Oh man, I'm reeling. A little video action:
First, the man at his peak.
Then, the man around the time I discovered him.
Like so many other fans, I'll never be able to reconcile the man, the music, the eccentricities, and the likely true accusations of utterly inappropriate behavior. None of which changes the fact that in the last 30 years there hasn't been a single performer who has come anywhere close to MJ's level of finesse, stage presence, vocal chops, and mass appeal.
It's happening again. The details:
When: Monday April 21st 2008 @ 9 PM
Where: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
How Much: $5 for 21+, $6 for the kids
Who/What:
BANDAZIAN CD RELEASE SHOW -- New Album "O Pioneer"
Bandazian (Reigning kings of rock from Asheville NC)
Social Viscosity (I admit it: no idea who these guys are. Hopefully they rule...?)
Clarence Thomas Action-Adventure Unit (Gospel Blues Noise Michael Jackson Soul Jazz Bells Whistles)
And, in case you missed our last show or just wanna relive the [glory?], here are the rather crude Minidisc recordings of the 04/05/08 show at The Bridge:
Clarence Thomas Action-Adventure Unit Live at The Bridge 04/05/2008
01) Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying (cover of a gospel blues by Blind Willie Johnson)
02) Shy Guy
03) Madvillain/Michael Jackson/Justice Mashup
04) Home (rework of a song by Small Town Dogma)
05) Mingus/Megaphone/Samba (three songs that we blended into each other live. Aaron's guitar had gotten so knocked out of tune by the time we played Samba that he was actually having to bend the neck to keep the guitar semi-tuned during the song. the last chord he plays is a gloriously out-of-tune No Wave sounding harmonstrosity).
06) Echoes
Folks!
I have organized a benefit show and will be performing in it too. This is a rare and near-final performance by me and my frequent collaborator, Aaron Albin; and the other acts on the bill should deliver an excellent smattering of musical delectations. Here are the details:
BENEFIT SHOW FOR THE CHARLOTTESVILLE FREE CLINIC
APRIL 05th
8 PM
$5
@ The Bridge (209 Monticello Rd)
3 Bands + 1 DJ
Adam Smith + The Invisible Hand (Tunefulness + Zigging where others Zag = Cville-by-way-of-Philly Indie Rock Mainstay)
Clarence Thomas Action-Adventure Unit (me + Aaron playing guitar, vox, drums, megaphone, toy laser gun, iPod, sampler, handheld tape cassette recorders)
Quiet My Dear (Cville Melodic Indie Pop)
DJ Hummingbird Feeder (the mighty James Ford kicks out the interludes and the post-show jams. Dance party?!?!)
You can hear the other acts at their respective MySpaces. But since me + Aaron have no MySpace page, I present you with the CLARENCE THOMAS MIXTAPE, a series of tracks that are either sampled in our live act or that provide some kind of influence on what we'll be doing. Peep it:
CLARENCE THOMAS MIXTAPE:
1) Justice -- "Genesis"
2) Blind Willie Johnson -- "Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying" (an old gospel blues we cover live)
3) Madvillain -- "Accordion"
4) Michael Jackson -- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
5) Charles Mingus -- "Myself When I Am Real"
6) AMM -- "Radio Activity" (an important avant-garde act from the late 70's/early 80's, this track comes from a radio broadcast that I got via Neil John Eric L. The track is 26 minutes long, so keep that in mind when downloading.)
Right click the above links to download any and all of the tracks. Enjoy and I hope we see you at the show this Saturday!
-K
