WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! Ray's Review Blog

As readers of this blog (all three of you ) know, I am not only a (*ahem*) musician, and a fan of underground pop music, but I also have an interest in bizarre sound recordings, especially in the world of shortwave radio.

 

This forthcoming CD release is even more off-the-wall then The Conet Project, the infamous 4-disc set of anonymous numbers broadcasts.

 

Without further ado, go here: http://www.mykeweiskopf.com/ATT-Temp.htm.

 

Happy listening. 

 

Ray

 I found out yesterday that longtime Pere Ubu and Home And Garden guitarist Jim Jones

died at home on Monday, February 18, 2008.

 

I never knew him, but I saw him play live, not just with Pere Ubu but also with Home And

Garden, and as a guest guitarist with the Peter Blegvad Trio when they played a club in

Lakewood, OH several years ago.

 

I emailed him afterwards and he responded right away and talked as if we had known

each other for years.  He was a sweetheart of a guy, and I'll miss him.

 

Here's the obituary from today's Cleveland Plain Dealer:

http://www.cleveland.com/music/index.ssf/2008/02/longtime_cleveland_musician_ji.html

 

-- Ray 

 

That's right, kids.  Joe LaRose's solo disc WELCOME DANGER will be released soon.  Joe played all the instruments, except for drums, which were played by Bob Ethington.  I got to sing some Beach Boys-style backup vocals on a track called Moon Goin' Down.  To hear this track, and three others from the disc, go to Joe's MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/booboogrant. And don't forget to leave a comment...you're gonna love 'em!

Check out the band playing Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (from Sgt. Pepper) with the London Sinfonietta live in Milan, Italy on The Residents TV Channel!!:  www.residents.com.

 

This ROCKS.

I found out this afternoon that a friend of mine from several years ago passed away.  Her name was Lydia Tomkiw, and she was the lead vocalist for the art pop duo Alegbra Suicide.  Her partner in Algebra Suicide was guitarist Don Hedeker.  

 

I met Lydia back in the late 80s/early 90s when I managed (and I use that term loosely LOL) a Kent, OH based band called Indian Rope Burn.  IRB's guitarist Mike Crooker produced my NOTHING PERSONAL album for Emigre in 1991.  Anyway, IRB opened for Algebra Suicide, and we call got to know Lydia and Don quite well.  They were wonderful people and Lydia was a real sweetheart (and Don was a shit-hot guitar player!).  I still have my vinyl copy of their album THE SECRET LIKE CRAZY, which Lydia very sweetly signed "To Ray, one who manages well".  

 

After Algebra Suicide broke up, Lydia went on to pursue her poetry, and solo music career, while Don went on to form other bands, including the Ramones-influenced Bouncing Balls, and The Polkaholics, a rock-n-roll polka band!

 

WMFU's online blog has a blurb about Lydia here: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/09/algebra-suicide.html.  There is also a video of their signature song, Little Dead Bodies.

 

Thanks to my friend Mike Crooker for passing this info along to me.