DAGGER News

MMW @ The Egg

dagger — 2007-04-26T05:30:01Z

I had the pleasure of seeing MMW at The Egg in Albany, NY tonight. This is the second time I saw them perform in that venue. They started the show by simply walking on and playing a long introductory improv piece that set the mood for the rest of the show. Images of busy streets, golden roads, silver linings, purple robes, mudslides, torrents, lizards, latin dancers and funny looking frogs filled my head. I realized that there is something very Joycean about MMW. There is a tendency to revisit melodies but each time the melody is revisited it is ripped open and stuffed with even faster bass lines, quicker more intricate plays on middle eastern sounds mixing with American Indian sounds and back into bluesy jazz again.

It would seem that Medeski is taking a new piece of clay during each performance and begins shaping it into something that isn't quite jazz, rock, blues, world, jam, but it is resulting in something greater than all of those parts.

Wood is as fun to watch as he crawls all over his stand-up bass as he is to listen to. His genius is more in omission. I can see him mentally throwing out the notes he feels are not needed, his eyes bounce from the drums to the piano, then to the the eyes of the other musicians. His style is becoming broader and smoother, even during the highly expressive superfast parts.

Martin's control of every aspect of his drums, squeaky toys, haunting bells, pieces of metal and other various noisemakers is spot on. There was a moment when he was swinging bells back and forth below and around a microphone, it was as if he could see the sound waves bouncing around and new where the bells had to be in order to create the most interesting result.

Thanks MMW for turning a rainy night into Albany into such a memorable event.

Our Active Boycott List

dagger — 2007-01-11T19:42:57Z

Do you pride yourself in being an ethical consumer? Do you like boycotting companies that seek to crush the voice of their own workers, cheat owners of tribal lands from billions of dollars, lock doors on workers and fail to supply adequate safety equipment? If so then you'll love our new sidebar section. We'll keep it updated and will do a story here and there about one of the companies on the list. So far the list consists of:

Exxon-Mobil
British Petroleum
General Electric
WalMart
AIG
State Farm
Caterpillar
Chevron Texaco
Coca-Cola
DeBeers
Donna Karan
Esso
Proctor and Gamble
SC Johnson
Shell

If you know of a reason that another company should be added please post in the comments.

sams dog in a spike lee voice

dagger — 2007-01-06T08:48:09Z

rip cord approach lifts upwind and off course
landing feet from far flung fury
dolly had her voice
and dolly had her rhythm
while johnny leered with glee
every movie
every movie
should be thrown into a footlocker
and given cement shoes
dot dot slash
it was sams dog in a spike lee voice
it was sams dog in a spike lee voice
and I just wanted to get out of there
perhaps run across Rickie Lee and finally
live that fantasy
with an acoustic guitar
and a lone quiet bar
on the last night of the year
so says Kip
who followed me around all day
and smiled at odd times
like while staring at my hands
or bent knees
even my lighter has 20inch rims these days
in plastic wrapped on plastic surrounding butane
and pressure release
we build our own pressure I always say
but I wont say September left me whole last year
I wont say that

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards - Reviewed

dagger — 2006-12-24T00:53:34Z

An early festivus present arrived this week in the form of Tom Waits' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards. I wrote about it and an interview he did with the Guardian UK in an earlier post on DAGGER News but that was before it was released. I have now had the pleasure of listening to it a few times and would like to write about just one of the masterpieces in this collection.

Road to Peace
Track 10 on Disc 1 Brawlers

With a Dylanesque arrangement in the background Tom delivers you from the front page of the NYTimes to a war torn village in the Middle East and lets you stand amongst the chaos. His voice is hauntingly soothing like a lullabye from beyond the grave. The bass is full and bouncy which belies the story being told. The lyrics reveal the man beneath the persona. They reveal a wise and learned man with twinges of empathy for the used and downtrodden. His delivery of the lyrics is nothing less than masterful. This is a man who has studied everything about us, how we talk, walk, stagger, and yes how we die.

It is said that a few years after the turn of the century there is always an amazing artistic awakening in man. Perhaps this is the spark that lights the flame for this generation's awakening I do not know. What I do know is that Road to Peace will teach you a few things about yourself and the world we currently live in.

Virginia, Nigeria, God and Gay Bashing

dagger — 2006-12-18T23:36:45Z

MoJo Blog takes a look at the latest decision by Viriginia Anglicans to join forces with the bizarre African-Anglican Communion. As an agnostic of sorts I enjoy watching the commotion.

Number 4 (leaving the top three spots for violent crimes): You join a church under the leadership of a Nigerian man who believes gays shouldn't be allowed to meet in public and should face jail time for their private encounters.
source

Boycott Anti-Gay Businesses

dagger — 2006-12-16T11:58:41Z

Daulton, over on Kos, pointed out some of the worst companies to work for if you are gay. If you support the pursuit of happiness in America, perhaps you'll consider boycotting the compaines on his list. Some of the name, like EXXON are no surprise, but did you know that Progressive Insurance was hostile towards gays at the workplace?

Go read more and then do something about it please.

Join UnitedForPeace.org

dagger — 2006-12-15T12:13:38Z

A new Congress has been elected, and calls for major changes in U.S. policy in Iraq are now being heard, but with few exceptions, none of those voices call for the only change that will help solve the horrible crisis in Iraq: Bringing all the troops home, now. The real work of turning this country around is only just beginning.

We must make sure that the members of the new Congress implement the will of the people, get our troops out of Iraq, and prevent further warmongering. By participating in AfterDowningStreet.com's Don't Attack Iran petition, you have helped bring us to this critical moment.

We invite you to join us and become a part of the largest coalition for peace and justice in the country, United for Peace and Justice. Members of our coalition, including AfterDowningStreet.com, and supporters of United for Peace and Justice are swinging into action around the country to seize this opportunity to bring the troops home now:

We are organizing a massive demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, January 27, to deliver a resounding message to the new Congress: We don't want half measures that will only prolong the bloodshed. It's time to bring an immediate end to the war!
We are scheduling meetings with our members of Congress to let them know that the peace movement expects them to take immediate action to bring the troops home;
We are organizing local actions around the country that use a wide range of tactics and strike at the pillars of support for the war: Congress, the media, military recruitment, and military contractors;
We are working with local groups to help strengthen their organizing in grassroots communities, at religious institutions, within labor unions and at schools.

You can stay up-to-date on these critical efforts by signing up to receive UFPJ email Action Alerts. When you subscribe to this low-volume list (usually just 1-2 messages per week), you will be connected with a nationwide network of more than 1,300 member groups of the United for Peace and Justice coalition and more than 100,000 individual activists in every corner of the country.

If you'd like to find a UFPJ member group in your area, please visit our member groups directory.

You can also help keep turning the tide toward peace by making a donation to support our work today.

We have achieved an important victory, but we have much more to do to achieve peace. Join us.

Yours, for peace and justice,

The UFPJ Staff

P.S. Those of you living in the greater New York City area or the San Francisco/Bay Area may also wish to join our low-volume UFPJ-NYC or UFPJ-Bay Area Action Alert lists to receive information about events happening in your area. Please click here to join.

Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ today.

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545

Nuclear weapons in America? Oppose the plan to build more.

dagger — 2006-12-13T07:17:37Z

by Robyn E.

When I was young, a TV movie called The Day After depicted the effects of a devastating nuclear holocaust in Kansas. It scared me, and made many Americans ask ourselves, "What would I do if there were a devastating nuclear holocaust near my town?"

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MD: Zoning a Path to Affordable Housing

dagger — 2006-12-08T03:11:03Z

From ProgressiveStates.org:

The Baltimore City Council is considering a bill that would require developers to include affordable housing units in all of Baltimore's residential projects. Under the proposal, up to 20 percent of all housing units would be reserved for low to moderate income people. Baltimore is not the first city in Maryland to consider such a proposal. Montgomery County, MD, in an effort to combat the loss of affordable housing, requires between 12.5 and 15 percent of the total units in every new subdivision or high-rise building be sold or rented at specified, affordable prices.

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Paid Sick Days Conference Call

dagger — 2006-12-05T01:00:48Z

Joel Barkin from Progressive States invites legislators and interested parties to join in a new series of conference calls on "key policies progressives are promoting in the states. The first call will detail efforts in states around the country to guarantee all workers Paid Sick Days, a basic job benefit denied to half of all employees."

Included already in the mix are ACORN, MomsRising, the National Partnership for Women & Families, and State Legislative Leaders.

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