RIP: Pat Leonard, Bassist of Moving Targets

By Shane Mack on

From Matador:

There’s a post about the passing of Moving Targets bassist Pat Leonard on the Targets’ MySpace blog, composed by his friend, guitarist/vocalist Kenny Chambers. You can read it yourself if you’re inclined, but here’s just one sentence that sticks out : “through out the post Targets years I lost count of the number of times that fans and fellow musicians came to me to sing the praises of his talent as a player. He really was someone they all looked up to.” Amen. The original Moving Targets were one of the greatest American bands of my youth (Mr. Amory’s as well), and their 1986 debut LP ‘Burning In Water’ (Taang) compares very favorably to many of the iconic works of that period. Our thoughts go out to Pat’s friends and family.

- Moving Targets MySpace
- YouTube video: Moving Targets - Nothing Changes (Live) Alsdorf Festival
- YouTube video: Moving Targets - "Almost Certain"

Canadian Supreme Court Says Linking to Defamatory Information Is Not Considered Publishing and Therefore Legal – Replace “Defamatory Information” with “Torrents” And We Got Ourselves a Precedent for Legal File-Sharing in Canada, Folks! Yeehaw!

By Mike McHugh on 11-05-2008

One day in 2006, Vancouver businessman Wayne Crookes got mad at some blogs. Claiming the sites had defamed his character, he filed suit against the offending blogs as well as a number of other websites, including giants like Google, MySpace, and Wikipedia, claiming these big boys allowed users to anonymously post slanderous comments. But Crookes didn’t stop there. For his douche-de-grace, Crookes sued news focused file-sharing site P2Pnet for linking to the alleged defamatory content. Hmm, I wonder why people felt the need to libel him in the first place? He seems like such a swell fellow.

According to TorrentFreak, the British-Columbia Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of P2Pnet, determining that linking to defamatory information is not the same as publishing it, which clears P2Pnet since material must be published in order to prove defamation. Not only is this a fantastic decision for free speech, but also for everybody’s favorite hobby -- getting free shit off the internet. Since most BitTorrent sites only link to files and publish nothing on the site itself, this case could stand as an effective precedent reference against potential file-sharing suits.

So, enjoy your landmark case, Canada. I’ll be here in America, hiding under my desk hoping our fucking copyright czar doesn’t catch me downloading High School Musical 3. Sure, I could go to the theater, but I prefer to get my Zac Efron fix in private... Seriously, his eyes are like little pools of eternity.

RIP: Jimmy Carl Black, Drummer and Vocalist for The Mothers of Invention

By Shane Mack on 11-05-2008

From Rolling Stone:

Jimmy Carl Black, the original drummer for Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, passed away this past weekend after a bout with lung cancer. He was 70. Black, the self-proclaimed “Indian of the group,” served with the Mothers from their acclaimed 1964 debut Freak Out! until Zappa’s 1970 album Weasels Ripped My Flesh. Black is also known for donning a dress on the cover of We’re Only In It For the Money. Black’s drumming also formed the heartbeat during the band’s chaotic live performances captured on albums like Uncle Meat and Burnt Weeny Sandwich. Black also played a noticeable role in the Zappa film 200 Motels, where he sang “Lonesome Cowboy Burt.” In his post-Mothers career, Black played in several bands, including a stint with Captain Beefheart, Geronimo Black (which Black fronted) and the Zappa tribute bands like the Grandmothers and the Muffin Men. A benefit for Black will be held November 9th at the Bridgehouse II in London.

- Jimmy Carl Black official website
- Jimmy Carl Black MySpace
- Jimmy Carl Black Wikipedia entry
- The Grande Mothers Re:Invented official website
- The Mothers of Invention Wikipedia entry
- YouTube video: "Jimmy Carl Black with Frank Zappa"
- YouTube video: "Frank Zappa - Live in Albuquerque - October 12, 1980"

Icy Demons to Tour North America With of Montreal and Yeasayer, Temperatures in North America to Correspondingly Plummet; Coincidence??

By Nobodaddy on 11-05-2008

Get in here and shut that door, boy; quick, yer letting the heat out! Didn’t you hear? There’s Icy Demons outside! What?! What do you mean you “haven’t heard the legends?” Didn’t yer ma and pop teach ya anything??? Lord o’ mercy. Well, what’re ya waiting for? Sit down then... I guess it’s a granddad’s job to do everything around here.

Ya see, legend has it that every fall, when the last of them colored leaves is finished fallin’ from the last maple tree, that’s when the Icy Demons come. Awakenin’ from their summer of slumber and fresh off of the release of a new album of demonicly crafted pop inventiveness, say, this year’s Miami Ice (TMT Review), they descend upon the land of the mortals and rove the countryside with their ill-gotten chums, frostin’ over the farmlands and blowin’ down the thermometers with their icy breath!

Oh, and you better believe they’re a-comin’ for us, the whole cursed crew, with their terrible siren songs meant to lure the unawares outside into the chill! It won’t be long now. I can hear ‘em marchin’, even now. There’s the fearsome Pow Pow (Man Man, Need New Body) on drums, the demented captain Blue Hawaii (Need New Body, Bablicon) on bass and vocals, the woebegone Jeff Parker (Tortoise) on guitar, the insatiable Josh Abrams (Prefuse 73, Sam Prekop) on upright bass, the maniacal Chicago improviser Tomeka Reid on cello, and, of course, the flesh-freezing Russell Higbee (Man Man) on guitar! They’re all comin’ for us, I tell ya! I can feel it now, boy! The grip of the Demons’ icy fingers on my heart! Runnin’ along the left side of my body! Tinglin’ my left arm and... aw, wait. Call an ambulance, boy.

Ice Forecast:

* of Montreal

** Yeasayer

*** Royal Bangs

Negativland’s Mark Hosler Fights for Your Right to Party… As a Lobbyist

By Liz Louche on 11-03-2008

Even if the extent of your political involvement consists largely of tuning into The Daily Show every night, you probably know all about LOBBYISTS. Whether they're the butt of a satirical news program joke, or the "icky" concept a candidate uses to distance himself from "Washington Insiders" and big-money legislation, lobbyists just wanna have fun. After all, why would so many of their ilk take senators on all those fishing trips to Alaska or help congressional buddies refurbish their $5 million dream kitchen? Because they're nice, giving dudes who love nothing more than havin' a good time!

And it's for that very reason that the Digital Freedom Campaign has asked legendary cut-n-paste guy Mark Hosler of San Francisco's Negativland to join the party. But there will be no deep sea fishing or home improvement projects for this guy, because he's going to Washington to work. Yes, to fight for your right to party.

- The issue: sampling in collage music.
- The background: America's new favorite "citizen lobbyist" Hosler knows all about legal ramifications to making art due to his run-in with U2 as a result of Negativland's no-holds-barred U2 samplestravaganza on their 1991 U2 EP.
- The reason: the success of 2 fast 2 illegal acts like Girl Talk have reopened the dialogue with concerned members of Congress who probably rarely throw their hands in the air like they just don't care OH MY GOD THEY COMBINED ALICIA KEYS WITH NIRVANA????
- The who: Digital Freedom Campaign is a group interested in preserving the right of artists and fans to make and listen to the collage tracks that confuse my dear mom so much.

Now that's hard-hitting. But it's not just on C-SPAN where you can get a dose of new Negativland crunk. They've revamped their website with radio broadcasts of their "Over the Edge" radio show and have a handful of live dates coming up.

Negativland tourdates:
12.02.08 - Boulder, CO - Old Man Theater
12.03.08 - Boulder, CO - Old Man Theater

Negativland screening/lecture with Mark Hosler:
11.03.08 - New York, NY - NYU
11.06.08 - Purchase, NY - Suny Purchase
11.12.08 - Knoxville, TN - Museum Of Art

Joe The Plumber Stretches His Irrelevant 15 Minutes in an Effort to Worsen Country Music

By Melissa Muenz on 11-03-2008

Apparently sensing that his moment of seemed relevancy was quickly coming to an end, faux-famed Samuel Wurzelbacher joined forces with The Press Office on October 28.

Better known to America as "Joe the Plumber," Wurzelbacher signed on with the Nashville-based PR representation offices to handle his booming media requests. Yes, it's apparent now that the whole "Joe the Plumber" election trend is pretty out of control, despite some key discrepancies. FACT: This man's first name ISN'T EVEN JOE. This much is obvious. Worse yet, FACT 2: Wurzelbacher is an unlicensed plumbing technician. He ISN'T EVEN A PLUMBER.

He also isn't a country singer, but apparently technicalities aren't important in the frivilous news sector of presidential elections, and that's the reality in which we're operating here. What started as some (incorrect) name-dropping on Sen. John McCain's part has turned into a possible record deal with a major label for our Holland, Ohio everyman.

According to The Press Office's Jim Della Croce, Wurzelbacher doesn't even have any notable musical talent. He is a country music fan who can sing and "knocks around on guitar," Croce told Politico. But hey, with a "(name) the (noun)" setup this catchy, a guy can make do. Such a moniker has done wonders for Larry the Cable Guy, right?

It's done enough for Wurzelbacher to put him in touch with country music artist and producer Aaron Tippin.

And if his knocking around doesn't put Wurzelbacher on the radio airwaves, maybe we can at least watch for him in any upcoming sequels to Larry the Cable Guy, Health Inspector. But with any luck, after November 4, everyone will fully realize the insignificance of non-Joe the non-plumber.

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