Yesterday during my early morning walk some thoughts began to materialize through my synaptic haze. I started reflecting on the music of my youth mostly punk rock and new wave during my college days. Obviously much of that music was angst driven, aggressive, intense but still a lot of fun. Even the names were fun: Sex Pistols, the Dead Boys, Devo, Elvis Costello, the Ramones where like a happy family they all shared the pseudo-surname together. Probably the most whimsical titles of their day were X-Ray Specs: Oh Bondage Up Yours and Richard Hell's: Love Comes in Spurts. A sonic release for unanswered questions, fears, suspicions, ignorance, pretense, know-it-allism, etc. It dawned on me that anger/angst is a luxury of youth since it requires much energy to fuel and maintain. Then it hit me how reggae was a companion to punk. Maybe there weren't comparable music mashups like in the day of hip-hop and thrash ala Judgement Night, but it seemed a pairing that worked. Perhaps the cooler reggae music was the chill out of it's day. Perhaps because punks and Jamaicans other African Dash people felt disenfranchised by the system du jour and wanted a way to get it out of their system without resorting to: "Burn baby burn" methodology?

I don't remember my introduction to reggae that clearly. Probably first heard Clapton doing his staid version of Bob Marley & the Wailers: I Shot the Sheriff which hit me like audio Prozac. The original of course was better but only later did I find out about The Wailers early days and the much more authentic rawer sound of that music. Johnny Nash's: I Can See Clearly Now was a great tune which I dug, not realizing that it was reggae-flavored pop. Jimmy Cliff probably got me a little bit closer to the source with "The Harder They Fall." The beginning of the true path began with my trips to a Jamaican-owned boutique by Prospect Park in Brooklyn where I was able to purchase 45's from Jamaican labels with plain white sleeves and sometimes hand stamped labels: too funky cool. I even remember getting a reggae Christmas album featuring Jacob Miller who also did: Dreadlocks Can't Live in a Tenement Yard" and was a major player in the movie "Rockers" which was the ultimate in JA cool-very OG Jamaican-style mon. I was partial to the toasters like U-Roy and IRoy who were the forerunners of rappers talking their rap over samples of reggae often "dubbified" the more echoey the better. 

Finally, on one of my trips back to NYC and visiting this cool boutique where I got clothing as well as recent released punk, new wave and reggae, the cute English owner introduced me to LKJ-Linton Kwesi Johnson. An English poet that rapped his poems over some awesome well produced reggae driven by a band of top notch musicians. That really was the ultimate for me: musical, cool, intelligent, political,social commentary. Could it be any better for a music loving college student?

Sonny's Lettah (Anti-sus Poem)From Brixton Prison, Jebb Avenue London S.W. 2 Inglan

Dear mama
good day
I hope that when these few lines reach you they may
find you in the best of health
I doun know how to tell ya dis
for I did mek a solemn promise
to tek care a lickle Jim
an try mi bes fi look out fi him

mama, I really did try mi bes
but none a di less
sorry fi tell ya seh, poor lickle Jim get arres
it was de miggle a di rush hour
hevrybody jus a hustle and a bustle
to go home fi dem evenin shower
mi an Jim stan up waitin pon a bus
not causin no fuss 

when all of a sudden a police van pull up
out jump tree policemen
de whole a dem carryin baton
dem walk straight up to me and Jim
one a dem hold on to Jim
seh dem tekin him in
Jim tell him fi leggo a him
for him nah do nutt'n
and 'im nah t'ief, not even a but'n
Jim start to wriggle
de police start to giggle

mama, mek I tell you wa dem do to Jim?
mek I tell you wa dem do to 'im?

Dem thump him him in him belly and it turn to jelly
Dem lick 'im pon 'im back and 'im rib get pop
Dem thump him pon him head but it tough like lead
Dem kick 'im in 'im seed and it started to bleed

Mama, I jus couldn't stan up deh, nah do nuttin'

So mi jook one in him eye and him started fi cry
me thump him pon him mout and him started fi shout
me kick him pon him shin so him started fi spin
me hit him pon him chin an him drop pon a bin
- an crash, an dead

More policman come dung
dem beat me to the grung
dem charge Jim fi sus 
dem charge mi fi murdah

mama, doan fret
doan get depress an downhearted
be of good courage
till I hear from you
I remain
Your son,
 Sonny

Many don't know that the BBluesman moniker came from Brooklyn Bluesman. Where did Brooklyn Bluesman come from? Well it was a "play" on Ralph Machio's "bluesman from Long Island representation" in Crossroads. This scene is one of my favorites,certainly from about any music-themed movie. The playing by both Steve Vai and Ry Cooder (the guitarist playing all of Ralph's parts) was stellar and this was some of the best guitar duel footage from the big screen.

This movie was my introduction to Steve Vai who happens to be from Long Island, although not truly a bluesman. he was oneof the early adopters of the rack-style rig with overblown sound that you can hear in the video above. He played for Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth and regularly toured as part of G3 with friend and mentor Joe Satriani, in addition to many solo projects.

Ry Cooder has done many soundtracks and is a true musical chameleon stylistically, having recorded guitar music of many genres and with many great musicians: David Lindley and Ali Farka Toure  to name a couple. I've even heard the term ethno-musicologist used in talking about Ry. He certainly is a distinctive slide guitarist and has great control continually making great eclectic music.

As for me-well I still play guitar some but spend more time listening to music,shooting photographs, and blogging than I do playing guitar. Now my son Kevin wants to take guitar lessons so maybe someday he'll be a "bluesman from Taiwan", wouldn't that be something?

This is one of those back in the day nostalgia kind of posts, and not. I don't believe a genuine connection can ever be resigned to nostalgia or have to be apologized for. I have no regrets growing up when new record albums and music magazines domestic (US) and British offered all kinds of new discovery-new bands, new singles, new albums much of it good. This was still before MTV came along to pwn the party and punk the music with it's obsession with eye candy first and music second. Stiff Little Fingers was punk-the good kind. Tons of attitude and a message. Just the name of the band, the poignancy of their music the bittersweet legacy of being from Northern Ireland a land divided, torn in fact over religious and political divisions . Forgot where I first heard about them-NME, Melody Maker, Trouser Press? I can't forget the first time I heard them though. Inflammable material planted in my head, there's a suspect device left 2,000 dead... Chainsaw guitar, really tight and so urgent.It was in fact a musical, even a sonic suspect device of explosive nature. Not only did I dance my ass off I felt like running over there and screaming. Sure part of it was the times, my age-probably 19 or so but the vitality of the music and the sincerity were infectious and undeniable.Here's to passionate and sincere music.Tags: stiff little fingers, suspect device, mtv, punk

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One of my favorite bands ever(King Crimson), hope you enjoy! Some heavy metal from some talented thinking musicians that could give a rat's ass about having right hair cut.

Hmm, I usually think of myself as the anti-fanboy but Mitch Easter of REM Radio Free Europe(producer), Let's Active(founder) and buddy and sometimes collaborator with Don Dixon(Praying Mantis one of the best quirky pop singles evar) and Chris Stamey and the dbs. Woot a new release Dynamico with some songs and video to sample. Check it out here.

Photo by Kev Purcell

No sailor's delight, but a bunch of songs having "Red" in their titles. Needed that "red power" to help drive away the rains and help dry things out here in water-logged Taiwan. Dinosaur Music Minute: Humble Pie Video Link

Black & Red 2:12 Avail Video
red, white and blue 5:30 Rich Hopkins
Red Tandy EP 2:20 The Mother Hips Video
Red Drop 3:08 The Standard
One Eye Red Eye 4:11 Shank Bone Mystic Video
The Red Bedroom 4:25 No Knife Video
Red Sun 2:30 Jerry Nixon
Red Right Hand 4:38 Giant Sand
Cherry Red Wine 4:23 Luther Allison
Blue Is Red 3:32 Jets Overhead Video

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VoiceMail Contest-Leave me a VoiceMail@ 206-309-0542. First 5 VoiceMails receive a special BlueShogun gift(tba) from Taiwan.
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Two of my Colorado buddies Jimmy and Alvie( provided this cool video link for Flyleaf ) helped with some good song reccomendations, and I did some research. Some good Denver bands featured here along with their Texas band friends. Do a new segment, "Punk Rock Lyrics and a Music segment on the master-Jimi Hendrix.Phenomenal video from Jimi's last show here. For infections resulting from contaminated mp3 go here.

NothingMore 5:16 Fiction 8
Poor Boy 3:27 Vices I Admire Plan B.
Entertainers From Out of Town 2:17 Zom Zoms
Gamma ray Freak 1:33 the influence
By_The_Sign_Of_The_Disceaux 1:34 The_Undoing_of_David_Wright
he means nothing,dear 5:07 Matson Jones
Born To Be Filed 4:53 Kill Me Tomorrow
the back space statement 2:26 superargo
WRATH_OF_CHAKA_KAHN 1:44 MAGICYCLOPS
greyskyblue 3:13 Cowboy Curse
Burned 5:17 All7Said
I Hate Ewe 7:20 Animals of the Bible
I'm So Sick 2:58 Flyleaf

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In today's show I talk about some interesting culinary fare. Received a call from Jimmy from Denver on Toadies/Black lagoon. Play a taxi experience by Karen from Kalifornia. Podiobooks.com promo: Spherical Tomi.Geek out on Roxy Music and play some good tunes to make sense out of it all. Link for Virginia Plain video.

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Blood 4:26 El-P
Really Bad Weekend 3:48 Art Brut
Creature from the Black Lagoon 3:03 12 Step Rebels
Pirate Love 3:57 Johnny Thunders
Deconstruct Rebuild 3:25 Small Brown Bike
Black Train 2:12 Gun Club
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Big Kudos to YouTube. All kinds of cool concert videos from recent and yester year-Music dinosaur stuff. here's the link for a Japanese band doing cover of King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man.

Photo by Act Photos

Todays podcast I talk some about the "spirit of community" shared via podcasts, blog posts, skype, etc. Compare skype to the electronic "back yard fence" between neighbors. Today's Dinosaur Music Minute is Aerosmith's: Rocks. Play some groovy tunes with Hockey Night dedicated to Jack, Jason and Alvie. Promo for 7th Son.

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Troubled Son 3:04 Working For A Nuclear Free City
Move From The 'Hood 3:42 Luther Allison
Dish It Out 3:17 James Chance & the Contortions
For Guys' Eyes Only 2:10 Hockey Night
Happy Pillz Featuring Aesop Rock 4:56 Murs
Jet Star 19 2:41 Zolar X
Waiting Room 2:54 Fugazi

This is a Disembodied Voices Podcast Group Podcast