From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V4 #444 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, December 20 1998 Volume 04 : Number 444 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Defending Fiona [neal copperman ] RE: Proof (kicks ass) [neal copperman ] Re: Milla [neal copperman ] Shawn Colvin and Patti Griffin Live on WXPN ["Spencer Lewis" ] Re: Bjork's success --> Happy [neal copperman ] ***KATE ON AMERICAN TV TONIGHT*** ["Xenu's Sister" ] Kristeen Young's =Enemy= ["Donald G. Keller" ] Re: Help on Seasonal mix tape ["C. K. Coney" ] Re: ***KATE ON AMERICAN TV TONIGHT*** ["Jeffrey C. Burka" ] Re: Cocteau Twins and stuff ["C. K. Coney" ] Ecto Buying Habits ["Tim" ] Re: Love-hounds (was Re: more Happy stuff plus) ["Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: Defending Fiona At 12:43 AM -0500 12/17/98, Richard wrote: >Vickie, I bought _Tidal_ a while back and kinda liked it- then I saw >her appearance on Saturday Night Live and was astonished by her *total* >lack of singing ability and her listless persona: I remember commenting >here that she exhibited all the personality of a turnip and I think I >was being generous. And I did NOT see the awards gaffe and never >considered that, but when she started appearing in the gossip rags, it >was time to bail out, IMO. Fiona was another strange experience for me. My introduction to her was when she opened the 'HFS holiday show featuring Sarah McLachlin and Barenaked Ladies (my introduction to them to). I hadn't heard any of her music or seen any videos. (I still haven't seen any videos, tv appearances or magazine interviews. I live in a media black hole. Today a co-worker was drinking Pepsi One, and I had to have it explained to me.) Anyway, I hated Fiona. She was horrible! She was such a blithering idiot on stage. (I accept Vickie and others comments that she is young and was thrown into the limelight, however, I didn't give put any framework around her at the time. I just watched and listened, not to a teenager, but to a performer.) Anyway, I taped the show, and when I listened to it later, it really wasn't so bad. A few more listens after that, and I rather liked it. Once a friend lent me the album, it grew on me quickly. So there's an interesting case where seeing a live show first nearly ruined an artist for me. Not sure there is a moral here, I just found it kind of interesting. Neal ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:27:37 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: RE: Proof (kicks ass) At 5:16 PM -0500 12/17/98, Foghorn J Fornorn wrote: >I think there's a lesson here relevant to the recent musings on stardom, >popularity, making music for a living, etc. Proof should have been (and >still could be) the single from MWABT. It can draw people to the music. >Learning the depth of that artist's ouvre is, of course, left as an exercise >to the listener (and hopefully, buyer). I'm not really convinced that a non-characteristic but catchy single sells a lot of "keeper" discs, though it probably does sell a lot of discs (which would be a good start, I guess). And undoubtedly would net some new fans too. I'm thinking back to when Beck's Mellow Gold came out. So many people bought that album cause they heard and liked "loser", but after a week, and for ages after that, the used stores were dense with that album. The rest of it sounded nothing like "loser", and apparently wasn't what people wanted to listen to at the time. As far as Happy's future superstar status, well, I think I'd have to cast my vote with the doubtful. However, I also agree completely with whoever said that no one has any idea who will be big and famous. If you look back, I think the success of many major artists came as total surprises. At the beginning of their careers, who could have predicted the commercial sucess of people like R.E.M., U2, Beck (even after Mellow Gold), Jewel, Tori, swing in general, the sudden popularity of ska despite the fact that the same bands had been touring it for years.... the list goes on and on. neal np: Tom Guralnick - broken dances for muted pieces ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:38:31 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: Milla At 3:23 AM -0600 12/18/98, Kay S Cleaves wrote: > It's a lot different than the Divine >Comedy, which was rather folky. This one is more along the trance/trip >hop/grungey lines. Lots of her speaking/whispering with droning guitars >in the background, a little singing. Massive disc, with sixteen tracks, >I think, including some remixes. Very electronic. Her voice sounds >completely different on this one, higher and very wispy. She only plays >any instruments on a couple of the tracks, although she wrote all of the >words. You know, I've always been completely baffled by Milla as a musician. I don't have The Divine Comedy handy, but if my memory is correct, she only wrote the lyrics on that one too. And she doesn't really appear to play any instruments. I saw her a couple of times when the first album came out, and she was just learning to play guitar. So the Divine Comedy really confused me. I couldn't understand why the album sounded like it did, and what Milla's role really was. (Irrelevant to my enjoyment of the album, but it just makes me curious.) It doesn't seem like she would be capable of arranging the music, but I can't figure out why anyone given the job of putting together a debut album for a new model/actress would come up with The Divine Comedy. Seems like they'd shoot for the flavor of the month, and TDC didn't really seem to have much of a shot of taking the market by storm. So did Milla have some input or control over the direction of the album? And the new one sounds similar in its design. Here's Milla and the words she wrote, and a sound designed by someone else with unknown input from her. From the description, this one sounds to be a bit trendier, but still not something that would really be anything the suits in the marketing department would get excited about. (and the internet only distribution can't help that either.) Anyone have any clue what's going on here? neal sp: Tom Guralnick - broken dances for muted pieces ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 10:55:45 +0000 From: "Spencer Lewis" Subject: Shawn Colvin and Patti Griffin Live on WXPN This show will be broadcast in Philly on WXPN 88.5 on Christmas eve at 8pm. They a have a lot of interesting stuff brewing for the Holiday including a John Hiatt concert on Christmas, an REM concert on New years day in addition to the 1998 Top 50 album countdown which will probably begin on Monday the 27th and finish on New Years Eve. Nothing for Shawn on the Top 50, but i suspect that Patti will be in the top 20. NP. Elliot Smith "XO" (I'm really just trying to get everyon to purchase this cd, it's so cheap, and sooo goood!!!!) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 14:33:36 -0500 From: Paul Blair Subject: m-m-m-m-more M-M-M-Milamusic! Hello ecto: Went to see Mila Drumke at Arlene Grocery last night with my friend Barbara. The only other ectophile we ran into was John Henshon, who expressed great disappointment at having missed Mila and Susan's Bowery Ballroom show. Biggest highlight of the evening was a new song, a work in progress: "Indiana." (Q. to Mila after the show: "Is the next one going to be named 'Ohio'? A. "Lyris was wondering why I don't do a 'Connecticut.'") It's good. Regrettably, I can't recreate it in my mind right now--unlike the other new song, which I can reproduce from memory anywhere, anytime. (What is the name of that song--the one where she plays the bass--anyway? I seem to remember seeing the title "New Song" on a setlist not so long ago.) But even as a work in progress it's right up there with her other music. Second biggest highlight: The set closing. Apparently the mgmt. had told her that if they were to do a Christmas song, there would be a tree (which there wasn't). So she decided to do the excerpt from "A Play of St. Nicholas" that starts *Gathering My Name* and introduced it with a little explanation. Apparently, this is a medieval play from which the song "O Tannenbaum" (later in English, "O Christmas Tree") derived. After riveting everyone with that, she went into a lovely version of "Silent Night" with Lyris and Elissa on backing vocals, and some nice violin work by Lyris. Very charming. Then the audience, led by a few of us enthusiastic types, made so much noise (the guy next to me had never heard Mila before, and was loving it) that we got her to come back and do "Under the Ivy." Whew! The evening also had its share of weirdness: Preceding Mila was a band called the Green Rooftops, who seemed to think the 70s had never ended. The lyrics were weak, the music was mostly bland and full of cliches, the band members were cute, and I wasn't in a very tolerant mood. I would have preferred metal. Then there were the two tottering-drunk brothers who kept wandering back and forth between the bar and the front of the audience during Mila's set, making everyone they passed worry they were going to have beer--or worse--spilled on them. They couldn't stand up straight, but during Mila's more upbeat numbers they would stomp around to the beat, joined by another fellow with happy feet. It was actually more amusing than anything else. Disappointment of the evening: Mark Sacco wasn't on drums. Can't have everything :-) Mila's doing a "First Night" in Westfield, N.J. and then will be appearing again at Arlene's on January 22. (Unfortunately, the cards that were passed out didn't have the January date on them, but I got her future dates from the website and am posting them below.) Come hear the new song! Cheers, Paul >First Night Westfield >Thursday, Dec. 31 @ 9, 10 and 11 >First Baptist Sanctuary >Westfield, NJ >Ring in the new year with Mila, Mark, Elissa and Lyris. >Along with the usuals, the band promises to pull out its most peculiar >covers. >For more information, call 908.232.9365 > > >Arlene Grocery >Friday, Jan. 22 @ 10 >95 Stanton b/w Ludlow and Orchard >New York City >For more information, call 212.473.9831. > > >To Know, By Heart >The Kitchen >Wednesday, Feb. 10 and Thursday, Feb. 11 @ 8 >512 West 19th St. >New York City >"Three writers discover the world by heart, and come to tell of it." An >evening with writer Michael Klein and poet Hermine Meinhard, curated by >Brooklyn author and performance artist Annie Lanzillatto. >For tickets, call 212.255.5793 > > >Valentine's Day at Ciel Rouge >An Evening of Standard and Not-So-Standard Love Songs with Matt Fieldes, >Joey Fortuna, Lyris Hung, Mark Sacco, Jake Stigers and more. >Sunday, Feb. 14 @ 8 and 10 >176 Seventh Ave. b/w 20th and 21st Sts. >New York City >No plans for Valentine's Day? Pull your honey into the red-velvet folds >of Ciel Rouge for a loungy set replete with tuxedos, floor-length gowns, >double bass and a 7-page drink menu. It's a very intimate room so make >reservations. >Call 212.929.5542 after January 1st ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 13:20:24 -0700 From: neal copperman Subject: Re: Bjork's success --> Happy At 9:55 AM -0800 12/16/98, C. K. Coney wrote: >Her music has real staying power. She's definitely an artist who has a way of >capturing a very devoted following once she gets a person "hooked", unlike the >"flavors of the year", like, dare I say, Fiona or Jewel. possible >incoming flamelets> It seems a little unfair to call them flavors of the year yet. While it may turn out to be true, it seems like to qualify for a title like that, you have to have been embraced and then dropped by a large fan base. While the former has happened for both artists, the latter hasn't. I'm not even convinced that the desertion of a large fan base has any relevance to anything. By the measuer of commercial success, it's probably fair to say that Kate peaked with "Wuthering Heights" (not sure on that one), Jane Siberry around "No Borders Here"/"Speckless Sky", Big Country with "The Crossing" and probably a huge number of others who have continued to have a strong, devoted following who feel their music has strong staying power. Seems like the term "flavor of the year" is a subjective term, and probably equates roughly to "someone who is currently popular that I don't like". > It's not a "hope" but a "belief" for me. If my brother who has 10,000 cds >with 9 out of 10 being a jazz album liked Happy enough to buy 4 of her >cds, >well,that says something about the potential here. Your brother has virtually no relationship to the average record buyer. The fact that he has 10,000 cd's already shows he is more inclined to buy something (anything!) than your average individual. I'd be curious how many CD's are owned in an average household. I'm sure the ecto average is far above the national norm. I recently read a claim that the average consumer was only exposed to 2 or 3 new discs a year! (This was not backed up by anything, so I couldn't even tell if it was just made up or a valid statistic.) neal np: Richard Shindell - Reunion Hill ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 18:41:10 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: ***KATE ON AMERICAN TV TONIGHT*** (Early Kate, but still...) We live in Chicago, IL and found out that the Saturday Night Live with Kate is going to be repeated *in its entierty* ***TONIGHT!***, Saturday the 19th. (Or, well, the morning of Sunday the 20th) Here in Chicago, it will air at 2:00 am CST. Local affiliates will show it at different times around the country. Check your local listings, as they say. Note that this is *NOT* the usual Saturday Night Live that airs at 10:30pm (CST). My TV Guide lists that show as being "Christmas sketches from past shows." This is a new thing, repeats of past shows that are now being shown after the "regular" SNL. This is a network thing, not just a local thing, so everyone around the country should be able to see these repeats, unless their local affiliates choose not to show it. Affiliates can also put it on at whatever time they want, which is why here in Chicago it's not airing immediately after the regular SNL. *We* won't be able to see it because we have a DSS satellite dish, and the broadcast television programming is closed to us "thanks" to the narrow-minded broadcast channel executives. (Oh, we can do the rabbit ears thing, but what we'd get would come out much worse than what we've already had on video for many years. We had planned to get Basic Cable to supplement our broadcast viewing, but, well, guess we didn't get on the ball soon enough. Boy, wait 20 years for something to repeat, *KNOW ABOUT IT* and still can't get a pristine copy of it. How depressing. I hope the all broadcast executives who've blocked satellite viewers from getting broadcast channels all die truly horrible, slow, painful deaths. I hope someone can see this message and find it useful in time to see the program. Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 20:44:14 -0500 (EST) From: "Donald G. Keller" Subject: Kristeen Young's =Enemy= For the first 24 hours I had it, I basically listened to nothing but Kristeen Young's =Enemy=, and have now listened to it five or six times. Bottom line: it's the first great album of 1999. More artistically adventurous (meaning more eccentric) and more surefooted than her first solo album, and if there's any justice (meaning a reasonably-sized label release) it should get her more noticed. Of the fifteen songs, only three I'd grade C; and only because they're just a little more conventional, a little more routine, sound a little bit too much like other songs of hers. In isolation they're not bad at all, however. Another five rate a B: solid examples of her songwriting, which on this album tends to find a solid groove (riff, ostinato) and stick to it (as opposed to the rather harum-scarum effect of her previous album), intensifying the song as it goes along with more vocals, more heated lead vocals, more extra instruments added to the mix, etc. This leaves seven A songs. One of them is also kind of a ballad, "Laurel," but it's uneasy, stumbling, heavyfooted, and triple time (somewhat similar to the great "Guidance" from her earlier Waterworks band). It's more ominous than soothing. Three further are of a type: huge, grinding keyboard riffs which, combined with Jeff White's almost overpowerful drumming, come close to Zeppelinish pummeling. (The leadoff track "Year of the Woman"--which I'd never heard before but goes to the head of this class--is faintly reminiscent of the end of "Dazed and Confused"; "Take Me" is a little more reminiscent of "Kashmir"; and "Mouth to Mouth" is =very= faintly like, oh, say, "Trampled Underfoot"--a song one can easily imagine Miss Young covering.) Though they resemble one another, the songs have such strong riffs--they're hooks, really, like the best Zeppelin riffs--that after only a couple listens you say, oh, yeah, that one. This batch also gains in power through sheer reiteration and various kinds of intensification. And this leaves three songs that tower above the rest of the album, definite A+s, songs I knew were among her best the first time I heard them live. All three are strikingly original (i.e. they're not like anything else she's written including one another) and stretch her style to the breaking point; but they're not experiments, they're achieved musical works. "Have you ever worked with anything HI-TEK?" (I reproduce the orthography exactly) features a blistering ostinato in 7/8, not that far off from some of the other riffs on the album, but its shortness (one bar), unevenness, and relentlessness gives it an even more obsessive quality. Miss Young first talks then yammers over it, and the effect can only be described by two wildly disparate images: 1) Kate Bush covering "Apocalypse in 9/8" from the Genesis epic "Supper's Ready" 2) Laurie Anderson gone completely manic. It's a truly overwhelming song. "Incubator" is the "you can't catch me" song (it has extremely creepy anti-pregnancy lyrics), built over an almost annoying little tonic/dominant alternation (also one bar), which on this studio recording has out-of-key tuned percussion clanking and wrong-key countermelodies; it sounds like a broken music box. For the occasion Miss Young dusts off her squeakiest, most cartoonlike vocal, and...well...words kind of fail me at this point. If the kid's chant "nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah" could be turned into a song, it might sound like this. But actually, =nothing= sounds like this. "Skeletons" is her sparest, quietest song; it's also one of the spookiest songs I think I've ever heard, a funeral-march =danse macabre=, if you will. Two piano notes--low tonic up to minor third (E-G in this case), on beats one and three of a slow measure, followed by a matching silent bar-- constitute the "ostinato." The tolling tubular bell note on the upper tonic causes me to muse that the whole song is kind of the dark side of Arvo Part. In comes Miss Young, in the very lowest register we've ever heard from her, =sotto voce=, worrying the tonic up to the third and down to the "flat 7th" (D in this case); there's a little cadential phrase that droops down to the lower 5th (B). There's a static quality, but the hushed sense of fearful apprehension is strong. Then she lets out a wavering wail, full-voice, about two octaves higher, which strains mightily to prevent the 5th (B) from collapsing to the tritone; it heaves itself even higher, up to the minor third (G) another sixth above it. It's a rivetingly dramatic moment. Back to the quieter vocal, in the middle octave this time, worrying the cadential phrase and breaking up into Margaret Hamiltonisms and modal warblings. It's only three minutes long (ends quietly), but subjectively it's much longer; essentially a single frightening musical image (just as Part's =Cantus= is a tearful but consoling one). It's just plain jawdropping. One of these three is the best song she's written. But I'm not sure which. [First draft 12/18/98] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 21:21:21 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: Help on Seasonal mix tape I too *love* Jeff Noon! Stuart, I even picked up (rescued, as I call it) several hardcover copies of "Pollen" at MediaPlay, for 4 bucks each. That book is true art, better imo than "Vurt", which is of course also true art. Anyway, thanks for telling us of this new book...I wouldn't have thought to look for it! Carol (who every year suggests to DragonCon folks that they bring Jeff Noon to the "Con") P.S. Stuart, did you go to the Jane S. show in Atlanta? I don't remember seeing you post about it...but I may missed it somehow. Stuart Myerburg wrote: > "Jeffrey C. Burka" wrote: > > > > nr: Nymphomation - Jeff Noon > > > > How truly odd. About 3 hours ago, I happened to pick up my copy of > > _Pollen_ and wondered to myself whether he'd ever put out another > > novel. Of course, I was too lazy to bother looking online -- though > > a quick check of Amazon just now shows me it wouldn't have helped; > > they're still only listing _Vurt_, _Pollen_, and _Automated Alice_. > > Yay! Another Jeff Noon fan. Check Amazon UK > (http://www.amazon.co.uk). Since he's British, a lot of his stuff lags > behind here in the states. I picked up _Nymphomation_ while I was in > London, but I got his newest short story collection, _Pixel Juice_, from > Amazon UK. > > > So what's the scoop on _Nymphomation_? > > As usual, it's about Manchester in the not-too-distant future. This > time, everyone is obsessed with a lottery called Domino Bones. A lot of > the same ideas from _Vurt_ and _Pollen_ make their way into the story > and I'm noticing a lot more word play this time around, probably as a > result of _Automated Alice_. I haven't read enough yet to form an > opinion, but thus far the story fits nicely into Jeff Noon's psychedelic > and always entertaining universe. > > Stuart > > np: Equipoise (I'm still on a Happy kick) > > -- > ______________________________________________ > Stuart Myerburg > http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~stuart > ______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 22:02:37 -0500 From: "Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: ***KATE ON AMERICAN TV TONIGHT*** vickie sez: > We live in Chicago, IL and found out that the > Saturday Night Live with Kate is going to be > repeated *in its entierty* ***TONIGHT!***, > Saturday the 19th. (Or, well, the morning of > Sunday the 20th) Thanks for the heads-up. It's on DC's NBC affiliate, channel 4, at 3am sunday morning. The VCR is set up...now I need to find a tape. ;-) jeff - -- |Jeffrey C. Burka|||||http://www.cqi.com/~jburka|||||"I've got time to rest / | ||||||||||||||| And I've got a clear, able mind that sees my life going fine. | ||| 'Cause everything I need is right here in my hands..." --Melissa Ferrick | ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 22:10:05 -0500 From: Jeff Wasilko Subject: Re: ***KATE ON AMERICAN TV TONIGHT*** On Sat, Dec 19, 1998 at 06:41:10PM -0600, Xenu's Sister wrote: > We live in Chicago, IL and found out that the > Saturday Night Live with Kate is going to be > repeated *in its entierty* ***TONIGHT!***, > Saturday the 19th. (Or, well, the morning of > Sunday the 20th) Thanks for the heads up. The show is on at 2am here in Boston. - -Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 22:20:53 -0800 From: "C. K. Coney" Subject: Re: Cocteau Twins and stuff Tim wrote: > ---------- > >From: "C. K. Coney" > >To: Tim > >Subject: Re: Cocteau success --> Happy > >Date: Thu, Dec 17, 1998, 8:30 PM > > > > >I've still got their vinyl to prove > >it...and unfortunately, they're sitting on boxes of that vinyl still, in their > >garages. So, let me repeat, "Humpfh". I'd also like to add that "there oughta be a > >law". ;-) > > Its called the "zeitgeist"... and its never where it should be. > > I'm glad that Liz is releasing another album. Ironically she'll probably > have more success now that Massive Attack have broken in the US, finally. > > Incidentally, does anyone have the Craig Armstrong album she guests on? I didn't buy Craig A. because I heard it & didn't like it. But what do *I* know? Lately from the Fiona, Milla, etc etc etc threads, I'm finding that there's no accounting for all the diversity in ecto-taste, that some of us who agree that Happy is the best thing since sliced bread don't agree on various other artists. And some of us also put an artist on the shelf and pick her or him up later and all of a sudden have a change of heart. Different things speak to different people. Also, people can have something resonate with them during one phase of life and not another, then come back to it and re-discover it with a whole new outlook. It's beautiful, isn't it? Carol ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 14:45:40 +0000 From: "Tim" Subject: Ecto Buying Habits - ---------- >From: neal copperman >To: ecto@smoe.org >Subject: Re: Bjork's success --> Happy >Date: Sat, Dec 19, 1998, 8:20 PM > >I recently read a claim that the average >consumer was only exposed to 2 or 3 new discs a year! As far as I can tell, this is about the weekly average for many ecto subscribers, and probably the monthly for all of us, so we're probably tilting the scales... Many people might only get one cd a year (as a christmas present most likely... some Kenny G and Michael Crawford duet perhaps) The latest issue of The War Against Silence (www.furia.com/twas/) has some interesting opinions on such things, especially in relation to the way music distribution will (or won't) change in the future. Regards, Tim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 01:24:52 -0500 From: "Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: Love-hounds (was Re: more Happy stuff plus) "Joseph S. Zitt" wrote: > > np: _Festival of Lights_ / various > Yeah! I just lent that to a friend of mine at work, to convince her that > yes, the world does contain one Hanukah album that doesn't suck... Actually, it's does a hell of a lot more than not suck. Lorin Sklamberg's self-harmonizing multitracked hebrew bv's on Marc Cohn's "ma'oz tzur" and Jane's "shir amami", the track from the Covenant, John Leventhal's ode to his father, the trip-hoppy "I See You," complete with a sample of a music box; it's one of the few "holiday" albums I listen to year-round. Thing is, as the liner notes point out, there isn't really "chanukah music" the way there is "xmas music." I mean, okay, you have "ma'oz tzur" and "mi yemaliel", and the light-hearted dreidel/sevivon songs (which are, happily, missing from FoL) but that's pretty much it. _Festival of Lights_ is mostly just a collection of really cool music of various judaic heritage and musical genres, both traditional and modern put together surprisingly well. jeff np: _rearmament_ nr: well, I just finished re-reading Stephen King's _It_ and am about to finish re-reading David Feinberg's _Spontaneous Combustion_ (what a tear jerker, funny as it is), so I'm trying to decide what's next. - -- |Jeffrey C. Burka|||||http://www.cqi.com/~jburka|||||"I've got time to rest / | ||||||||||||||| And I've got a clear, able mind that sees my life going fine. | ||| 'Cause everything I need is right here in my hands..." --Melissa Ferrick | ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V4 #444 **************************