Wednesday, December 31, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Auld Lang Syne

I should be working on my holiday brag letter, or even better getting ready for the New Years Eve party guests that will be arriving in less than an hour and ahalf, but I'm deeply involved in musical research.

Let me elaborate.  I was watching this vid a few days ago:


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PJQVlVHsFF8

The Hoff is a follower of the pioneering 70s Swedish one hit wonders "Blue Swede" who discovered what I have dubbed "The Special Theory of Ooga Chakka" - that is, the song "Hooked On A Feeling" is significantly hookier through the generous application of Ooga Chakkas. 

It's bad manners to brag oneself up, but since I fired my publicist, nobody else will do it for me, so today I announce my momentus discovery; "The General Theory of Ooga Chakka" - that is, ANY song can be improved if you put enough Ooga Chakka in it.

Check out, for example, my new recording of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" at:

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7196474

And "Auld Lang Syne" at:

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7196853

I think you'll agree a mere holiday brag letter can wait while I pursue this important work.

I make a New Years Resolution:  To have my holiday brag letter finished before the 2009 holiday season!
--
Love me, love my vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/mattlove1


__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
New web site?

Drive traffic now.

Get your business

on Yahoo! search.

Everyday Wellness

on Yahoo! Groups

Find groups that will

help you stay fit.

Y! Groups blog

The place to go

to stay informed

on Groups news!

.

__,_._,___

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] I want to meet you. Give me a chance!

Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Ads on Yahoo!

Learn more now.

Reach customers

searching for you.

Moderator Central

An online resource

for moderators

of Yahoo! Groups.

Yahoo! Groups

Going Green Zone

Find ways to go green.

Join a green group.

.

__,_._,___

Saturday, November 01, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Today's news from Sao Paulo...

Not really today's... nothing's happened here yet, even thought it's 9:15, everybody is making up for sleep deprivation accrued during the week.

Anne and I are at a new hotel, because it's Grand Pre week in Sao Paulo, and we booked so late, we couldn't spend the entire time in the same hotel.  This is a ritzier, more expensive place, but it's only 8 blocks from Luciana and Leo's apartment building (she was very upset when they moved in and she learned she was on the 5th floor, but his place is on the coveted 13th floor).

Anyway, last night Anne and I decided we would walk to the Café Elétrico, about 2 miles.  Not
much of a walk, and the weather has been agreeable to those used to the chilly northern climate... but if you get lost on the way, it gets more complicated. I was worried about being late, so rather than retrace our steps, we decided to take a cab the rest of the way. It took several cab drivers to consult together to identify our destination... they all use map books, nobody can possibly know the entire city, there are 130,000 streets in Sao Paulo.  So even though we were within a mile of our destination, most of them had never heard of it.

No worries about being late - the show was scheduled to start at 8:00, I wanted to get there by 7:00... we actually got there 7:50, but only Six and Du were already there... Six's new band Homiepie opened the show not too badly late for a change... I think we came on before 9:30.

Being Halloween, and us being the Waiters, I changed into costume - a waiter's uniform I bought at an institutional clothing outfitting store we saw trotting between museums when sight-seeing. It went over very well.

The "tour" has taken on decidedly Spinal Tap qualities.  The show last night was much like playing the Air Force social hall - the place was small, divided into 3 rooms, and we were in a tiny little place which worked well for the 3 piece Homiepie, but not the 8 piece Waiters.  I kept having to shift my position so the real waiters could get past me from the kitchen to the customers....

Homiepie was great, and a tough act to follow, and it seemed to me that we were losing momentum with the audience before about 6 songs into it, when we fried the vocal PA amplifier, reminiscent of Nigel Tuftnel's wireless problems.   However, unlike Nigel, we cheerfully continued on, cutting a couple songs, and all joining in for a unison singalong to make the vocals heard over the now-turned-down instruments on the songs we did perform.  We finished with "Ugly American" which I "sang" in my best strangled roar. 

Today, we play in the park.  Do you suppose we'll get top billing over the puppet show?  Will we go on a jazz oddessey?  We'll find out.

The rest of the tour, including Boston, has been cancelled. 

But I'm still having a hell of a great time.



--
Love me, love my vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/mattlove1

__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
New business?

Get new customers.

List your web site

in Yahoo! Search.

Moderator Central

An online resource

for moderators

of Yahoo! Groups.

Check out the

Y! Groups blog

Stay up to speed

on all things Groups!

.

__,_._,___

Friday, October 31, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Come join me at Saturday In the Park, I Don't Think It's The 4th of July

StrangeWorld
"A place to be STRANGE!"
Matt Love
Matt Love has invited you to the event 'Saturday In the Park, I Don't Think It's The 4th of July' on StrangeWorld!
 
Rocka rocka rocka

Saturday In the Park, I Don't Think It's The 4th of July Time: November 1, 2008 at 5pm
Location: Praça Buenos Aires
Organized By: Matt Love

Event Description:
If you're in Sao Paulo (and I know you are)...

You won't want to miss this great show.. grizzled veterans of the Sao Paulo club scene, The Waiters, welcome scrappy newcomers Homiepie for a history-making performance.

Study it up at:

http://www.last. fm/event/820800


You'll be glad you did!


See more details and RSVP on StrangeWorld:
http://strangefire.ning.com/events/event/show?id=1776344%3AEvent%3A223276&xgi=be1e0tU
About StrangeWorld
StrangeWorld..."A place to be Strange." Upload and share...videos, music, pics and MORE! Have fun and most of all.. Stay Strange!!
StrangeWorld 463 members
12706 photos
2315 songs
3331 videos
490 discussions
21 events
867 blog posts
 
To control which emails you receive on StrangeWorld, click here



--
Love me, love my vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/mattlove1

__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Need traffic?

Drive customers

With search ads

on Yahoo!

Check out the

Y! Groups blog

Stay up to speed

on all things Groups!

Popular Y! Groups

Is your group one?

Check it out and

see.

.

__,_._,___

Monday, October 27, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Report from the Edmonton Heritage Festival

(A note from me to my readers: I know I promised this report to you a couple of months ago; I've been sort of preoccupied, as I will explain in a little bit.)

 

It as another amazing year at the Edmonton Heritage Festival, held in the first week of August. I attended all three days; Anne went along for two of them.  We weren't alone; sometimes we were there the park was just packed. When there are more people, there is more excitement; when there are fewer it's much easier to get food because the lines are shorter. Total attendance was around a half million people, I think – the weather was great and people really came out for it.

 

I think that the biggest crowd pleasers were the Cuban ensemble, which kept people joyously dancing for hours.  However, I took the greatest pleasure, as usual, in lucky encounters at the fringe of the festival. 

 

I really enjoyed Silent Rock, a Taiwanese folk rock group.  I loved them so much I hired them to play my birthday party.  They were concerned that their music would not go over too with my mostly gringo party-guests, since their lyrics were all in Mandarin Chinese. I had no such reservations, and I was right. Their infectious music transcended language barriers, and a couple of Anne's employees are Chinese, and they thought it was so special to be able to understand all the songs in their own language.

 

The next morning I saw a troupe of synchronized sleepers from Cochiland put on a strange and beautiful ritualized performance, which consisted of long periods of supine stillness.  Then at seemingly random intervals, they would simultaneously rearrange themselves into a new, identical position.  Though a very ancient art, it was strikingly modern, evoking the spirit of Andy Warhol.  Both his movie "Sleep" and his multiples silk screens came to mind. I thought they would also be an interesting for my party, but it wasn't the sort of thing to liven up a party with. Maybe to end one with.

 

However, my favorite performance of all was by a group of expatriate musicians from Luliland.   Their approach to music making was unorthodox; they had a way of making music with cheese graters and car keys I've never before experienced. The music is ethereal, impossible to describe, fading from memory like a dream, but leaving an essence, a lingering sensation that stays with you forever.

 

I spoke to one of the musicians after their performance, and learned a lot about the music and life of Luliland. From what he told me, Luliland sounded like an amazing place to me; why would anybody want to leave?


He explained that the main industrial products in Luliland are Magic, Grace, and Beauty.  In other places, where you can find these things at all, they are hand-crafted items, made in small quantities, available only at great price.  Luliland had great factories, where they would produce these items on a large scale, and export them all over the world. However, in the modern there is very little market for these items, so the factories were shut down, and most young people are forced to relocate, doing whatever work they can get – driving taxis, working as domestics, and so on. The Edmonton economic boom brought many of them there.

He said that one local legend is that the citizens of Luliland are descended from Bronze Age humans and the survivors of a crashed UFO.  I didn't laugh – there was something indefinably different about these people – a certain luminescence.

 

The weird thing is, I hired them to play at my birthday party, too, but they phone number and email address the man gave me didn't work.  Furthermore, I couldn't find Luliland on Google maps, or Wikipedia. 

 

I have become sort of obsessed with Luliland. I stay up late at night searching the web, looking for clues. I forget to shave; sometimes I don't shower for days. I have become indifferent to my job.  At times I feel like an expatriate from Luliland myself, haunted by their music, magic, grace and beauty.  I saw something somewhere about a wordpress site.  I'll check it out soon

 

 

__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Food Lovers

Real Food Group

on Yahoo! Groups

find out more.

Learn to live

a full life with these

healthy living

groups on Yahoo!

Find helpful tips

for Moderators

on the Yahoo!

Groups team blog.

.

__,_._,___

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] The most musical election ever...

And it seems like most of the music is Obama-themed.  

The biggest surprise of the election season - rabid McCain supporter American Leslie Jane made a sudden about face and has thrown his support behind Obama in a huge way... check out his many pro-Obama and anti-Palin and McCain songs at:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=431773

maybe he really does channel John Lennon after all!

Sandman The Rapping Cowboy also comes out for Obama, check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b33HzXAbQ1k

Mr. Roboto sings for Rick Reed:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=302257

check out in particular:
President Rick REED's Womens Rights Bill 2000
Rick Reed For President

While many many artists have told the Republicans to NOT use their songs for events and advertising, since the defection of American Leslie Jane I haven't been able to find a single "support McCain" song. Can anybody suggest one?

--
Love me, love my vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/mattlove1

__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Yahoo! Groups

Latest product news

Join Mod. Central

stay connected.

New web site?

Drive traffic now.

Get your business

on Yahoo! search.

Y! Groups blog

the best source

for the latest

scoop on Groups.

.

__,_._,___

[Zebra_Trucks] I have added you to my friends network today!

Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Give Back

Yahoo! for Good

Get inspired

by a good cause.

Y! Toolbar

Get it Free!

easy 1-click access

to your groups.

Yahoo! Groups

Start a group

in 3 easy steps.

Connect with others.

.

__,_._,___

Saturday, October 18, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Re: Hot Chinese girl new here looking for fun or maybe more...

>Hey guys and girls,
>I am an open minded Chinese gothic girl and I love to meet new ppl
>for fun, partnership or whatever...If you want to know me more, you
>can check out my profile with my private body arts pics and chat to
>me...and I do have webcame, just look for Chinese_gothic_girl :)

> http://chineselovelink.bravehost.com/index.htm
>
Wooow, damnnn hot! You are the most beautiful Chinese girl I ever
seen.I love your chill pics and profile. I would love to chat and hang
out sometime :)

__._,_.___
Recent Activity
Visit Your Group
Give Back

Yahoo! for Good

Get inspired

by a good cause.

Y! Toolbar

Get it Free!

easy 1-click access

to your groups.

Yahoo! Groups

Start a group

in 3 easy steps.

Connect with others.

.

__,_._,___

Monday, October 13, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Matt Love has a song recommendation for you

On this extremely happy occasion of Rick Reed's birthday (and may there be many, many more) I'd like you to hear this tune, with words by Rick Reed, music by Mr. Roboto. Vocals by Mr Roboto and Priscilla.

Every day is somebody's birthday, no exception. Forward this song to somebody you know who is having a birthday somewhere.

Band page: http://soundclick.com/rxr

Song page: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=4425136
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SoundClick - the social music community  (http://www.soundclick.com)

--
Love me, love my vids
http://www.youtube.com/user/mattlove1

__._,_.___
Search Ads

Get new customers.

List your web site

in Yahoo! Search.

Yahoo! Groups

Latest product news

Join Mod. Central

stay connected.

John McEnroe

on Yahoo! Groups

Join him for the

10 Day Challenge.

.

__,_._,___

Saturday, October 11, 2008

[Zebra_Trucks] Re: mostly for laughs too-- audio in asphalt?

This jogged my memory about a 2 year old thread on this list.  As Napoleon "Think and Grow Rich" Hill used to say, "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

This may be a dubious achievement, but still, it was achieved.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Not Judy Wice <judywice@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 4:18 PM
Subject: [Up-Tight] A new contender for World's Worst Musical Instrument.
To: Up-Tight@yahoogroups.com

A new contender for World's Worst Musical Instrument.
[reposted from the Beatles Lounge and Napoleon Park]

No doubt the bagpipes, pan flute, theremin, ocarina. moog synthesize,
simeon, rain stick, triangle, wood block, cow bell, fretless bass,
sitar, kazoo, jew's-harp and tissue paper covered comb all have valid
claims to the title, but there is a new nominee vying for claim of The
World's Most Annoying Musical Instrument.

This was a remarkably clever innovative development, actually. Based
on the sounds a moving vehicle makes while traveling over uneven
terrain, the fine folks at the Honda Motors company discovered that
they could repave a section of highway and then cut grooves in the
pavement, so that a properly loaded Honda Civic with correctly
inflated tires traveling at exactly 55 MPH would create a buzzing
noise remarkably similar to a portion of The William Tell Overture by
Gioacchino Rossini - specifically the passage more commonly known as
"the theme from the Lone Ranger".

To alleviate some of the burden of blame from the Honda research and
development department, it should be noted that it was Honda's
advertising division that urged them to move forward in making this
concept a reality. However, in popular fiction is is usually the
scientists who take the blame for focusing on the benefits to mankind
their discoveries will have in a best case scenario and completely
overlook the Frankenstein monster or world-destroying computer systems
they might unleash in the case something goes tragically, horribly awry.

In this case, they seem to have overlooked the rather obvious fact
that not all motor vehicles are Honda Civics. That a vehicle traveling
faster than 56 MPH or slower than 54 MPH would alter the tempo of the
composition, that incorrect tire pressure or differences in weight or
load distribution could all alter pitch and that, even when performed
optimally the result could be described as an eerie moan and, under
less than perfect condition, as a horrible annoying howl.

Additionally, they missed out on the fact that locating this stretch
of roadway in an inhabited area would negatively impact the quality of
life of the nearby residents, and that short of closing down the road
entirely, the instrument had no on/off switch.

The result was, the roadway was constructed to specifications and some
informal recordings were made, some of which can apparently be found
on YouTube. That complaints were made and the project was determined
to be a Public Nuisance and a Disturbance of the Peace. That Honda was
made to cover the cost of repaving the roadway back to it's more
silently operating condition. And that to date the proposed ad
campaign built around this project has not surfaced, other than on
YouTube.

So, just remember the next time you have a brilliant idea for a new
method of creating music, be sure to ask yourself that eternal
question "What could possibly go wrong?"

= Heugenot Walloon =

Musical Road in Lancaster, CA
on YouTube
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Aey7Jq0G3EU

[I included the wall of oscillators known as the Simeon on the list of
worst instruments for the benefit of the Up-Tight members who I knew
would 'get it'. you might object to the inclusion, but have you ever
tried to play one? Seriously, an instrument that only one person in
the world knows how to play? How bad it that?]

********



[ARSCLIST] mostly for laughs too-- audio in asphalt?



rodbrown

 to ARSCLIST
show details 10/25/06

Hi folks,

We took a driving vacation from Oakland, CA to Denver last summer. I noticed again that highways nowadays feature a continuous procession of indentations, perpendicular to the roadbed, running just outboard of the slow lane. They look to be about an inch and a half deep and wide, by maybe eight inches long. They're regularly spaced at perhaps four inches apart.

When driven over, they produce a noticeable vibration throughout the car. No doubt the idea is to wake up drowsy drivers before they can drift too far off the road.

This generic buzz strikes me as terribly short-sighted. It shouldn't be that difficult to vary these indentations so as to encode specific sounds into the pavement. The vehicle's tire act as a stylus, while the body of the car resonates all around.

To really shake up the somnambulant sojourner, I'd think a chorus of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Yay" would work well. Or we could recruit a severe, maternal voice-over actress to read, "Wake up, pull over, and take a nap!!"

Other thoughts?

Yours for safety,
Rod

phillip holmes

 to ARSCLIST
show details 10/25/06

Yes, you'd have echo from the rear tire.
- Show quoted text -


rodbrown wrote:
Hi folks,

We took a driving vacation from Oakland, CA to Denver last summer. I noticed again that highways nowadays feature a continuous procession of indentations, perpendicular to the roadbed, running just outboard of the slow lane. They look to be about an inch and a half deep and wide, by maybe eight inches long. They're regularly spaced at perhaps four inches apart.

When driven over, they produce a noticeable vibration throughout the car. No doubt the idea is to wake up drowsy drivers before they can drift too far off the road.

This generic buzz strikes me as terribly short-sighted. It shouldn't be that difficult to vary these indentations so as to encode specific sounds into the pavement. The vehicle's tire act as a stylus, while the body of the car resonates all around.

To really shake up the somnambulant sojourner, I'd think a chorus of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Yay" would work well. Or we could recruit a severe, maternal voice-over actress to read, "Wake up, pull over, and take a nap!!"

Other thoughts?

Yours for safety,
Rod





show details 10/25/06

You have the purpose figured out - they are called rumble strips, and
are meant to keep sleepy drivers from going off the road.  I first
encountered them in Pennsylvania about 30 years ago, and now they are
all over New York and apparently many other places.  (I must confess
that it also occurred to me they could be *tuned* - though reality
dictates that for my tax dollars I'd prefer the potholes be kept
patched.)

Sue


Susan T Stinson, Curator
Belfer Audio Laboratory and Archive
Syracuse University Library
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
315-443-3477 / fax 443-4866




David Breneman

 to ARSCLIST
show details 10/25/06

--- rodbrown <rodbrown@MINDSPRING.COM> wrote:


> This generic buzz strikes me as terribly short-sighted. It
> shouldn't
> be that difficult to vary these indentations so as to encode
> specific
> sounds into the pavement.

My parents told me once that some highway agency
experimented in the 60s with laying down a pattern
of ridges that would say "getover-getover-getover"
as you drove over them.  No idea what the upshot
of that experiment was, or if it was even an urban
legend.



David Breneman         david_breneman@yahoo.com








show details 10/25/06



----- Original Message -----
From: "rodbrown" <rodbrown@MINDSPRING.COM>
> To really shake up the somnambulant sojourner, I'd think a chorus of
> "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Yay" would work well. Or we could recruit a severe,
> maternal voice-over actress to read, "Wake up, pull over, and take a
> nap!!"
>
> Other thoughts?
>
Well...
"Sleepy-Time Gal"
"Sleepy Valley"
Definitely not Waring's theme of "Sleep!"
"On That Great Gettin' Up Mornin'"
the "Reveille" bugle call (sp?)
"Shake Rattle and Roll" ("get outa that bed and wash yo face and hands..."
"Stay On the Right Side Of the Road"
"Red, Red Robin" (not the full title!)
and isn't there an old hymn, something like
"Awake, Ye Sinners?"

Steven C. Barr

__._,_.___
Moderator Central

An online resource

for moderators

of Yahoo! Groups.

Best of Y! Groups

Discover groups

that are the best

of their class.

Search Ads

Get new customers.

List your web site

in Yahoo! Search.

.

__,_._,___