PHOTOS & VIDEO: WIMPS, PONY TIME @ BILL AND MELINDA GATES AMPHITHEATER, OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK, SEATTLE, WA. 8/27/15

Last night, as I sat on the steps of the sweet little Bill & Melinda Gates Amphitheater overlooking very tall modern art and listening to two of our finest punk bands while the late-summer sun slowly slid down in a peachy glow, I said to a friend, "I don't know why we'd ever live anywhere else." That really was the vibe last night as wimps and Pony Time closed out the musical portion of the Seattle Art Museum's "Summer At SAM" series -- everyone seemed so happy to be in such a lovely place, having such a good time. "Everyone," in this case, ranged from fuchsia-haired teens to moneyed art folk to adorable preschoolers busting serious dance moves to suburban mom photographers with a penchant for excellent garage music. The latter person appreciated the daylight and excellent weather and the opportunity to shoot what I think will end up being some of my favorite photos of the year.

Both Pony Time and wimps are bursting with new music, and I could not recommend the purchase of these ditties more heartily -- please undertake this action by clicking on their highlighted band names in this very sentence! I hope, as the summer comes to its final few days, that you too find some time to go outside and enjoy whatever it is that makes you smile. As long as it isn't a federal crime or anything, ya know. 

Always, you may click on the photos to enlarge and click on the Flickr links to see more! Thank you SAM, wimps, and Pony Time!

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PHOTOS & FEST REVIEW: WIMPS @ CAIRO PRESENTS VIBRATIONS 2014, VOLUNTEER PARK, SEATTLE, WA. 8/3/14

Ah, we wait impatiently through the grey and gloomy fog and rain months for days like last Sunday in Seattle: a perfect summer afternoon with blue, sunny skies in a lush green city park, an ideal setting for Vibrations 2014. This one-day music and art festival, now in its third year, is sponsored by Cairo, an out-of-the box retail/art & performance space/clothing line/record label collective incorporating three locations (Cairo, Prism, and Topaz) in two cities (Seattle and Tucson, AZ). Both Seattle and Tucson have a strong quirkiness running through them, perhaps both having to do with hosting people that are driven to creativity from hiding from the weather half the year. Vibrations 2014 was a definite reflection of the kind of contradictions that make up interesting things -- mellow but punky, groovy but witty, loud, quiet, colorful, serene, AND free and family-friendly! There were bands and art installations, cold brew coffee, jewelry, giant sheets, aura readings, and Otter Pops eaten by tattooed drummers and chubby-cheeked toddlers.

With kids in tow, I had just a brief time to spend at the fest, even though it would have been completely enjoyable just to hang out there the entire time, which is something one cannot say about many festivals. Fortunately, I was able to catch the set by wimps, one of my very favorite local bands. Any time I can see them play is a good time, and I always leave feeling happy, sweaty, and energized, like I would if I were the kind of person who was addicted to going to Jazzercize or Zumba or Roomba or whatever those classes are where people still dress like Flashdance and have very white teeth. You don't have to understand what I am babbling about, but you do have to understand that wimps have just finished recording a new album and that I expect you to buy it when it's released and to see them as they tour the West Coast this month!

For their performance at Volunteer Park, guitarist and vocalist Rachel Ratner was mysteriously joined onstage by the "sisters" of bassist/vocalist Matt Nyce and drummer Dave Ramm. The "ladies" certainly knew how to rock out and all, but I hope they both choose to visit Cairo and update their wardrobes soon, and to think about laser hair removal. Seriously.

(As always, click on the photos to enlarge and click on the Flickr set links to see more!)

wimps, Vibrations 2014, Volunteer Park, Seattle 8/3/14 Flickr set

Vibrations 2014 miscellaneous, Volunteer Park, Seattle 8/3/14 Flickr set

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VIDEO: "LOUNGE GARAGE" PERFECTED IN SANDY NELSON'S "HEY JOE!" (1966) (MILDLY NSFW)

OK, so "Hey Joe" is already one of my fave rave songs of the 1960s, so I'm up for hearing any version of it I can get my hands on, yeah? This week in my thrift store runs I came across drummer Sandy Nelson's "Superdrums!" LP from 1966 and put it in my cart WITH NO HESITATION AT ALL when I spotted "Hey Joe" as one of the tracks on this instrumental record. I got it home, cleaned it up a lil', and plopped it on the turntable, and this BIG smile came across my face! Wow! What a BOSS GROOVE! Going off the Leaves' superb hit version from the same year, horns replacing the crazy fuzz guitar slices, studio dudes interjecting "HEY! JOE!" every so often, and Nelson's signature rolling triplet fills and propulsive shuffle beat, the song is a time warp stone GAS -- a little cheesy, and a lot rockin'.

I was personally offended that this marvelous song did not have its own video, so I made one for it using vintage footage featuring dancers of the era, including a marvelously enthusiastic young lady in her undergarments. You might receive a quizzical look from your boss if you play this at work, but hey -- he or she might just bust out with a wicked Frug, too. You won't know until you try! Please to enjoy!

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DANCE & SING ALONG WITH "JUP KRAUPER CAVARAN" (KHMER, 1972)

I wish I could explain this to you mo' betta, but my 30 minutes worth of research is just causing my brain to fry. OK. I THINK this is a clip from a 1972 movie called "Krai Thaong Krauper Charavan" from the "Golden Age" of Cambodian (Khmer) filmmaking. I THINK the subtitles are in both Chinese and English, AND IT MAY BE that this version is being sung in the Khmer language...

Jup Krauper Charavan #1

...and I THINK this nearly-identical one was dubbed for the Chinese market.

Jup Krauper Charavan #2



In any case, the English translation of the lyrics includes gems like, "The Great God exists with me/Lovely Girl exists with me," and "You monster, you are a clever liar/I'm the clever snake catcher from India," and "Me, eat glass and bowls/I'm alert, like a mouse." The dancing and acting is sublime and very silly, very reminiscent of Bollywood. 

Justin Timberlake, TAKE NOTICE!

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IT'S TIME TO ENJOY TEN VIDEOS OF FINNISH PEOPLE DANCING

What do you think of when someone mentions Finland? Well, in my capacity as an isolated, reasonably culturally-bereft American, all I can think of it "cold," "north," "Scandinavia," and "reindeer." This is really no good, I say, so I am broadening my knowledge of Finland right this minute. Did you know, for instance, that Finnish folk love to go dancing? They do! Let me share a few excerpts from "The Finnish Dance Server," and an article called "Social Dancing In Finland."

In Finland going out for social dancing is a very popular way to spend time, meet people, enjoy music and take exercise. The young and the old alike go dancing. Many people have met their future spouse at a dance, but it is very common to go dancing just for the fun of it.

When entering the building you can check your coat and walking shoes. Any valuables that you can not easily carry with you (e.g. wallets and cell phones) should be left with your coat so that they do not interfere with your dancing.

You do not have to speak Finnish to go to a dance in Finland. Not much talking is done during dancing anyway. If you are a woman, you can simply smile when you are asked to dance and if you are a man, you can bow or nod and hold out your hand when you ask a lady for a dance. After a dance it is customary to say "kiitos" (thank you) but that is about the only Finnish word you need to know.

If you want to dance with the local people, you may ponder, whether you will be asked to dance if you look like a foreigner (that is, not like a European). Of course, there is no guarantee. Not even Finns always get to dance in a place where they have not been before, where they are not known. But if you are a good dancer, you always get to dance. So first you have to show your skills. This is no problem for men, who do most of the asking. For a woman it is more difficult, if she goes without an escort. It would be advisable for her to have a male friend with her, who can "introduce" her by dancing the first dances with her. If no such friend is available, it is possible for a woman to ask herself. She can look at the dancers, note a man who dances well, and then go and ask him even though it is men's turn to ask. The man has the right to refuse, but it is more likely that he will be flattered and gladly takes her to the dance floor. And every evening there is the women's hour during which it is the women's right to ask men. 

 The dress code in Finnish dancing places is quite free and varies a lot. . However, the clothes absolutely have to be neat and clean. A shirt should never be worn for two nights in a row without washing it in between.

Women may (and do) wear both skirts and trousers, but the truth is that most men find a skirt more charming, especially if it is wide. 

Traditionally, the end of the women's row which is farther from the door is considered most special or worthy. In olden times the farthest end of the row was the so called cream bench, on which the most wealthy and the most educated women took their place. This tradition has been preserved in many dancing places, but nowadays there are no external requirements for taking your place on this special bench or "diva corner" as it is sometimes called. Usually the woman's own idea about her dancing skills is the reason why she chooses or does not choose this place.

Introducing yourself is not necessary; in fact it is not even usual. It is possible for a man and a woman to dance together once or twice every Saturday for many years without knowing each others' names.

It is considered impolite to refuse when somebody asks you for a dance, but not everybody is polite. A valid reason to refuse is, if the person asking you is drunk or unclean or behaves inappropriately. 

If women want to dance with each other, it is allowed. However it is not polite for women to dance with each other during the women's hour unless all the men have been asked.

Men do not dance with each other. 

Let us now enjoy some fine examples of Finnish dancing! I was familiar with this clip, as I pilfered it several years ago to use in a video for ME. How do you say "Rico Suave" in Finnish? This is truly mesmerizing.

Finnish Disco Dancers



This traditional Finnish folk dance reminds me a lot of the Monty Python "Fish Dance."

Finnish Stick Dance



But this one REALLY looks like it!

Finnish Keyboard Slapping Dance



You have to jump to 2:12 in to see how to dance the "Finnish Jive." He really kicks it into high gear a few seconds from the end.

Finnish Jive Man



In Part Two, we see ACTUAL FINN JIVERS, but the greatest thing is hearing Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" sung in Finnish, with the nonsense words changed to Finnish nonsense words, I think.

Finnish Jivers



These Finnish men are BREAKING THE LAST RULE!

Finnish Men Dancing With Men



Here we have a German girl learning an Argentinian dance from some Finns. HEY! IS THAT OLD DUDE THE SAME DUDE FROM THE FIRST VIDEO??? HEY!!!!!

Finnish Tango



IT IS! IT IS! WOW! His name is Ake Blomqvist!!!!

Finnish Twist



These Finnish lads enjoy that whole "Harlem Shake" meme.

Finnish Harlem Shake Boys



Leaving the most spectacular for last, here are the sensual Nordic dance moves of...this guy. WOW!

Finnish Guy Dancing

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VIDEO: "AN EVENING WITH FRED ASTAIRE," NBC-TV, 1958

This is no novel statement, I know, but I believe that Fred Astaire was just the best dancer ever. Oh, he was, because even when compared with other highly-gifted, highly-skilled dancers, Astaire's skills were so off-the-charts as to be peerless. Why? All you have to do is spend a little time in observation. Astaire, with each and every routine he ever performed, wasn't just a brilliant and innovative choreographer or a tuned-in partner or a top technician. Watch, and you will see how all of him was at all times completely connected with the music. Not just his feet or legs or arms -- everything, down to the tiniest flip of a hand or dip of a shoulder, even his facial expressions. It is what made him appear so elegant and effortless. Everything in him was integrated, flowing, and near-flawless when he danced; when he moved at all, really. Even dancers with the strongest motivation, deep emotions, hardiest bodies, and most superior skills -- incredible, amazing performers -- can't quite get to Fred-level.

Fred Astaire was one-of-a-kind, and one of those extremely rare people who took their incredible natural gifts as far as it was possible to take them. For you today, I bring you the 1958 Emmy Award-winning NBC-TV special, "An Evening With Fred Astaire," in "living color." Spend an hour watching a artistic genius, nearly 60 years old at that time, and be very glad we had this guy around.

"An Evening With Fred Astaire," NBC-TV, October 17, 1958

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JOEY HEATHERTON, VERY SEXY PERSON OF THE '60S

It's so weird how you learn about the world, really, and the perceptions you come away with that you may never discuss with a single soul during the course of your entire life. One of those things you have to process when you are a kid is the whole concept of "sexy." I was a lil' sponge in the '60s when this came up, and that, we can all agree, was a super-sexy time: long hair on guys, miniskirts, Cleopatra eye makeup, and general go-go/hippie abandon. But I led a sheltered life, and had no idea at all what "sex" was, and no one was bursting to tell me either, fortunately. So I had to figure out what on earth it meant when someone like Dean Martin or Don Rickles or Thurston Howell III meant when they called a woman "sexy" on TV. WHAT WAS SEXY?

Hmmmmmm, said tiny me, "sexy" seems to be "pretty," but hmmmm...it doesn't seem like...every pretty girl...is "sexy." "Sexy" seems to be a good thing, but there also seems to be something...hmmm...mysterious about it. Like there's something the adults are REFERRING TO that I DON'T UNDERSTAND as much as I WOULD LIKE TO. This was extremely irritating to me, when I didn't understand adult stuff, because DAMMIT, I thought of myself as just as VALID as any adult and HEY I'M SMART, YOU CAN'T FOOL ME! I worked harder at figuring out what "sexy" might be, and was just smart enough to figure out that it was highly likely my parents would not appreciate their preschooler asking about sexiness.

So, who helped me figure it out, or at least make my way towards nodding knowingly years later? I think, upon refection, in part it was actress/singer/dancer Joey Heatherton. If you are much younger than I am, you might not recognize her name at all; she's been pretty much out of the spotlight since the '70s. But in the mid-'60s, she arguably reigned as the decade's Queen of All Sex Kittens. Still a teenager when she began making the rounds on TV variety shows, she worked sexy like no one else, with her just-out-of-bed blonde hair, pouty pale lips, smoky, heavy-lidded, world-weary eyes, and a body that could make men (and hey, probably more than a few women) weep in frustration.

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VIDEOS: 1980's KIDS DANCING TO BAD 1980'S MUSIC

I really, really, really didn't like the '80s. After the torpid hippie disco bad facial hair sleazefest that was generally the '70s, as a newly-minted adult I was looking forward to a fresh start in music, fashion, and culture. But aside from a scant few bands and neon hair accessories, I got pile after pile of WEAK ASS New Wave bands with terrible Synsonics drums and yelping whiny vocalists, giant hairspray metal bands with stuffed crotch leather jeans, and Madonna writhing around on the ground like a dying flounder in cheap lace. There was nothing to do but wait it out until the '90s came around and things started to improve again.

At least I can be thankful that I was grown-ish in the '80s and not any younger and susceptible to the forces of Crap Culture. My deepest sympathies go out to the Children of the '80s...but not quite so much that I cannot make fun of them. Please to enjoy with me!

I do wonder what happened to these kids when they grew up. I will say no more.

80s Children Dancing to Madonna



Aw, jeez.

Emu's Pink Widmill Kids: Dance Electric



Even Vin Diesel. EVEN. This is not the strongest breakdancing I've seen. Nnnnnnope.



Oh dear lord, I had forgotten about Kids Incorporated. Michael Jackson inspired legions of terrible dancers.



Sigh. The '80s MTV-style-quick-cut was the death knell to the ATTENTION SPAN. Sorry, Teachers of the World.

Do The Locomotion



Yeah...nothing TOO CREEPY about a dancing Jordache Jeans commercial that does a close-up of a pre-pubescent girl's BUTT. *FACEPALM*

I don't miss the Ska Fad. At all.

Call me Ms. Get Off My Lawn, GO AHEAD I DON'T CARE! But I think THIS was COOLER. PFFT. PFFT!

Kiddie-A-Go-Go, WCIU-TV, Chicago, 4/29/69

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MORE GARAGE ROCK VIDEO GOODNESS: "LYIN' GIRL" BY REIGNING SOUND!

Another great garage rock song comes my way, and yet another time I find only a static image video for it on YouTube? UNACCEPTABLE! "Lyin' Girl" is a smokin' hot frug frenzy from North Carolina's Reigning Sound, one of my big fave bands. This song will sear your ears, scramble your eggs, and make you steal quarters out of your grandmother's purse to feed the jukebox down at the Teen Center, even though no one at the Teen Center now has ever heard of a jukebox. IT'S THAT COOL! My video footage was delicately lifted from some vintage '60s deliciousness, and compiled thoughtfully for your entertainment. Check it, cats and kittens! Dig that 'stache!

Reigning Sound, "Lyin' Girl"




"Lyin' Girl" comes from the 2011 Reigning Sound EP "Abdication...For Your Love" which is available FREE FREE FREE AND TOTALLY LEGAL at the wonderful Scion A/V Garage and you can click HERE to get it for yourself LIKE A BOSS! OH YEAH!!

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IT'S LATE, SO HERE YOU GO

What a strange day. From the terribly depressing news of the Occupy Oakland police actions last night that critically injured a peaceful, unarmed protestor (a veteran and fellow Wisconsinite), to the good feelings in helping out a local Seattle musician by helping to rebuild his record collection lost in a house fire, it's been a real rollercoaster.

I've had a big beer and a big cider and a big pizza, I'm sleepy, and my mind is full of piss and cotton. So...here is the strangest dance company video you have ever seen. It gets seriously amazing at about :53 in.

Oh, you are welcome. (Note: may or may not be NSFW. I kinda hope not, sorta.)

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GUEST POST: TRUCKDANCE

(My good pal Dena sits in today for me, as I seem to have consumption, rickets, vertigo, shingles, gout, dropsy, halitosis, pertussis, lockjaw, pleurisy, and the hives. Thanks, D and MissS.)

When Marianne asked me to do a guest blog for her today, I was not sure how to respond. On the one hand I was a bit under the weather myself and had a meeting to attend downtown, not exactly the most auspicious conditions to pull off any major bouts of spontaneous creativity. On the other hand we all know Marianne is right up there with the most super of the troupers when it comes from pulling blog posts out of your wazoo in sickness and in health, etc., so she had to be feeling downright crappy to ask in the first place. Something had to be done, but what?

There may not be too many subjects I can speak on today with any great authority, but it occurs to me that you may be wondering what happens when you put an eight-year-old in an empty truck. Please note that the truck is STATIONARY. NEVER TAP-DANCE ON A MOVING VEHICLE OF ANY KIND, unless maybe it’s a parade float or a cruise ship. Definitely not a motorcycle or a Segway or a unicycle, although, okay, maybe that last one might work if you are in Cirque du Soleil. Please see me if you need any clarification regarding which types of conveyances are safe for tap-dancing and which are not. And please send your good thoughts to Marianne so she’ll get better, because all of this stuff is exhausting just to think about. 

The Truckdance

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WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT IN 2011?

I've got your answer. Find a partner, and practice the Lindy Hop just like this from the 1941 film "Hellzapopppin'" everyday for a year. I guarantee that by the end of 2011 your BMI will be like, I dunno, 1 or something. I think you could consume Super Extra Big Giant Value Pack Meals at McDonald's and still stay skinny. I think you could shove a baker's dozen of doughnuts down your gullet with a ramrod every 15 minutes and still stay skinny. I think you could drink the deep-fryer grease from every KFC in a 50-mile radius DAILY and still stay skinny.


 
But if you don't want to do that, you can listen to So So Glos "Lindy Hop" and look at a picture of a unicorn against a raging sunset from last night. I'm not sure you'll be able to get away with the doughnuts, though.

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