth Dimension". we co-wrote it, i was the star, and he the cinematographer, director and producer.

fact five: my maternal grandmother once commented to my mother that she thought i was effeminant. when pressed for her reasoning, "mamaw" noted my long hair, the fact that i carried a backpack around everywhere, and the way i walked as evidence.

fact six: in my teen years, instead of partying down with the other kids, i used to hang out at a coffee shop (a Bob's Big Boy to be precise) and read, write, drink hot tea, and chat up the waitresses, some of whom i had crushes on. i felt like some kind of intellectual at the time. man, being a teenager really sucks.

fact seven: i'm convinced that i have many repressed memories of my childhood. i don't know what exactly happened to make this so, and i don't want to know. ignorance is bliss, ask the president.

you're tagged Kathy, Groove momma, and The Noble Savage (new e-quaintances from NaBloPoMo), Heather D, Jennyfur, Molly, and Heather J.

Sea creature with human-like teeth?

Stranger things have been....hmmmm, or maybe not.

Julian Cope Q and A

Some dumb questions just have to be asked, i guess.

Q: Would you ever do another Teardrop Explodes gig?
A: Would you ever return to having your mother wipe your asshole?

Vonnegut Rocks

I wish i had listened to friends from many years ago and started reading Vonnegut then. He was a forward thinking dude. Rest his soul, he's my new hero!

Another Band Who Understands

Poster Children are another group of intelligent musicians who are committed to music, and who know that the Industry doesn't care. They have their own label now and are doing exactly what every band/artists should do with their careers: managing it themselves. They tour, record, post songs for download, and do all the other things necessary to have a successful music career without signing (relinquishing their rights) to a label.

It wasn't always like that for them. They were signed to a major at one point in their career, and they only survived by being smart enough to refuse tour support and other financial trappings that labels try to sneek on to artists' debt. They moved to an Indie in the late 90's and now they are DIY.

Here's an excerpt from their website that tells it like it is:

There’s a lot of nattering about “The Future of Music” but what people are really talking about is “The Future of the Music Business”, and as a music fan and music maker I don’t really care how or if Sony, Time Warner, Rupert Murdoch or Apple will be able to make millions of dollars off of other people’s creativity in the next few years- I’m interested in hearing the next song or band that will make my day. The future of music is what it has always been: the future of music is musicians.

Most of the sounds I’ve loved over the past 20+ years have required some extra effort to find- commercial radio, chain stores and major labels rarely provided anything of interest; it was word of mouth channelled through friends, fanzines, college radio, independent record labels and independent record stores that gave me what I wanted. Now with the web, word of mouth is hyperlinked- it’s easier than ever to find music that is in line with your specific tastes and there’s no reason to spend any time or money supporting the major media companies’ DRM infested business model that benefits neither the creator nor the consumer.

Rock On Poster Children!