Lucky-John Carroll Lynch, director; 2017

One afternoon last week, Mrs. Amnesiac brought some dvds home from a trip to the Marin County Library. Among them was a copy of Lucky, John Carroll Lynch's brilliant 2017 film. Lucky is one and one half hours worth of insightful meditation upon the (mostly) human condition of aging, and its effects upon one character and a few of his acquaintances.
The viewer is offered a glimpse into a few weeks in the life of an elderly man named Lucky as he goes about his simple routines: morning rituals of exercise and coffee, crossword puzzles and game show viewings, truncated and awkward conversations with people who share mostly tenuous emotional connections.
The takeaway message that comes across very strongly from Lucky for Disaster Amnesiac is the elemental nature of aging. By that, I mean the way in which we are very much reduced by aging. Harry Dean Stanton does an incredible job of illustrating this fact. It seems not as if he's really acting at all, but simply making statements, statements which are boiled down to an elemental simplicity that is devoid of pretense. The man is there, and he says exactly what he is thinking. He's old, so why bother with an act, right? There is so much to be considered within this message, at least for Disaster Amnesiac, as I approach the middle of middle age.
Lucky's cinematography seems to echo this message. So many of the shots show worn down, aged structures and topography, and these shots' quiet simplicity offer the viewer a visual complement to the stripped down dialogues. The film's desert setting itself belies this.
Disaster Amnesiac does not want to venture into hyperbole, but I really do think that Lucky is a damn masterpiece of cinema. I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone over the age of forty, that is for sure. For those of us "over the hill", the message seems clear: you're fading away, but you're still present, wherever you find yourself to be. Don't fuck around with your old act. Say it straight, play it straight, and perhaps, once in a while, you'll find a little bit of luck with which to work.
Lastly, a belated RIP to Harry Dean Stanton, you always kicked major ass in  your work.

Bones of Brundage-Nathaniel Berg, Director; 2018

Bakersfield, California does not have much in terms of glamor. Disaster Amnesiac would venture to guess that for most people in California, it's a place to maybe pull over for gas or eating, before or after the Grapevine on the way to Los Angeles or San Francisco. That being said, the city does have a very rich musical culture, bulwarked by a rich mixture of hard working people. It's from this mix that arose a very vibrant post Punk Rock scene that is incredibly well documented in Nathaniel Berg's Bones of Brundage.
Berg does a great, very deep dive into this scene in from the 1980's to roughly the present, with interviews of myriad participants. Their stories show a music scene that bursts with energy and creativity, and as Disaster Amnesiac watched Bones, I could not help but feel inspired by all of them. It's a classic d.i.y. tale. Young people want to create things for themselves. They find places, in these kids' case, an old dance hall, a gay bar, a pizza parlor, and a boxing gym, in which to realize their visions. They see these visions come to life in unexpected and magical ways, all the while pushing through indifference and even outright hostility from the outside.
Berg is smart in the way that he lets his subjects speak for themselves about these matters, and it's fascinating to learn about this, mostly hidden, musical history of a city that seems somewhat easy to pass by without too many second thoughts. Particularly compelling are characters such as Big Jed, who could easily have his own dedicated documentary film, the almost lost to history Burning Image, and Korn's Jonathan Davis, who eloquently breaks down his reasons for forsaking Los Angeles for the weirdness of Bakersfield suburb Oildale.
Along with the great documentary video and photographic footage of the years it documents, Bones of Brundage succeeds with a really fine soundtrack and compelling mis en scene of Bakersfield and its surroundings. Disaster Amnesiac absolutely loved this film, and thinks that you would, too. It's really quite inspiring.

Goodbye Neal Peart

As news broke about the passing of Rush drummer/lyricist Neal Peart, Disaster Amnesiac felt content to sit back and just watch. I was amazed at the amount of tributes and mentions that I saw. The freaking Drudge Report even gave a link to his obituary! People that I never figured to be Rush fans of any sort were posting mentions on social media, along with, naturally, the very heartfelt words from those that were lifelong fans of the man and his band. Disaster Amnesiac has been reflecting for a few days on the matter. For one thing, I want to say right off the bat that Moving Pictures, and especially its drumming, is a stone PERFECT Rock album. Everything about it is flawless. Rush scaled to the highest summit therein, and rightfully stayed there for the next 35 years, selling out huge tours while always evolving in the manners of their own choosing. I'd like to posit that Peart's societal and cultural influence going forward may come more from his words than his drumming. Hear me out: the Disaster Amnesiac sees it, there are millions of people whose formative adult philosophical influence came not from a church or some Greek or German dude in an ivory tower. No, these millions where hugely influenced by the writings of Neal Peart, and most of them are not playing the drums or any other musical instrument.  At this point in time, these millions are in positions of responsibility and influence at all levels of our society, whether they're parenting, teaching, or running civil or corporate institutions. We are, in many ways, a culture of Tom Sawyers, and Disaster Amnesiac finds this fact fascinating.
Ride easy, Neal Peart. You did things in exactly the way that you intended to, and your influence will be felt for decades to come.

Some Releases That Have Come My Way

It's been an admittedly slow year for Disaster Amnesiac. Life has gotten busier in some ways, and slowed down in others. Both of these dynamics have made it a bit more tough for me to feel the kind of mental focus needed for the pairing of listening with reviewing, but recently some releases have just sort of shown up. When this happens, I feel it to be a kind of necessity to try my utmost to do both. Here are some thoughts on these fine recordings.

Arc-Monument 35; eh? Records casstte #100, 2019
Before the music even started, Disaster Amnesiac was enthralled by the lovely cover art for this cassette, along with the very mysterious vibes that it exudes. Just dig on that quavery orb! Inside the J-card, that opaqueness continues as four phases of the piece are listed, along with several of what appear to be initials of people that would appear to be "the 36". Definitely the kind of graphic design that I've always found to be quite compelling, as it leaves a ton to the imagination.
Imaginative as well is the music of Monument 36. For the most part, the sounds emerge from what could possibly be synths or laptops, calmly eddying out from their sources. Long form drones are established and occasionally seasoned by small percussive clanks and chord sounds, eventually joined by what I think are viola and bowed cymbals. The longer tones of Arc's playing blend into lovely, room filling waves that tend to freeze Disaster Amnesiac in place; I find my mind floating along within their contemplative, pulsing aural streams.  
Monument 36, with its wide, quietly moving phases, has all of the qualities that make Minimalism such a cool approach when it is paired with attentive listening. Kudos as well for the stellar engineering here, from sound capture to mix to mastering. It sounds really well crafted on all of those fronts, too.
Put this tape on and allow yourself....to....drift......

Coims-The Realisation That Someone Has Been Stood Behind You Your Entire Life; eh? Records cassette #111, 2019
What does Coims mean? Is it an acronym? A surname? Quite mysterious, as is just about everything else on The Realisation That Someone Has Been Stood Behind You Your Entire Life. When Disaster Amnesiac first took in the cover art, I was expecting some kind of tribal music or something, but was instead treated to four tracks of somewhat lo-fi Electro-Acoustic sounds. All kinds of instrumental interplay is at work on The Realisation.  Primitive synth tones merge with mic'd metals, feedback pulses drone and warble, drum machine beats get all glitchey, stringed instruments are plucked and processed, odd voices intone atop the din, and drum kits interact with squalls of electronics. It's a fantastic ride, notable for the very cool meshing of said elements into coherent pieces that do not fail to surprise the listener with their unexpected turns. Coims seem to be onto some kind of as yet unnamed Fusion music, and Disaster Amnesiac considers himself very much on board with it. They have taken the last 50 or so years of truly underground music and blended their elements into a singularly cool statement. Really fun, fine stuff here.

Sean Hamilton-Table For One; pfMentum Records, 2019
If Disaster Amnesiac could find a few more solo percussion recordings, Sean Hamilton's Table For One would certainly be part of a long overdue Up Half Known Roads installment. The peripatetic Hamilton is making his mark within the instrumental music underground with his astute solo percussion statements, of which Table is a fine example. Sean coaxes all kind of sounds from his drum set, which is often enhanced with what sound like small gongs for cool melodic effect. As I've listened, I've marveled at the pinpoint precision of the stick and mallet striking that goes on within the matrix of these compositions. Musical layers emerge from these kit pieces, and interspersed with them are quieter, more meditative actions that feature only one sound source, which set up the more frenetic ones nicely. Sean Hamilton is busy developing his unique solo percussion language, and fans of the genre should be delighted with Table For One.

zBug-Splitting Glass/Twilight Sunrise; SoundToPeople Records, 2014
SF Bay Area stalwart improvisor David Leikam has had his band zBug going for quite a few years now. On a recent Sunday, Disaster Amnesiac was happy to catch their set at Temescal Arts Center in Oakland, at which time David graciously gave me a copy of Splitting Glass/Twilight Sunrise. What one gets on this CD is basically two versions of each of these titles: one full version and one that is edited. Smart move, really. Radio stations would probably be more inclined to jam the latter, while fans of improvised music would likely dig on the former just as much. And there is a whole lot of sound to dig. David gets really wild sounds out of his Moog and electric bass. He builds these huge walls of sound that are "based on architecture". The percussive vim of Sheila Bosco pushes the music forward with great energy, and guitarist Fred Malouf gets all manner of texture from his axe. Splitting Glass/Twilight Sunrise is a heavy blast of what Disaster Amnesiac keeps thinking of as Industrial Jazz as I've listened. Surely this term has been used before, but it definitely describes the sound of zBug. They're a band that packs a real whallop live, and David has bookings for 2020 set up. Get on out and support them!

Ernesto Diaz-Infante-For M.F.; Pax Recordings, 2018
The deeper that Disaster Amnesiac goes into this post, the more it is realized that I could go on for a while, but you have my word that this will do it. Ernesto Diaz-Infante gave me a copy of For M.F. some months back at a bookstore in SF, and I've since marveled at the quiet control of this recording. Diaz-Infante spends about an hour getting very intimate with an acoustic guitar on For M.F., playing a quite minimal set of notes with intense focus. This is music that will surely put the listener into a moods of calm or even entrancement. I've driven with it on the car stereo, spent time puttering around the house to it, and have been blown away by its serene yet intense vibes. This is music that has all of the quiet majesty of, say, Indonesian Gamelan and the heaviness of any number of the current Drone Metal scene. All emanating from the fingers of one man man, mind you. And that cover art! Spooky!

In closing, Disaster Amnesiac wants to thank all of the artists who've supplied me with this music. You folks' music is loved and appreciated by me. I hope that this post will get a few more heads to feel the same way about it.

Two New Youth Chairs Songs!

David Winogrond and his pals in Youth Chairs continue their interesting Renaissance this year with two new tracks of classic Pop Rock jangle!
First up, we have the the gritty guitars of Larry Jacobson pairing with sweet vocal delivery from Kim Dart Hurwitz and Gabriele Morgan on I Want You Different. Disaster Amnesiac really digs the way Youth Chairs utilize both of their vocalists on this tune. What an astute move, both personally and creatively. Regarding the latter aspect, it just works on a harmonic level. It just strikes me as a neat bit of flexibility in the case of the former. Different's 1:49 duration swings by with a classically Los Angeles Pop sensibility, showcasing a sweet little solo riff and a tom tom pounded bridge. Wall of Sound fans, take note, as it checks all of the boxes from that particular aesthetic. Really good stuff, Disaster Amnesiac just wishes that it was a bit longer!

Ho, ho, ho!, and next up, Youth Chairs present a Christmas song! On Santa's On Vacation, we get more of that 1960's straight up rhythmic slide, propelled by higher bass notes from John Richey and Dave's propulsive high hat riding. Morgan's lyrics have Mr. Claus heading south for surf and chicks; why not, the guy's worked so hard for so long. Surely Amazon has given him a run for his money, too? Disaster Amnesiac is really digging the brief instrumental break, which is squeezed tightly into the very well crafted tune. Again, a very Los Angeles bit of sunshine Pop is featured here to great, toe tapping effect.

Fans of Power Pop take note: Youth Chairs continue to hone their considerable skills within that genre. Wax up your boards, fire up your Woodies and dig the beats of Winogrond and company!

Goodbye Ginger Baker

This morning Disaster Amnesiac spent some time listening to Ginger Baker's last album, Why? Dunno if you've heard it, but for me, it brings to light the diversity of musical expression that Ginger was able to wring from that aspect of his crazed life.
He started out with Jazz, moved on to the Blues and Heavy Rock, then began to incorporate the music of West Sub-Saharan Africa, and this only the first half of his career! The second half had him surprising Punk Rockers as he slammed beats for John Lydon, developing incredibly unique Fusion music with Bill Laswell and finally returning to his beloved Jazz, that last move probably being incredibly sweet for him as he was greeted with open arms by several of his musical heroes for it.
It's no secret that the man had a completely bonkers tack to his personal life. Surely there was much personal damage, alienation, and outright neglect towards those closest to him.
That said, Disaster Amnesiac has always marveled at his drumming skills, especially on releases like Album by PiL and his incredible 1989 Middle Passage. It's that unmistakable sound of his tom toms, paired with the incessant 2 and 4 click of his hi-hat that has me coming back often. Ginger's drumming surely isn't everyone's cup of tea, but Disaster Amnesiac has loved it for years, and will continue to do so.
Goodbye Ginger. May your spirit travel to where it needs to go. Those of us who were touched by your sounds will continue to bob our heads and tap our feet at your downbeats, as reliably consistent as the days are long.

Goodbye Robert Hunter

It stands to reason that had Disaster Amnesiac been blogging back in 1995, there would have been a "Goodbye Jerry Garcia" post from me. Seeing as that Robert Hunter was in many ways Jerry's creative twin brother, it seems fitting to give him a quick goodbye post.
Robert Hunter's words very much defined the lives, times, and world views of millions of people. One would be hard pressed to find a poet whose writing reached and effected as many people. Walt Whitman? Jack Kerouac? Disaster Amnesiac can't think of too many more. If you can, please do comment. Sometimes these words strike me as deeply sublime, at others times some of them seem kind of dopey. They always do leave an impression, though.
Robert Hunter strove for, and really did achieve, a uniquely American literary vision, one that reflected the striving, heartbreak, and foibles of the people that have walked the North American gauntlet. The Grateful Dead's lyrics, courtesy of Hunter, for better or worse broke down the somewhat naive visions of the scene from which they achieved notoriety and gave a much more honest view the human condition, particularly in regards to humans in the U.S.A.
Disaster Amnesiac always appreciated this, along with Hunter's non-blinders wearing views towards his brother Jerry, especially in the wake of his final demise. Robert Hunter kept it real, always.
Goodbye, Robert Hunter. Surely there are a lot of people that are grateful for your taking up Jerry Garcia on his proposition to help out his band with lyrics so many years ago. You truly helped more than you hurt.