Launched in September 2003, concert.tv is the only television and online network dedicated to live music performance, music documentary and lifestyle programming that supports an audience looking for more than a music video. We love live music. So do our viewers.

A few words of caution, the list of artists if relatively short though certainly eclectic. There is also a search function that appears to work better than the one on YouTube. The video and audio quality is mostly very good, so much can be forgiven.

Concert.tv has a flash player embedded and so the videos aren’t downloadable. I caught it on a very slow night where I listened to concerts in snatches about 10 seconds long punctuated by interminable pauses of longer duration – I blame the Olympics.

Using this tool it gave me a starting point to find exquisite and in the case of Nina Hagen, excrutiating
treasures. So without further ado a selection of vids from the concert.tv vaults for your listening pleasure.

Jimmy Cliff doing No Woman No Cry 02/06/84 Düsseldorf Philipshalle Rockpalast.

Vieux Farka Tour Sangare Live From Joe’s Pub Modiba Productions.

Van Morrison It Stoned Me Live At Montreux 1980 Eagle Rock Entertainment.

R.E.M. The One I Love Later with Jools Holland Series 17 Episode 4.

This one’s for Seona – Cat Stevens Peace Train Majikat Earth Tour 1976 Eagle Rock Entertainment

Nina Hagen doing one of her more accessible pieces – Smack Jack from 1982, yes yes not live – but oh so ….. Nina. This one’s for me.

Pick something at random from the sidebar at the right

We shall be be back to normal tomorrow

duggup

“The Really Terrible orchestra has rapidly become one of the highlights of the Edinburgh Fringe. Why this group of [very] modestly talented musicians should presume to perform in public is beyond anybody.”
(Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme 2001)

So this proves that what goes around comes around. It’s just moved North to Scotland this time.

Have a listen to “Yellow Submarine“, it’s terrible right?

Well actually it’s not. There are a bunch of people here who care about playing, they just dont care to sound like the Berlin Philharmonic (and nor should they… there is already one of them). They play to entertain themselves, the fact that other people find it entertaining and are willing to pay to hear them is probably neither here nor there, actually there concerts are sold out well in advance and they always get a standing ovation and thunderous applause. They must be doing something right. Bill Bryson would love this band.

As I pointed out at the start, there have been others who have had a similar idea, in the past and I am willing to bet “The Really Terrible Orchestra” will inspire others.

Michael White of The New York Times wrote a great piece on them in August 2007.

You can find the bands website at thereallyterribleorchestra.com

Once again the silly season is upon us and Duggup will be taking a short break .

Thank you all for your support and we will return January 14th 2008.

All the best.

Not Dead Yet

Jools sent me this yesterday with a note that read “One for You”… however did she guess.

This is another for the hard listening” file. So if you are looking for something jolly, try this from Shortwave Dahlia more about them next week. So back to the main event here.

Goat is a trio that plays what I grewup knowing as free music. Here is what they call it…

This Seattle-based trio has the unique ability propel the music forward with their sharp harmonic and rhythmic sensiblility, motivic development and their willingness to embrace spontaniety. With a unique arsenal of loops and electronic gadgetry combined with woodwinds, electric guitar and drumset, Goat embarks on a process that runs elements of rock, jazz and modern classical music through an abstract filter and spits them out into a unique blend, destroying any notion of eclecticism, and creating a unique soundtrack for the imaginations of everyone.

Now this stuff isn’t every ones cup of tea but Moon Rises is just so evocative, these guys are channelling the same spirits that drive Oregon and Weather Report and MMW. This is music that just jumps from their brain to yours with very little getting in the way. I love stuff like this as part of a well balanced musical diet. Too much indie pop and you need a band like this to get you regular againand open up your ears to the possibilities that live in between the frets.

I wish the tracks were longer and that there were more of them but I also wish I could win the lottery.

Have a listen but handle with care.

Business as usual tomorrow.

This is possibly more of the “hard music” category, Mark Dwinell is one of the founding guitarists of Bright, who have been assembling amazing edifices of sound since the mid Nineties (think Sonic Youthmeets Can or Faust).

But we are here to talk about nonloc and here we turn up an aesthetic that would be familiar to say Terry Riley, Steve Reich and equally comfortable with the minimalist school of Kraftwerk and Harmonia among others. Repetition is the key, the sound of the guitar forms an almost ambient wash and hidden away a the minute changes as the piece progresses. As I said it’s “hard listening”

Nonloc seeks to focus on the microtonal universes and hypnotic netherworlds minimalism awakens from repetition, while constructing ivory towers of melody enveloped top to bottom with softly barbed hooks. Acoustic and electric guitars provide focus instrumentation, but the elaborate color accumulation of Between Hemispheres is dominated by alternate layering of acoustic instruments such as piano, accordion, mandolin, and cello. Whereas Bright will use vocals sparingly as instrumental color, Nonloc spices up the instrumental forays by peppering tunes with lyrics that are direct and at times strikingly personal.

The music was recorded at his home in Brooklyn and initially recorded on 4-track cassette, then transferred to a digital 8 recorder and overdubbed.

The one that really get’s me is basically eight tracks of ebowed guitars tuned in Just intonation. called “Justebow3″, it reminds me of things I did a long time a go with a vacuum cleaner, some milk bottles and a tape echo. Then I discovered computers, but that would be another story.

Basically, you are unlikely to walk away humming any of this but you will hopefully find it interesting.

Sorry folks no fresh post today

Pick something at random from the sidebar at the left.

Should be back to normal tomorrow, once the replacement rubber band arrives.

This website is a beauty – it’s a radio station tuner and a novel way to locate music from all over the world. Thanks to Uri’s Blog for this find.

Just drag the tuner needle with your mouse to choose a radio station. You will then hear a sample of the music that the station presents, along with a sample playlist.

If you like what you hear, you can either tune into the streaming audio via the TUN3R website or go directly to the station website and listen to it there. A selection of audio players are supported.

It says that you can select an artist and it will find which stations they are being played on, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find where you were meant to type the seach word. Maybe it just doesn’t like Firefox. Ah ha! Just tried it in IE and sure enough the search form is missing in Firefox.

That’s it for now, go play.

I use the word “karaoke” to help describe my art: I am singing along to music while my lyrics are displayed on a screen. I call it “self-karaoke” because I wrote & recorded the songs myself.

I thought I’d have a bit of fun tonight and bring you LotSix. LotSix is a solo performance artist, singing to prerecorded art rock that she plays all the instruments for – guitar, bass, keyboard, and electronic drums. She also create the slide shows for her performances. She jokingly refers to her art as “self-karaoke rock.

There is something very tongue in cheek about this performer but there is a serious side as well. She is politically active on the Philadephia gay scene, so the vid may be construed as not work safe for this catchy little number reminicent of the B52′s. You have been warned.

When did you first conceive of this art form & when did you start doing it?
I knew I wanted to perform solo as I got tired of dealing with bands crumbling. That was back in 1992. I started being another singer-songwriter on an acoustic guitar. I got a 4 track recorder & started recording. That’s when I realized I could prerecord my songs & be the whole band. I held onto this solo performance idea for a long time & did nothing to make it live. After Bikini Kill broke up, I heard Kathleen Hannah created Julie Ruin. I heard it, felt validated, & thusly galvanized. But it was not until after a band I was in, Smudging Eyeliner, broke up & other band members, Allison Harris & Julia Gaylord, told me they were starting a Ladyfest in Philly that I got an act together. That was 2002 going into 2003. I added the visuals initially very impromptu: I thought it would give the audience something funny to look at while I sang. That & I wanted my lyrix easy to perceive …but wow how the visuals have grown into their own amazing art!

Another angle: my art form grew out of my love for music & performance combined with the tools of my professional trades ~ I have a bachelors of science degree in computer science so I am a computer nrrrd ~ I also do a great deal of public speaking in roles like a teacher & a news reporter where I have extensive slide show software experience creating & using presentations as visual aides.