London Calling !!!

[Swish]

Well, our much anticipated trip to London officially starts tomorrow, and I can't wait to touch down at Heathrow. We don't have a ton of things planned, although we'll do the normal tourist thing and ride the double-deckers (no longer available to commuters, only tour package customers) and a boat ride down the Thames. Covent Garden, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus....and who knows what else. Oh yeah, lots of that great British Ale and pub grub. Fuller's London Pride is among my favorites, along with Boddington's Best Bitter, but I'm sure I'll find plenty more to taste.

As I mentioned some months ago, our son-in-law's band, Movies With Heroes, is playing there Tuesday night, so we'll be going to their show as the opener for Further Seems Forever. They'll have played at least 3 shows in Europe before the London show, so they should be in top shape by the time we see them.

Anyway, I'll be away from the board for over a week, so try not to miss me too much.

Swish

[ForeverAutumn]

Anyway, I'll be away from the board for over a week
Swish

FINALLY!!!

Have a great trip Swishy. Tell us all about it when you get back.

[Swish]

FINALLY!!!

Have a great trip Swishy. Tell us all about it when you get back.

...and some may be from London.

Swish Baby

[audiobill]

Have a great trip, buddy!

Make sure you ask for beer from the "wooden handles" at the pubs (these are their own micro-brews that are done in the olde English wey).

Also, if you get the time, visit Windsor Castle -- it'll be a highlight on your trip.


Cheers & raise a pint for us,

Bill

[Davey]

Hey, cool Swish Baby! Should be a blast, and yes I am envious. I spent quite a bit of time over there in my late teens, but sad to say that I haven't been back since other than a couple way too brief trips. Have a pint of something good and dark for me. And if you happen to be in any well stocked music shops, and happen to see a minty original UK pressing of the stereo mix 15-track version of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (Pye NSPL 18233) ... well, don't think twice ....

Just kidding, just kidding ... but if you happen to see the latest from Sin Ropas, the one called Fire Prizes, well, really, don't think twice .... just kidding again, sorry, I'm just in a thread hijacking mood lately, and you probably wouldn't find it at any shops in London anyway since it's not even listed at amazon.uk. I can barely even find it online since it's distributed through the tiny Netherlands label Konkurrent. They are one of the Red Red Meat/Califone alumni that I keep on my short list. Have to break down and order it from the label one of these days. Have a great time!

---

Now Sin Ropas makes their home in Marshall, North Carolina. They moved into the town's abandoned library building where they wrote and recorded their new CD "Fire Prizes" (Konkurrent/Zeal Records 2005). The week they started recording, the French Broad River, which divides Marshall along the rail lines, jumped its banks and threatened the town. A dark and slow chaos ensued: people scattered languidly, trains sneaked along their tracks lowing tentatively, smaller, and then larger, pieces of people's lives floated past the back doors of the library to the lost-sound accompaniment of the landlady's dish collection clanking and ringing at the watertop below.

There is a feeling of helpless desperation in a flood. On Fire Prizes, this manifested itself in a higher pitch of growl for Sin Ropas. There is an audible fret and worried celebration in these songs as if dejected fierceness would be the only salvation in the deluge. Fire Prizes is a kind of slow-chunk rock that totters along old spiritual lines while slipping under the burden of redemption. The kind of record that, if you find yourself lost and longing, will burn you clean.

[Swish]

There is a feeling of helpless desperation in a flood. On Fire Prizes, this manifested itself in a higher pitch of growl for Sin Ropas. There is an audible fret and worried celebration in these songs as if dejected fierceness would be the only salvation in the deluge. Fire Prizes is a kind of slow-chunk rock that totters along old spiritual lines while slipping under the burden of redemption. The kind of record that, if you find yourself lost and longing, will burn you clean.

...then I found that you copied it from their website

Hey, sounds like they would be right up my alley with the descriptions I've read. Do you have Three Cherries? That one appears to be their best of the three prior releases, but I'll await your comments. Amazon wants $15.98 for it, but if I order at least one more CD and hit $25 or more, the shipping is free. With no sales tax to boot, I don't mind paying that if the content is that good.

Swish

[Davey]

Hey, sounds like they would be right up my alley with the descriptions I've read. Do you have Three Cherries? That one appears to be their best of the three prior releases, but I'll await your comments. Amazon wants $15.98 for it, but if I order at least one more CD and hit $25 or more, the shipping is free. With no sales tax to boot, I don't mind paying that if the contect is that good.

Swish

I don't remember how much you like that whole Red Red Meat and Califone sound so hard to say. Sin Ropas is fairly laidback and dreamy, not disimilar to much of Califone's music, but less experimental and not as rambuctious or bluesy. And Tim Hurley's voice isn't as unique as Tim Rutili's. Personally, I'm more of a fan of Califone and Red Red Meat so would rec all those albums first, but I love it all and you can pick up the Sin Ropas CDs for practically free on the used market, and they are both plentiful, so I wouldn't pay the new price. I've only listened to a couple MP3 from the new one at their site, but I want it. Just not for the $25 that it costs to get it from the Netherlands. Even won the inaugural NAPPY Record of the Year at ... http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com...oid=oid%3A7481

Of the first two, I'm more partial right now to Trickboxes, but haven't had either for all that long (maybe 6 months). Some more talk about it with my buddy Doug over at ... http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...05#post2059905

The one I'm really looking forward to is ... http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/?id=100443

[Swish]

I don't remember how much you like that whole Red Red Meat and Califone sound so hard to say. Sin Ropas is fairly laidback and dreamy, not disimilar to much of Califone's music, but less experimental and not as rambuctious or bluesy. And Tim Hurley's voice isn't as unique as Tim Rutili's. The one I'm really looking forward to is ... http://www.thrilljockey.com/catalog/?id=100443

Maybe not enough to buy the Sin Ropas, at least not for $25. The new Califone could be interesting, so maybe I'll order that when it's released. I really wish the Shins would get their act together and release a new one soon. They're killing me with the anticipation, although I know they're finally working on it.

Swish

[Hyfi]

We will be going through London, Heathrow in September on my way to Chippenham for a week for work. Before coming home we will spend a week travelling up and down the eastern coast of Norway with friends spending a few days in Kritiansand, a few days in a cabin on some lake I can't spell, and a few days in Oslo.

Have a great trip and be safe.

Hyfi

[ForeverAutumn]

We will be going through London, Heathrow in September on my way to Chippenham for a week for work. Before coming home we will spend a week travelling up and down the eastern coast of Norway with friends spending a few days in Kritiansand, a few days in a cabin on some lake I can't spell, and a few days in Oslo.

Have a great trip and be safe.

Hyfi

Wow. It sounds like that new career of yours is opening up some great opportunities. I guess all that hard work was worth it! Congratulations.