I recently found a "quadrophonic amplifier" (nowadays it's called "surround sound") at a thrift shop here in Seattle for practically nothing. How odd. It sounds great, too, and gives off a soft electric blue glow when the lights are out. I just love new toys, don't you?

The Sun City Girls' Fall Campaign will start in October with the release of "Box of Chameleons". This release was delayed due to some unforseen foreign travel, so I'd suggest that you reserve your copy now if you ever want to own one as they are already "going" quickly! The "Live in the Land of the Rising Sun City Girls" CD - a compilation of the best performances from our Japan tour in April 1997 - is out now, too, and in stock. The studio has also just completed a single CD (just in case you were expecting a quadruple) soundtrack for the Japanese film "Dulce", which is a film/documentary dealing with an alien conspiracy that X-Files will never touch. A series of suspicious circumstances surround this recording - which was part of our reason for our tour in Japan (incognito... if you know what I mean).

In relation to Sun City Girls, drummer Charles Gocher's "Pint Sized Spartacus" is now out and available, and I am anxious to see if this musical drama is understood by the masses. Gravelvoice mail order is currently running a release special on this disc ($10 ppd) through the end of September, so you've got a month to get a great deal on an extraordinary piece of work!

August also saw the release of The New Session People's "Famous Songs From Days Gone By" which is a tribute to organist Ken Griffin. The New Session People include Charles Gocher (Sun City Girls and solo recording artist), Rick Bishop (Sun City Girls), Patrick Barber (Blowhole), Steve Hanson (Totem Pole of Losers) and guest appearences by certain record executives (wink wink, nudge nudge). It's alot of fun, and you can roller skate to parts of it, too.

The Climax Golden Twins have finished the first leg of their live cassette series, featuring 4 volumes of carefully edited live shows plus 2 volumes of victrola favorites. They have also completed several compilation cuts and Secret Records 7", the later of which features artist Jesse Paul Miller and will be out as a single on the Fire Breathing Turtle label.

Remastering of the Bassholes' "Blues Roots" CD has been completed and will be released by Revenant. Originally issued by In The Red on vinyl, the studio's remastering work has restored it to pristine condition for CD (if such a thing is possible). I tend to see the Bassholes as mentors to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (in case you are unfamiliar with their work). You want energy - you've got to hear Bassholes!

The Bali Girls were in for massive hours recording a demo which is actually just a few songs short of an album. The Bali Girls are a larger than life Seattle version of Hammerhead, Unsane, Helmet,____( your choice of AmRep bands here)____. Their precision pedal stomp sequence creates swirling (and, at times, psychedellic) heaviness that will bob your ol' head back and forth like one of those dog things in the back windows of Dodge Darts. Check them out - you won't be sorry!
Just last weekend, Ed Pias - whose solo CD is forthcoming on Extreme - brought in tabla player Vashal Nagar and his mother, Urmila, for his premiere recording of a one hour tabla piece accompanied by harmonium. This 17 year old Master from New Delhi absolutely smoked the studio with his lightning fast beat patterns! Couldn't even see his hands when he was playing, just blurs on the ends of his arms! Who knows what will happen with this recording - it may be released, it may gather dust - but rest assured, you heard it here first. This session concluded with a jam session between Vashal, Urmila, Ed and Rick Bishop, portions of which were so amazing they are being considered for Rick's upcoming solo CD titled "Salvador Kali".

And on the publication front, Seattle residents will be privaledged to see Yours Truly (thank you, thank you) grace the pages of the Seattle Weekly in a feature article written by Roberta Penn. Then, in October or November, my review of Steinburg's Wavelab program will be published in Mix magazine. Let me know what you think, whydoncha.

This update is rather short because I took the month of August off and went camping in our great Cascade range in search of Bigfoot. Found him. He's not so tough.

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