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(Leitmotiv - Shoegaze Italiano)

When you get away from mainstream music, there's a whole universe out there going on while you aren't looking. And it's happening all over the world, in every country on the planet, in seemingly every town.

Leitmotiv is an Italian band going under the alternative/psych/shoegaze/experimental category. They've been around for a few years and their first album came out in 2008. They're from the southeastern part of Italy with one member from France tossed in for good measure. This track, Balocchi is the first cut off the album. It's atmospheric and densely layered, and the spoken lyric adds a touch of moody cinema to the whole thing.

Check out their page if you get the chance - and give this one a listen while you're at it.

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(Warren G. Harding - only President for 2 years. Yes, THAT Warren G. Harding)

Keeping with the spirit of "Presidents you've probably never actually heard before", I thought I would add Warren G. Harding to the mix.

Harding was President from 1921 to 1923, dying in office from a fatal heart attack. Not a lot of time to do much, he nonetheless tried to establish a system of arms control, brought about at a time when the world was still getting over the nightmare of the Great War in which he coined the phrase "return to normalcy". At his death he was succeeded by his vice-President Calvin Coolidge.

Here is a recording made at the opening of the International Conference For Limitation Of Arms on November 23, 1921.

Warren G. Harding: “We wish to sit with you at the table of understanding and goodwill. In good conscience we are eager to meet you frankly. And invite and offer cooperation. The world demands a sober contemplation of the existing order and the realization that there can be no cure without sacrifice. Not by one of us, but by all of us.”

Ironically, it was also the same day he signed into law the Wills-Campell Act which banned beer or any alcohol for medicinal use. It was a loophole in the Prohibition Law and no doubt I'm sure there was a connection there somewhere.

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(Nixon in 1970 - Just Say No. . and no. . .and no)

It was such a big deal, Nixon took Primetime television to talk about it. His veto of the Education and Health bills passed by the House on January 26, 1970. Despite his protests, it was largely viewed as a political move and a somewhat disingenuous display over the rising budget and our about-to-become involvement in Cambodia a few weeks later.

Nonetheless, with bravura and flourish, President Nixon proclaimed his concern and welfare for the American people and cut spending in an area that was desperately needed.

Nixon: “No matter how popular a spending program is, if I determine that it’s enactment will have the effect of raising your prices or raising your taxes, I will not approve that program. Now for these reasons, for the first time tonight instead of signing a bill which has been sent to me by the Congress, I am signing this veto message.”

Right after the non-signing, NET (pre-PBS) hosted a discussion of the bill, its veto and the implications hosted by Mitchell Krause. It was generally conceded that Nixon, as usual was not in touch with millions of Americans hanging by a thread and that social programs were not his strong suit.

Seems to be a recurring theme.

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(U.S. Troops in Haiti in 2004 - ten years after we put the guy we're getting rid of in power . . confused?)

After invading Haiti in 1994 to unseat Military dictator Raoul Cedras, and reinstate Jean Bertrand Aristide as President of the country, ten years later we're getting rid of Aristide in favor of someone else.

Now you know why the Haitians are a bit nervous around U.S. Marines? Wouldn't you?

The 2004 coup was murky at best. Generally acknowledged to have been aided and abetted by the U.S. government, the Bush Administration put U.S. troops ashore to "establish order and set up a democratic government" - or words to that effect.

One of the key players in the overthrow was a right wing think tank known as Haiti Democracy Project, their spokesman Lawrence Pezullo was interviewed by the BBC on February 26:

Lawrence Pezullo (Haiti Democracy Project): “I think the Haitian people have had enough experience with something short of democracy, and have had a lot of experience looking at the means to put governments together that might offer participation by the citizens. And I think the leadership level, certainly that you see today is mature enough to at least put the form together whether or not they have the means to educate the people and contain it remains to be seen.”

The 2004 coup and our involvement was only the latest in a long line of "excursions" into the business of our Caribbean neighbors going back to the beginning of the last century. It further establishes a certain skittishness where the subject of American aid is concerned, even in humanitarian terms. The concept of "once bitten, twice shy" seems more than appropriate here.

Above is a capsule rundown of events on March 2, 2004 as reported by the BBC.

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And for our French friends, or readers who are fluent, I am adding a bonus broadcast from Radio France International concerning the situation in Haiti and the ouster of Aristide. A special program from RFI Soir on February 26, 2004 with interviews and actualities of the situation on the ground.

Two points of view. One big mess.

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(Commerce Secretary Luther H. Hodges - in 1961 High-Tech meant transistor radios)

How the economic times have changed. The only thing that stays the same are the people out of work - they will never stop. Also looming recessions - those will be with us forever. In 1961 former Governor Luther H. Hodges was appointed Secretary of Commerce in the Kennedy Administration, and in this February 5th Meet The Press edition, Hodges is the first of the New Frontier Cabinet to be interviewed by a panel.

The concerns are the same - Foreign competition and the strength of the Dollar.

Luther H. Hodges (on the question of Foreign competition): “Basically, this country, when it’s running at its best efficiency can meet most any kind of competition even though it may be lower wages elsewhere. So I think that, overall we are not going to have any great trouble. Now there will be certain adjustments we may have to make for certain small segments.”

The biggest competition was coming from Japan, West Germany and the rest of Europe. All those countries who had to be rebuilt as a result of the devastation of World War 2. High Tech wasn't even considered a word in 1961. China wasn't considered a viable competitor or even anyone we were recognizing. India was a little over 10 years out of British rule and had not, for all intents and purposes, entered the world economic/labor force.

It was all part of the Post-War World. The new scary one hadn't come about yet.

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(Peter and Laurel of Exlovers - wistful dreamy angst)

Exlovers are a relatively new (2007) band out of London. Fronted by singer Laurel, whose plaintive voice spins remarkably well into this lush acoustic tapestry, Exlovers have been touring around England quite a bit so far this year and are gathering some good word of mouth in the process. This track, The Moon Has Spoken is some of their newer material and well worth checking out. No label (yet), but a new ep "You Forget So Easily" which is available via iTunes or as a CD. They are doing it themselves and can use all the encouragement they can get. They even have T-shirts to sell. So there's no excuse not to stop by their MySpace page and help them out.

Honest, I'm sure they'd do the same for you - if they haven't already.

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(British Elections in 1950 - campaigning the old fashioned way)

Even though the elections in Britain wouldn't take place until the 23rd of February, interest in the turnout was eagerly watched in the States. So CBS Radio ran a special program The People Speak on February 2, 1950 to discuss the upcoming election and the issues. Since it was an off-year election here, and since the issue of Universal Health Care was a hot topic around Americans homes, the continuance of the Universal Health Care was closely watched over here.

Elmo Roper (CBS News): “Perhaps the most controversial issue of all is also the most popular measure of all. That is the National Health Scheme under which the people of Britain are assured medical assistance from their government. Almost a third of the British people cite this as the Labour Party’s outstanding achievement in its past five years in office”.

The Labour Party under Clement Attlee stayed in power, narrowly defeating Winston Churchill and the Conservative Party. But it was short lived as another election was called a little over a year later and the Conservative Party led by Winston Churchill regained the majority in Parliament.

Universal Health Care guaranteed for everyone in Britain didn't change one iota.

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(Luis Somoza - like father like son)

Virgil Pinkley (News commentator): “The Champ is dead, but his heirs are still in firm control of one of the most durable, profitable and enemies charged, most ruthless dictatorships ever to rise in the Western Hemisphere. Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua died in a Panama Canal Zone hospital from four bullets fired into his body by an assassin.”

On September 29, 1956, Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza was gunned down by four assassins bullets while attending a dance. Somoza, who seized power in 1937 died some seven days later and his son Luis quickly assumed power. His Presidency was assured on February 4,1957 when he was officially inaugurated. And so the Somoza regime continued, pretty much unabated until his ouster by the Sandanistas in 1979. What resulted involved the U.S. and what became the infamous Iran/Contra scandal. A general state of chaos continued until around 1990 when Violeta Chamorro won an upset victory in the country's first free poll since 1937.

Some things just don't change overnight.

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(The Vines - nice combination of Psych and Alt from Oz)

The Vines have been around since 1994. In 2002 they made the cover of Rolling Stone with the banner heading "Rock Is Back". They've been likened to an Australian version of Nirvana. They've gone double Platinum in Australia. They are virtually unknown here.

I couldn't explain why. The music business is in such a state of chaos and turmoil that it's a wonder any bands are getting any sort of notoriety these days anywhere in the world. The field is crowded but worse, the mainstream is getting more narrow; anything sounding the slightest bit different from whatever is selling the most just isn't getting any exposure. The sentiment that Pop music never goes anywhere is more true now than ever. The end of the tunnel has to be somewhere - or maybe there isn't. Maybe it's just one big yawn until it all dies of boredom.

In any case, tonight I'm playing a cut off the Vines 2008 album Melodia (which was released by a small indie label in the states), and the track True As The Night.

Makes it all the more apparent what we're missing

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(Louis Jordan - Five guys named Moe and a whole lot more)

A double dose of 1940s tonight. First off, Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five from the Chesterfield Supper Club Broadcast of July 17, 1945. Jordan was one of the first Jump-Blues outfits to gain national popularity in the early 1940s. They would be a wave of the future as far as Big Bands were concerned. As the War took a lot of sidemen off to the Armed Forces, bands were forced to pare down. And as time wore on, the number of venues a big band could play started to dwindle. So the small outfit was economical and attractive to the club owner who didn't have to shell out so much for a 10-20 piece band, where they could just pay for 5 or 6. Louis Jordan was a popular attraction and a regular on Radio broadcasts. He was a recurring act on the Chesterfield Supper Club.

(The Charioteers - human orchestra. Later, model for Do-Wop)

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Our second dose comes by way of The Charioteers. Early on, they were a gospel group, dabbling as a Human Orchestra. In the 1930s and 1940s many acappella vocal groups added the extra bonus of being able to imitate most any wind instrument there was in a band - a whole sub-genre of groups sprang up known as Human Orchestras. As the Charioteers popularity rose they gradually transitioned over to doing more pop/standard material and eventually became one of the models in the evolution of do-wop and vocal R&B. Here they are, also via the Chesterfield Supper Club from July 31, August 12 and September 2, 1945

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(Johan Svendsen - Contemporary of Grieg, but less well known)

The music of Johan Svendsen has probably gotten more familiar to audiences now that it was say, 40 years ago. A contemporary of fellow Norwegian Edvard Grieg, he was most prominently known for his Romance for Violin and Orchestra and not a lot else.

After World War 2 the Society of Norwegian Composers sought to spread the word about Svendsen, and many other Norwegian composers for that matter. They issued a series of 78 discs through the Norwegian Office Of Cultural Relations, featuring a number of less familiar composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, performed by some of the leading orchestras and performing bodies in Norway. The result was a fascinating set of discs which, sadly were not commercially available, even at the time of their release. They were destined for educational institutions and radio stations in an effort to promote culture and not garner sales.

One of those recordings was the 2nd Symphony of Johan Svendsen, with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by their music director Odd Gruner-Hegge. Hegge had been music director of the orchestra in the late 1920's to early 1930s when he left and later resumed his association with the orchestra from 1945-1952. There is no actual date on the discs and no information regarding sessions. I am assuming it's 1946, but it could be as late as 1948. In any event, it's a rare fist recording of a seldom performed symphony played by an orchestra the composer was closely associated with.

Nice combination, if you ask me.

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( . . .speaking of buying elections)

Quick - who remembers California's Prop 186 in 1994? No? Anybody? Since history has been relegated in some sectors to selective memory, it's good to be reminded that 1994 was not only not a good year for Democrats, it wasn't a very good year for people living in California (again!).

On the 1994 ballot was a measure that proposed a Universal Healthcare plan for the people of California patterned much in the same fashion as the Canadian Healthcare system. It was co-authored by Dr. Kevin Grumbach, who saw the then-current state of affairs with private insurance as a disaster, and since any thought of a National Healthcare plan was pretty much dead in the water, California would at least do it on a statewide level. NPR aired a report and an interview with Grumbach on September 20, 1994.

Dr. Kevin Grumbach: “I was seeing kids coming in with Meningitis because they didn’t get vaccinated in a timely fashion. I was seeing patients showing up in the emergency room with Cancer who had just lost their health insurance and lost their personal physician at a time they’re needed the most and at the time it just seemed such an irrational system that wasn’t working the way it should.

* * *

Grumbach: “Medicare has never refused a patient coverage because they have a catastrophic illness. Private insurance does that all the time. Medicare never tells somebody ‘oh, you have AIDS we’re now going to limit your coverage to $5,000’ which happened again recently in Texas to a person who is employed and had insurance and got AIDS and they changed the policy so they’d only cover $5,000 of expenses. Public programs never say ‘you’ve gotta prove that you can afford to pay your premium before we will cover you.”

But then the Insurance companies quickly mobilized and pumped millions of dollars into attack ads, smear campaigns and mouthpiece doctors to spread a tidalwave of fear throughout the state (we're talking 1994 here, not 2010 . . .supposedly).

The end result was, of course a stunning defeat for the proposition (72% to 27%) and a return to business as usual.

Anyone who thinks Big Insurance isn't up to their eyeballs in the current, or any proposal on Healthcare reform is badly deluded. Anyone who thinks their "wonderful insurance policy" will happily take care of them when their own catastrophic illness arrives is not living in anything remotely resembling the real world.

And for your ignorance we're all at risk.

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(Roy Young Band - Roy 2nd from left - Virtual unknown in the States)

Unless you are a devotee of all things First British Invasion, you may never have heard anything of Roy Young. He wasn't a household name here, but in the U.K. and in Germany he was something of a legend and a pioneer in the early days of the British Invasion.

Young was actually involved in the early days of British Rock n' Roll. And like so many bands of the day, migrated for a while to Hamburg where the nightclub scene was a great place to hone skills. Young had a distinctive voice and fit right in with the early blues outfits gaining popularity in the UK at the time. He has a website and offers some fascinating glimpses into the early scene which he was so much a part of. Roy Young is still around and playing, but this particular concert, recorded by the BBC at their Paris Theatre in 1972 gives you an idea of what the fuss with Roy was all about and how influential he was in shaping the direction of a lot of bands during the 1961-1963 period. The rest, of course is history.

If you haven't heard of him before, now's your chance.

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("In some cultures they call this Radar To The Bathroom")

Mainstream Media just stinks these days. Why? That little thing called De-regulation, the relaxation of Ownership, one media company eating up another media company and eating up another media company.

It wasn't always that way, and most people I've talked to pinpoint when the change came around 1982, or maybe as early as the day after Reagan took the Oath of Office the first time.

It continued. Once the wheels of deregulation got rolling, it was impossible to stop them, especially when you had an FCC made up of people trained to look the other way. So in 1994 in what seemed like an innocuous move on the part of the FCC, the ownership rules for TV networks suddenly changed and the Networks themselves were no longer prevented from creating their own prime time programming. And as was pointed out, it was now easy for the Distributor to become the Owner. And suddenly, being the owner of a Network now seemed very attractive.

Jim Zirolli (NPR News): “Until recently, the FCC barred the major TV networks from producing a majority of the programs they broadcast. So the biggest part of their schedules had to be filled with programs put out by outside studios. But last year the FCC relaxed its ownership rules. The networks are now allowed to run as many of their own programs as they want. And starting next year they can also reap all the profits from syndication. For the networks this could become a gold mine, and it comes at a time when they badly need it.”

From what was once a rather honorable institution with a modicum of integrity going for it, the FCC have cascaded into a pit of giveaways and corruption with no concept of Public Interest or desire for Public Welfare. The reason it was formed was to prevent exactly what is happening now - the Public Airwaves being hijacked by Special Interests and Corporate shills. The Public's Right to Know being overpowered by Propaganda's Desire to Dumb Down.

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(Crooked Cowboy - good news)

A few weeks ago I ran a live set on Backstage Weekend from Crooked Cowboy & the Freshwater Indians. They had been kicking around for a while and had gotten a good word of mouth going in the Southern California area.

But apparently the long arm of C&L extends way past our borders because I was just informed a few days ago that Crooked Cowboy have since set up a management and label deal in the UK and should be heading over to Europe shortly. All because of our playing the live set on Newstalgia.

Needless to say I'm blown away as is Bron (Crooked Cowboy himself). I've had some indications this past year that we're eagerly listened to overseas, but I had no idea just how eagerly. So a big thanks to all you readers of Crooks and Liars and thanks for all your support and encouragement. As you can see, it's made a huge difference.

The first single, scheduled for release this year actually started life as a demo some years ago. Her Hopeful Diaries more or less pre-dates Crooked Cowboy, but the revamped version is clearly theirs. This track is a duet featuring, in addition to Crooked Cowboy, Lisa Papineau.

You heard it here first and it's a way of saying thank you for your good taste!