September 2023: News, Views and Perspectives

* Big news in the world of publishing.  Ink 19 has been a widely respected favorite among discerning readers for years.  It started as a print magazine.  But, like so many other publications, it eventually became online-only.  That's changing now as publisher Ian Koss has decided to return to print (yes!), a move that will be welcomed by everyone.  And it also may be a time-sensitive signal to other publications that many readers still prefer a hard copy.  *  I was recently turned onto the art and humor of a very talented lady named Joan Cornella.  In a world where most people take everything way too seriously, Joan's peculiar anti-messages are a breath of fresh air.  Some of her stuff is just too funny for words.  *  Much to the dismay of their fans around the world, Seismic Wave Entertainment band Action Chief has called it quits.  Formed in 2017 by Joe Cannon and Conan Neutron, the band played their last show on July 29, 2023.  *  Have you ever heard someone say 'You can't put a value on that'...?  That might sound good in theory, but it's just not true.  You can put a value on anything.  And that includes things that you can't put a value on.  Nothing has a price, and the price of nothing is usually double the price of everything else at current levels when you consider depreciation.  *  Catnip the cat.  A nice unassuming kitty cat showed up at the plush babysue Office Suites a few weeks ago.  He was obviously someone's pet who was either discarded or lost.  He was so skinny and weak that he could barely walk.  Some food and attention was all he needed, because he is now happy and healthy and romping around like a good healthy kitty cat should.  His name is Catnip.  He has beautiful eyes, a great personality and he purrs like a mother.  He will be neutered this month.  Catnip loves having a real home.  And he never ever has to stress out about finding food again.  *  Surrounded by groovy people.  The internet is, of course, a great way to make good interesting connections.  But lately I've been focusing more and more attention on the real people around me in my everyday life.  A medical condition called Prosopagnosia makes it difficult to remember people visually, so I've been paying closer attention to names and voices and what people tell me about their lives.  It's amazing what people will tell you if you just let them be themselves and talk openly.  I am extremely fortunate to have made contact with so many fascinating and intelligent individuals over the years.  *  One of the more creative DIY projects in recent memory, EugeneMusic (Eugene-Music.com) has built his own mini-stage right into the side of his van...so he can now ride around all over the place and do instant concerts whenever he pleases.  How cool and creative is that?  Talk about playing the game by your own set of rules.  Who needs pricey venues with all the complications and extra costs...when you can play directly for folks on your very own personal stage!  *  Is life worth living?  That depends.  It is if you want to live.  But if you don't want to live, then it isn't.  The answer is so simple.  And it has been right smack in the middle of our faces all along.  *  Are grocery stores interesting and fun?  Or are they grotesquely boring and horrible?  We asked 10,000 different people from all walks of life how they felt about grocery stores.  And then we compiled all the specific data into some very impressive graphs and churned the numbers.  The opinions were extremely surprising and startling and may very well change the way the world of food operates.  But we're not sharing the results with anyone.  Not now, and not ever.  *  Everything has been changing for a very long time now, but that is about to change.  In 2024 everything will stop changing and remain the same.  And it will remain the same for a very very long time.  When at long last things start changing again, no one will notice because they weren't even aware of that fact that things had stopped changing in the first place.  And that is just the way it is, folks.  That's just the way it is.  *  The fine folks at MPress Records have just released a new double CD from Rachael Sage entitled The Other Side.  Housed in a colorful tri-fold cardboard sleeve, the album includes a nifty stack of art/lyric cards.  *  The folks at Negative Gain just released two new albums  The first is Signals From The Sun by Sonu Unum and the second is R.O.T.T. (inmyskin) by Bestial Mouths.  In addition, the label has also put out a various artists disc entitled Negative Gain Artist Compilation: Obey The Noise V6 that features thirteen cool tracks.  *  Everyone is tapping.  You can hear the taps loud and far, near and wide.  At first there were only a few tpapers out there.  But once it caught on, it gained steam like a tidal wave.  The taps are happy taps and those who make them are happy tappers.  Some of the tappers come in wrappers and some come without wrappers.  Get on the bandwagon now...before the tapping STOPS.  *  It's always cause for celebration when there's new music from Florida-based band Ex Norwegian.  Accordingly, fans can celebrate big time on November 3, 2023 when the band releases their fourteenth (!) album entitled Sooo Extra.  If this one's anything like past releases, it'll be a total knockout.  *  Robert Rex Waller Jr. has a new album out entitled See The Big Man Cry.  Produced by Carla Olson, the album is divided into two 'sides'...a pop side and an Americana/country side.  The tracks feature the talents of a whole slew of ultra-talented musicians providing backup.  *  Steve and Maggie is a great television show.  Steve is my friend.  He teaches me lots of new words.  And he is also very funny.  Maggie is a naughty bird (according to Steve) but she's also very special because she can do MAGIC.  It's a television show!  It's a television show!  It's a television show!  Again...IT'S A TELEVISION SHOW! *

Anton Batagov - The Last Alchemist (FancyMusic).  NEBELKRÄHE - Ephemer (Crawling Chaos Records).  Noah Sacharin - Points of Light.  Karen Myatt - Femoir (Musique Nuvo).  Think Thank Thunk - Wicky Wacky Wunk (Trillion Million Discs).  The Borb - Cuff Foffy Plouds (Incidentally).  Bags of Sloppy - Tanya Goes Bonkers (Rudy Packers).  Gradfinger - Graduation Makes Hands Itchy (Popple Pong).  Flower & Diddle - Bells Make Monkeys Pop (Whisker Dobs).  Liver For Kathy - Give Her Red Liver (Lead Ivy Troll Pitcher).  Ink Pen - Put That In Your Pen And Write With It (SLO-65R).  Lousy Mousers - Food Cravers (Ricky's Great Big Mid-Sized Tiny Record Label).  Becky Flex - Register For Potato (Musk Flit).  Spring Gnirps - Sps PsP (Y79).  iLL Sugi & Brycon - Devastating! Forces of Nature! (Star Bakery Records).  Mr. Potato Dead - There's No Pace Like The Peasant (Happy Froth).  Special Hamburger - All The Specials In The World (Ding Ding Ding).  Now How Low Cow - Lo-Cal (Tri-National Tri-Outs).  Mod Wafers - Graham Crackers With Go-Go Designs (Left Right Left).  Onesie - Liminal Hiss (Kool Kat Musik).  Robert Schroeder - Into The Light (Spheric Music).  Jeremy Edwards - Ghosts (Checked Label Services).  Ignited - Cradle of the Wicked.  Byron the Aquarius - The Adventures of Bernard Walters EP (Cascade Records).  The Soiled Doves - Revenant Spirits EP (Harlot Records).  Goodbye Fishes - How Do You Buy? (Witch Banana).  Second Hand - Reality / Death May Be Your Santa Clause (Think Like A Key Music).  Anton Barbeau - Morganmusic/Nachtschager  (Think Like A Key Music).  Roger Knott - Nashville Sessions (Think Like A Key Music).  The 23rd Turnoff - Complete 1967 Recordings (Think Like A Key Music).  Rockin' Horse - Yes It Is (Think Like A Key Music).  Cursed To Occult - Diary Of A Broken Man (Crawling Chaos).  Johnny Lang - My Army Days With Elvis: Friendship, Football & Follies (book, Xulon Press).  Jerry Joseph - Baby, You're the Man Who Would Be King (Cosmo Sex School Records).  Genus Oridinis Dei - The Beginning (Eclipse Records).  The Della Kit - Moonbeams & Frequencies.  Courtney Grave - Safe Haven (Fake Fangs Records).  Lung / Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends - Split LP (Learning Curve Records / Seismic Wave Records).  The Three Little Pigs - How Dare You Call Us Pigs (Nursery Curses).  Rhinestoned - Livin' the Low Life.  Don Campau - The Silent Treatment (bandcamp).  Filter - The Algorithm (Golden Robot Records).  Upchuck - Bite the Hand That Feeds (Famous Class Records).  Psychotic Youth - Happy Songs.  CatsMelvin - America's Beautiful Waltz.  Tommy Stinson - Wronger (Cobraside).  JohnRose - The Prophet's Dance (Dr. Music Records).  Chris Botti - Vol. 1 (Blue Note Records).  Weekend Recovery - Esoteric.  Ernesto Diaz-Infante - Bats In The Lavender Sky (Ramble Records).  Mark Adams Band - California Bound.  Alan Courtis & David Grubbs - Braintrust of Fiends and Werewolves (Husky Pants).  Jonsjooel - Lullabies for Younger Self (Kieku Records).  Luminatrix - Antihero.  The Topless Toppers - Flops for Whoppers (Thumper Jack).  Nebelkrahe - Ephemer (Crawling Chaos).  Roger Eno - The Skies, They Shift Like Chords (Deutsche Grammophon).  SLD - Like Sunshine (Kool Kat Musik).  Slowburn - Fire Starter (Fighter Records).  Amon Tobin - A Hole In The Ground: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Nomark).  Eric Moore - Brother EP.  Harry Hochman - Inside Out.  Don Campau - Loudmouth (Lonely Whistle Music/bandcamp).  Will Sims - You Have A Voice, Use It.  Deephope - Back To Reality (Aqua Salada).

[This section only includes full-length releases and EPs.]

   

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