From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #433 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Sunday, March 23 2008 Volume 13 : Number 433 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Defending FIND ME ["Kevin D. F. Highnight" ] Re: Defending FIND ME ["robert bristow-johnson" ] Re: Defending FIND ME [Yngve Hauge ] Re: Defending FIND ME ["Alexander Johannesen" ] Re: Defending FIND ME ["robert bristow-johnson" Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************** Bob Brown (no Email address) *********************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bob Brown Thu March 22 1951 Ham Valerie Nozick Thu March 25 1971 Aries Tom Proven Sat March 27 1971 Eat at Joe's Jennifer Albert Wed March 30 1966 Aries (w/Cancer rising!:) Warpaint Mon April 01 1991 Brilliant! Michael Pearce Wed April 03 1946 Pegasus Michael E. Bravo Mon April 05 1971 Dandelion Wine Brion McIntosh Sun April 06 1958 Aries Marcel Kshensky Thu April 06 1950 Aries Bill Mazur Mon April 06 1953 Aries Sun/Cancer Rising David Dixon Tue April 07 1970 Aries Heidi Heller Mon April 08 1974 Aries Jill Hughes Sat April 09 1955 Aries Klaus Kluge Sun April 10 1960 Unicorn Steve VanDevender Sun April 10 1966 Racer Art Liestman Fri April 10 1953 Repeat Stephen Golden Sat April 10 1971 Jokey Michael Bowman Wed April 11 1962 Aries Wolfgang Ullwer Fri April 11 1969 Widder Janet Kirsch Thu April 11 1974 Aries Kristen Scallion Fri April 12 1974 Aries Jerry Tue April 13 1971 Aries Stuart Myerburg Mon April 14 1969 Aries T-Bone Wed April 15 1992 happy cat Jeff Hanson Sat April 16 1966 Aries Michael Klouda Mon April 17 1967 Aries Noe Venable Tue April 20 1976 Aries Harry Foster Sat April 21 1956 NiceGuy - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:50:45 -0400 (EDT) From: "Kevin D. F. Highnight" Subject: Defending FIND ME After reading the many "when a happy song isn't" posts, I felt the NEED to be an Ectophile and reply, which is something I rarely get the chance or feel the need to do. First off, I think the "little surprises" that some people were missing is due to the fact we were listening to a sampler for years before getting the album. And calling the sampler a "sampler" is a stretch...it was really 3/4 of FIND ME. 3 new songs are all there was to get excited about or find "surprises" in. That's a LOT to ask for. Personally, I think FIND ME is her masterpiece! MANY WORLDS ARE BORN TONIGHT was a great album. She had a lot of money from Samson to pour into the project, but I still think FIND ME has exceeded that. MWABT was a very complex album which I'd never recommend as a first album for someone who's never heard Happy. But I definitely think FIND ME is very good example of Happy's genius since it features many different styles of her work, along with new directions. Is it just me, or do some of you agree "Queen" could have been on WARPAINT? And "Little Brother" and "Treehouse" on MWABT? What about "Find Me" on EQUIPOISE (and not just for it's companionship to "Mother Sea")? And then you've got the rock songs "She Won't Go" and "Charlie" that are fresh and unlike anything she's done before. And the beautiful love song "Here and Hereafter"...another fresh new direction. I think this variety helps FIND ME to be Happy's most mainstream and "radio friendly" album to date. My wife Jamie has been listening to me playing Happy for over 10 years and she really surprised me one day when I found she had FIND ME in our car stereo! I've never seen her listen to Happy on her own and she told me she really liked Happy's new material. And to think Samson rejected Happy for sounding the same.....it's really sad. But look what happened to them in the end........they ceased to exist. And Happy lives on! Kevin D. F. Highnight ________________________________________ PeoplePC Online A better way to Internet http://www.peoplepc.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:45:58 -0400 From: "robert bristow-johnson" Subject: Re: Defending FIND ME > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kevin D. F. Highnight" > To: ecto@smoe.org > Subject: Defending FIND ME > Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:50:45 -0400 (EDT) > > > After reading the many "when a happy song isn't" posts, I felt the NEED to be > an Ectophile and reply, which is something I rarely get the chance or feel > the need to do. for the record, i really like Find Me and i know that the earlier release of most of the songs in it is sometimes fraught with the possibility that someone might like it better that the later. i'm not even saying that i like it better, but have gotten used to the song order and some songs have subtle changes in the mix. this kind of stuff is to be expected and i would think (even though i hadn't asked her about it, and will likely forget to when i have any opportunity) Happy is familiar with (RhodeSongs, LHD, The Keep), even "Ra" in MW (also heard as an instrumental in Aural Gratification 1, but i like the one with her singing *far* better). anyway, please take that for only what it is. i *really* like the songs in Find Me and my ga-ga praises for them happened a couple/3 years ago. > And to think Samson rejected Happy for sounding the same.....it's really sad. i don't think this is accurate. Samson did not -reject- Happy. hell, they probably were the source of funding for the non-recurring costs of MW, i dunno, but i think it would have come out different, both the sound and CD artwork (that punched hole in the cover?), if it was done under the AG label. but, heck anyway, maybe an AG version would have be super in some other ways that might be noticed in the existing version. who nose? but it *is* true that they didn't bother marketing her after producing the product. i remember seeing, on the sampsonmusic page, her in a montage of other artists of the label. the only other artist that i recognise was Ghraham Nash. other than those two, i didn't know a single artist. so maybe, as an experiment, Sampson didn't get all of the ingredient chemicals it needed (for sales & marketing) to create a "highly exothermic" reaction. not much sales, cutback business efforts that cost money, decide who yer gonna push (leaving, by default, who don't get pushed). i think that is Samson's only sin (besides he let Delila cut his hair). > But look what happened to them in the end........they ceased to exist. as a label. i think Gold Circle still exists. maybe not. > And Happy lives on! as do we all, speaking of which, happy easter. - -- r b-j rbj@audioimagination.com "Imagination is more important than knowledge." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:52:07 +0100 From: Sander Subject: Kris Delmhorst I attended a Kris Delmhorst show in Paradiso in Amsterdam yesterday. Don't really have the words for an extensive review this time, but did want to note that it was most excellent. Moreover, this gave me the opportunity to pick up her new album Shotgun Singer (+ companion EP Horses Swimming, containing songs which didn't fit onto the album), which'll officially be released next month. Having listened to Shotgun Singer one and a half times so far (plus having heard her play most of the songs live yesterday), I think I am incapable of concluding other than that it's a truly excellent album. It doesn't happen often to me that a single song connects right away, but with this album, nearly half the songs have done so already. Totally recommended. Sander ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:41:21 +0100 From: Yngve Hauge Subject: Re: Defending FIND ME lC8r, 22.03.2008 kl. 12.50 -0400, skrev Kevin D. F. Highnight: > Personally, I think FIND ME is her masterpiece! MANY WORLDS ARE BORN TONIGHT was a great album. > She had a lot of money from Samson to pour into the project, but I still think FIND ME has exceeded > that. MWABT was a very complex album which I'd never recommend as a first album for someone who's > never heard Happy. But I definitely think FIND ME is very good example of Happy's genius since it > features many different styles of her work, along with new directions. Personally I have trouble deciding which of Warpaint, Equipoise, MWABT and Find Me I like the most. They are all amazing in their own way. Warpaint for the songs and the amazing soul, Equipoise and MWABT for the amazing vocals and feel. Find Me has the potential to become my favorite, because it shows off Happy's beyond human voice, songwriting and production talent. My friends and I can't really understand why so many find so much against the album. - --Yngve who wishes people on the list could stop describing music as "not really ecto", cause Ecto isn't a genre but an anti-genre IMHO. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:54:33 +0100 From: "Alexander Johannesen" Subject: Re: Defending FIND ME Hiya, On Sat, Mar 22, 2008 at 5:50 PM, Kevin D. F. Highnight wrote: > First off, I think the "little surprises" that some people were missing > is due to the fact we were listening to a sampler for years before > getting the album. Since I brought that one up, I thought I'd pipe up an explain a few things. This might get long and cryptic, but I feel I need to get this off my chest. No, I have never heard the sampler at all. I came to Happy just about 2-3 months before "Find me" (final) was released, and had devoured every little Happy piece I could get my hands on in a very short period of time. My portable player got loaded up with all things Happy, and got played over and over again, day after day, all pretty much in random order. There's certain expressions I like more than others (and I suspect being a victim of the 80's play a part here), but there wasn't much I really didn't like. (Even corny tunes such as "Down, down!" with its cheesy drum-track grew on me, and it has some amazing parts of it that makes it again stand out!) I had a very broad, very varied, very Happy view of things. Mind you, I don't listen to this kind of music normally; I'm pretty much only into baroque music, and even within baroque music there's only certain things I really listen to (Monteverdi, Bencini, Scarlatti, mostly Italian, hopefully vocal [motets, then early opera] or cornetto music around the 1600 mark, and then the rest in less frequency) Why I find Happy so amazing is a huge mystery to me! Seriously, I have no idea why she makes me laugh and cry at the same time. (I do suspect why, as I learn more about her upbringing and her lyrics, being somewhat similar to mine) So. "Find me." It didn't make me cry. It didn't make me feel 16 again (like most her other stuff did). Now, all of this isn't a bad thing, and knowing Happy's recent history certainly explains why things have toned down, that the pain has changed, that life has normalized, and, again, maybe that's a perfect explanation for me as to why there's no surprises with "Find me", as she as well as I through learning about her music and life, have matured to a point where there's no surprises, only quality. And by golly, I *love* "Find me", just not as much as MWABT. Or Ecto. Or Rearment. or, uh, left hand demos (!!!) I could point out a few things about "Find me" technically which isn't as magical as earlier productions (for example, one of my all-time favorites is "Tivoli" which hardly ever anyone mentions...), as I keep thinking "if she only had done that, or hold that tune longer, or pushed for a turn there, or ..." Sure, this is meglomaniac me, observer of the universe who thinks he understands what Happy and her music is all about, thinking that my tastes and interpretations in some way or other needs to match with the product, and that when they match *that* is the definition of what good music is all about. I am of course very wrong in that. Sometimes I feel like crying because Happy is so unaccessible to us. I wanted so much more when "Find me" finally came. .It wasn't that I wanted more of something missing, I just wanted *more*! So many years leave a gap of longing, espeically when you long for something so amazing. I truly wish that she would like to promote herself, that she wanted to be on stage, to create more music. Damn, I wish she would never find happiness and a normal life, because, frankly, it means less Happy music for me, oh selfish little me, can't have my Happy! At least - and this is my point - the Happy music I think Happy is all about, without knowing jack about who Happy really is. Maybe some are disappointed that "Find me" could be the album that made Happy a more household name but wasn't, because through that there surely would be more Happy music. I know I'm slightly disappointed that the album didn't get around more, because I'd like to see Happy promoted more. But then, I'm not sure what Happy wants. She seems content to make music for a few that wanna hear, as if she doesn't need more. Which is beautiful. And painful. And as such, "Find me" is both her best album ever, which lacks a few surprises, and my own demise as I cannot accept losing her to normality. Where are your monsters and cats? Where are your attic antiques and bats? Love, Alexander - -- - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchemist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps - ------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/ -------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:20:25 -0700 From: "Bill Mazur" Subject: RE: new jill tracy I would like to add the forthcoming CDs from Terami Hirsch "A Broke Machine" and Kevin Bartlett "Glow in the Dark" to the list of highly anticipated Ecto friendly releases. I too am very excited about Jill Tracy's new CD. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Tim Jones-Yelvington Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 11:25 AM To: Sue Trowbridge; ecto@smoe.org Subject: Re: new jill tracy Veda Hille, Jill Tracy, Sarah Slean... what a great year for Ecto releases. Sue Trowbridge wrote: On 3/20/08, anna maria stjdrnell wrote: > the new Jill Tracy cd bittersweet constrain is for > sale at the projekt.com site now. How I've waited.. As the person whose record company released the Jill Tracy CD, I am almost not believing it myself that the disc is actually for sale. It's been in progress for, uh, 3 years now? 4? Anyway, we are also going to be having a special presale of 100 autographed CDs starting sometime later this month or early next month. Everybody who buys one of the 100 CDs will be eligible to win a Jill Tracy doll! The disc will also be at CDBaby soon, and May 20 it will be available in stores everywhere, Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, etc. - --Sue ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:10:46 -0400 From: "robert bristow-johnson" Subject: Re: Defending FIND ME two comments (and then i'll do everything i can do to let it be): > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alexander Johannesen" > Subject: Re: Defending FIND ME > Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:54:33 +0100 > ... > ... maybe that's a perfect explanation for me as to why there's no > surprises with "Find me", i was surprized with Find Me, the chant in One & Many. there are probably other surprizes i don't recall at the moment. so i don't share the premise with you. ... > Maybe some are disappointed that "Find me" could be the album that > made Happy a more household name but wasn't, why would we want that? we want to turn on as many people as we can to Happy's music, but one reason she is not a household name is that she is uncompromising. she will not bow to commercial interests and her art is essentially the result of her unadulterated expression. and it's *very*, *very* good. we want it to stay that way. we like it that it stays alternative and intimate. i gave a MW CD to a woman who works where i do. she brought it back the next day saying that Happy's "just too intense." now, i was dissappointed that she didn't like Happy, but not for the reason she didn't like Happy. i want to continue to support and advocate alternative art that's pretty deep shit. so, if people don't like it, then fuck 'em! (i'm *not* directing that to anyone here, more my unexpressed response to the woman who didn't like Happy.) we wanna turn more people on to Happy's music, but we don't want her adjusting her music to become more of a household name. i'm sorta a snotty elitist that way. now i'll (try to) shut up. - -- r b-j rbj@audioimagination.com "Imagination is more important than knowledge." ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #433 ***************************