Missing NMWG

Maybe 7 or 8 years ago, my friend Dave said, "You have to go check out this band I heard in Plush during the 4th Ave. Street Fair.  Her voice is out of this world and you will love them!"  I have been ever grateful that Dave introduced me to Derrick and Amy Ross, otherwise known as Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl (NMWG).  As soon as I heard them, either at Plush or Delectables, I wondered why they weren't known nationally, like Tori Amos or Neko Case.  But I was very happy to see them whenever they drove in from Willcox, and then Bisbee, to play.
Their shows were a mix of originals and covers, obscure and popular.  You were always encouraged to buy a CD for twelve tiny dollars.  And there would often be a time or three when they would look at each other and ask what do you want to play, and the other would respond, I don't know what do you want to play and someone from the audience would ask for Pink Floyd, or Joni Mitchell, or Wham, or Harper Valley PTA and Amy would gladly oblige.  She could play or sing anything, seriously.  It was astounding how many songs were in her head.  And the one time they played at the Main Library, she very adeptly changed the words so her "daddy was a horse loving man" to better fit the all ages audience.

Ghoulish Halloween music galore!

In case you hadn't noticed, and I'm sure you have, the stores are stocked full of Halloween goodies (and Christmas items, too!). Which means one thing: it's time to break out the Halloween music. And where better to start than your local Pima County Public Library, where we have some of the best ghoulish tunes to send shivers up and down your spine.

If you look for these in some branches, be aware they may be on display shelves and not in the CD section. Click on the titles in quotations to follow the link.

Looking for the perfect Halloween party mix, featuring standard favorites like The Twilight Zone theme song, Alice Cooper, and Werewolves of London? Then look no further than "Halloween Party Hits" and crank that party to 11.

Enjoy some "Halloween Fright Night" performed by the 101 Strings Orchestra. Nightmare on Elm Street? The Shining? Frankenstein? Night of the Living Dead? Yes, they're all done in classical form on strings here. Genius.

Audacity

Once upon a time I owned a reel-to-reel tape deck, and I loved to fiddle around with making my own re-edits and mixes of songs I liked and thought should be arranged a little differently than how they were on the LP or CD. Later, I was lucky enough to volunteer at a non-commercial radio station which had a couple of lavish recording studios with soundboards, effect generators, and--of course--reel-to-reel decks. I used to bring vinyl 12" singles into the studio, and using the instrumental or dub version from the flip side of the single, I'd fashion elaborate reworks of my favorite tunes. After mixing these onto a RTR tape for storage, I'd transfer the song to a cassette and BOOM!, my personalized party mixes were mobile.

Still later in life I got into computer games and wasted a lot of time with them. A friend of mine at a local bookstore told me I should put all that computer time into mixing music using software, just like I'd done before with magnetic tape. I was skeptical enough (and sufficiently caught up in games like, say, Sim City) to accept his loaner of a mixing program and then forget it for a few years. However, once I got around to playing with the program I was hooked. Now, I rarely indulge in a computer game, and instead have become a mixing freak like never before. One day here at the library I was assisting a patron in our computer lab when I realized that every one of our public computers features music mixing software (the program is called Audacity) every bit as good as the program my friend had loaned me long ago, yet very few people seemed to know of it. We've offered a few classes in using Audacity over the past couple of years, but not many folks attended them, so it seems to me some promotion is in order here.

Found Treasures in the World Music Collection

Though Pima County Public Library has transitioned largely into digital music distribution through freegal, many treasures are still available in the CD collection at your nearest library.  And because borrowing music from the library is free, why not take a chance on some unknown music, maybe even some unknown music from a distant land?  This is a practice I have begun, and it has broadened my musical horizons in wonderful ways.  Read on to hear about my favorite random finds from PCPL's World Music collection.

The Hot List

Here's a sampling of some of the new stuff we've received over the last few months...

KT Tunstall, Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon:  I've liked KT Tunstall from the start, although I can't quite

pinpoint why. I wouldn't say there's anything particularly unusual about her but I've always liked her voice and song style. I heard an interview with her on NPR discussing this album (side note: are they still called albums?) and knew I would be interested in hearing it, especially after it was mentioned the album was recorded right here in Tucson with none other than Howe Gelb. (Longtime Tucsonans will know Gelb from way back in the day. He played in the legendary Giant Sand and has worked with many nationally known bands and musicians over the years.) Tunstall mentioned that she went through two big losses during the recording of this album, the death of her father and the end of her marriage. There's definitely a sense of melancholy and loss on this album, but I wouldn't call it depressing. My favorite tracks on the album are Feel It All (both versions) and No Better Shoulder.

Chvrches: The Bones of What You Believe

Slicker than the "employee of the year" at a used car lot, Glasglow's synthpop group Chvrches exploded on the internet last year with a string of singles leading up to the September 23rd release of their album "The Bones of What You Believe." From the moment they published their first single, "Lies," a rabid following soon gobbled up everything Chvrches. I understand the obsession. Their sound, a unique whirlwind of electronic hooks and infectious vocals from pixie-esque singer Lauren Mayberry, is dance music with a dark edge. These are songs perfect for car listening or dance parties in equal measure.

(I also appeciate that Chvrches spells their name with a "v" so you can search for them on Google)!