roman soldiers

i was going to expand this out into a few entries but decided to kill a flock of birds with simulated drowning techniques approved by empires of hog farmers.

gary war is the shit.

blank dogs needs a haircut.

together, they are roman soldiers!

no joke, while doing some surfins to blog dog on my dog blank dogs, i came across the beginnings of the end. this makes me happy. i am not certain if roman soldiers has anything available that is for purchasing, but you can hit up the myspace page here and be happy, and then frustrated just like me. if any of you know where i can get another hit of that good medicine, please, for the love of gawd, send me links.

as far as gary war goes, this low fi psych guru from brooklyn is a man of mystery it seems. i couldn't find any interviews, just album reviews. music that you can enjoy while on a quiet eve when you are sitting back and enjoying a nice, tall, ice cold glass of robotussin. how great is this? he posts recordings on a blog called the FUNZONE.

blank dogs got that lofi psych edge, but falls steadily into the darker matter. shoe gazer-esk with a hint of the industrial of yore, hypnotic and dream like. here is a good interview and hear is where you can find some of your very own.

needless to i love them both, and hey, if you are ever in brooklyn, there is a good chance you can check out a show.

blank dogs myspace

gary war

trezure trove

hi peeps, it's been awhile, sorry to leave you hanging with the shadow of my ghost for so long. this should make up for it. happy fucking birthday.

mind bending bonker gogo ride in the mouth of the moths flooding the faucet in the sink of the abandoned lean to, this should be a nice puxxle for the next year, but if you need a guide, i shall be referencing the archive often. remember to show your support for the artists by going to their shows and buying their vinyl, ok?

i will be following up soon with some more of my likes and licks later, good night!

tone bone kone

wow.

that sums up how i felt when i first stumbled upon arthur russell last year. i couldn't believe that 1. this guy is not a contemporary artist (infact he has been dead for almost 20 years) and
b. how the fuck have i never heard this before!

although russell (born charles arthur russell jr.) died at a fairly young age, he left behind quite an extensive body of work. he studied the cello from a very young age and kept with it all of his life. it's almost inconceivable to imagine how this man slipped under the radar when you look at all of the people that he collaborated with and the genres of music that spanned his career.

early on after moving from sf to nyc, arthur became the musical director of a place called the kitchen (which is a story unto itself that i need to find out more about). this was some sort of venue/gallery for primarily video art, plastic art and performance pieces. arthur introduced the idea of the "minimalism" that could be found in pop music by introducing acts such as the modern lovers and the talking heads. yeah. whatever, i don't really understand the minimalist point that he was trying to make, but that put him in some pretty good company early on for sure. come on, jonathan richman? david byrne? this was all between 74 and 75 for fucks sake! a.r. also formed a band called the flying hearts with all kinds of amazing musicians that lasted until 79 and beyond that i cannot find any trace of. if anybody has any recordings of them, hit me up!

so i could pretty much go on forever, but i am just going to glean over the highlights. here's a big one. arthur russell was super involved in disco and was a serious party dood. he has tons of disco singles and albums with various people. i haven't heard a lot of it, so i am not going to comment on it further than telling you that it is out there and it is plentiful. the stuff i have heard was pretty good, if you are into that sort of thing.

the other big one that i am skimming on is that, ready for this, this guy may be responsible for chicago house. i know it's hard to believe, but dood was in the right place at the right time with his digits on the big gay pulse of new york. his records were HUGE at the paradise garage, including the single "is it all over my face", which is thuh muthuh fuckin jam!!! at least it is if you like house music at all. check it out!

the last thing that i am going to mention very briefly is that he died of aids. i wouldn't even mention it, but it seems to directly correlate with the feeling of some of his most beautiful music. this is a beautiful quote that i found from the village voice upon his death. "His recent performances had been so infrequent due to illness, his songs were so personal, that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music."

his best album as far as i am concerned, the one that i cannot stop listening to, his opus if you will, is called world of echo. it is a mellow, reflective album and the pieces seem to run together without a beginning or an end. part avant-garde, part minimal with interestingly buttery electrified melancholy vocals drifting over beautiful melodies comprised of nothing but cello. if you buy one piece of music this year, you should make it this album, seriously.

that's all i have for now. i'm sick of typing. you can get a taste of the stuff i have been jabbering on about on myspace if you search arthur russell. i checked it out. there is a plethora of sites claiming to be his and they all offer something different. happy searching!

good night.

introduction to the bone whisper

hi, how are you?

welcome to bone whisper. it's what i like! if you are someone who associates the opening sentence with daniel johnston, then this blog might just appeal to you.

bone whisper is something that i have wanted to do for a long time now. i have made it my new year's resolution to finally do something about it. happy new year everyone!

let me tell you all a little bit about myself. my name is anthony ferrario and i was born and raised in anacortes, wa, which has become somewhat of an indie rock hub over the past ten years, thanks to the department of safety. i haven't been there for most of it. i currently reside in cambridge, ma, our fair city, home of the oldest university in america. i do not attend it. i am a seamster and an entrepreneur, my label is called stormcloud, bring rainbows. i will be posting pictures of the new merchandise as i make it, but that is not the main focus of this blog. i may also post pictures of other peoples clothing, art, craft, what-have-you if i am so moved. check out my etsy shop: cloudbringsrainbows.etsy.com

you can also friend my at facebook or myspace and see my photostream at www.flickr.com/photos/rainbowcloudeyes/

i llllllooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvve music! i have a wide range as far as my tastes go as you may see if you follow along. the weirder, the better. i have a lot to say, and can be opinionated at times. i will try to stay positive, but no promises. i also love wfmu. music will be a large portion of my posts.

i get all riled up about politics and don't trust any politicians as far as i can throw them. that being said, i will be covering issues that i consider important, or that aren't being represented in the light that i see them in. i tend to lean pretty heavily to the left, but i do not associate myself with a party per se. this, as everything will be open to discussion.

i also like to read. i am particular to fiction, but i read non fiction as well and think that everyone should keep a balance.

radio rocks me! my friend while i work. i also have a flavor for podcasts. i will be giving the updates on what i am digging on that front.

i will also be covering whatever the shit else i want to. it's my turn to be heard, dammit! i have open ears as well though, and i invite any type of discussions or comments, pos or neg. let 'er rip!

there may be some prose and other bizarreness as well, if you keep your eyes crossed, doggie golf crawler.

ghost,

anthony