Tag: ken-stringfellow

KS.com update

Taylor

Last night’s REM show in Mexico City was outstanding, and despite the fact that Mssrs. Buck and McOi were weathering some food blues, they soldiered on, bolstered by a wonderful audience of some 12,000-14,000 people. I saw something I had never seen an audience do before: during the song “Wanted to Be Wrong” which has a slow but steady beat, the crowd both clapped on the snare (a refreshing change when an audience can find 2 & 4 in a measure) and flicked their lighters on and off to the beat…creating a “thousand strobing fireflies” effect (previously an entree on a chinese menu, or a Magnetic Fields song)…beautiful. The roar that arose at the top of “Everybody Hurts” and “Losing My Rel.” was louder than the level onstage by a fair piece, I had to count in my head and hope I came out on the beat when the noise subsided. It made the corner of my eyes squirt little tears, to feel that big surge of love and joy from so many people. Our guide during our day at Teotihuan, Gorilla, was very visible in a bright red shirt in the 5th row…he brought us some very lovely things, crytals and a kind of champagne cider…he knows there are many routes to the mystic planes, and we love him for that. After the show we were whisked out in a string of CIA-looking SUVs, with a death defying police cruiser leading the way…a couple of merges looked like somebody was going to eat concrete but there was nary a scratch all told. We had a gathering in the Hotel Habita’s hipster oasis, rooftop style, I was speaking broken French and Spanish and being forgiven (rocker immunity). Finally returned from some noisy club or other at about 6 this morning–my gracious thanks to Eduardo and Laura for ferrying me around and preventing from paying for drinks!

I have the latest flight out, 9:30 tonight direct to CDG, so I am the last one at the hotel, thus when I went out in the (late) afternoon I dined at a taqueria solo, strolled thru the neighborhood a bit, doves pecking around, flower petals wilting in the gutter, forcing all that technicolor dusk to get in there, keep that memory…which is a sign I must be going on. I feel like I’ve been in town for a month, but it was a well-lived 4 days.

Cold World glory, be ye prepared.

Love

KS

Mexico City

KS EUROPEAN TOUR BEGINS NEXT WEEK – mirrored from KS.com

Taylor

And I hope to see you all there, since I can’t see you here…some people have written in to me about ticket availability, but I can assure you that all the shows have tickets available, and almost all the venues have tickets for sale online. I found most of them by doing a search for the venue’s name, and if that produced too many results, the venue name plus the city narrowed it down to an easily managed list.

The Posies northwest dates last week were fun and furious, perhaps the first night at Neumo’s was the most magical—the level of physical commitment required by a Posies show is very high, compared to what is required of me physically in an REM show. What a Posies show takes from me is probably similar to what Michael expends during REM’s show, he does the running, contorting, and just plain high-energy wiggling parts. And singing constantly for 2 hours is not to be underestimated as a workout. So, by the second night in Tacoma, we played well, but perhaps things were a hair more mellow. But, I really enjoyed being onstage with mssrs. Auer, Harris, and Minwalla, and working up the new songs we performed gave insight to the great promise the new album’s material has for live delivery. Jon, Matt & I also spent a day in the mastering lab assembling the Posies album, which is really where a record changes from a pile of recordings generated in the studio to something worth giving a title to. Information is still as valuable as its organization and presentation, and mastering is where those two items take shape in the audio world. Over the next few weeks the visual accompaniment will take shape…

This week REM wraps Leg 1 of their tour; we’ve been spending some days off in Mexico City—parties, pyramids, and prodigious amounts of foodstuffs. It’s one of those “I could live here” cities…and I think living at 7500 ft. above sea level makes you healthier. Dermatologists may disagree.

I really enjoyed seeing my fat butt in a paparazzi shot in one of the big Mexico City dailies, the photogs snagged us at the pyramids of Teotihuacan.

See you (the European yous) soon

Love

KS

Mexico, D.F.

Dates:

12/7 Paris, FRANCE–Le Reservoir (w/Cristina Dona)

12/8 London, UK–the Borderline

12/9 Glasgow, UK–King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut

12/10 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS–Paradiso

12/11 Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS–Rotown (w/Cristina Dona)

12/12 Stockholm, SWEDEN–Debaser (w/Cristina Dona)

12/13 Gothenburg, SWEDEN–Pusterviksbaren (w/Cristina Dona)

12/14 Oslo, NORWAY–Betong (w/Kenneth Ishak)

12/15 Bergen, NORWAY–Garage (w/Kenneth Ishak)

12/16 Köln, GERMANY–MTC (w/Cristina Dona)

12/17 Berlin, GERMANY–Bastard (w/Cristina Dona)

12/18 Frankfurt, GERMANY–Nachtleben (w/Cristina Dona)

12/19 Geneva, SWITZERLAND–Chat Noir

12/20 Brussels, BELGIUM–Botanique (w/Cristina Dona)

12/21 Helsinki, FINLAND–Tavastia

12.23 Milan, ITALY–La Casa 139 (w/Cristina Dona)

12/28 Valencia, SPAIN–Wah Wah

12/29 Barcelona, SPAIN–Sidecar

12/30 Madrid, SPAIN–Moby Dick (w/Scott McCaughey)

More information on the WaFlash EP released digitally today

Taylor

Ken Stringfellow & WaFlash

“Mappando” (album)

On a trip through West Africa in late 2001, Ken Stringfellow met a group of musicians whose work he had admired: WaFlash, from Thies, Senegal, who have been playing together for about a decade. Immensely popular in Senegal and neighboring countries, they have yet to have a release in N. America or Europe. They boast three incredible vocalists, including female singer Ma Sane, who takes the lead on most of the tracks on the album. They spent a week in early 2003 in a studio in Dakar, with compositions that they had forged the previous week in their rehearsal studio (a spare room in Ms. Sane’s family compound in Thies). Stringfellow feels the musicians and singers here are so inspiring, so generous of heart, so talented that the listener will be directly moved by this music.

Tracks:

1. Mappando

2. Yow Nit

3. What is Strong

4. Daw

5. Sambale

Available only on digital download sites such as iTunes, Napster, and Microsoft’s music service.

KS.com update – IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE AGAIN

Taylor

REM is in midswing thru Seattle, which I haven’t visited since my 10 hours of suitcase emptying in August. As usual, I am confused as restaurants and landmarks come and go, stuff gets torn down, built over, etc. Someday I will come to my address and find a monorail station has replaced my residence of the last 7 years…

I have about a week here in Seattle all told, during which every minute is spoken for, with REM, KS and Posies activity…the Posies are today mastering our upcoming album, with the formidable lab-coat-wearers Rick Fisher and Ed Brooks…tomorrow (23rd) will find the us presenting ourselves in the best possible lights at Neumo’s in Seattle and the following night in Tacoma.

REM played two nights at the McCaw Hall, the refurbished opera house, the first night being moody…the second more on the exuberant side. Hometown gigs (which is now true in a sense when REM plays Seattle, LA, New York, Atlanta or Paris!) are hard to master…it’s easier to reinvent yourself, which is what an artist does, to strangers than those who know you well enough to get weird if you appear with a handlebar moustache and a boa constrictor on your arm. Hence, Calgary was one of the best REM shows of recent memory, and Seattle was a push me pull me of moods, ultimately we rose to the occasion, but it wasn’t as effortless as usual. Vancouver was, continuing the evidence to support my theory, a piece of cake (in a wedding cake of a theatre, the Orpheum).

Universal Music is releasing the collaboration I did with Senegalese musicians WaFlash (in Dakar last year) tomorrow as part of their new download-only label experiment…should be available thru Itunes and the usual outlets–but no CDs will be pressed. Really, it’s all so new that I will have to wait til tomorrow to be able to tell you what to do–but, the curious can head to Itunes tomorrow and search for Ken Stringfellow and see what you get.

Looking ahead with resolute glee to tomorrow night’s rock show, even with a treacherous hometown crowd to navigate. Thankfully, the Posies have rarely had anything but high times with the King County CompatRiots…

Love

KS

Seattle WA

KS recordings available on world’s first all-digital download label

Taylor

UMe Digital, World’s First All-Digital Download Label from a Major Music Company, Set for Debut; Label Announces Initial Releases; Offers Unprecedented Access and Exposure for Artists

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 23, 2004–The evolution of digital downloads marks another milestone on November 23, 2004, with the debut of UMe Digital, the world’s first all-digital download label from a major music company. UMe Digital product — individual songs, EPs, and full-length albums — will be distributed exclusively online.

With its unparalleled music and video marketing capabilities and the power and scope of UMe to place songs in films and TV shows and commercials, UMe Digital offers unprecedented access and exposure for artists.

Read the article here.

ELEVATED ALERT = STANDING ON A LADDER ON TWO SUDAFED – KS.com update

Taylor

Short week this week. However, I am alert. I am on the look out. Let me say that I truly love Canada. I had some very large nights in Toronto and Montreal, with a number of helpful locals (thanks Patrick…!). In Montreal virtually every person I met was a DJ, musician, hot looking electropunk, and/or multitasking student. I’m moving! With my family, of course…On another, equally pleasant note I enjoyed an excellent dinner in Montreal last night and a short flight to Thunder Bay watching the northern lights…and here we are. I am the only person on the tour who has played in Thunder Bay more than once (Posies/Treble Charger at Crocks N’ Rolls, 1995)…rock on andmoreagain.

Love

KS

Thunder Bay, ONT

POUR ME ANOTHER, CANADIAN BARTENDER – KS.com update

Taylor

I am in one London, not the one you’d expect, but a nice one…snow covered branches…free form art noise jams…all the good stuff. Last night we had a free night and we lived up to its promise, joining forces with the legendary NIHILISTIC SPASM BAND who play every Monday in a basement bar in downtown London (Ontario). All grabbed a grasp and a 3 1/2 string bass or what have you and let it wail.

Over the weekend, on a day off in Pittsburgh, I recorded two cover songs for use on the Japanese edition of Soft Commands, to be released next month by Rykodisc. They are surprises, but of course, you’ll know soon.

New York was lived to the fullest, and thus, I have been sleeping 12 hours a night…saw a lot of old favorites there, not that they’re looking older, but by the end of it, I was. I have heard that fish is brain food, I will try and eat some this week…

Love

KS

London CANADA