From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V5 #11 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, January 7 1999 Volume 05 : Number 011 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Still up, still playing ["Xenu's Sister" ] Yves Denneulin , digest guys ["Xenu's Sister" ] Nope ["Xenu's Sister" ] My favorite CD's that I bought in 1998 (Long) [Michael Colford ] Re: Muzak at Pizzeria Uno [Jeff Burka ] Perfume Tree (was Re: Neile's 1998 list) [Neile Graham ] Judie Tzuke [Dirk Kastens ] Re: Tech want ad from Happy [jjh969@juno.com (John J Henshon)] Pamela Goodchild @ Genghis 1/8 friday nite [Birdie ] Shoutcast problems [Matthew Levy ] Korg Wavestation? (Re: Tech want ad from Happy) ["Xenu's Sister" ] No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users ["Xenu's Sister" ] Re: Shoutcast problems ["Xenu's Sister" ] No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users [Steve VanDevender ] Re: No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users [Neile Graham ] Sarah Slean ["Donald G. Keller" ] Re: 2 SiGs upcoming, & mailing list for digest folks? [cinders blue Subject: Still up, still playing I set up a web page in case folks are wondering what's playing now. (you hearty souls!) http://www.smoe.org/~vickie/sig/ I'll try to keep it as updated as possible, but it may not always be possible. (cc'd to the Digest Guys) Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 01:58:07 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Yves Denneulin , digest guys In just a few minutes, what I'm playing now will end, and we're going to change server (give Jeff's a rest), so there will be maybe 10 minutes of silence. I'll post again when it comes back up. Does anyone have a request for what to play next? Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 02:24:23 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Silly me! I'll write "I will pay attention to my header fields" 100 times on the blackboard! At 01:58 AM 1/7/99 -0600, Xenu's Sister wrote: >In just a few minutes, what I'm playing now will end, >and we're going to change server (give Jeff's a rest), >so there will be maybe 10 minutes of silence. I'll post >again when it comes back up. > >Does anyone have a request for what to play next? > >Vickie > > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 04:26:23 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Nope (I put all the cc'd folks into bcc) At 02:24 AM 1/7/99 -0600, Xenu's Sister wrote: > In just a few minutes, what I'm playing now will end, > and we're going to change server (give Jeff's a rest), > so there will be maybe 10 minutes of silence. I'll post > again when it comes back up. Oh well, never mind. Sorry. We couldn't get the other server to work, so we went back to Jeff's server. (Have I mentioned lately how deeply wonderful Jeff Wasilko is?) Unfortunately though, we couldn't get that running again either. I'll have to wait until much later tonight to try again. I'm going to bed. G'night! Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 09:13:12 -0500 From: Michael Colford Subject: My favorite CD's that I bought in 1998 (Long) Hi everyone! I usually don't do these lists, because I'm always afraid I'm going to leave somebody out! But I've been inspired by your lists (which I love looking through, BTW) so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't limit my choices to CD's released in 1998, because I'm always discovering new artists from previous years (like Veda Hille, for instance). Instead, this list of 15 CDs (I couldn't limit it anymore) contains the music that hooked/moved/ thrilled me the most in 1998. They are listed in alphabetical order: 01) Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel. Well, I had a hard time deciding whether to include this on the list, but I decided to do so. I felt this effort was rather uneven, but it does have the distinction of getting me excited about a Tori album again after my relative disinterest of Boys for Pele. Lots of great stuff on this album, and a few that I tend to skip over, but all-in-all a very enjoyable Tori album. 02) Jann Arden - Happy? Some people on ecto find Jann's music to be rather bland, or too radio-friendly. I have to disagree. Sure she had a huge American hit with "Insensitive," but Jann writes some powerful stuff disguised as T40 ready pop. The question mark at the end of this album's title is indicative of the dark natures of the obstensible love songs included on it. Jann's raspy voice and somber melodies are the perfect vehicle for the thoughtful lyrics she writes. I'm worried about Jann's future now that A&M is no more as a label. 03) Daniel Cartier - Avenue A. Take a youny, gay man who grew up in rural New Hampshire, have him spend some time playing the subway stations in Cambridge, then toss him into the music scene in New York City, and you're going to find Daniel Cartier. Sometimes tagged as an urban folk artist, there's a lot more to Cartier's music. Sure the folk roots are there, but the layered instrumentation and soaring vocals take Avenue A to new heights. With songs like "I Decided," "Lay With Me," and "I Can't Believe We Were Nothing," Cartier easily captures the angst filled melodies and powerful lyrics needed to get my musical blood going! Check out this overlooked sensation. 04) Deborah Conway - My Third Husband. My Third Husband is Conway's third solo album after spending time as lead vocalist of the Australian band, Do Re Mi. Many thanks go out to dear friend and fellow ectophile, Sue Fechner for supplying me with Conway's albums! This album really shows a maturity that her first two were building toward. Conway explores sampled rhythms a la Portishead and really takes her music in new directions. Her vocals prowl over the lyrics with a hypnotic menace and sensuality. The first single, "Only the Bones (Will Show)" is chilling and thrilling. 05) Sara Craig - Miss Rocket. I've always had a fondness for this Canadian artist ever since I caught her first CD release show in Toronto almost 10 years ago. We didn't know who she was, or what she sounded like, but we decided to check her out. Like Deborah Conway, Craig really hits her stride with this, her third album. Miss Rocket is not as fierce, or edgy as her previous releases, but much more languid and sensual. Tracks like "You Make Me Happy," are hypnotic. Hmmm, using a lot of similar words as I did in my Deborah Conway review, and I can definitely see the similarities. 06) 54-40 - Since When. This guitar-based rock quartet has been called the Canadian R.E.M. Like their Georgian counterparts, 54-40 have two distinct sounds, their electric guitar heavy alterna-rock, and their more thoughtful, acoustic guitar based folk rock. Since When leans more toward the latter, which is what makes it a winner for me. The socially conscious lyrics and gentle melodies are credited to the entire band. Look for featured harmony and background vocals by Camille Henderson, of Sarah McLachlan's live band. 07) Neil Finn - Try Whistling This. I once said that Neil Finn was among the finest pop music writers in the world. I still stand by that statement. Finn's songs are clearly inspired by and in my opinion, surpass the work of the Beatles. With complex arrangements, gorgeous melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics, Finn makes a three and a half minute pop song sound like a symphony. On his first solo album, Finn's songs take a slightly darker turn from his material with Crowded House. 08) Veda Hille - Spine. After the praise this woman has received on Ecto, and from Meredith and Neile particularly, how could I not check her out? I was not disappointed. Hille coined the phrase "beautiful and fierce" on this album, which was co-opted for the Ectophiles Guide to Good Music as a musical style. It certainly fits her. Sparse, acoustic music swirls dangerously around Hille's unsettling lyrics. And yet songs like "Strange, Sad" will emerge from the desolation with tender beauty that takes my breath away. I'm looking forward to hearing more of her work! (And I'm still annoyed that I missed Meredith's house concert featuring Veda!) 09) Liz Phair - Whitchocolatespaceegg. Hmmm, lots of artists seem to be rising to new levels of maturity this year. With Phair's third album, she has curbed some of her knee-jerk brashness and has embraced a more lasting cynicism and irony. Some say this is due to the birth of Phair's first child, and that may well be true. Phair's deep, throaty vocals also seem to have matured, and she seems to possess a little more power in her lower register. She has a lot of fun with songs like the first single, "Polyester Bride," but the standout track for me is definitely "What Makes You Happy." 10) Happy Rhodes - Many Worlds Are Born Tonight. I was surprised by the direction Happy took with her latest album. Opening with the lush, electronic sound of "100 Years," Rhodes fully embraces her technological roots that have always been present in her music. Part of Happy's brilliance is the amazing way she can put such a warm and human face on the sterile heart of technology. While I am partial to her acoustic side, this album certainly ranks up there with the best in my opinion. With "Serenading Genius," Happy has added a song that ranks above my all time favorites. Anyone who can succesfully toss words like banality and criteria around in a gorgeous, melodic epic like this deserves high praise! Then there's the monolithic "Proof," which chugs along like an inexorable colossus, devouring all in its path. Happy's music strikes such a visual chord in me as well. Now I can only wait for the lovely Ms. Rhodes to play live in the Boston area! 11) Talking to Animals - Manhole. This Boston quartet has had a lot of difficulties in releasing this album. Recorded for Columbia, the label refused to release the album, dropped the band from their roster, but would not let them release the album on a different label for many months. Finally, Velvel was able to release it this year. Powered by the strong vocals of Juliana Nash, Talking to Animals can conjure up intensely fierce social commentary or sublime, Portishead-like beauty. (Hmmm, lots of Portishead comparisons being thrown around. Why didn't I like them more?) The track "Little by Little" is one of the most powerful songs of the year. Beautiful and fierce? I'd say so. 12) Texas - White On Blonde. The Scottish outfit hit is big with their debut album, then disappeared for a few years from the United States' consciousness. I was slow to pick up on White On Blonde. In fact, when I started hearing the first single, "Say What You Want" on the radio, I thought it was the Artist formerly known as Prince, or one of his proteges. A friend urged me to try the album out, and I did. I loved it. Then it received a boost when the beautiful "Put Your Arms Around Me" played over the closing credits to the film, "Ever After." Lush, melodic, soulful, all these words apply to the Texas sound. 13) The Tragically Hip - Phantom Power. Another Canadian band in the R.E.M. vein, The Hip have quite a following here in New England. I've been a fan of The Hip for several years, and picked up Phantom Power instantly. However, it took a few listens to catch me. However, when it did, I was caught hook, line and sinker. Their straight-forward, guitar driven pop rock combined with wonderfully spun lyrics make for some intelligent, alterna-rock. Their song "Fireworks," contained my favorite lyrics of the year. "You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey and I never saw someone say that before. You held my hand and we walked home the long way. You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr." What a terrific picture of passing through adolescence. Canadians certainly know their hockey metaphors well. 14) Rufus Wainwright. Here's a debut artist that doesn't want to be boxed into a musical genre! Son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Rufus writes mini, pop symphonies in the old cabaret style. His soaring tenor, captivating piano playing and lush, symphonic arrangements highlight the longing and desire in his artistically drawn lyrics. His voice and melodies move me to tears. 15) Wendy & Lisa - Girl Bros. Wow! Talk about a mature album. The former Revolution bandmembers go by the name of Girl Bros. for this album, and it's one you have to check out. Wendy & Lisa play virtually all the instruments on this superbly arranged album that highlights their slightly psychedelic, acoustic guitar driven sound with a touch of funk from their Revolution days. Dedicated to Wendy's brother Jonathan Melvoin who died of a drug overdose a couple year ago, the lyrics are mature and moving. If you only know Wendy & Lisa from their Prince days, check them out. This is their fourth album and I'm hoping for a lot more! Best Compilation of the Year - Martha & the Muffins - Then Again. Soundtrack of the Year (Tie) - The Hanging Garden and The Sweet Hereafter Honorable mentions: Garbage - Version 2.0 Emm Gryner - Public Chantal Kreviazuk - Under These Rocks & Stones Biggest Disappointment: Ani DiFranco - Little Plastic Castles Neile, feel free to use any of this stuff for the Ectophiles Guide. Take Care Everyone! Michael n.p. 30 Minute Famine n.r. The Woody by Peter Lefcourt ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 09:20:19 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Colford Subject: Muzak at Pizzeria Uno I was having a quick supper at Pizzeria Uno the other night when over the PA system I heard "Summerlong" by Emm Gryner! Well, after grabbing my boyfriend and saying, "Oh my God! That's Emm Gryner!" we resumed chatting and eating. Well a few songs later (after "Adult Education" by Hall & Oates of all things) what should come on but "Onion Girl" by Holly Cole! Well, I had to ask the waitress where the music was coming from, and she said it was Muzak piped in over the PA system. Pretty impressive Muzak if you ask me. She asked if I liked it or not and I did explain to her that I was impressed because some of the songs were by artists I loved but never heard on the radio. After she left, I heard a song from the last Jann Arden album. I don't know who put together this particular Muzak program but I was very impressed! Anyone know how this stuff works? Michael n.p. Rufus Wainwright - -------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Colford | Reading Public Library Head of Technical Services | Reading, Massachusetts colford@noblenet.org | *North of Boston Library Exchange* - -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 09:45:59 -0500 (EST) From: Jeff Burka Subject: Re: Muzak at Pizzeria Uno On Thu, 7 Jan 1999, Michael Colford wrote: > I was having a quick supper at Pizzeria Uno the other night when over > the PA system I heard "Summerlong" by Emm Gryner! Many, *many* years ago ('90? 89?) I was in a Noble Romans in blomington, IN and heard Jane's "The Life Is the Red Wagon" on their muzak. I nearly fainted. The Brothers coffee shop on the first floor of my office building always has good musak; I've heard October Project, Tasmin Archer, and all sorts of other bizarre things. jeff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 08:58:34 -0800 From: Neile Graham Subject: Perfume Tree (was Re: Neile's 1998 list) Andrew Fries wrote: >> Perfume Tree--feeler >> I love Perfume Tree's older dreamy trancey crunchy pop, but >> this is entirely forgettable. > >My taste usually matches Neile's pretty closely so I was somewhat shaken to >find one of my nominations for top 10 of the year at the bottom of her >heap! I >put it on quickly to have another listen.... >dreamy - check >trancey - check >crunchy - check! >So I'm wondering Neile, can you put a finger on what it is in this one that >turns you off? Because I didn't find it a huge departure in style from their >previous one... I know it's not different. Still dreamy, trancey, crunchy, but I've enjoyed previous albums way more than this one, which leaves me cold. I think maybe it's just the accumulation of too many similar albums from them for me, and I've liked their songwriting better on previous albums. I keep forgetting this one even exists. - --Neile - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neile Graham ..... http://www.sff.net/people/neile ..... neile@sff.net The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music .... http://www.smoe.org/ectoguide - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 20:49:16 +0100 From: Dirk Kastens Subject: Judie Tzuke Hi, today I found another great 1998 release in my mailbox: Judie Tzuke's new album Secret Agent. An excellent production as always with great songs. Bully (track 10) is the highlight of the album. The strange sounds, the vocal samples, the e-guitar solo and the stunning choral at the end remind me a lot of Kate Bush. Just like the last song (Mother) with the piano and the string orchestra. The lyrics are very depressing. That's no wonder, because her mother has died. I'm dancing on charcoal and burning my toes, Like I'm wearing the red shoes, you know how it goes. I wish I had faith, I wish I had some rest, 'Cos Christmas is coming am I'm still depressed. My babies I love them but they're bleeding me dry. My mother's without me, she's learnt how to fly. (from Dancing On Charcoal) Have I lost her now to a better place? Will I see her smile, on my baby's face? Can I live my life, with her style and grace? Can I take the role, fill the empty space? And I'm frightened too, that I might not be. All that her dreams, said a daughter of hers would be. Mother, Mamon, Mama, Mother (from Mother) Dirk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 15:20:30 -0500 From: jjh969@juno.com (John J Henshon) Subject: Re: Tech want ad from Happy Vickie, Wish I could help but don't know of anyone looking to get rid of one. If all else fails, Sam Ash carries them for $ 1149.99. They will ship for free and can be reached at 732-572-0263. She might also try George Koury at Full Compass. George may be able to give her a better price. He's at 1-800-356-5844 ext. 1114. It's upgradable to 128 Meg with 72 pin simms. The Turbo Card add-ons list for $ 1949. for the model 6226 and $ 2149. for the card with a 100 meg zip drive incorporated. (model 6227.) John Henshon On Wed, 06 Jan 1999 15:13:24 -0600 "Xenu's Sister" writes: > >Hey all you musically-inclined tech heads out there, Happy asked if >I could pass this along... > >--------------------- >Happy: > >> I am in need of an Emu, ESI 4000 Turbo Sampler( preferrably with a >64meg >> upgrade)...... I can get one no problem, but I'm trying to get a >better price. >> If there are any musicians in the ECTO group who may have one or >know of an >> available one (used or otherwise)....they could contact me or you on >my >> behalf... > >-------------------- > >If anyone knows where Happy can get one at a decent price, either >e-mail me >and I'll forward the informaion, or (I assume this is what she meant) >e-mail Happy >via Samson Music, which will also get forwarded to her. (I don't know >which would >be quicker, but I'll get it to her as soon as I see the e-mail, >whereas Samson says on their >web page that they'll post all e-mail, so I don't know if it's >actually forwarded or if >she just checks the web page. I should have asked,huh?) > >The Samson address is: hrhodes@samsonmusic.com > >Please do not mail Happy at the old ulster or aol e-mail addresses. >She's no longer at >those addresses, and the mail will probably either bounce or fall into >oblivion. > >Thanks! > >Vickie > > ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 12:25:04 +0000 From: Birdie Subject: Pamela Goodchild @ Genghis 1/8 friday nite This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --------------DDF1C07C35E82A75A743B295 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Here's the latest info from Pamela Goodchild who will be playing tomorrow night in LA. > - --------------DDF1C07C35E82A75A743B295 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"; name="Friday Night Show" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Netscape Communicatorª PPC Document Content-Disposition: inline; filename="Friday Night Show" Subject: Friday Night Show Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 03:03:37 EST From: Goodchildp@aol.com To: Hello and a Happy New Year to you!!! I want you to know my great appreciation of you for the many shows of last year. Each of those shows are all possible because you show up. To support me as an artist has helped me grow and feel such happiness, for that, I am in awe and want to express my feelings of gratitude. Some of you come every month and some of you come once in awhile. You are all very important to me and I thank you and I look forward to another year of music. Here is the first of shows for 1999. p a m e l a g o o d c h i l d with c i n d y k e l l e h e r at GENGHIS COHEN (FAIRFAX, N. OF MELROSE, E. SIDE OF STREET) F R I D A Y January 8, 1998 9:00pm $7 Begining in the spring I will be recording for a CD! Of course cassettes are available currently at shows and my web site. Till then... ciao for now. oh and.... check this out! pamela's WWW page - --------------DDF1C07C35E82A75A743B295-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 17:14:20 -0500 From: Laura Clifford Subject: Weird Kate question Seeing as how all this talk of Kate and Love-Hounds has come up on ecto lately (I got bumped off Lound Hounds a few years back and never bothered to resubscribe - looks like me intuition was on target), I thought maybe someone here might know the answer to a pretty strange question. I collect Royal Doulton figurines. I got a recent one named Kathyrn which I only wanted because I thought she looked like Kate - particularly 'Wuthering Heights' video era. Then it occurred to me that maybe Royal Doulton had actually used her as the model for this figurine - they've done it with other people, although the figurine isn't necessarily marketted as being a likeness of that person. And the name 'Kate' had been used by them back in the 80's. Anyone know? I just thought maybe it might have been mentioned on Love-Hounds... Laura ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 18:11:44 -0500 From: Matthew Levy Subject: Shoutcast problems Ok, it's a little after 6 PM EST, and I'm trying to access the SiG via WinAMP v2.08. Every time I try accessing the site, it starts prebuffering, but then stalls at 8192 out of 26214 bytes. Anyone have any clue what this means? While I'm posting, can someone give me info on Susan McKeown's last few albums? I have "Bones" and absolutely love it. I know she's done 3 albums since (Bushes & Briars, Through The Winter Frost and Snow, and one other I can't recall). What are the content of those 3 albums? I know one is Christmas-type music, and I'm not interested in that. But I would love to hear Susan doing traditional and original compositions. Thanx in advance for the info. Matt ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 17:07:48 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Korg Wavestation? (Re: Tech want ad from Happy) Thanks to Dirk and John for the information about Emus. I've passed your e-mails along to Happy. This is her again: ============= Happy: > I have indeed, used the ESI 4000 on MWABT....that, as well as the > ESI32....It's the same thing essentially, with less memory. I'm quite familiar > with it. It has become my primary module. Incidentally, if anyone has a > Korg Wavestation A/D as well....I'd kill to get one again. They don't sell them retail > anymore...sort of discontinued.....(they're kind of impossibly difficult to > use and program, but I've lived with one long enough to be able to get by) . > Again, they can be found, but if an Ectophile has one for sale, EVEN BETTER. ============== E-mail me if anyone knows anything about a Korg. Thanks again! Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 18:43:33 -0500 From: "Jeffrey C. Burka" Subject: Re: Shoutcast problems Matthew Levy sez: > While I'm posting, can someone give me info on Susan McKeown's last few > albums? I have "Bones" and absolutely love it. I know she's done 3 > albums since (Bushes & Briars, Through The Winter Frost and Snow, and > one other I can't recall). What are the content of those 3 albums? I > know one is Christmas-type music, and I'm not interested in that. But I > would love to hear Susan doing traditional and original compositions. Actually, there are four you should be looking for, not 3. The other two are _Mighty Rain_ (the other disc with Lindsay Horner) and Johnny Cunningham's _Peter and Wendy_ soundtrack, on which Susan sings lead vox on almost every track. _Through the Bitter Frost and Snow_ is indeed mostly xmas music, and I personally find it a bit tiresome getting through the heavily jesus-y songs. But the album is still worth owning, if only for "Auld Lang Syne." Or the title track. Or "The Mountain King." Or "Bold Orion." Or "Green Grow'th the Ivy." Or "When All the Songs Were Sad." All tracks individually worth owning it for, but to be blessed with them all in one place? Actually, I really do like almost the entire disc. Mostly traditional material, though a few songs were written by Susan and/or Lindsay, and "Bold Orion" is a modern cover. _Bushes and Briars_ is all traditional material. Veers toward world-beat and other interesting arrangement choices, but not in the way, say, Loreena McKennitt has gone. Enchanting. _Peter and Wendy_ is a soundtrack to a puppet show. Great fiddle, pipes, and Susan's voice, a fun storyline, etc., etc. A little harder to find, perhaps, but worth tracking down in its handsome box. Finally, there's _Mighty Rain_, which was released toward the end of the year. This one's a bit different (well, they're all different). Pretty much just Susan and Lindsay this time, playing much bluesier stuff. A couple of Dylan covers, some traditional tunes, and some original material. Less celtic than her earlier albums, and sparser arrangements, often just voice and bass or drum. jeff np: _Rhythm Nation: 1814_, Janet Jackson - -- |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: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 17:48:12 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users I can't seem to get anything to work, and of course Chris is in beautiful, balmy Las Vegas (pout) so unless I talk to him later and he talks me through the problem here, *and* one of the two servers we use is up, silence will emante from this apartment. I found a few more shows worth broadcasting (there are actually only a handful out of 300+ shows that I'm comfortable with broadcasting so many years later. At least, not without major editing of my talking, since the music is always good) and 2 of them are directly connected to the net, in that artists/albums I heard about on the net inspired one show, and a newsgroup (alt.religion.suicide) inspired another, "death&destruction&suicide&suchlike" (a show everyone hated but me). I have Happy's permission to broadcast any live shows I have, and I have a bunch. I stuck one on late last night to see how it would sound, and it was fairly ok. Some are better than others, quality- wise. Just think, if Shoutcast had been around a few years ago, more Ectophiles would have been about to hear "Jork" in its original incarnation. Neile, too bad you're having such a hard time. It's not you, it's that MacAmp doesn't support Shoutcast (we didn't know that right away) and I don't know what's going on with Audioactive. I'm hoping that some Machead programmer is burning the midnight oil as we speak, to get something cobbled together. Necessity is the mothra of invention. The guy who invented Shoutcast did it because he lived in a place that didn't carry the syndicated radio show "Loveline" and wanted his buddy in another state to be able to relay it to him. Is that cool, or what? (The idea, not Loveline) Shoutcast was invented a week ago yesterday. Now, if only I could broadcast and be received in stereo... Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 17:56:15 -0600 From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: Re: Shoutcast problems At 06:11 PM 1/7/99 -0500, Matthew Levy wrote: >Ok, it's a little after 6 PM EST, and I'm trying to access the SiG via >WinAMP v2.08. Every time I try accessing the site, it starts >prebuffering, but then stalls at 8192 out of 26214 bytes. Anyone have >any clue what this means? Chris said the server was "wedged" whatever that means. Both servers I use got wedged last night and are still that way. I don't think it's anything I did, it just happens, according to the people at Shoutcast. I thought the servers were supposed to reset themselves but neither server has done that. The servers need to be reset (-9 kill process?) so woj or Jeff (woj? Jeff?) will have to do that at smoe. But yeah, it stops at 31% at my location too. It's not just you. (So the Mac Audioactive didn't work for you either?) Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 16:06:01 -0800 (PST) From: Steve VanDevender Subject: No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users Xenu's Sister writes: > I can't seem to get anything to work, and of course > Chris is in beautiful, balmy Las Vegas (pout) so > unless I talk to him later and he talks me through > the problem here, *and* one of the two servers we > use is up, silence will emante from this apartment. Despite the technical problems, I for one am really excited by the new "Radio Free Ecto". This has given me a chance to hear stuff I had heard of, but not _heard_, before. > I found a few more shows worth broadcasting (there > are actually only a handful out of 300+ shows that I'm > comfortable with broadcasting so many years later. As always, Vickie, you are too self-effacing. I'm sure they're all wonderful. Have you considered putting together an all-new, maybe even live, show for shoutcasting? SiG can live again! > I have Happy's permission to broadcast any live > shows I have, and I have a bunch. I stuck one on > late last night to see how it would sound, and it > was fairly ok. That's an understatement. It was great. Especially to hear Happy's between-song banter. > Now, if only I could broadcast and be received > in stereo... I am pretty certain that this should be possible, since the underlying audio format used in Shoutcast (mp3) supports stereo (as many of you probably already know, mp3 is a rather popular compressed audio format). It might come at some reduction in quality since you have to squeeze more information into the compressed audio stream at the same bandwidth. I'm actually really enthusiastic about Shoutcast in general, as it's a non-proprietary (or at least less proprietary) alternative to RealAudio that I think has better audio quality as well. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 19:08:32 -0500 From: Jeff Wasilko Subject: Re: Shoutcast problems On Thu, Jan 07, 1999 at 05:56:15PM -0600, Xenu's Sister wrote: > At 06:11 PM 1/7/99 -0500, Matthew Levy wrote: > >Ok, it's a little after 6 PM EST, and I'm trying to access the SiG via > >WinAMP v2.08. Every time I try accessing the site, it starts > >prebuffering, but then stalls at 8192 out of 26214 bytes. Anyone have > >any clue what this means? > > Chris said the server was "wedged" whatever that means. Both > servers I use got wedged last night and are still that way. I don't > think it's anything I did, it just happens, according to the people > at Shoutcast. I thought the servers were supposed to reset themselves > but neither server has done that. The servers need to be reset (-9 kill process?) > so woj or Jeff (woj? Jeff?) will have to do that at smoe. > > But yeah, it stops at 31% at my location too. It's not just you. > > (So the Mac Audioactive didn't work for you either?) I just reset the server. - -jeff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 16:38:54 -0800 From: Neile Graham Subject: Re: No broadcasts tonight, & Mac users Xenu's Sister wrote: >Neile, too bad you're having such a hard time. >It's not you, it's that MacAmp doesn't support >Shoutcast (we didn't know that right away) >and I don't know what's going on with Audioactive. >I'm hoping that some Machead programmer is >burning the midnight oil as we speak, to get >something cobbled together. Necessity is the >mothra of invention. The guy who invented >Shoutcast did it because he lived in a place >that didn't carry the syndicated radio show >"Loveline" and wanted his buddy in another >state to be able to relay it to him. Is that cool, >or what? (The idea, not Loveline) Shoutcast >was invented a week ago yesterday. Well, this is the way with new technology. On the good side, I do have several Suspended in Gaffa tapes to console me, as well as Vickie's Femme Music Collection tapes from the old Tape Dubbing Project, and my stereo speakers are a zillion times better than my computer's. It's just that this whole idea is so cool, I wanted to be in on it! Sorry the show is down tonight, Vickie! - --Neile - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neile Graham ..... http://www.sff.net/people/neile ..... neile@sff.net The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music .... http://www.smoe.org/ectoguide - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 21:09:50 -0500 (EST) From: "Donald G. Keller" Subject: Sarah Slean I'm still worrying at my Best Music of 1998 list, so I'm kind of going to go backwards, starting with something I can now write about with some authority since I finally have my own copy. DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR--Sarah Slean Piano-playing female singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen these days, and there's no particular reason anyone should believe me (or I should believe anyone) as to the quality of the next one to come along. And at first blush there doesn't seem to be anything unique or remarkable about young Torontonian Sarah Slean: she's not as overheated as Tori Amos, or as eccentric as Kristeen Young, or as quirky as Veda Hille, or as dour as Fiona Apple (not that it's hard to fall short in these particular ways); her emotional temperature is similar to Sarah McLachlan, I suppose, and her voice and piano playing and songwriting are pretty much "the usual," by any objective analysis. What's =un=usual is, very simply, the obvious quality of her debut EP =Universe=: she is deeply and unmistakably musical, and the CD is merely(!) tremendous. Comparisons to Tori Amos are easy to make (if, as always, superficial), and for many people the opening track "Weight" with its striking, gently insistent piano ostinato (somewhat like, oh, "God" from =Under the Pink=) is the one that strikes the deal in Sarah Slean's favor. It's a fine opener, to be sure. But it's the second track, "I Know," which did it for me. It's one of the most swooningly gorgeous ballads I've heard in ages (not unlike the underrated "Baker Baker" from later on =Under the Pink=). And the thing is, there's =almost nothing there=. It's in A minor; the only chords it uses other than the tonic are C, G, and F. There are probably hundreds of songs that fit that description. But Slean never puts a foot wrong: she knows when to rely on a cycle-of-fifths three chords; when to lay back and vamp on just two adjacent chords; when to sweep her voice to the top of its range over a stairstep of F-G-Am (one of the most uplifting chord sequences in my personal vocabulary); when to simply melt an Am into an F, or vice versa; when to stop when we've finally had enough, cut into tiny bits by sheer melodic intensity. I really don't quite believe in this song. It's almost a relief to go back up(medium)tempo for "Angel," which has a catchy minor-key piano lick and a melisma-hook in the chorus. After that comes "Me & Jerome," which is in the slightly-jazzy 6/8 style of Tori Amos' "Happy Phantom"; then we can stand another killer ballad, the title track "Universe" (with its one-long-note chorus and its lovely flat-key modulation). That might be enough songs for a debut EP anyone could be proud of, to say the least; but the CD goes on a bit more. The official last track (of the tape format) is a multitracked =a cappella= version of Gabriel Faure's motet "Pie Jesu" (somewhat in the vein of the Tori Amos b-side "The Pool"); Faure is kind of the classical equivalent to Slean's pop, modest but very musical. Then silence. After a bit an untitled ballad shows up; and if despite its richer harmony (chromatic piano, extra vocal part) it seems a bit lesser, that only indicates the strength of its competition. And the final hidden song (track 44!) is a spooky live cover (with band) of a Radiohead song, which demands (and gets) a whole different vocal quality. One of the best indications of a first-rate musician is the ability to perform outstanding covers, and this (as with all others) is a test that Sarah Slean passes with flying colors. I've known about this CD for some time; I borrowed meth&woj's tape copy for a brief time some months ago, then listened to it several times while visiting them six weeks ago; and today I finally got my own copy. And on each and every one of these three encounters, I was utterly dumbstruck by how good =Universe= is. Well, it won't happen again; now I can listen to it--I'm on my fourth or fifth spin tonight already--until I've memorized every note. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 22:31:10 -0500 From: cinders blue Subject: Re: 2 SiGs upcoming, & mailing list for digest folks? also sprach Xenu's Sister: >woj had the idea of having a mailing list for >those on the digest who want to be notified right away. I think >that's a great idea. I'll let him and Jeff work out the logistics >of it. fortuantely, the logistics were pretty simple. long ago, jeff created a list called ecto-announce. i don't remember what prompted its creation, but it was never removed, so i've hijacked it for vickie to use for her radio announcements. to get on the list, send a message to majordomo@smoe.org which says subscribe ecto-announce majordomo will send back a request for confirmation. simply reply, including the text of majordomo's request, making sure that the reply is sent to confirm@smoe.org (the reply-to: header is set, so it should, but not everyone uses a sensible mailer that plays nicely with others). >The mailing list woj was talking about can be useful to those >even on loose mail. I feel like I'm taking up a lot of space here >posting playlists and whatnot, and I'm sure those people who >don't have the technology, or who just aren't interested are >probably running out of patience with me. The "radio ecto" >mailing list could be for anyone who wants to listen in and I >could post the playlists there instead. It depends on what >people want. dunno if anyone on ecto minds the announcements and playlists being posted to ecto (if you do, speak up!). you could put the playlists up on your website and just post a short announcement with a link to the playlist if you want to save space, but i'd like to continue to have them on ecto. i think ecto-announce's primary use should be for digest subscribers who don't want to miss out on posts which are time-dependant, not as the single source of your broadcast information, vickie (by the same token, other people can use ecto-announce for time-dependant posts as well). woj n.p. the church -- bastard universe ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V5 #11 *************************