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Magic Band Revealed

The Radar Station's Beefheart weblog.
01 September 2010

Gary Lucas at LSO St Lukes

Friday 17 September 7.30pm
Transcender: Najma Akhtar & Gary Lucas + Parvathy Baul
Tickets £15/20
Produced by the Barbican
Concert at LSO St Luke's, 161 Old Street London EC1V 9NG

Two very different, but equally transporting, takes on Indian vocal traditions. Najma Akhtar’s music-making springs from a love affair with the Ghazal tradition of South Asian mystical poetry: here she teams up with legendary rock and blues guitarist Gary Lucas. Parvathy Baul is a young performer of ancient and hypnotic Baul songs.

Akhtar has been at the forefront of the World Music scene for the last two decades. Born and raised in England she has nonetheless remained rooted in the music of India, her ancestral home. Her first (1987) recording with Triple Earth, Qareeb, was a groundbreaking fusion of jazz and Indian Ghazals based on Urdu poems. She has gone on to prove herself as an extraordinarily versatile artist, using modern jazz influences with Indian vocals to create a haunting fusion of eastern and western styles. Her current collaboration with guitarist Gary Lucas is a thrilling example. Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer Lucas has more than 20 acclaimed solo albums to date, and is a soundtrack composer for film and television. Cited as one of the ‘100 Greatest Living Guitarists’ in Classic Rock magazine, his 2009 collaboration with Indian vocalist Najma Akhtar, Rishte, was a major hit in World Music charts. Lucas also co-leads Fast 'N' Bulbous, devoted to the music of rock visionary Captain Beefheart, in whose band Lucas first put himself on the musical map.

Posted by Steve at 6:17 PM  - 0 comments - post a comment

30 August 2010

MESSin' with Drumbo

Film curator, writer and lecturer, Gerry Fialka, is interviewing John French as part of his ongoing series of MESS (Media Ecology Soul Salon) interviews:

Echo Park Film Center
1200 N Alvarado St. (at Sunset Blvd.)
Los Angeles

Saturday 9 October 2010, starts 7pm
tickets: $5

The evening begins with a showing of the Crows Milk documentary about the Magic Band reunion. At 8pm Gerry will be talking to John French. This will be followed by the showing of the film of the 2003 Shepherds Bush show plus some of John's home movies of Don.

John will also be signing copies of his book.

Sounds like a ridiculously cheap evening's entertainment if you're in the area!

Posted by Steve at 2:30 PM  - 0 comments - post a comment

29 August 2010

Let go flocks of them...

Here a some golden birdies, bits, bobs and doodads for your delectation:

Moris Tepper has a new CD out called A Singer Called Shotgun Throat, a title suggested by Don apparently. Full details can be found on Moris's website - http://www.candlebone.com/pages/musicnews.shtml


For those manic collectors out there I've been trying to document all the Beefheart titles available as flexi discs. These are strange releases emanating from Russia and Poland. Check out what I've found so far on this Russian flexi discs page. If you've got others please let me know.


YouTube continues to be a great source for hearing attempts at Beefheart covers. Here's a selection of some I've come across just recently:

British folk guitarist Andy Roberts has put up two versions of Grow Fins:
plus he makes a valiant attempt at Big Eyed Beans From Venus on the ruan (a Chinese lute!), which has got to be one of the oddest instruments used for any Beefheart cover.
Joe Mink has covered One Red Rose That I Mean:
Martyslartibartfast has posted a dirty garage cover of Plastic Factory with a wonderful Three Stooges film accompaniment:
And there's a falsetto version of Ain't No Santa Claus On The Evenin Stage if you can stomach such a thing:


Grant O'Neill has published a couple more entertaining articles about his friendship with Don during the sixties:
He's also written some pieces about Zappa too if you're interested:


Another sculpture by Agostinho Rodrigues - a family of penguins - has come to light. And the person who told me about it was also able to supply a few more background details about this mystery man. Take a look at my updated Don Vliet and Agostinho Rodrigues article

Posted by Steve at 3:13 PM  - 0 comments - post a comment

22 August 2010

Captain Beefheart Symposium: 10 September

Here's a treat if you can make it to:

The Magic Room Gallery
155 North Beacon Street,
Brighton, Massachusetts 02135

on Friday 10 September 2010 - 8pm until 11.30pm
tickets: $20

Gary Lucas will be presenting a Captain Beefheart Symposium where he will will give a lecture and musical demonstration devoted to his mentor and childhood hero Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart.

This will involve Gary showing rare video footage of the man and the band, delve into his complex artistic oeuvre as both a composer -- by performing some of his fiendishly difficult solo guitar compositions live -- and as a painter by showing slides of his formidable paintings and drawings.

Update (29 August):
In case you haven't seen it but Gary has added a comment to this post to say that he's reprising this symposium:
Monday 13 September - 7pm until 9pm
at The Stone, corner of Avenue C and 2nd Street on Manhattan's lower east side
tickets: $30

If you are lucky enough to get along to either of these events please send us a report.

Posted by Steve at 9:18 AM  - 8 comments - post a comment

10 August 2010

Twenty Fifth Century Quaker meets The Spotlight Kid

Some interesting articles have been appearing on the Associated Content website under the byline of Grant O'Neill.

Grant is a pseudonym for a guy from Lancaster who knew Don and many of the Magic Band back in the sixties. I spoke to him a few years ago and part of that interview was printed in the 'Steal Softly Thru Snow' fanzine. Just recently he told me that he wants to "discuss the Don most people haven't met" ... and that's what he's doing in these vignettes.

It's fascinating stuff ... with more on the way ... so check out these pieces:-




Posted by Steve at 6:00 PM  - 4 comments - post a comment

02 May 2010

This train with grey tubes


A marvellous animation to accompany the song Bat Chain Puller has appeared on YouTube. It's been created by Geritsel about whom I know nothing.

Find the video here

Thanks to the ever vigilant Derek for the heads up on this.


Posted by Steve at 2:53 PM  - 2 comments - post a comment

24 April 2010

John Drumbo French interviewed for new Tom Waits DVD

A new Tom Waits documentary DVD "Under The Influence" features interviews with John French (Magic Band drummer, arranger, latter-day front man and biographer).  Produced by Chrome Dreams (who also made Captain Beefheart Under Review a few years back)  the DVD dissects Waits' varied influences and I think we can guess why Captain Beefheart's right hand man was enlisted to help tell part of the story.

Intriguingly there is an extra short on the DVD called "John French Spills The Beans" - perhaps just an extended interview. If you have any more info please do let me know or post it below.

Posted by Graham Johnston at 7:25 PM  - 1 comments - post a comment

13 April 2010

"Beginners Guide to Captain Beefheart" radio show

DJ ShinyBeast at PhonicFM will be broadcasting a two hour Beefheart special on Tuesday 27 April 2010 between 8 am 10 pm BST. Tune in at the PhonicFM website. Thanks to Gordon for the tip-off.

Posted by Graham Johnston at 8:24 AM  - 0 comments - post a comment

28 March 2010

New John French interview

Stephen Toman has just got in touch to alert me to his recent John "Drumbo" French interview which has just been published online.  Don't miss it: lots of John's thoughts about the Magic Band, the book, the reunion and far beyond. Many thanks, Stephan.

John French's book, Beefheart Through The Eyes Of Magic is available now from Amazon and elsewhere, don't forget to buy your copy.

Posted by Graham Johnston at 5:24 PM  - 1 comments - post a comment

24 March 2010

My skin's blazing through

I had a message from Claire from Brooklyn yesterday:
A few months ago I was getting tattooed by Myles Karr at Three Kings Tattoo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I asked him what his specialty was. "Anything weird." he said.
"Oh, so like, the cover of Captain Beefheart's 'Trout Mask Replica'?" I asked, referencing the first "weird" thing that came to mind.
His eyes widened. "YES. Anywhere you want it, as big as you want it."
In his excitement he quoted me a ridiculously cheap price. I couldn't really pass up such an offer from one of Brooklyn's finest tattooers....  So now I'm wearing my very own Replica of Trout Mask Replica.

Not many of us outside of the Magic Band have suffered quite so much for Don's art!

Thanks Claire.

Posted by Graham Johnston at 11:37 AM  - 9 comments - post a comment

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