A Mad, Mad World

Martin / Wium altar 2011
photo: G. Wium

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Another art discovery by Death — he just loves this time of year!

Absolutely incredible sculpture by Ray Villfane

Here’s the Video Link if the embed code doesn’t show up.

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Our mascot, Death gives this stop-motion animation made of felt pieces a resounding two thumb bones up!

Spike Jonze: Mourir Auprès de Toi

Spike Jonze: Mourir Auprès de Toi on Nowness.com.

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These fine shots were taken by the aforementioned Paul (with parasol) at the Penngrove Parade yesterday, 7/3/11. Thanks, Paul!

That’s Roxanne Oliva with the beautiful blue Castiglione.
That’s Richard Cullinen, the Cotati Festival Master of Ceremonies and former mayor of Cotati in the front seat. Shelly, wife of Festival director, Scott Goree is driving.

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The previous three posts were tests using WordPress’ “Quick Photo” on my iPhone. It’s a way to grab a shot and publish directly to this blog. I was a bit awkward — takes time to add tags, don’t know how to select categories, need glasses to see if the shot is any good. I’ll get the hang of it.

I am going to enjoy posting instantly at gigs or from the road.

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So there I was researching Czech and Slovak tunes (honestly) and I come across this wayout b/w music film from 1964 Czech TV. Wonderfully strange, a bit corny but clever all the same. Dancing girls, befuddled scientists in lab coats, a gramophone, pop stars … Note this is 17 years before MTV launched.

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And I am definitely digging this Karel Krautgartner cat – clarinetist and saxophonist and director/arranger for the Prague TV dance orchestra in the early 60s. This is the only version of this tune I can actually listen to.

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Here’s a shout out to several fine radio stations which give our tunes airtime.

• The Wild Wilson Show
• Never Ending Wonder Radio Accordion Babes Hour
• KOWS FM
• Online Folk Festival
• PBS 106.7 FM “What the Folk” with Susi Lanagan
• WWUH
• KUNM

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We spent this weekend and the last at Wally Sound laying down live musical performances onto reel to reel tape. 2 inch tape to be exact. 16 tracks.

The tape rolled, we played and our time art of making music was preserved on magnetized iron oxide particles. There was the occasional punch (a part re-recorded onto the tape) but in essence our performances were continuous and live.

It takes discipline and technique to record this way.

No digital wizardry for this band of talented musicians. Well, not until mixdown. Even then we will not touch the performance. We will not adjust or “correct” notes nor pitch shift or auto tune or quantize.

We like keeping it real.

Photo of Wally and Mags courtesy of our own GDub aka Gary Wium

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They met in the theater…

And GDub and Mags of the Mad Maggies have been tumbling through life together ever since that Mardi Gras night two decades ago.

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On December 11, 2010 Studio E presented an Accordion Babe Cabaret at Aubergine after Dark in Sebastopol, California. We shared the stage with Vagabondage, Tara Linda and Roxanne Oliva‘s Bellows of Bedlam. Great crowd, great venue, fab lineup!

Drummer, Dan “the Man” Powers sat in with us for our set. Dan is also a videographer and caught the evening’s fun on tape. This is one of the tunes we performed.

I really do share the stage with the finest musicians this side of the Volga River

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