7 posts tagged “qotd”

Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?

I am still hoping to find some on the planet I currently occupy.

What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.) 
Submitted by Bill. 

While memorable does not have to be good, in my case, it is:

1. Reunion tour of Living Colour at Slim's in SF, where besides playing a staggeringly good set, they did an even more stunning encore which included an improvisiational section based on John Coltrane's A Love Supreme
2. With the first time that Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Dave Holland played together in almost 30 years, to see them with Brian Blade filling out the line up was magic. One of many amzzing shows at the Masoni in SF.
3. Speaking of the Masonic, I also saw a great set by Cassandra Wilson there.  Still one of the best modern singer, and knocks the stuffing out of the NoraH Jones' and Diana Krall's of the world.
4. Cassandra Wilson used to be part of Steve Coleman's M-Base collective, and I saw him with one of his bands, specifically the Five Elements (including gene Lake on drums and IIRC Lonnie Plaxico --another Cassandra alumni-- on bass).  They played a scorching set at the now defunct Ajaz Lounge in SJ.
5. I went to see a free-fusion outing with Sam Rivers and Jonas Hellborg,along with my friend Greg anbd former Zappa guitarist Mike Kenneally (himself having put on a great show prior) in a performance loft above a Chinese restaurant in San Diego.
6. I went to Portland to catch Don Byron promote his tribute to Junior Walker (which included Living Colour drummer Wil Calhoun and Screaming Headless Torso vocalist Dean Bowman).  The show was so good, I saw him again two days later back in the Bay Area at Yoshi's.
7. I once saw Helmet (and nearly was decapitated in the mosh pit) at a tiny unannounced warm up gig at the Cactus Club in SJ.
8. After thinking they would never be seen on stage again, I witnessed the awesome industrial funk of the mighty  Tack>>Head in SF at the Independent.  Unfortunately I had to leave early, but what a sweet, brief liason of bliss.
9. I waited for hours to see three members of Marillion play an acoustic set at the now defunct CD Warehouse in Sunnyvale.  It was one of the few times I also nabbed an autograph (which I normally could care less about)..a decade later I caught the ull band at the Fillmore, and I cannot decide which show mattered more.
10.  I am picky about fado, but seeing Mariza at Bimbo's 365 was ecstatic.

Too bad it's only 10.  Ah well, I'll add a top 10 Runner Ups:

1. The first time I saw Sandbox at the Cactus Club, when Raubei was their vocalist.  I would later do various designs for them and even doubled as roadie/light guy and occasional pair of ears in the rehearsal room.  Greatest band that should have gone big I ever had the benefit of knowing.
2. I also watched Sandbox open for another great local act whose singer recently made a national splash: Flower SF headlined a show at The Edge, and their vocalist was none other than Storm Large.
3. Will Calhoun (again) and his jazz quintet in a small but cozy club in New York called the Zinc Bar.  I ended up talking to Will for a good 20 minutes, and also ran into guitarist Hiram Bullock in the audience.
4. A noisy, raucous, tribal ceremony at Slims...with a reunited Killing Joke.
5. Seeing local reggae darlings Inka Inka (one of the Bay Area's best exports IMHO) and meeting their recording engineer, who also happened to be the drummer for one of my other favorite Bay Area bands...Giraffe (later I would meet him again at his studio, where he made a copy of their long out of print second LP.  Thanks Scott).
6. In the mid 90s I goit to see a fully functioning Mothership land in SF, when I saw Parliament-Funkadelic. They played non-stop for almost four hours.
7. I went to the Warfield and sat in the court of King Crimson.  Oh my.
8. Yohimbe Brothers.  Vernon Reid, DJ Logic, and Latasha Nevada Diggs made for a roaring front line that just tore everything to shreds.
9. Rush...front row...center.  A free ticket upgrade.
10. Any number of Me'Shell Ndegeocello concerts.

What's your musical horoscope?  (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)
Inspired by Stephanie.  

Living Colour - Visions
Bobby Hutcherson - Spiral
Storm Inc. - Great Day
Brand New Heavies - Don't Call Me Foolish
Level 42 - Dive Into The Sun
Radio Macau - Bom Dia Lisboa
Living Colour - Release The Pressure
Cameo - Urban Warrior
Cameo - Single Life
Heavy - Fire

What are your top 5 CDs/albums of 2006? 
Submitted by eliz. s.

Vernon Reid & Masque - Other True Self
Little Axe - Stone Cold Ohio
Robert Fripp - Exposure (2cd re-issue)
The Rebirth - This Journey In
Omar - Sing (If You Want It)

Honorable mentions: The Weather Report box set, and the latest by Jason Moran, DJ Logic, and Level 42.

What's your favorite music for a Sunday morning?
Submitted by Nick.

I see this type of question in the occasional music magazine and I always find it a bit odd; do you always listen to the same thing at the same part of the same day, every time?

I certainly don't.

The answer is, whatever feels right at the time, just like any other time on any other day.

However, I guess I should note that most Sundays start the same for me, which is to say I spend the early part of the morning checking on email and notes, then head off to a music studio in Menlo Park, an try to make music. In which case I am listening as well as participating. Given the nature of the trio I am in, The Heavy Weather Orchestra, really anything goes.

What comedian makes you pee your pants laughing?
Submitted by pookieb.

While no comedian has ever made me actually loose the contents of my bladder, there are a few I find quite funny; here is ten comics and ten of their best albums:

1. Richard Pryor - Was it Something I Said?
2. Robin Williams - Live at the Met
3. George Carlin - AM/PM
4. Lewis Black - The Rules of Enragement
5. Dennis Miller - The Off-White Album
6. Bill Hicks - Rant in E Minor
7. Eddie Murphy - Raw
8. Eddie Izzard - Glorious
9. Dave Allen - any episode of Dave Allen at Large
10. The entire corpus of Monty Python

How did you pick your Vox name? Does it mean something? 
Submitted by LeendaDLL.  

It's the same name I use for my domain and for all my other online accounts.  I picked it on a lark; its a name of an angel from old apocryphal writings, that supposedly means "right arm of God, set over strength".  It also starts with Ze, which is the shorthand for my name in my natal language of Portuguese.