30 June 2008

Keep them dogies rollin'

Ciao a tutti!

Nothing new to report other than making up for lost time these last few weeks, work-wise. Some of it bill-paying work and some of it showreel-ish, luckily most of it relatively stress-free...as much as television work can be. Got to see and work with old friends and colleagues, so all in all, life's good.

The uke's on hold, unfortunately. A casualty of working (aww, that's too bad!). But, arms akimbo, i will finish it!

Been listening to lots of Gang of Four lately. Gang of Four is one of those groups that are one of your favorite "forgotten" groups. That is, you forget how much you love them until you put something on of theirs. Hell, i'd seen Gang of Four twice, once in Ann Arbor in 1982 and once in Ypsilanti in 1983, both gigs not exactly near to me at the time. My god, a truly original band. John King and his melodica shrieking life-as-politics polemic for the dancefloor. Guernica rhythm section courtesy of Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums). And i'd go as far as to say that Andy Gill is as important to modern rock guitar as, say, Jimi Hendrix or Robert Fripp or Link Wray: like the aforementioned guitarists, his is an instantly and unmistakably recognizable style and no one plays (or doesn't play!) like Andy Gill, try as some may.

But, unlike the aforementioned guitarists, i'm afraid that despite how many past, present and future rockstars cite the band as a major influence, in the long run Gang of Four may end up an underrated footnote in rock and roll history exactly because they are "your forgotten favorite group."

Gang of Four (all four original members: King, Gill, Allen and Burnham) had reformed in 2005 to release Return The Gift, a re-recording of their first album Entertainment with other select songs from the discography. As of recent, Gill and King have returned to touring and have released new material, a new single called Second Life. I like it...lots. It's not rehash. It's not lame. It's Gang of Four (or Gang of Two plus two) reenergized. It's sonic Jackson Pollock. "Who's gonna save you with your house on fire?"

I may even go to see them in Pescara...but being how i'd already seen them twice, i think they'll forgive me if don't make it. Rome-Pescara is a bit farther than Detroit-Ann Arbor.

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