Ani DiFranco on Daytrotter
Ani DiFranco‘s got song songs up on the good ol’ Daytrotter Sessions… Four songs, live in-studio… FOR FREE. Her new album comes out in about a week (Red Letter Year due out 9/30).

Go here for the free music:
http://daytrotter.com/article/1432/ani-difranco
1) Present/Infant 2) Coming Up 3) Subdivision 4) The Atom
http://www.rightesousbaberecords.com/
http://myspace.com/anidifranco
Past Daytrotter Sessions I’ve blogged about (and dug):
Anakronic Electro Orkestra
OK, I love Jewish music. I didn’t know I loved it until early 2006, when I got into John Zorn’s Masada, a great mixture of composed, yet improvisationally free jazz, grounded in Jewish melodies.

(Dave Douglas & John Zorn of Masada, photo courtesy of volume12)
Masada led to discovering many more great Jewish, Klezmer, and Slavic/Balkan music artists on John Zorn’s Tzadik label (and other labels):
……Electric Masada / Masada String Trio / Bar Kokhba Sextet (splinter bands from the Masada Book), Steven Bernstein (of Sex Mob), Jon Madof’s Rashanim & CircuitBreaker, Bester Quartet (formerly the Cracow Klezmer Band), Daniel Zamir & Satlah, David Buchbinder’s Jewban (or Cubish) cultural mash-up Odessa/Havana (and the similar mashups from Irving Fields and Roberto Rodriguez), David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness, Jamie Saft, So Called, Balkan Beat Box, Slavic Soul Party!, Davka, Eyol Moaz, Jennifer Charles & Oren Bloedow’s La Mar Enfortuna (both from Elysian Fields), Koby Israelite, Marc Ribot’s Jewish music, Paul Brody’s Sadawi, Talat, Yoshie Fruchter, Z’ev, Zakarya, Klez-Factor, the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet, the Lithuanian Empire, the Alexandria Kleztet, Alex Kontorovich, et cetera…
Anyway, after I got into more John Zorn, I also got into more jazz and more Jewish music. There are many cross-overs between the two worlds (jazz and klezmer). Around that time, I was also getting into podcasts… and the only podcast that focused on klezmer music (that wasn’t always heavy on the vocals) was/is Keith Wolzinger’s Klezmer Podcast.
Recently, Klezmer Podcast #38 (from 9/3/08) focused on French record label, Jumu Music… and then had some clips from the Anakronic Electro Orkestra.
Wow… Anakronic Electro Orkestra is really fresh Jewish music, with a fun rock-meets-klezmer feel – – complete with accordion & clarinet. They don’t have an album out yet, but they’re hoping to have an EP out later in 2008 and a full-length in 2009. Check out some of their music on the MySpaces (“Why Is It Funny” is my favorite):
A Very Special Planned Parenthood Fund
Planned Parenthood is a great organization. They help women of all stripes who are in need of medical advice, birth control, et cetera.

I don’t know if you knew this, but you can make a Planned Parenthood donation in honor of someone else. They get a little card saying that a donation was made in their name. Hmmm… who deserves to get donations made in their name to Planned Parenthood? What’s that you say? Sarah Palin? The running mate of John McCain? The Governor of Alaska who thinks that it’s OK to teach abstinence only sex education, who also happens to have a 17-year old pregnant daughter? OK. Yep, she deserves a donation in her name.
You can send as little as $5. Even if only $5, everything helps… Planned Parenthood. The part about making it in honor of Sarah Palin is just icing on the cake. And, donations to Planned Parenthood are tax deductible. Whereas donations to Sarah Palin are not. And we all know that Sarah Palin would want us to give money to PP instead of her anyway, right?
The link to PP’s donation site: https://secure.ga0.org/02/pp10000_inhonor
To their main site as that link above looks suspect (but isn’t, I checked): http://www.plannedparenthood.org/
The address to make the donation in honor of:
Sarah Palin
c/o McCain for President/Sarah Palin
1235 S. Clark Street 1st Floor
Arlington, VA 22202
You know what to do…
~Dan – np: Glen Phillips & Works Progress Administration

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PS…
McCain / Palin ’08
the old guy & the fundie mom

(or)

Yeah, that’s a GREAT idea.
Jerry Seinfeld & Bill Gates
free 6pntr
I heard about this through a Waterdeep mailing, but stumbled on a free (or as cheap as free) Sixpence None the Richer -EP- as well on noisetrade.com…
Good choices (that cost me a total of $3… for all of them): Waterdeep‘s Heart Attack Time Machine, The Khrusty Brothers‘ self-titled debut, and Sixpence‘s My Dear Machine -EP-. Another good choice (that I had via other methods, like derekwebb.com): Derek Webb‘s The Ringing Bell.
Ah, a philosophical agnostic / practical atheist, listening to Jewish music, blogging about Christian rock… WTF!?
~Dan – np: Oren Ambarchi & Z’ev – Spirit Transform Me*

*– Well, I guess it’s barely what’s normally considered “Jewish” music (i.e.- look Oren & Z’ev up on iTunes)
2/3 King’s X + 1/2 Galactic Cowboys = The Jibbs
Two-thirds of KING’S X and one half of GALACTIC COWBOYS have united as the new supergroup THE JIBBS. Influenced by flamboyantly shiny clothing and the most traditional of country music, THE JIBBS bring a new slant to non-popular music. After taking a hit from Houston’s Hurricane Ike, these four men banded together over a candle and car battery to produce their debut single, “Burns in the Rain”, from the possibly forthcoming album, “What Would Jibb Do?”
THE JIBBS are:
Wally Jibb (Wally Farkas) – Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals
Alan Jibb (Alan Doss) – Drums, Pedal Steel, Bass, Vocals
Ty Jibb (Ty Tabor) – Electric Guitar, Vocals
dUg Jibb (Doug Pinnick) – Vocals
Available for only $1.49, “Burns in the Rain” is a limited-edition MP3 download that will directly aid THE JIBBS. In addition to the high-quality MP3, the zip file includes cover art, credits and lyrics sheet.
For more information, go to www.myspace.com/kingsx.
I’m listening to it now… it’s not like either King’s X or Galactic Cowboys. It’s country themed with Wally on vocals & acoustic guitar, and backing vocals by the other three… different, but GREAT STUFF! I dig Wally’s solo stuff, and while he’s usually more in the Beatles and 60s/70s rock realm, this one seems to fit in his repertoire as well. I’m curious what a full The JIBBS album would be like. I hope it’s more than possibly forthcoming…
The appropriate linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/kingsx
- http://www.myspace.com/wallyfarkas
- http://www.myspace.com/dugpinnickpoundhound
- http://www.myspace.com/tytabor
- http://www.myspace.com/alandoss
~Dan – np: The Jibbs “Burns in the Rain”
RECIPE: Vegan Biscuits & Gravy
Vegan Biscuits & Gravy
I made some vegan biscuits and gravy for Veggie Supper Club last night. Our theme was “Breakfast for Dinner.” We also brought a vegan version of Amish Baked Oatmeal (with fresh blackberries from our backyard) and sparkling white wine, OJ & grenadine for breakfast cocktails. :) If you stumbled in here from a recipe search; well, this blog is mainly music related, but here’s a past recipe I did: Spiced Biscotti.

(picture courtesy tinybites.ca)
Preface: The biscuit recipe below is adapted from Jo Kaucher’s Chicago Diner Cookbook. If you’re ever in Chicago, you must go to the Chicago Diner. It’s in Wrigleyville, and it has flippin’ amazing good food. http://www.veggiediner.com/
The gravy recipe is adapted from Mark Reinfeld & Bo Rinaldi’s Blossoming Lotus’ Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook. If you’re ever in Portland, OR, or Kaua’i, HI, you must go to Blossoming Lotus. The one in Kaua’i is fancier, I’ve heard. The one in Portland is in the Pearl district and connected to a cool yoga studio. I go there at least once everytime I’m up there. http://www.blossominglotus.com/
Vegan Biscuits
Makes 20-24 biscuits
Ingredients:
- 5 cups unbleached flour
- 1 1/2 tbl baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (or .75 cups) soy margarine
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups soymilk (unflavored)
- 1 tbl lemon juice (or white vinegar)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Mix three dry ingredients together. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles peas.
- Combine soymilk & lemon juice, and stir into dry ingredients until the flour clings together.
- Turn out onto a floured board or countertop, and knead until smooth. This was the trickiest part for me. I had my wife help with adding additional flour, as the dough was VERY sticky.
- With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thickness, and cut with a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter… or use a small juice glass if you don’t have one of the aforementioned items around. :)
- Place on ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 12 to 15 minutes.
Our biscuits turned out great… but sticky to make… so good luck!!
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Makes 6-7 cups (double batch when compared to the book)
Ingredients:
Roux~
increased from the original recipe for a lighter color/texture
- 8 tbl spelt flour (we used unbleached flour)
- 8 tbl olive oil
- 4 tbl filtered water
The roux with unbleached flour worked fine. The spelt flour is probably better for you, or maybe lends a different flavor.
Gravy~
- 2 tbl olive oil
- 1 small-medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced thin
- 4 cloves of garlic, pressed/minced
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup soy sauce / tamari, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Steps:
- Create the roux by combining the three ingredients and mixing until in a thick paste. Set aside.
- Using the olive oil, saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add mushroom and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add remaining ingredients except roux mixture and cook for 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add roux mixture and cook until gravy has a thick consistency, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- If the gravy is not thick enough, you can add additional flour, but make sure to whisk it in slowly to avoid clumping.
It’s a great recipe from the lovely Blossoming Lotus folks. And it worked great on the Chicago Diner biscuits… yum!
Oregon Donor Needed
Sad news. This came through on the jazzpdx RSS feed yesterday…
The Oregonian has just published a breaking story highlighting the uncertain future of the Portland Jazz Festival after sponsorship troubles. Here’s a clip from the article:
The Portland Jazz Festival, strapped for cash after losing its title sponsor in April, plans to stop operating as of Sept. 15. Barring a “miracle” infusion of about $100,000, the February 2009 festival — previously slated to be the exclusive 70th anniversary celebration for seminal jazz label Blue Note — won’t happen. Nor, most likely, will there be any festivals after that.
I got to see two great acts in one night (Ornette Coleman and the Dave Douglas/Joe Lovano-led SFJazz Collective) last year. I’m hopeful some large-and-in-charge bigwig can front a $100,000 check for a great cause.
Please? Pretty please? It’s doesn’t even need to be someone from Oregon… that was merely a play on words. California? Idaho? Washington? Rhode Island? Got any love for continuing the Portland jazz scene?
O.S.I. #3
Updated (3/9/09): go here… https://jazzsick.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/more-osi-details/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well, I just checked chromakey.com and osiband.com just last week. No updates since 2006.
Now this from Blabbermouth…
OSI (OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE), the project featuring FATES WARNING guitarist Jim Matheos and ex-DREAM THEATER keyboardist Kevin Moore, has spent the past several months working on its third album. According to Moore, “Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE) is playing drums on this one; he’s nearly done tracking and it sounds great. Along with guitar, Jim is handling bass this time. I still get to sing but may get some help.”
For those not in the know, Kevin Moore‘s Chroma Key is my favorite band ever. This is not hyperbole. Dead Air For Radios is my #1 favorite album ever. O.S.I. is essentially a rockin’ continuation of Chroma Key for me.

(Kevin / CK promo shot)
I’m stoked. I don’t care that it snuck up on me. O.S.I. #2 snuck up on me as well… it makes for a happy present. Now, if I can only convince Kevin to tour Chroma Key or O.S.I.
I suppose watch this blog space for future news… or this one…
~Dan
In accordance with the prophecies…
…I lied about not posting for a few days. Two cool things: Jeff Ament (of Pearl Jam) with Doug Pinnick (of King’s X) -and- a free Michael Moore movie Slacker Uprising.
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First things first. In 2004, Doug Pinnick (bassist/vocals of King’s X) and Jeff Ament (bassist of Pearl Jam) wrapped up an album tentatively titled Montana. In 2004. At this point in time, Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy may come out first. Jeff & Doug have been friends for a while… at least since way back when King’s X opened up for Pearl Jam. During PJ’s MTV Unplugged session, Jeff had a big “King’s X” written on his hand (in 1992?).
Anyway, today on Blabbermouth it was dropped that Jeff Ament’s solo album called Tone (pictured above) comes out on Sept 16th via PJ’s Ten Club. It features Doug Pinnick as guest lead vocals on a track called “Doubting Thomasina.” It’s limited to 3,000 copies… CD only. I’m hoping this makes the 15-or-so track Pinnick/Ament album more likely to be released soon.

Here’s a trailer for the movie:
http://www.slackeruprising.com/ on Sept 23rd…
Voodoo Doughnut
On a lighter, fluffier note – – Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland (22 SW 3rd Ave) is rad… http://www.voodoodoughnut.com/

Mogwai show in 2 hours. Nooch!
~Dan
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News bulletin (posted up in here after the initial post, hence the lack of MMW subject line): Medeski Martin & Wood is touring the West in November:
MMW’s newest album Radiolarians 1 will be released on September 30th 2008. A limited number of signed copies are available for pre order through our Website
The final tour dates in the Radiolarian Series begin November 12th in Seattle Washington. Tickets are available for these shows starting today, Sept. 3rd 2008, Here
November 12 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theater
November 13 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
November 14 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
November 15 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
November 16 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Theater
November 18 – Petaluma, CA – McNears Mystic Theater
November 19 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater
November 20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
November 21 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
November 22 – Sparks, NV – Celebrity Showroom
Sufjan Stevens & Kevin Smith
Unrelated news…
Sufjan Stevens (pictured befro) is lending some music to Natalie Portman‘s directorial debut, EVE, due out in early 2009. By “lending,” the Paste article probably means “exchanged the right for cold, hard cash,” which is quite different from the standard definition of “lending”… unless the whole banking scandal of ’07 created a rip in the space-time-webster’s-definitional continuum. Or maybe he really lent it. Speaking of Suffie, why hasn’t he released anything since the Xmas box of ’06? Is he wrapping up his eastern states dodeca-boxset?

Clerks’ silentman-director, Kevin Smith‘s got a new Seth Rogen / Elizabeth Banks, R-rated vehicle coming out in late October called Zach & Miri Make a Porno. Here’s the red-band trailer (click the pic to go to the website with the trailer)… don’t worry, outside of language & innuendo, there’s no “porno” in the trailer:
It comes out October 31st or some dcate along those lines…
~Dan
Mitch Hedberg – Do You Believe in Gosh?
I feel fortunate enough to have seen Mitch Hedberg several times in SW Ohio & N.Kentucky before his untimely death (and even have the original/indie/cartoon drawing cover Strategic Grill Locations CD).
While his death came young [age 37], it wasn’t all that surprising. Drugs took their toll on his life, but it might be said that drugs gave him the courage to even get up on stage. Regardless of the ills or benefits drugs had on Mitch, his comedy is missed. He was called the surfer/stoner Steven Wright. I think that short-changed his uniqueness.

Apparently, two months prior to his death he recorded material that would become his last album. Do You Believe in Gosh? comes out September 9th:
His other CDs:
Oh, and remember… if you have dentures, don’t eat artificial sweeteners, because then you’ll get a fake cavity!
Lots of new stuff in this clip:












































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