Show This Saturday

3 Minutes of My Childhood

Nice Breeze

Nice Breeze - Lose it in the Sun by Iburiedpaul

More River Sessions

River Sessions

One song from the session

the entire session

The River Sessions from Barrett Jones on Vimeo.

You Are Beautiful

Life is Beautiful
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

quote of the day

Happy people don’t create anything. I find creation hinges on being well-fucked-up.
Joe Strummer

Goldman Sachs = Gold In Sacks

Gold In Sacks
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

Robber barons

Amazing Street Drummer in NYC

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rrreverberationsss

Released today on the awesome 267 lattajjaa label, my latest musical project: The Rrreverberationsss

Recorded November 2009 in Austin, Texas
Gunnar Hedman - guitar, synth, vibes
Ian Hedman - drums
Barrett Jones - guitar, vocals
Dave Junker - bass, guitar
Gabriela Schneider - synth

You can order it here

Shadow Carousel

April 2010 Drones Club video

Boxer Girl

FUNK THE WAR!

I Miss You

White Mountains, New Hampshire
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

March 2010 Drones Club

Rooting DC

Food Not Bombs

February Drones Club Video

Our Garden: The Video

Barb and Dave's (White) Wedding

Barb and Dave's Wedding
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

January Drones Club Video

I just pooped a lil bit

Graffiti at Takoma Metro Stop
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

graffiti on an ad for Metro drivers, Takoma Metro platform

The Birds

Life is Short

This is a painting by Laurence Pignarre Wyllie. I got to know her and her husband Andy through our mutual friend Hackmuth. They had some fun parties in their little run-down row house near N &13th St. NW. She and Andy were part of a scene of ex-Peace Corps people enjoying a last summer of slacking on their way to a State Department career.

I remember attending a couple of openings at galleries where she showed her paintings. She painted big, moody pictures, a contrast to her petite stature and wide smile. I think she was born in Paris. She spoke English with a thick French accent.

Andy's State Department job soon had them moving to Africa. At the going-away party they threw at their house, everyone came to say goodbye. I remember Laurence reclining on a blanket in the backyard. She was pregnant, smiling, having a good time. That must be six years ago now.

Yesterday I learned that she and her two sons are among the missing in Haiti.

My heart goes out to Andy. To lose the ones you love is a terrible thing.

UPDATE 1/21

via a Facebook comment dated 1/18:

Andy Wyllie is now in San Domigue with is brother and Father.
They will go to Haiti in a few days to get the bodies.

life in a time of zeros and ones

011110

Girard Children's Community Garden

WE ARE ART

Takoma Metro
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

Four Tet : Much Love to the Plastic People

"Four Tet is giving away this incredible DJ mix."

DCFOODFORALL January Potluck

Rip Off City

via email:

Concert Fans Beware!

There’s a train wreck about to happen and consumer groups say YOU will be the victim if the two most powerful corporate interests in the live concert business get their way. But you can help stop the merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation. The government needs to hear from music fans now. Tell the Department of Justice that you’re against these monopolies amassing illegal power over consumers, before it’s too late. antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

As a concertgoer you have already felt the pain, and if Ticketmaster and Live Nation get their way, it’ll get worse. In the last 12 years, since Live Nation and its predecessor started its widespread takeover of the concert industry, concert ticket prices have shot up 82% while the consumer price index has gone up just 17%*. We are concerned that if the two concert industry behemoths, Live Nation and Ticketmaster, are permitted to merge, the variety and quality of artists coming to local venues will be affected, and your costs could rise further and faster.

Five of the nation’s most prominent public interest groups called on the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation:

“Consumers deserve a fair deal in the entertainment marketplace, not the fewer choices and higher prices that would result from this merger,” said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection at Consumer Federation of America

“This merger is an insult to both musicians and consumers,” said James Love, Director of Knowledge Ecology International

“We cannot envision a remedy that would ease this chilling impediment to competition… In the absence of other effective, expeditious remedies, the proposed transaction should be prohibited.” American Antitrust Institute White Paper

As described by Senator Herb Kohl (WI) in the House Antitrust hearing, “This merger will not only expand Ticketmaster’s control of the ticketing market by eliminating a competitor, but it is also creating an entity that will control the entire chain of the concert business – from artist management to concert promotion and production to ticketing and ticket resale.”

“This merger would be a disaster for consumers. Nothing short of blocking this takeover of the ticket market by two industry behemoths will be acceptable,” said National Consumers League Executive Director Sally Greenberg

“As president, I will direct my administration to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement. I will step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare…,” said Senator Barack Obama when he was campaigning for the presidency.

If you agree with the consumer groups and lawmakers, make a difference and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW.

Send a message to the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice telling them you support President Obama’s campaign promise to protect the American public from abusive monopolies.

antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov

To learn more, check out:

ticketdisaster.org

Public Interest Groups Call on Justice Department to Block Ticketmaster/LiveNation/Comcast Merger

American Antitrust Institute's White Paper TICKETMASTER - LIVE NATION

Philadelphia Weekly’s cover story “Monopoly Rules”

Signed,

The 9:30 Club, I.M.P., Merriweather Post Pavilion, Jam Productions, Metropolitan Talent, Another Planet Entertainment, Frank Productions, Stone City Attractions, Rams Head Live, The Black Cat ... and independent concert promoters and venue operators nationwide.

*Study by Princeton University economist Alan Krueger

---

Plan B

Yet another world meeting without action on climate change.

Our leaders aren't doing their job. We look to them for action, not talk.

Maybe our leaders are working for someone else?

There are some things money can't buy. Money can't buy a new climate. It can't buy an extinct species. Or a polar ice cap. Or the water in the sea. Or the temperature of the air.

The old models won't get us out of this fix.

Consensus-driven policy has achieved nothing.

Bringing your own shopping bag to the grocery store has achieved nothing.

Denying climate change exists has achieved nothing.

What's next? Unplugging

Common Good City Farm

Snow!!

picture by stereogab

Goodnight Keith Moon

Goodnight Keith Moon

Jack Rose, R.I.P.

Gone too soon

I first heard Jack Rose in 2003 at the now-defunct 611 Florida space in Washington, D.C. The crowded room was silent for over an hour. We were all transported. After his set I talked with him briefly. He was open and funny. I remember him plunking a box of vinyl LPs of Opium Musick (his new album at the time) down on the livingroom floor, cutting the tape with a pocket knife, and selling me the record for $10.

The next time I heard him was in 2006 in Providence, RI. He played the closing set of Terrastock. Our ears (and minds) were fried after three days of incredible music, yet he held the room as he picked out waves of ringing tones. It was a transcendent moment, one that I will never forget.

"Jack was one of a handful of people I've ever saw that can take an instrument and literally go beyond - there's lots of people out there who are merely good or great, but when he really felt it and channeled it, there was something divine and transcendent in his touch. No tricks, no electric effects, just the sensation of making that perfect thing that lifted you out of this world."
Terrascope

The Water From My Tap is Brown

Washington, DC – December 7, 2009- The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC WASA) is issuing a precautionary boil water/bottled water advisory for a portion of Northwest DC, affecting approximately 750 buildings.

DC WASA experienced a loss of pressure around 12:00 noon on Monday, December 07, 2009. This resulted in a drop of water pressure in the vicinity of 16^th Street and Georgia Avenue, NW . A smaller neighborhood may have lost water pressure entirely, which could present a water quality problem.
...
Although we do not have an indication that the water system has been contaminated, as a precaution, DC WASA recommends that you boil all water before use or use bottled water. Water should be brought to a rolling boil for one minute and cooled before using. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, washing dishes, brushing teeth, making ice and for food preparation.

In addition, discard any food prepared today with water after 11:00 am. When preparing foods to eat, use the drinking water alternatives listed above or cook items that do not require water. For utensils and cooking instruments, use single-use items or those that have been sanitized. Some pathogens are not killed by alcohol gels or hand sanitizers, so soap and disinfected water are specifically recommended for hand washing.

The boil water advisory will continue until further notice, when the system is thoroughly flushed and the acceptable water quality is confirmed by water testing. This process will take at least two days. Please stay current by visiting our web site at www.dcwasa.com. DC WASA is taking all necessary steps to minimize the risk of water quality problems, including the immediate flushing of all lines in the impacted neighborhood.

December Drones Club Video

Austin Psych

Religion

I always believed that I have something important to say and I said it. That’s why I survived because I still believe I’ve got something to say. My God is rock’n’roll. It’s an obscure power that can change your life. The most important part of my religion is to play guitar. Lou Reed
via Dust Congress

Taking a Look at the Lederer Youth Garden

The Lederer Youth Garden, adjacent to Marvin Gaye Park in northeast Washington, D.C., is operated by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. The department's web page describes the garden as "an environmental resource for area youth groups, day care centers, home school students, and classroom groups...equipped with a computer lab, weather station, classroom, garden, and animals". The plot of land is large, and features an impressive greenhouse.

Last spring, the Mayor came here for a promotional event in which he was joined by the makers of Miracle-Gro to dedicate the garden. Everyone posed for a photo.

Unfortunately, since then the garden has been largely neglected. The classroom building sits unused and most of the garden is overgrown with weeds. Hundreds of bags of donated Miracle Gro now sit stacked on the side of the garden, still unopened. On the sunny October day I visited Lederer Youth Garden, the one full-time parks employee on duty sat inside playing video games.

Lederer is proof that growing a community garden takes, well, community involvement. In too many cases, that involvement seems to be missing. In the northwest quadrant of the city, the waiting list for a community garden plot is often 3 years. But in the eastern wards, there are no waiting lists. Lederer Youth Garden and others like it sit idle.

Why is that? Carl Rollins has some ideas. I talked to Carl at the garden, where, as a volunteer, he has started to clean out the weeds and plant fall crops.



Carl is a master gardener and co-president of the DC Environmental Education Consortium. He's also Farm Coordinator at Common Good City Farm.

(Posted on DCFOODFORALL )

Drones Club - November

Listen to a sample from the November Drones Club CD-R

Transformation

Transform sorrow energy to sympathy and it will bring you love.
Yoko Ono

The Great Harvest

DC Food For All Launch Party

Zombie

Drawing by Sean Yates

sun spawn

The Drones Club - October

Here is a sample from The Drones Club CD-R for October.

I need some reparation

Note from A & R

There's no way in the world any sane person would buy or want to listen or put anything behind this record
April 25, 1966 memo from Columbia Records A & R department rejecting the Velvet Underground's demo

+++++++++++++++++++

Street Manifesto

a Digger handbill from 1967

Paulson's Folly

I made this video last fall but just rediscovered it today. I made the video for a song I wrote about the economic apocalypse. It's a protest song. Still feels relevant, so I posted it.

happiness is a warm beach

happy
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

life's a beach

The Power of an Audience

Lots of hype this weekend about the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. You know the line: three days of peace and music, the highwater mark of 60's counterculture, etc, etc. It was all distilled into nostalgia a long time ago and is now a boomer cliche. That said, I've always been fascinated with the event, the idea of thousands of people coming together in a field in the country, taking hallucinogens, dancing to loud music, and losing themselves in the moment. The raves of the nineties had this too. Every culture has some form of it. There's a primal need for it.

The second Woodstock concert, in 1999, went down in a spree of violence, looting, and rape. Old timers shook their heads, disappointed by the nihilistic attitude of the younger generation. But you could bring your cooler full of food and beer to Woodstock in 1969. If you brought your cooler to Woodstock 1999, it was confiscated at the gate so they could sell you $12 slices of pizza and $4 bottles of water.

The difference between 1999 (or 2009) and 1969 is the role given to the audience. In 1969 it was still possible to think of the performers, organizers, and audience as one. Everyone participating together to make it happen. By 1999, the role of the audience had evolved from participant to consumer. A participant gives their own energy to the collective experience. A consumer simply consumes. Locked together in a corporate CAFO, the alienated audience of 1999 chose nihilism. Is there any other choice?

With live music, there is an emotional loop that runs from the musicians to the audience back to the musicians. Neither the musicians nor the audience are in control. Each depends on the other. This strong connection is also very tenuous. When the audience is relegated to the role of passive consumer, the musician is relegated to the role of vendor, and the concert becomes a transaction.

It's hard to lose yourself in a moment that's sponsored by Visa.

Majick Rainbow Station Video Soundtrack

Jay and Ryanne used a Majick Rainbow Station recording in this video. The track fades in at :27 and later at 2:10

Exploding Plastic Inevitable

Crossoads

Cream, 1968

I'm Thinking of You, Matt

painting by Matthew Reid

Reggae in a Babylon

From a 1978 documentary of the London reggae scene.

Magic Against Death

painting by Hackmuth

A Stereogab creation

poundcake with blueberries
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

This tasted as good as it looks.

Drums on Georgia Ave

steel drums
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

video shot by @stereogab

Happy Birthday

How I Remember Him
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

I miss you

Parade Day

Marching
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

Forget the Mall, the REAL Folklife Festival is on Georgia Ave. today.

Blood On The Tracks

Went down to water the garden and found police tape, camera crews and the people who show up to look at a wreck. We tied up the tomatoes and lamented the drowned cucumbers. And we lamented the suffering of the people who were there the night before.

Mr. Williams came by and we talked about how Metro has to keep 30-year old cars in service while the Metro General Manager is making $326,000 a year (plus a $60,000 annual living allowance) and how that's DC for you.



And then we watered the peppers and picked a little mint and headed home, thinking about what we could plant in memory of what happened at the bottom of the garden.

Sign of the Three Eyed Men

Play That SG, Sister!

All Things Must Pass

Astronomy Domine live 1967

Congratulations Carl Hedman

Artomatic June 6 at 9pm 2nd floor stage

YES! ROCK AND ROLL CAN SAVE US! YES! we have come to testify: YES, WE BELIEVE IN ROCK AND ROLL! we've come to TAKE ROCK BACK from the IVY LEAGUE SLUMMERS and the BROOKLYN VEGAN TRUST FUND KIDS! we're TAKING IT BACK from FOX TELEVISION, AT&T, WALMART, LIVE NATION, GOLDMAN SACHS, and CHINA! we're TAKING IT BACK so we can GIVE IT TO YOU! because WE KNOW YOU ROCK! and SO DO WE! COME TO ARTOMATIC ON SATURDAY JUNE 6TH ON THE SECOND FLOOR AT 9PM obetrol

Billy Name and The Mole People

It wouldn't have been The Factory without Billy Name. Billy Name was the pragmatist. He did the silk screens. He put the foil up on the walls. He painted the bathroom silver (he lived in the bathroom for over a year).

The cover of the Velvet's second album (White Light / White Heat) is a photo that Billy took of a tattoo on a biker's arm. The cover looks black, but it's actually a really low exposure photo (this was Lou's idea)

Next Saturday night we're gonna Give the Kids What They Want. And they want the Green Fuzz. They like it Chopped and Dropped. You know, You Have This Strange Effect On Me... And I Like It. And that's because the Kingdom of Heaven is Within You. I mean, I'm not from Brooklyn, I'm not from Queens. Know what I mean?

Memorial Day

On the Road

Jack Kerouac On the Road
Originally uploaded by Iburiedpaul

STICK ENEMIES IN FRONT OF DAYTIME T.V.

HEREWITH annual May missive message from I, Mark E. Smith
on this day of celebration/reformation:

ANOTHER year has passed - rapidly for some, too slowly for I,
one-legged yet again.
And yet, things re: The Fall improve, our new label, although young, are coping just about with 'The Fall".
Yea, in a Castleford studio built on gravel the group cracked down some odd things.
The main concern to avoid the much-ripped off already 'Imperial'.
Our next record will be something that scum like that choke on.
We will not be playing 'I.O.W.' 'FEST' either but will play the Mojo sick-trio.

STICK ENEMIES IN FRONT OF DAYTIME T.V.
AVOID GERMAN-BERT'S MOCK ART EXHIBITION IN L.S.W.

I love you all but i cannot embrace you all/
-As of last year,
your dearest pal-

MARK E. SMITH
for 'The Fall'
2009

As I type this in the swirling gales of consequence I wish you, my pals, all the very best.
MAY THEIR INSIDIOUS RAPPINGS DISINTEGRATE INTO THE FOREGROUND

Zakary Thaks "Sock It To Me Baby"

Dream

Last night I dreamed my laptop was soaked in water. I tipped it and water drained out. I thought "I have to let this dry out before I use it".

This morning a friend sent this photo to me. No text, just the photo.

Moby Grape

The Sad Saga of Moby Grape