***: Seance Mix

(photo by Laura Ledbetter)

This mixtape may be perfect for =

A. Feeling otherworldly
B. Playing with a quija board
C. Making contact with the spirit world
D. Pretending to make contact with the spirit world
E. Sleepwalking

and ... here is is ... the one & only Seance Mix ... ENJOY. =

A. "A Seancing Song" = Broadcast & The Focus Group
B. "The Harmony Programme" = The Focus Group
C. "Chain Of Missing Links" = The Books
D. "Good Day Today" = David Lynch
E. "They Are In The Room With Us Right Now" = Roj
F. "Ouroborindra" = Eric Zann
G. "New Dimensions In" = The Advisory Circle
H. "Sealed With A Kiss" = Deerhoof
I. "Seasons Change" = Hong Kong In The 60s
J. "Seance On A Wet Afternoon" = John Barry
K. "Tears In The Typing" = Broadcast
L. "Lanhydrock - Old Music Box " = National Trust
M. "A Medium's High" = Broadcast & The Focus Group
N. "Take Your Time" = Love Is All
O. "Inn Ohm the Lake" = Belbury Poly
P. "I'll Try Anything Once" = The Strokes

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R.I.P. Trish Keenan of Broadcast ... Tragically, she died at age 42 of pneumonia this past weekend ... What a beautiful voice she had ...

Here is a video tribute to her memory =

I also stumbled upon a very revealing Broadcast interview from 2009 which explains the slightly surreal and darkly psychedlic direction the band had been going in ...

And ... WOW ... Laura Ledbetter (who took the amazing photo of Trish that is now the the Seance Mix cover art) sent me a link to Altered Zones, which contains a mix that Trish Kennan herself made for her friend, David Brewster just weeks before her death ... Thanks Laura!

In Brewster's own words:

“Trish Keenan from Broadcast passed away on Friday 14th January 2011, she was an amazing, talented woman and will be missed by many.

In December 2010 Trish sent me a mix CD she compiled, I never thanked her. Its called Mind Bending Motorway Mix and I want to share it with you, please pass the link on, share it far and wide, its a little tribute to a (as a friend referred to her today) exhilarating woman.

Sorry I don’t have a tracklist and to be honest I like it that way. I think its less about who you’re listening to on this compilation and more about the fact you are listening to something that Trish took time to select and compile for me and in turn yourselves. Please just enjoy the music."

It's funny and odd how Life (and Death) works ... how someone's untimely end can suddenly and unexpectedly trigger a chain of events that lead to new discoveries and the opening of doors to new and exciting things in other people's lives ...

By "talking" to by my good friend Roy Burns on facebook (about Keenan's death and Broadcast's last album, which was a collaboration with graphic designer Julian House [The Focus Group], he left me a link to House's record label and thus turned me onto an entire new world of music and sounds =

Ghost Box Music

" The concept for the label was hatched by House and Jupp (who attended the same school) in 2003; a manifesto of influences was compiled, which included "music for schools, cosmic horror stories, library music, English surrealism, and the dark side of psychedelia".[citation needed] In 2004, the first The Focus Group and Belbury Poly releases became available on CD-R. House and Jupp have stated the purpose of the label was to create "not just a record label, but an imaginary world".

In an interview with Cyclic Defrost, Jim Jupp commented :

' Part of a theme that’s ongoing in all the Belbury Poly records, and I think all of the Ghost Box records (...) is a tradition of British science fiction, where you’ve got on the one hand the setting of a very traditional background, with very ancient things, but you’ve got this weird, cosmic stuff happening at the same time. A lot of old British sci-fi books – John Wyndham, for instance – have these really mundane, quaint little village settings, but all of a sudden something really freaky and cosmic appears in the middle of it. ' "

I was (and still am!) totally and completely intrigued ... Ghost Box Music is filled with an amalgamation of exactly what is described above ... collagey, dream-like albums that really do sound like the listener is tapping into an entire "imaginary world" ... Thanks, Roy!

Below is the 1st of a series of radio shows they're starting to post on their blog ... Enjoy (I did!) =

Radio Belbury

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Now for a bit of random news and such ...

As previously reported, I have an art show coming up next week with fellow artist, Jesse Cunningham ... Here's the announcement =

The 2011 Winter Exhibit in the Parnell Memorial Library Gallery will feature works by Jesse Cunningham, potter, and Paul Cordes Wilm, painter. The exhibit will open on Monday, January 24, and will close on Friday, March 11, 2011. The gallery talks and reception honoring the two artists will be held on Sunday, January 30, at 2:00 p. m. at the library. The public is invited to attend. The exhibit and reception are sponsored by the Montevallo Arts Council (www.montevalloartscouncil.org).

Jesse Cunningham, born in Fairfield, California, lived in places as different as Alaska and Chilton County, Alabama during his growing up years as he and his military family moved frequently. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has taught visual arts for almost twenty-one years. He is presently teaching in the Shelby County School System as well as producing sculpture and pursuing his interest in photography.

Paul Cordes Wilm calls himself a Southern painter, since he grew up in Mobile and now lives in Birmingham. He is a full-time artist whose work has been called "Folk-Pop," a term that Paul has decided to use, though "most of the pieces lean more to the 'Pop' side of things." His works, often tinged with humor and sarcasm, embody his strong commitment to recycling, since they are created largely from recycled materials.

The Library Gallery is free and open to the public during regular library hours: M-W-F: 10:00 a. m.-5:00 p. m., T-TH: 10:00 a. m.-8:00 p. m., and Sat.: 10:00 a. m.-1:00 p. m.

And recently on facebook, Lisa Cordes posted this link to some really beautiful photos of abandoned buildings and such ...

In more random news, check out Chris Stewart and Beth Ragland's rather awesome submissions to the Sketchbook Project ...

Also, check out Weston Flippo's band Japanese Women's astoundingly aggressive debut cassette "Order" ...

And oh yeah! Tantra Bensko had her intriguing story "Anti" published on the Metazen site ... congrats, Tantra!

Here's two pictures of my wondrous cat & friend, Charley =

A. Looking wise and stoic

B. "Posing" with Ryan (you wouldn't know it from the photo, but she loves him! haha)

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Many (crrraaaazy) videos lie ahead ...

The wonderful insanity of Fergus and Geronimo =

A beautifully disturbing one from Excepter =

A totally bizarre one by Holy Fuck =

Elise sent me this (shanks!) saying : "This reminded me of your space snow pic!" =

And this one by Crystal Castles (ft. Robert Smith) is hereby for Elise =

Ryan sent me this bit of wonderfulness by Hauschka (thank you) =

And now ... dessert time ensues ...

Speaking of Ryan, this week he sent me a lot of hilarity ... Thanks, Ryan!!!!!!

A.