St. Stephen's Day Murders

This, from the Bells of Dublin, an album of Christmas songs and traditional carols by The Chieftans, with various guest artists:

"I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas,
And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve.
I wonder if they grew up hating the season,
The good will that lasts til the Feast of St. Stephen.

Holiday Dream Date by Tim Baskerville

"For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry,
Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed.
And the whole family tree you neglected to bury,
Are feeding their faces until they explode.

"There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,
Mixed up with that drink made from girders.
’Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,
Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,
In the St. Stephen's Day Murders."
(Lyrics by Declan MacManus [EC, to his fans] and Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains)

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Triad

Three images from Suite: Dream Dates are included in Selections 2010 - ArtSpan's prestigious biennial juried exhibition - January 7 - 22, 2010 at California Modern Gallery, 1035 Market Street in San Francisco.

(Badwater, Study 1 / Dream Date #9 / Porter Brothers Store, Rhyolite)

The work of 20 San Francisco Open Studios artists were chosen for Selections 2010: Steven Allen, Tim Baskerville, Flora Davis, Monica Denevan, Jennifer Ewing, Mark Faigenbaum, Rebecca Fox, Art Hazelwood, Marvin Johnson, Sandra Kelch, Mike Kimball, David King, Brian McDonald, Erika Meriaux, Sarah Newton, Mirena Rhee, Thierry Rosset, Ron Moultrie Saunders, Schnetzler Photography [part of our own Studio Nocturne group!], and Gavin Worth.

Reception on January 14 from 6 - 9pm

(from The Nocturnes NightNews feed)

Emigre at 25

From the Press Release:
"The design work of Emigre will be on display at San Francisco's Gallery 16 from December 18, 2009 through January 30, 2010.

"The exhibit, which coincides with the recent publication of Emigre No.70: The Look Back Issue (Gingko Press), features a selection of work spanning the entire Emigre enterprise, including a collection of press sheets of Emigre magazine covers, promotional posters for Emigre Music and Emigre Fonts, as well as books [Ed. Note: see the highly recommended Trilogy of Palm Desert, Joshua Tree, and Cucamonga - all about Southern California and the desert], prints, photographs, and much more. A series of six specially designed large-sized digital prints to celebrate Emigre's longstanding relationship with Gallery 16 will also be on view.

December 18, 2009 - January 30, 2010
Gallery 16, 501 3rd Street, San Francisco, California.

Opening reception and book signing December 18th, 6-9 pm."

(from The Nocturnes NightNews feed)

Once in a Blue Moon . . .

"Pick up your hat, close up your flat,
Get out, get under the moon!"
(Larry Shay (m), William Jerome (l), Charles Tobias (l), 1928



Tonight is December's FIRST full moon, followed by a second (a "Blue Moon") on December 31, 2009 - enjoy it! The song is a performance by Helen Kane with Nat Shilkret & his Orchestra, July 16 1928, in New York.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Of interest to Mare Island Nocturnes . . .

Today's SF Chronicle gives an update on redevelopment of Mare Island - and a sort of cautionary tale for the citizens of San Francisco.

(from The Nocturnes NightNews feed)

Random Notes (but no more than two . . .)

Legendary bassist Scott LaFaro is featured in the Holiday 2009 issue of BassPlayer magazine, as well as the December issue of Jazz Times.

With a life cut way too short (auto accident in 1961, age 25) Mr. LaFaro. nonetheless became a huge influence on future bassists as diverse as Charlie Haden, Miroslav Vitous, Jaco Pastorius, Jack Casady; and is credited by many (like the late SF Chronicle's Jazz Critic Ralph J. Gleason) for giving bass players a "voice," heretofore unheard.

Also released this fall: a book by LaFaro's sister ("Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro"), and a CD of a Practice Session with Bill Evans (ResonanceRecords.org). The essential record of LaFaro's brilliance as a bassist, and of Evan's trio-work remains the 3CD set: "Bill Evans, The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961."
___________________

Yet another "Dream Date?" (see below) - this video of "29 Palms" in which Robert continues the chase of his desert muse.

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("29 Palms / I feel the heat of your desert heart / Leading me back down the road / that leads back to you")

An Other Dream Date . . .

Doesn't the setting for this video (one of my faves) just look like something out near Tecopa or Shoshone in the Mojave? Anyone recognize it? - the video is from 1983, I believe.

BTW, Joe Reifer, guest instructor for our recent trek to Death Valley, has posted some images, found items, and commentary from the trip to his Web site and Blog. My images from the trip will be posted shortly - soon as I scan the film!



Is it time to go back, yet?

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Night Photography (in five words or less)

"Behind The Wall of Sleep"
GP - with The Smithereens!

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

("And she stood just like Bill Wyman . . .")

Night Photography - CD SetList

"I came to the conclusion some time ago that the desert is paradoxical - what's true one year might not be true the next."
(from David Darlington's book "The Mojave: A Portrait of the definitive American Desert")

Dream Date #8, Death Valley

Really gearing up for this year's trek down thru the Central Valley to that greatest of Deserts, the Mojave - and our Death Valley NPy Workshop! I have the setlist for the 10-hour drive (over two days) all set up - many of the connections made are obvious (songs like Wild Horse Road, Next Best Western, Kern River, Willin') - other titles, CDs are more oblique, for sure: (Powderfinger, Sketches of Spain, Ultra, Barber's Adagio) - but hey, it's my setlist for a Dream Date!

Northline - soundtrack to the book by Willy Vlautin, Paul Brainhard
California Bloodlines by John Stewart
Feast of Wine by Calexico
The Joshua Tree - U2
Any Day Now (Songs of Bob Dylan) by Joan Baez
The Caution Horses by Cowboy Junkies
Music for the Native Americans - Robbie Robertson
Invisible 5 - critical enviro-audio tour of Interstate 5 by Kim Stringfellow
The Shepherd's Dog by Iron and Wine
Ultra by Depeche Mode
Courier by Richard Shindell
Spirit Horses - R. Carlos Nakai, James DeMars
American 5: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash
Chinatown - The Be Good Tanyas
Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris
Eponymous album by Cry Cry Cry
First Love, Last Rites by Cockrobin
Sketches of Spain - Miles Davis
Barber's Adagio - Various Artists
The Story by Brandi Carlisle
Unearthed, Vol. 5 - Johnny Cash
The Phoenix Concerts - John Stewart
West of the West - Dave Alvin
Now Again - The Flatlanders

Oh! And there's still time to late-register for the Full Moon Night Photography Workshop held in Death Valley, October 30-31 and November 1, 2009 - details at http://www.thenocturnes.com/workshops/deathvalley.html - call or fax in registration for this great trip! We need to hear from you by Monday . . .

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne

Night Photography (in five words or less)

"And breathe . . . just breathe"
Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2 A.M.)"

From The [not so] Daily Nocturne