FW, 8.29.2022

Holy cow, it's been a minute, hasn't it?

Bandcamp Friday returns September 2, coinciding with the release of a new EP from NYC-based electroacoustic composer Marco Oppedisano, who with a single guitar, augmented with effects and samples, creates sumptuous soundscapes to accompany the movie in your mind. "glimmer" is my fave out of the box, with its layers of incandescent EBow streams that ring with rich harmonics. "noir" opens the proceedings on a tense, sinister note, while "evening sky" -- which gives the EP its title -- opens with shimmering chords that give way to bluesy ruminations. A captivating exploration of the orchestral possibilities of the guitar with modern electronic tools.

Ra Kalam Bob Moses, drummer-composer extraordinaire who gave an astonishing performance at The Wild Detectives back in March, is back in North Texas for three nights this week. On Tuesday, he'll be part of a quartet with bassists Damon Smith and Aaron Gonzalez and reedman Danny Kamins, opening for Scandinavian jazz juggernaut Atomic (on their farewell tour) at Texas Theatre. Show starts at 8pm, tickets are $20 advance or $22 at the door. If you'd prefer an open air event, there are a couple on offer. Wednesday, the quartet plays the patio stage at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio at 7pm. Tickets are $10 or $12 if you also want to catch the Marisa Nadler show inside. Thursday, Ra Kalam and Damon Smith will be back at The Wild Detectives, with Sarah Ruth Alexander (just returned from an East Coast performing/recording jaunt) opening. [ADDENDUM: Looks like she'll be joining them for a trio set, not opening.] Show starts at 7pm, tickets are $10. If you can't make any of the dates, you can cop Ra Kalam and Damon's duo disc via Bandcamp.

Early in the pandemic, when I started learning to play all the guitar parts from Trout Mask Replica, little did I know that Jeff Cotton -- guitarist in Captain Beefheart's Magic Band for that knotty masterwork, as well as the two albums of psychedelicized country blues that preceded it -- was making his debut solo recordings at the same time. Cotton, who survived brutal psychological and physical abuse in the cult-like atmosphere that surrounded the making of TMR (see Mike Barnes, Bill Harkleroad, and John "Drumbo" French's books for the tragic history completely through), went on to play in Mu with his old Exiles bandmate Merrell Fankhauser, move to Hawaii, embrace religion, and enjoy life as a family man. 

For a guy with 50 years out of the music business, Cotton doesn't sound like he's lost a step. His slide guitar playing on The Fantasy of Reality is even more expressive than it was on TMR, Strictly Personal, and Mirror Man, while his songwriting deftly combines strains of blues, psychedelic rock, and Hawaiian music (those mellifluous vocal harmonies!). He plays all the instruments on this pandemic isolated production, acquitting himself well on bass, drums, harmonica, soprano sax, and bass clarinet (his woodwind experience dates back to high school). Those who remember Cotton's comically pinched vocals on TMR's "Pena" and "The Blimp" might be surprised to discover that his singing here is pleasant, if occasionally portentous, with a wide vocal range. Many of his lyrics deal with spirituality and healing, which tracks with what we know of his traumatic early experiences, as well as the global malaise of Covid-19, and there are humorous touches as well (the single "Elvirus").

Comparisons being odious, The Fantasy of Reality is less Beefheart-referential than Drumbo's City of Refuge and more fully realized than the two Mallard records that Harkleroad, Mark Boston, and Artie Tripp cut in the wake of their departure from the Magic Band. It's available digitally via Bandcamp, with CDs via the usual suspects and double vinyl to follow in November.

Me? Health issues have been kicking my ass this year, forcing me to back off from political involvement, although I remain concerned about ongoing threats to democracy, the ex-president's mishandling of classified information (the ex-Air Force security manager in me fumes), this SCOTUS's apparent intention to end federal governance and kick everything back to states where gerrymandered legislatures stand poised to roll back a century's worth of social progress, and the Repubs' determination to put Social Security and Medicare up to a vote annually and axe the ACA if they retake Congressional majorities. 

Here in Texas, our governor and legislature refuse to do anything to fix our broken electric grid that had Texans freezing to death in their homes back in February, or the unrestricted access to assault weapons that killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde. They've enacted an abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest, and right wing extremists are taking over school boards, where they are banning books and targeting transgender students. But I'm hopeful about the uptick in voter registration among the young, particularly women, since the Alito memo on Dobbs leaked. Perhaps the young can save this country, if they vote. At this point, anyone who doesn't is tacitly endorsing the fascist theocracy FZ warned us about. 

When I'm not driving my blood pressure higher reading the news, I still work on Beefheart tunes from time to time, although it takes me longer than it did a couple of years ago. Here's the latest I've attempted. (I also recently redid "Pachuco Cadaver" with the Epiphone because the vid I posted awhile back had bad balance where you couldn't hear the "live" guitar. Mea culpa.) Y'all stay safe and well, won't you? And buy some music on Bandcamp so the artists can get the full amount you're paying.