I got some really good photos at Hawksley Workman’s gig in December 1999. I really should post these on the blog and to my flickr set.
Category: Music
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Andy is a Punk Rocker
I’m not the only rock-and-roller with a taste for weird instruments in the family. My brother-in-law, Andy Koslow, plays balalaika (even playing once at Carnegie Hall) but is porbably better known for his bass playing with Boston’s Ramones tribute band, The Ramoniacs.
(Really, that’s him in the suit.) Let’s go for a more representative photo:
Anyway, the Ramoniacs are featured in today edition of the Boston Globe. Here’s the Andy-centric bit:
The Ramoniacs first came to life at a May 2005 Worcester appearance by Marky Ramone, the longstanding on-again, off-again Ramones drummer. DeLay, who had recently moved east with his wife and son from his native Southern California, handed out fliers in search of fellow Ramones fans interested in starting a tribute band. Woundy, a software programmer and veteran of several Ramones-influenced groups, took one.
DeLay had also placed an ad on Craigslist. Martel, who had recently placed his own ads proposing a Ramones tribute band, quickly responded. They became a foursome with the addition of Andy Koslow, a doctor at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, who also saw the ad. Koslow has moonlighted in an array of bands, including one that played 25-minute jams and another that specializes in traditional Russian music.
”Mine was not a punk upbringing,” says Koslow. ”I was into all kinds of out-there stuff. I started seeing the Ramones in 1989. [Their debut] was one of the only real punk albums I owned.”
Yet he has thrown himself into the Ramoniacs with as much zeal as his bandmates. They wouldn’t be a Ramones tribute without donning the classic uniform — black Perfecto-style biker jackets, ripped jeans and T-shirts, canvas sneakers.
“Mine was not a punk upbringing”…I love it! I’m trying to imagine if it was, with my father-in-law, who works in financial planning, wearing Doc Marten boots and saying “Segmented funds: now those are hardcore!”
According to the Ramoniacs website, there’ll be a piece on them in tomorrow’s edition of the Boston Herald and those of you in the Boston area can go check them out at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville tomorrow. Well done, Andy!
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Theme Music for "FOX News Alert"
A recent screen capture from FOX News. Moussaoui looks like he’s enjoying his latte.
FOX News alerts are missing only a couple of things, otherwise they’d be perfect:
- The words START FREAKING OUT NOW in bold red letters, flashed at the appropriate time
- A decent theme song
Luckily for us, we now have the theme song: FOX News Alert, performed by artists unknown [3.0MB MP3]. Enjoy!
This weekend, I’ll post more about my appearance on MTV Live last night, but in the meantime, here’s a photo of me enjoying the free rock star snacks in the MTV green room…
“Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta,” as the song goes, so I’ll celebrate by sharing the song: here’s the Geto Boys’ Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta [7.1 MB MP3], which you may recognize from the Office Space soundtrack. Enjoy!.
Yesterday, I got a phone call from Toni Thomas, Talent Coordinator for MTV Live, the flagship talk show for the newly-launched MTV Canada. She told me that she’d been referred to me by Shelley “Burningbird” Powers and asked if I would like to appear on the show and talk about blogs. Seeing as Tucows pays me to talk about tech and that I rather enjoy the whole appearing-on-TV thing, I said that I’d love to show up at their studios — the old Masonic Temple, a.k.a. “The Concert Hall” for those of you of a certain age like me — and talk about the strange hobby in which I’ve been partaking for the past four and a half years.
This morning, I got email from Toni asking me if I could bring the accordion and what songs I could play so that they could get about the business of clearing the rights. I emailed her back a list of the songs which I can play even when three sheets to the wind. Those of you who know me well have probably already guessed the songs on the list. I wonder which one they’ll pick.
A little talking about blogs, a little playing the ol’ squeezebox, all on a new TV channel that’s getting a fair bit of fanfare. Business, pleasure and shameless self-promotion. What could be better?
My thanks to Shelley Powers for the referral!
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Parking Here? Fuggedaboutit!
The “No Parking” signs in New York City are pretty cool — they certainly convey the attitude for which the city is famous:
Of course, what would be much cooler would be if they had these signs…
As a special bonus, here’s a musical biscuit for you: Nina Hagen’s New York, New York [4.8MB MP3]. This was on fairly heavy rotation on my walkman back in high school.
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Best Radiohead Cover Ever [Updated]
Put this in your iPod and crank the wheel hard right: here’s DJ Mark Ronson and Alex Greenwald’s funk-tastic cover of Radiohead’s Just [8.5 MB MP3]. Who knew that the song would benefit from funky drums, groovin’ guitar and an awesome horn section?
Want to know more about Mark Ronson? Here’s his MySpace page.
Update: Hey! There’s a video for this cover! Links for high- and low-bandwidth QuickTime and Windows Media can be found at the end of this article on Mark Ronson.