Mar 28 : "The Last Trade" - James Conway

New Work / Freshly Written & Recently Pubished (2012)

I had a very good time reading this book. The book was loaded with interesting characters and fast-paced action, two dynamics that sometimes don't occur at the same time.

While some of the books I've talked about here have been of a more serious nature, "The Last Trade" by James Conway was pure entertainment.

Near the beginning of the book a stock broker receives a mysterious call having originated with a wealthy foreign investor who directs him to do multiple stock transactions involving billions of dollars, but NOT to mention anything about the transactions to anyone including coworkers, supervisors, friends, or colleagues, and not to look up any background information on the company whose stock was being traded.. And, as you can probably imagine, the broker just HAD to make a brief mention to a friend. ... ... ... Within a matter of a couple hours, the broker is found murdered in his apartment.

The book simultaneously follows a intriguing characters in a number of countries. A couple characters were reprehensible, but there are a number of people you'll like and root for. ((The main detective is a woman)).

The book is fast-paced, with many chapters being no more than five or six pages, and then they switch countries to a different set of people.

In spite of the rapid chapter changes, James Conway builds up interesting personalities as well as good descriptions of the physical environs.

I enjoyed every page, couldn't put it down, and highly recommend it.

To reserve your copy, here is the click ::: Free Library of Philadelphia (CLICK HERE).

Mar 24 : "Winner" - Chaos Chaos (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Posted (Fall 2012)

FIRST NIGHT BACK!

My first night back to hear live music after weeks of being busy working was to go to Johnny Brenda's on Friday night. Coincidentally David and Pat had also put that on their calendars, so we met and had a good time.

The opener was Brooklyn band "Chaos Chaos" which I liked a lot. I was drawn to their very original melodic lines and unique composition.

Chaos Chaos is a sister act, made up of Asy and Choloe Saavedra. On Friday night they had a guest performer playing with them on some of the songs.

Here's a sample of some of their interesting stylings. The song is "Winner", which was released on ITunes earlier this month.

To visit Chaos Chaos, here is the click ::: Chaos Chaos (CLICK HERE

Mar 03 : "Pachinko" - Jangula (Brooklyn)

After work on Monday last week I went to Brooklyn Bowl to hear some music, and I saw Brooklyn gutter rock band "Jangula" for the first time. This was the one band among the four that really stood out that evening, and largely due to its unique and outside the box arrangements.

The unusual keys instrument also stood out, which is the segue from the previous blog about Left Of Logic. Daniel Townsend plays the keys in Left Of Logic. The instrument is held by a strap over his shoulder with the keyboard itself being horizontal in front of him. The keys in Jangula are a much smaller instrument, not suspended by a strap, but just held closely by Johnny Jewel in his left arm while he plays with his right.

The instrument is a Q-chord. I see Q-chords once in a while, but not too often. Other bands that use Q-chords have them lying flat on stands rather than being hand held. From Jangula's Facebook page ::: "Their featured instrument is a Q-Chord, a touch-pad based synthesizer that projects a Legend of Zelda ice cavern mystery. Through this instrument combined with dynamic powerhouse drumming, dream-state guitar riffs and driving, serpent-like bass rhythms, Jangula is able to yield diverse sounds ... ".

A sample of the band's music is "Pachinko", which is playing right here on my blog page. This is from their 2010 album "Bird Risky". :::

Jangula has some interesting arrangements and harmonies, and dabbles in some unusual song structures. I definitely want to hear them again.

Jangula has two shows scheduled during the upcoming weeks: March 8th at The Collapsable Hole, and March 16th at The Cake Shop.

To visit Jangula on Facebook in the meantime, here is the click ::: Jangula (CLICK HERE)

Feb 24 : "Feel This to Survive" - Left Of Logic (Philly)

Philly Music!

A couple weeks ago I went to see Left of Logic play at North Star. By this time I've seen them play at a few different places, and it was good to see them play on North Star's big stage.

The band is continuously reworking their music, and there were a couple songs I almost didn't recognize until I realized that these were some brand new arrangements.

The band continues to march up the "polished performance" scale; it was very good.

The band played a lot of music from their new cd, "In Formation". One of the songs I like, that really shows some of the band's amazing versatility is "Feel This to Survive", which is playing right here on my blog page :::

Last fall the band asked me to review their cd. This is an amazing album, and I had a good time doing the writeup. Check out my review right here (CLICK HERE!)

To visit Left Of Logic on the internets, here is the click ::: Left Of Logic (CLICK HERE)

Feb 15 : "Cash for Gold" - Windsor Park Walkers (Philly)

Philly Music!

STRONG RESURGENCE

It must have been 2006 when I first heard Windsor Park Walkers. At the time they played all over Philly, at all the regular venues, including several times at the Khyber. ... And I heard them play at several.

But they suddenly seemed to disappear from the scene; they stopped doing shows; where did they go; what happened? ... I didn't hear of them or anything about them for a few years.

Suddenly a month ago I saw a listing that they were going to be doing a show at Johnny Brenda's. ... Huh? ... Was that a typo? ... I double-checked. Evidently it was true. So of course I went.

It was strange seeing the guys on stage again, in one way due to their familiarity, it was almost as if I had just heard them last week! ... ... ... ... But then they started to play!

And that was where I started to hear some changes.

The first change I noticed was some stylings a la "The Atomic Square". WPW guitarist Tom Ryan took a side trip during the past few years, playing with The Atomic Square. The Atomic Square has a lighter sound. And some of that influence has evidently been brought back when Tom returned to Windsor Park Walkers.

Along with some of that more delicate guitar work, the music they played at the Jan 25 show at Johnny Brenda's also brought a general sense of increased texture and depth. But WPW fans needn't worry; the trademark raucous WPW style is fully intact!

What am I doing just writing about it now, you say? Well, I've had a busy work schedule and have not been doing a good job in keeping this blog up-to-date.

AND HERE'S SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN IN MY WHOLE LIFE :::: And that is that two bands I heard on two consecutive nights out who are from two different states happen to have s same-titled song on each of their most recent cd's, titled "Cash for Gold". What a strange coincidence. Windsor Park Walkers played the second "Cash for Gold". On the previous night out, I heard "Cash for Gold" played by Writer (CLICK HERE)

Here's "Cash for Gold", by Philly band, Windsor Park Walkers :::::

To visit Windsor Park Walkers on line, here is the click ::: Windsor Park Walkers (CLICK HERE)... ... Hope it won't be another three years til I see them again!