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My sister’s eyes: fire and snow…
Oct. 22nd, 2006 02:03 pm| The Bentmen They keep on fighting for the love to show…  |
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And sometimes I ride on bus X-82...
Aug. 21st, 2006 08:24 pm
One of the world’s most characteristic voices has been silenced. Joseph Hill has died.
Joseph was the heart and soul of the reggae band Culture, who came to prominence in the mid-1970s with a string of popular and influential hits. Throughout the intervening years, Culture continued producing very original, soulful music, and touring widely.
I first saw Culture perform at the Middle East in March 2001, then again at the same venue in 2002. Later that same year, I saw them at the now-destroyed House of Blues in Harvard Square, where I was able to shake the man’s hand. Most recently, I had the good fortune to see him at Harpers Ferry on May 12th, just three months ago.
Even at 57 years of age, Hill continued to perform a hundred concerts each year. But what made Culture special was Hill’s personality. He was an inspirational and charismatic spokesman for reggae music, his island, and his beliefs, and he held audiences rapt with his aura of wisdom, mysticism, and love. When Joseph Hill took the stage, you knew you were in the presence of a wonderful, gentle man with a powerful vision of a world without barriers and free of conflict.
May Jah grant him the peace and rest he so highly deserves.
An airly Rabbie Burns dae...
Jan. 30th, 2006 07:05 amI just thought I’d take a sec to recall the last couple days before I left for Korea, since they were a bit notable.
Monday I went and saw the Toasters at the Middle East. The level to which they—and ska—have sunk was underscored by the fact that they were playing the upstairs, rather than the big room downstairs. And the show overall reflected it. The only person left from the Toasters at their best is Bucket, and… well, they’re not as tight by half, and the songwriting’s gone downhill. It’s great to see them carrying on, but it was also pretty melancholy to such a great band brought low.
The other thing I wanted to note was that Tuesday was a Gordon & MacPhail scotch whisky tasting at Federal Wine. Here’s the lineup:
- Benromach 6
- Bladnoch 13
- MacPhail’s 15
- Benromach Portwood 22
- Millburn 27
- Glenrothes 30
- Athol Brose liqueur
The young Benromach was surprisingly good, with a nice smokey flavor when I would have expected something really raw. The Bladnoch was another pretty characterless lowland. The MacPhail’s is an independent bottling of… I think it was Glenfarclas, and wasn’t bad. If I recall correctly (must take tasting notes at these events, even if it *is* in cramped quarters), the Glenrothes was quite a different experience. But the liqueur was just a bad case of spewage waiting to happen. That’s not one I’ll ever forget. Yaggis!