kung

I told you all not to wake me for 10,000 yrs. Now I will smite you all.

Trouble In The Fields - Nanci Griffiths (as covered by Sarah Harmer on Songs For Clem)

The entity formerly known as kung has passed on from this earthly plane and is currently inhabiting what is known as the Chonyid Bardo during which he must face the archetypal visions and karmic illusions following death. It seems the kung has not let go of a great deal of hatred and delusion oddly associated with a musical group known as the String Cheese Incident. By facing these delusions he may attain to the Sidpa Bardo or Bardo of seeking rebirth. We have forwarded this message on to you to help unweight the kung during this transition.

Q: The String Cheese Incident seems to instantly polarize people into groups that love them and hate them. Have you experienced these negative impressions and how if at all have they impacted on what you and the group do?

Q: In the context of Folk Music is the String Cheese Incident more akin to Bill Monroe or the Kingston Trio?

Q: Bands that have devoted fan bases who use drugs can experience tragedies associated with the touring lifestyle. Not unlike the Grateful Dead or Phish, SCI has had fans go missing (Hawaii), fans overdose (Salem) and perhaps less seriously contract hepititis. As caring people this must greatly concern you, can you acknowledge this 'darker' side of the touring lifestyle and what if any honous falls upon your shoulders?

"What consumer wants to sit out at night in Phoenix, Arizona, in 105 degrees to watch Daryl Hall and John Oates?"

This consumer.

Did you guys know his body man is a Canuck they met in Martha's Vineyard or something and he goes skiing with Kerry. I can tell you there ain't a lot of people working on a campaign that go skiing with the principal.

Burt played a really steady show last night at the Trash in Guelph. I was getting a little bit sentimental but I'm carrying around a heavy heart lately. Even in hindsight which isn't always twenty twenty it was a rousing show. They'll definitely be warmed up for tonight.

I'm no expert on stats but I'd reckon that a half dozen of those songs haven't been played in a hundred or two shows. Well maybe not that much but I think the pace is set to dust off a lot of gems this whole run. Good luck to you all may your wildest dream come true.

It's funny I don't know if you're familiar with Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and You Shall Know Our Velocity) he's basically the coolest most literate and not annoying novelist of our age. Even if you're not a book reader you would really dig his shit I think. Anyways he did this Yale convocation speech where he kind of starts off talking about some kid who wrote him and basically challenged him on whether he was 'keeping it real' or not. He goes on to say that a few years from now you will see how absurdly stupid the idea of keeping it real truly is and from there he gets into a bunch of different ideas. I took away from it that the sheer volume of artistic output nowadays novels, albums, songs, bands, articles, programs necessitates classifying and grouping shit and ultimately making sweeping ill informed decisions about what's 'legit' or not. The Catherine Wheel, and a ton of other bands, fit quite nicely into that 'discard' pile for me that I may have to go back to.

I got the sense another crew (other than Fetish and Weirdness) was going down to the show tomorrow from Guelph. So is anybody going and do they have room for a real shit disturber to and from? I would be most gracious.

Oh man Shain I don't even want to touch your list- I know this isn't a competition but as someone who lived in the maritimes and was forced to listen to that Great Big Sea shite I don't know what to say it's painful.

I will forewarn that my list might look like an attempt to be a smarty pants or whatever but I'm just pulling the songs I feel have deeply affected me off the top of my head. I listen to a lot of singles and explore a lot of different types of music so this should be interesting.

1. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

This is the title of their first album (I believe) and one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard but all of their stuff is. I can see why Les Claypool said seeing them actually affected his whole concept of creating music and playing live.

2. Wilco - Jesus Etc.

This is just an unbelievably beautiful and sad and honest and just plain stupendous song. I find myself singing it all the time. 'Tall buildings shake voices escape singing sad sad songs'. A great moment happened at Lowell Binstock's house after Mike Fillipowitch and Scotty Farmer's show at the Rivoli with Contact- we were all singing songs and messing around and a bunch of us ended up singing this song which surprised me sort of that in this case Lowell, myself and Hundermug knew it.

3. Latyrx (Lateef and Lyrics Born)

This is a little bit hectic for those uninitiated to hip hop or fast paced lyrics but would be great on a funky faster paced mix. It's basically a calling out song that sounds like it's talking about a gig in San Fran, going across the bridge 'rollin' in the brown jetta' playing at a venue and being challenged by the local hot shot- unbelievable breath control, flow, DJ Shadow production, just sick sick sick. 'I bet you thought your sexy ass was gonna make some dough on the strength of them promo pictures'. Priceless.

4. These Troubled Fields - Sarah Harmer

This is originally a Nanci Griffiths song and to be honest I haven't heard that version. I'm thinking of the one off Sarah's 'Songs for Clem' (her dad) that's been followed by 'Songs with Clem'. It basically compares a troubled relationship to a troubled farm in a shattering way. Lately I relate to the content on both levels with my work and home life

5. Feist - Mushaboom

Feist's really come into her own partly through being a part of the Broken Social Scene and just her own growth curve. This new one represents a real development for her (oh the album's called Let It Die) but is a touch uneven. That said the title track and really the bulk of it including Mushaboom are real life affirming take no shit sentiments. Mushaboom is a place in Nova Scotia where she imagines settling in with a man who's in it for the long haul, bundling up the kids in their snow clothes and basically to quote another song 'grow old and do some shit'.

To quote the Neilson of Burt: 'Jealousy Whoa'

That is genuinely great news. Don't blow it says the kung.

But isn't that like saying I'd like phish if they cut out the jamming?

That was a joke right?

You want to create a caption this is the one. I don't even know where to start.

You're both the recipients of my dark Qi. You should know full well by now that even a perceived slight is enough to send me off the handle. I don't even remember what if anything I was pissed about.

Just goes to show the intense challenges facing touring bands even those that get some hype behind them and a good product. I think the size of their touring band was a major hindrance too.

You should never have crossed me Bouche. I've been sending out bad mojo day and night just to screw up your summer. My dark Qi is potent shit.

Oh I guess I've seen Kimock with Zero but not the Steve Kimock Band.

I'm getting pretty damn psyched for this never seen Kimock.

I'm getting pretty damn psyched for this never seen Kimock.

underwhelmed

I can relate!!! I thankfully didn't have a break but my elbow and my wrist are still giving me major issues. I'm getting acupuncture and I have to go through physio and all that. It bites. I'm kind of being philosophical about it but falling off my high horse (also known as a scooter) and then being described a week's worth of percocets seems like a cruel joke from the big man upstairs. Of course they didn't quite last the week....

At least the equipment is really unique but you know some crackhead just sold that to his dealer and he's playing 'Smoke On The Water' badly right now adding baby laxative to cocaine.

They are surprisingly not as bad as you'd think on gas- kind of like a uhaul but in this economy maybe not.