#Tim Carman

[nofatclips]

Dangerous by Tim Carman & The Street 45s featuring Aaron Shadwell

[sinceileftyoublog]

GA-20 Interview: Outlier Blues

Photo by Jessica Calvo

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Even though it seems like everything is rehashed versions of something else these days, guitarist Matthew Stubbs thinks GA-20 is unique. Indeed, when the Boston-based trio (Stubbs, vocalist Pat Faherty, and drummer Tim Carman) released their debut album Lonely Soul in 2019 via Colemine/Karma Chief, they seemed like the only contemporary band making music wholly inspired by classic Chicago blues, loud and proud, raw and ear-shattering. In the years that followed, they’d double down, releasing an excellent 2021 record of songs written or performed by Hound Dog Taylor, in conjunction with Alligator Records for their 50th anniversary. Last fall, they released Crackdown, which delved further into the garage-punk side of blues. And now, they’ve revealed Live in Loveland, a pre-pandemic relic that tells the story of the first few years of the band more clearly than ever.

GA-20 had recorded and originally planned to release Crackdown shortly after Lonely Soul, mirroring the fast schedule and prolific recording nature of the legends they grew up listening to. In the early stages of 2020, setting out on a tour, they stopped in Loveland, Ohio, home to Colemine and its associated Plaid Room Records store. Burning through Lonely Soul favorites, Crackdown highlights, and other unreleased covers and originals, the band lit up an after-hours in-store at Plaid Room. They covered Little Walter’s “My Baby’s Sweeter”, rife with a bridge chock full of blistering guitar solos, and brought the crowd down with Lonely Soul’s surfy title track and the heartsick “Dry Run”. They paid tribute to their roots with the Chicago blues of “I Let Someone In” and “My Soul”. Faherty especially shined, with gravel-throated performances on “Lonely Soul” and the unreleased original “Hold It One More Time”. The performance, recorded to tape, edited down, and switched up, makes up Live in Loveland, the band’s first live record.

Shortly after their performance at Plaid Room, COVID hit, and GA-20 delayed the release of Crackdown until last fall. In between was when they collaborated with Alligator for GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It...You Might Like It!; they didn’t play any Hound Dog songs at Plaid Room because, as much as they grew up worshipping the house rocker himself, they didn’t even yet know they would release a tribute record. So if you’re a record completist who cares about canon and lore, know that Crackdown was supposed to be the band’s second as opposed to third LP. Either way, the ever-changing-yet-consistently timeless and, yes, unique band already has finished their next album, an acoustic concept record. And they’re writing their next electric one--you might hear “Hold It One More Time” on it.

Earlier this month, I spoke over the phone with Stubbs from his house in Providence about classic live albums, setting up a setlist, the story of how GA-20 signed to Colemine, and where they fit in music today. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Photo by Matthieu Joubert

Since I Left You: GA-20 has released live EPs before. What made you want to do a whole live record?

Matthew Stubbs: First of all, historically, all styles of music, but especially blues and jazz, have put out lots of live records. Growing up, lots of my favorite blues records were live records because in blues and jazz, there’s a lot of improvisation. Every night can be a little bit different or very different. One of my favorite records is BB King’s Live at the Regal. It was one of the first blues albums I really connected with.

This particular record, we were on our way to do a gig. We were starting a tour, and our first stop was Loveland, Ohio, which is where our record label, [Colemine] is based. They also own a store called Plaid Room Records. We were starting to tour and had a day off, so we decided to do a show after hours in the record shop and sell tickets. A couple days before, I had contacted Terry Cole, the owner of the label, who also records. They have a recording studio above the record store. I just threw it out there, “Why don’t we try recording tonight to see what happens?” He had just bought a second TASCAM-388 tape machine. We pulled in the night before the gig, and he was working on the tape machine in the store. It was a spur of the moment idea. We didn’t know we’d get a record out of it. It was fun: great audience, and it was cool being in the hometown of the label. 

SILY: Were you pretty much playing the songs on this record on the tour, from Lonely Soul and Crackdown?

MS: Yeah. Lonely Soul songs and Crackdown songs. This live record has three unreleased songs, one original and two covers. We recorded all night. I went through it and picked what songs had stronger performances, and songs off those two records. It was recorded in January 2020, before we did the Hound Dog record, so there’s no Hound Dog [songs] on this particular record.

SILY: But you had already been working on Crackdown?

MS: Yeah. Crackdown was recorded not long after Lonely Soul. The plan was to release it in 2020, but shortly after recording this [live record], everything shut down, and we couldn’t tour. We decided to hold off on releasing [Crackdown] so we could do proper touring and a proper release behind it. During COVID, we got approached by Alligator Records to do a record for them. They didn’t realize we were already signed to Colemine. So I cooked up the idea of doing a Hound Dog Taylor tribute record. Alligator started its label to release Hound Dog Taylor’s first LP. It was the 50th anniversary of the label and Hound Dog’s first record, and we were all just at home hanging out. So we ended up recording that and releasing it before Crackdown, but it was recorded after Crackdown. It was released under Colemine and Karma Chief in partnership with Alligator. We used their promotion in coordination with our team and got their full stamp of approval.

SILY: In your sets, do you work in Hound Dog songs?

MS: Every night, we do a few Hound Dog songs for sure.

SILY: What was the first time you heard Harold Burrage’s “I Cry For You” and Little Walter’s “My Baby’s Sweeter”, the first two songs on Live in Loveland?

MS: “I Cry For You”, I remember hearing that song at 16. I got a double CD compilation of Cobra Records, and that song was on there. I’d always loved that song and never heard anybody do it. When we started GA-20, it was on the list of cover songs I’d like to do. I presented it to Pat, who sings it very well. “My Baby’s Sweeter”, Pat and I had been doing since we started the band. We didn’t have any originals yet and were doing lots of 1950s Chicago blues, Little Walter and stuff, even though we didn’t have a harmonica player. It’s [been] in our catalog of songs to pull from for a long time. We did a full gig that night, and [it was] one of the slow blues numbers we called on the fly. We didn’t play it planning to release anything. The performance was good.

SILY: What’s the story behind the original song played that night and on here, “Hold It One More Time”? Have you recorded it yet?

MS: I think it’s gonna be on the next electric studio album. We haven't recorded it yet but had written it not long before that gig. I love blues and soul music, but I also love garage rock, so I’m pulling from it on that song.

SILY: I love how when Pat introduced “Dry Run”, he told the story behind it, that it was about a girl who was using him to practice her flirting. Since at so many blues gigs bands are just playing standards as opposed to originals, I feel like I so rarely hear an ounce of the story behind the song, especially the ones about heartbreak.

MS: Pat wrote those lyrics, and I arranged it with him. He tells the story most nights, and people always chuckle.

SILY: How many songs did you play this night?

MS: It was probably a 75-90 minute set, and for the most part, our songs aren’t very long compared to most modern day blues bands. We never have a song that goes over 4 minutes. It’s maybe 2 and a half or 3 and a half [minutes], and then maybe one longer song. So usually, a 75-minute set has about 20 songs. 

SILY: Did you just take out some of the songs for this record, or did you actually rearrange the order?

MS: The order of the record is definitely not the order we played them in. There are a couple songs that go into each other that we kept, but I definitely changed the sequence for the live record to get it to have a smoother flow.

SILY: How would you compare sequencing a setlist versus sequencing a live record?

MS: I’d probably approach it similarly. The only thing that changes is not doing 75 minutes of music on this record. We usually try to come out with a bang, something pretty hard hitting. I like to have peaks and valleys in a set. I want to draw the listener in and have dynamics with quiet moments, loud moments, songs more focused on the lyrics and songs more focused on the energy of guitar playing, or drum solos. I want to keep people engaged. People don’t have super long attention spans, so whatever I can do to keep them with us in the show.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for this record?

MS: Terry’s wife Whitney shot the show, and the effect on there is a crystal she put in front of the lens. The vibe of it was more on Terry. We talked about what we wanted, and we had that photo, and I wanted it to be vibrant and jump out on the shelf of a record store or on the merch table.

SILY: What are some of your favorite cities to play?

MS: I love playing Chicago. A lot of major cities tend to be really good to us. Los Angeles--I used to live out there, so I like coming back through. Austin. Denver.

SILY: Are there any countries overseas that tend to be really receptive?

MS: They’re all pretty good to us. This past year--and we’re going back in June--we went to Finland. I had been there with other bands, but not GA-20. We had maybe 8 gigs, and a bunch of them were sold out. It blew my mind that we rolled into a theater in Helsinki and it was sold out, us having never been there and a fairly new band. Every time we go back to London, it’s growing and growing. Spain is fun. France is great. Europe and the UK are very supportive in general.

SILY: What else is next for you?

MS: We have a couple singles that will come out in a few months. We’re gonna release a 45. We have another album all done that’ll come out in a year or so. It’s more of a concept album, an acoustic album. Right now, we’re writing the next original electric record.

SILY: Do you feel a kinship with other contemporary original American blues bands?

MS: A little bit. There are a few that are into similar things we’re doing. Modern blues in general for me, a lot of the modern day blues rock scene, it’s hard to explain unless you see us live and those bands live, but we definitely rock. We’re pretty loud. I consider us a traditional blues band live, and when we’re making records, I’m trying to make timeless records. There are some modern elements to it, but I like 50s, 60s, 70s records for blues and soul. A lot of the modern day blues releases seem like they’re coming from a different place, with their influences starting with the British blues of the late 60s on, or Southern rock. Their approach is [that] the entrée of the song is the guitar solo. Everything is based on the guitar solo coming, and long collections of notes. That’s not us, man. We have songs that don’t have a guitar solo. Most of them are in the 3-minute range. I’m more interested in producing songs I’m interested in listening to. To my knowledge, there aren’t really any up-and-coming blues bands making those kinds of records. There are bands in other genres making them, especially traditional country and soul music, like [those on] Daptone. Some garage rock bands are doing it. But not a ton of blues bands are making that style of record, getting out on the road and trying to reach a broader audience.

There are a few younger players I dig. Jontavious Willis is a player we’re friends with. Eddy 9 Volt is a good buddy. I like Cedric Burnside. Those are who come to mind. But I feel like we’re slight outliers in general.

SILY: That’s why I noticed GA-20 in the first place. It’s timeless, harking back to an era long before I was alive, but that sound like those old records I’ve heard. It retains that spirit without pretension.

MS: When we recorded Lonely Soul, we didn’t have a record label yet. We recorded 6 out of the 10 songs. I sent the EP/demo to Colemine and Alligator. They both got back to me in the same week. Alligator very quickly rejected it. They didn’t want anything to do with that record. Bruce [Iglauer], the president, said it was too distorted and too retro sounding. He didn’t like the production at all. He thought it was too raw. At the time, I found it interesting because I didn’t know I could be too raw for a label that started for Hound Dog Taylor, one of the most raw electric guitar players of all time. I said, “Why don’t you take the weekend and listen to it just in case?” He turned it down. The same week, Colemine got back to me, and they had no blues acts, loved it, and wanted us to go back in and record a few more to make it a full-length. The non-blues label that put out a lot of cool sounding soul records--and now that they have Karma Chief, it’s not just soul music--that had the common thread of timeless production, [accepted us,] and the blues label wanted nothing to do with the up-and-coming band playing raw blues. Then [Alligator] saw us live, and when COVID hit, they sent an email saying, “We saw you live, and we get it now.” They didn’t understand the production sounding lo-fi and raw, because new blues records don’t sound that way anymore. Eddie 9 Volt releases ones that sounded that way. I also heard a rumor that Alligator wasn’t interested in his first record, but I don’t know that for sure. I’m not saying I’m the greatest thing ever, but I’m pretty proud of [Lonely Soul], and I think we’re outliers.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, reading, or watching lately that’s caught your attention?

MS: I really like Sierra Ferrell. I like Ty Segall, King Gizzard. There’s a band out of Australia called Surprise Chef, an instrumental, like an El Michels Affair-type groovy funk 70′s thing. I listen to a lot of instrumental music. I have a side project kind of on hiatus now called [The] Antiguas, which is like psychedelic twang cinematic music.

[allnaturalapplejuice]

New South Park season will most likely be dropping during election season and this is what I think is gonna happen except I know that none of this actually will happen so really this is what I would do if I was in charge of writing the season.

Obviously this season is gonna have a major focus on the election and will likely be serialized; however, seeing how poorly that went for South Park the last time they were airing regular episodes during an election year in 2016 they have to completely shift gears in order to make this work.

Obviously there's gonna be a plotline following

Mr Garrison and some of the other adults but guess what:

1. That's exactly what they did in 2016 that caused them to have one of their worst rated seasons.

2. I personally don't care about the adults so they are not included in this pitch

So what I think should happen is that the election is paralleled and told via a student body election. Sure, let Mr Garrison and the adults have their real election, but keep it super light and unserious. Something like "About Last Night." (12.12), which is the best election episode and in my opinion, one of their best episodes which it manages to be without focusing on the kids too much or even Randy or any of the main adults.

Anyways, the overarching plot follows Cartman and Wendy's battle for student body president with Cartman of course parodying Trump and Wendy parodying Kamala because everytime I see stuff about Trump talking about Kamala specifically him claiming that she's too afraid to debate him-it reminds me of “The Breast Cancer Show Ever" (12.09) and Cartman and Wendy's fight in that.

Butters would 100% be RFK Jr. and lowkey have his own thing going on where he slowly goes nuts.

Kyle is, as he always is, very vocally anti-Cartman and he is the one to start calling out Cartman as being "weird" which makes

Carman soooo upset and paralleling the real world, Wendy sees this and picks Kyle to be her running mate.

Ok so we've got:

• Cartman as Donald Trump

• Wendy as Kamala Harris

• Butters as RFK Jr.

• Kyle as Tim Walz

Now you’re gonna have to hear me out on this one…

Stan as JD Vance

HEAR ME OUT. Stan gets jealous because he thought Wendy might pick him to be her running mate and feels like his best friend is stealing his gf and his gf is stealing his best friend and there is underlying subtext there but it’s never actually acknowledged. Anyways, in a “Follow That Egg” (09.10)-esque plotline, we see what we should have seen in Snow Day and Stan betrays Kyle and Wendy to side with Cartman. But also because he acted rash and only did it out of revenge, he’s totally in over his head and is an idiot onstage saying nonsense and Cartman slowly regrets his decision, in tandem with the real JD Vance. This way, all of the main 6 characters play important student body election roles except Kenny but when have the writers literally ever given a shit about Kenny?

Kenny shows up a few times as a background character or maybe somehow gets involved with the real US election or is just fully dead for another season.

So who wins?

Because it’s South Park and they can do this, whoever actually wins the election is who wins the student body election, so if it’s the republicans Stan and Cartman win and if it’s the Democrats, Kyle and Wendy wins.

But in the end the true adult election plotline and the student body president election are intertwined and Mr Garrison does some sort of “I learned something today”-esque speech about his boyfriend, and no matter what, Stan goes and apologizes to Kyle and Wendy and regardless of who wins, everyone declares that Cartman is weird.

[ulkaralakbarova]

American Matt Quigley answers Australian land baron Elliott Marston’s ad for a sharpshooter to kill the dingoes on his property. But when Quigley finds out that Marston’s real target is the aborigines, Quigley hits the road. Now, even American expatriate Crazy Cora can’t keep Quigley safe in his cat-and-mouse game with the homicidal Marston. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Matthew Quigley: Tom Selleck Crazy Cora: Laura San Giacomo Elliott Marston: Alan Rickman Major Ashley-Pitt: Chris Haywood Grimmelman: Ron Haddrick Dobkin: Tony Bonner Coogan: Jerome Ehlers Hobb: Conor McDermottroe Brophy: Roger Ward O’Flynn: Ben Mendelsohn Kunkurra: Steve Dodd Slattern: Karen Davitt Slattern: Kylie Foster Reilly: William Zappa Sergeant Thomas: Jonathan Sweet Deserter: Michael Carman Tout: Jon Ewing Miller: Tim Hughes Mullion: David Slingsby Mitchell: Danny Adcock Cavanagh: Maeliosa Stafford Carver: Ollie Hall Mrs. Grimmelman: Evelyn Krape Bugler: Mark Pennell Ticket Seller: Don Bridges Kajubi: Gnarnayarrahe Waitairie Aborigine: Bruce Burrngu Burrngu Startled Man: Fred Welsh Startled Man: Ian Lind Bushman: James Wright Bushman: Bruce Knappett Elderly Woman: Joanie Thomas Elderly Man: Vic Gordon French Canadian: David Le Page Little Bit: Cory Tjapaltjarri Bullocky: Allan Bradford Bullocky: Graham Young Klaus Grimmelman: Eamonn Kelly Deserter: Greg Stuart Tribal Elder: Billy Stockman Oliver: Brian Ellison Paddy: Mark Minchinton Cliff: Guy Norris Whitey: Gerald Egan Hayden: Spike Cherrie Scotty: Jim Willoughby Smythe: Danny Baldwin Film Crew: Original Music Composer: Basil Poledouris Producer: Stanley O’Toole Screenplay: John Hill Director: Simon Wincer Producer: Alexandra Rose Director of Photography: David Eggby Editor: Peter Burgess Set Decoration: Brian Edmonds Production Design: Ross Major Art Direction: Ian Gracie Set Decoration: Brian Dusting Stunts: Spike Cherrie Stunt Coordinator: Guy Norris Second Unit Director of Photography: Ross Berryman Focus Puller: Derry Field Steadicam Operator: Harry Panagiotidis Clapper Loader: Adrien Seffrin Still Photographer: Barry Peake Stunts: Linda Megier Stunts: Rocky McDonald Stunts: Johnny Raaen Continuity: Judy Whitehead Stunts: Lloyd Ventry Movie Reviews: John Chard: Matthew Quigley: Sharps Shooter. Quigley Down Under is directed by Simon Wincer and written by John Hill. It stars Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo and Alan Rickman. Music is by Basil Poledouris and cinematography by David Eggby. Plot sees Selleck as Matthew Quigley, a Wyoming cowboy and sharp shooting rifleman who answers an advertisement to go to Western Australia as a hired sharp shooter. If proving his worth, he’s to work for Elliot Marston (Rickman), but when Marston outlines his sick reasons for hiring Quigley, the pair quickly become on a collision course that can only see one of them survive. It was written in the 1970s by John Hill, where it was hoped that Steve McQueen would take on the lead role, but with McQueen falling ill and Clint Eastwood allegedly passed over, the project sat on ice until 1990. In came Selleck and the film finally got made. Just about making back its money at the box office, Wincer’s movie deserved far better than that. It’s competition in the Western stakes in 1990 were Costner’s beautiful and elegiac Dances With Wolves and the Brat Pack bravado of Young Guns II, both vastly different films from each other, and both considerably different from Quigley Down Under. If those two films contributed to the average response to the Selleck picture? I’m not completely sure, but viewing it now one tends to think that the 1990 audience just wasn’t ready for such a delightfully old fashioned Oater, one that features a straight and simple narrative to tell its tale. It’s safe to say that anyone after deep psychological aspects will not get that here. There’s some serious themes in the story, such as the horrid genocide towards Aborigines, while the deft kicks at the British are fair enough even to a British guy such as myself. But in the main this is old time Western fare, ...

[artofthemystic]

ABSURD GATHERING OF ALBINO FREAK MONSTERS #3 by Otto Rapp Via Flickr: AI created on Nightcafe The seed image was a long-lost acrylic painting of mine. What AI did with it following the prompt is quite fantastic. PROMPT: Absurd image of fantastic people and bizarre creatures engaged in senseless activities; photorealistic, cryptid taxidermy, Bogomil's Universe, post-apocalyptic wonderland Second Prompt: Fantasy artwork merging (Albino Devil in the Bush with Brain Salad Surgery:1.3), highly detailed and elegant, influenced by Tim Burton, Alexander Jansson, and Bill Carman, award-winning, psychedelic, photorealistic, ultra-realistic, (Ayahuasca-inspired:1.3), high definition, crisp quality, fantasy, cryptid taxidermy, imperial colors Additionally, I also used the standard Negative Prompt.

[bronva]

Real-life Coronation Street couple Joe Duttine and Sally Carman get into the festive spirit

Real-life Coronation Street couple Joe Duttine and Sally Carman get into the festive spirit

The couple recently got married (Pictures: Instagram/Sally Carman) Coronation Street stars Joe Duttine and Sally Carman are feeling super festive after putting their Christmas tree up. Joe and Sally play Tim Metcalfe and Abi Franklin in the ITV soap. While their characters aren’t in a relationship – they are! The couple tied the knot in July of this year, two years after first getting…

[variousvina]

“I’m telling you this because not telling you this is a sure road to destruction. I’m telling you this because I want to help destigmatize a condition that’s literally killing off people who make our world a better place. I’m telling you this because, if you’re a fellow sufferer, I hope you will find your way to a good therapist, as I have. I’m telling you this because I have so much left to give.”

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Audio: Tim Carman Trio Tackles a Gorgeous Wynton Kelly Trio Tune

New Audio: Tim Carman Trio Tackles a Gorgeous Wynton Kelly Trio Tune @timcarmanmusic @colorredmusic

https://open.spotify.com/track/2YcaI5ZwlxkihSU7UXKUTZ?si=8f87ea174fb249f9 https://open.spotify.com/track/1Pt7htydCAL9lJzrKmAkyV?si=725df576878147c7 Drummer and composer Tim Carman is best known for his work with acclaimed Boston-based blues act GA-20, an act which also features Pat Faherty (vocals, guitar) and Matt Stubbs (guitar), who is also an acclaimed bandleader and composer in his own…

[nofatclips]

Beard Oil by Tim Carman & The Street 45s from the album Live at Skate Park

[bilgitorbasi-blog]

Fast Casual Nation: The movement that has changed how America eats

Fast Casual Nation: The movement that has changed how America eats

Customization is king at Cava, a Washington-based Mediterranean fast-casual chain that now has 35 locations in the District, Maryland, Virginia, California, New York and New Jersey. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Holler & Dash Biscuit House is a small, counter-service chain that has made some big promises to diners: Each location of the biscuit-heavy concept will seek out local…

[thetechidevice]

What should I know before buying a smartwatch?

A smartwatch is a bracelet-like wristwatch with an embedded operating system and sensors that can run applications, send or receive messages, show notifications, and more.

The first smartwatches were developed by PHTL Smartwatches. They were powered by the energy from a button cell battery. Later, in 1991, Seiko Epson Corporation created the prototypes of smartwatches. The description of this watch was filed in 1997 (see figure 1).

The concept of wearables has been gathering attention since 2007, when Apple launched its first iPhone. Nowadays, everyone is thinking about wearable devices due to their growing popularity. In 2014 Apple released its first real smartwatch: Apple Watch (see figure 2). 

Google also created a smartwatch called Android Wear (see figure 3). Samsung has released its line of Gear S3 watches (see figure 4). In the fall of 2016, Pebble Technology Corporation announced to stop making devices because it was bought by FitBit Inc.

What should I know before buying a smartwatch?

Before buying any type of device, you should know how to use it and what advantages it will bring. You can search the web for tips on choosing one or hiring an expert, but the most important thing is to check the specifications of a particular watch.

1. You don't need it

"The Apple Watch has been on the wrists of reviewers for ten days, and I haven't worn any other watch since setting it up," said Katyanna Quach from VentureBeat.  Some people are going to love this watch, but most people will probably not need it. According to a study made by Endeavour Partners, in 2015, about 58 million smartwatches were shipped. This year, Apple Watch sales are expected at $10 billion only for 2016 (see figure 5). That's why "if you want one, get it now," said Philip Elmer-DeWitt from Fortune.

2. You can use your phone instead

A smartwatch is like a smartphone companion, they are both powerful devices that offer similar benefits, but the main difference is that it's much easier to pull out your phone than take off your wrist to check what time it is. By having a smartwatch, you don't need to be so dependent on your smartphone: "On average, people touch their phones 150 times per day," said Ashley Carman from The Verge, "that's around 9,900 touches for the entire year". And not only smartphones are taking our attention: "Americans spend up to 90 minutes a day looking at their computers", according to Mary Meeker, who did this study in 2015 (see figure6).

3. It's for fitness enthusiasts more than the general public

"I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed with it as an everyday watch," said Jason Snell from Macworld. Indeed, smartwatches have initially been created for fitness enthusiasts. Tim Cook, an Apple CEO, said at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2015: "the way I see it, if you're looking at a smartphone all day long, you probably aren't doing so well." Also, Phil Schiller claimed on stage that the primary goal of the Apple Watch was "to help customers stay fit.” Android Wear also has health-tracking features, and watches can track your heart rate (see figure 7). Fitbit also has its line of smartwatches, the Surge (see figure 8).

4. Choose Apple Watch over Android Wear smartwatches

"The Apple Watch is something people will want to buy and use on their wrist every day," said Joel Santo Domingo from The New York Times. He also did a review about Android Wear at the Google I/O conference in 2015, saying that it wasn't good enough yet: "I still find it frustrating to deal with notifications when they come in on Android Wear. For one thing, there's no way to archive or delete them directly-you can only respond or clear them" he said

5. go with a Pebble Time Round you are not into fitness tracking but want an affordable smartwatch -

 It is the only watch on this list that does not have a color screen, and it costs $250, a bit more than other models ($179 for Apple Watch Sport, $499 for the steel edition). However, if you don't care about having fitness features in your watch, this model is a better value. "It's exquisite [The Pebble Time Round] and every bit as functional with just enough app support to keep most people happy," said Rich Jaroslovsky from Bloomberg.

6. If pure fitness tracking is your priority

you should probably just get a fitness tracker - "When users buy the new Fitbit Alta HR or Charge 2, they're buying something that's going to sit in their lives and do something for them every day," said Stefan Etienne from Techcrunch. In this case, maybe you don't want a smartwatch because the battery life is shorter than most fitness trackers.

7. Nobody knows how long the battery will last

This problem was one of the most criticized things about Android Wear. According to several reviews, the battery lasts two days or less (see figure 10). "In the end, Apple Watch battery life is likely to be a big sticking point for potential buyers," said Anton Shilov from Computex. Users can extend it using Power Reserve mode, but they need to know when they charge it so that they don't miss any important notifications.

8. Want to look like a cyborg? Choose another watch

An unnamed reviewer said: "it looks like the most futuristic thing on your wrist," and added that he would wear it even if it didn't come with any innovative features. The Apple Watch Edition is made of 18K yellow or rose gold (with sapphire screen) and costs from $10,000 to $17,000 depending on the band you choose (see figure 11). One could also check out other smartwatches by Samsung (whose Gear S2 costs between $300 and $350), Asus, Huawei, or LG.

9. You shouldn't buy an Apple Watch hoping for a phablet replacement

"Size matters when it comes to a smartwatch. The LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition is huge by comparison, with a 1.3-inch face that would look more at home on your wrist if you were rock climbing or deep-sea diving," said Andrew Hayward from TrustedReviews.

10. Do I have to charge my watch every day?

It depends on the model (see figure 12). Some Android Wear watches need charging every night, but there are not many reviews about it yet.

Conclusion

The best watch for you depends on how you plan to use it, your budget, and how vital battery life is for you. If you are looking for a good smartwatch that will last more than a day, the GX Smartwatch for the first thing you try out. 

If fitness tracking is your primary goal, get a Fitbit model. If you don't care about color screens or other fancy features, you can also save money and choose the Pebble Time Round.

[rich4a1]

Lucas De Mulder & The New Mastersounds Feel the Spirit

Lucas De Mulder & The New Mastersounds Feel the Spirit The Drawbars – One Finger Only Color Red We made you aware of the funky, mostly organ-oriented music coming out of the label Color Red with our review of the Tim Carman Trio in late February. There’s plenty more where that came from, most recently Madrid-based guitarist Lucas de Mulder will unveil his debut album Feel the Spirit produced…

[antiquatedfuture]

New zine! The 15-year anniversary issue of Basic Paper Airplane, where 20 writers, musicians, DJs, label owners, publishers, and comic artists tell stories of how cassette tapes have affected their lives, for better or worse.

Within: the art of the mixtape, the importance of the boombox, the intimacy of the Walkman. Plus tales of recording with cassettes, performing with cassettes, releasing cassettes, falling in love with cassettes. Nostalgia, subversion, frustration, possibility.

Contributions from: Andrew Barton, Ariel Birks, Karleigh Frisbie Brogan, Aaron Burch, Laura Daegling, Tim Devin, Fukumup, Aaron Gilbreath, Cynthia Carmina Gómez, Jack Lewis, Chask'e Lindgren, Pat Maley, Jason Martin, Sara Renberg, Kevin Sampsell, Gina Sarti, Christopher Sutton, Tucker Theodore, and Alexis Wolf. Cover art by Rachel Lee-Carman. Risograph-printed throughout by Whatnow Press.

[wtfwtfolklore]

Cherry-Man giveth but only so much.

Carman, ep. 144: Tim Burton’s Corpse Wang

[radioeuroextasis]

World Of Hope - Billy Gaines

‎Biografía de Billy Gaines‎ ‎Con siete sencillos de radio número uno y dos premios Dove, Billy Gaines es un vocalista de estudio muy solicitado. El video musical de la canción "That is Why", se elevó al número dos en las listas de videos de BET. Billy ha aparecido en grabaciones de numerosos artistas como Peabo Bryson, Vanessa Williams, CeCe Winans, Amy Grant, DC Talk, Carman, Nicole C. Mullen y muchos más.‎ ‎Su logro más reciente es su papel como cantante y actor del personaje Moses, en la nueva película de Kathie Lee Gifford titulada "The Way", cantando la canción "The God of The How and When". Gaines ha inspirado al público de todo el mundo durante más de tres décadas a través de canciones, televisión, radio, álbumes y actuaciones en vivo. ‎ ‎El nuevo sencillo de radio de Billy, "World of Hope", lanzado en todo el mundo por Clinetel Record fue escrito por los compositores número uno, Lacie Carpenter y Thornton Cline; y producido por el legendario productor de éxitos, Ted Perlman, quien ha producido a grandes como Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Chicago y Ringo Starr.‎ ‎Thornton Cline, biografía‎ ‎Desde que su madre lo inscribió en clases de piano a los cinco años, Thornton Cline ha estado escribiendo sin parar. Con más de 1,500 canciones publicadas, 150 canciones grabadas por artistas importantes e independientes, treinta y seis libros publicados tradicionalmente para adultos y niños, Thornton Cline ha sido nominado varias veces para los premios Grammy y Dove. Cline ha sido honrado con el "Compositor del Año" dos veces seguidas en Nashville y recibió una certificación de platino por las ventas de más de un millón de unidades de álbumes en Europa. Cline ganó el primer lugar maxy Literary Award en 2017 por "Mejor libro infantil para adultos jóvenes", y ha tenido sus canciones grabadas por Engelbert Humperdinck, Gloria Gaynor, Rebecca Holden, Gary Puckett, Tim Murphy, Ray Peterson, Billy y Sarah Gaines, Amber Thompson, Tammy Trent, Matt Newton, entre otros. Thornton Cline ha hecho que sus canciones originales aparezcan en la televisión y en las principales películas.‎ ‎Cline ha tenido diez sencillos de radio número uno en todo el mundo, un número tres y varios éxitos top ten en las listas Billboard, Euro y World Top 100. En abril del año pasado, Thornton Cline fue incluido en el Salón de la Fama de la Asociación Internacional de Compositores de Tennessee en Nashville. ‎ ‎Biografía de Lacie Carpenter‎ ‎Desde adornar escenarios de todo el mundo como violinista y violinista clásico, cantante / compositor hasta educar a las generaciones futuras, Lacie Carpenter es una músico galardonada y conocida como una intérprete dinámica. Con sede en Nashville, Carpenter está trabajando constantemente en su próximo proyecto. Su primer álbum, producido por el legendario Wayne Moss, "Nothing is Real" recibió excelentes críticas dentro del género americano y una nominación al Grammy. Su canción, "Back Together" es el tema principal de la World Craniofacial Foundation y "Standing in the Rain" fue la canción número uno solicitada en VA (2018-2019). Desde entonces, ha estado escribiendo y co-escribiendo nuevo material para otros artistas increíbles, nueva música emocionante para sí misma y escribiendo libros. Carpenter tiene varios libros publicados tradicionalmente dentro de los ámbitos de la ficción y la no ficción. Más allá de actuar, escribir y educar, puedes ver a Lacie hablando y moderando paneles sobre composición de canciones y acceso global a la educación musical en conferencias como NAMM y Music Cities Conventions. Tiene un BFA en Educación Musical e Interpretación de Violín, una Maestría en Psicología y una Maestría en Etnomusicología. La reciente canción de Carpenter, "My Lucky Song" alcanzó el número uno en las listas World Indie y las listas de Euro Indie Network con el co-escritor, Thornton Cline. "There Will Come a Day" recientemente grabada por el ganador del Premio Dove, Billy Gaines es la segunda canción de carpenter. Lacie Carpenter firmó recientemente como artista de grabación en el sello Clinetel Records, con sede en Nashville, para su primer contrato de artista con su primer sencillo lanzado a principios del próximo año. ‎ Read the full article

[bluestownmusic]

Review: GA-20 - Crackdown

  Review: GA-20 – Crackdown   GA-20 – Crackdown Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Colemine Records Release: 2022 Tekst: Peter Marinus Het Amerikaanse trio GA-20 speelt alleen maar muziek waar ze zelf ook naar zou luisteren. En op hun derde album is het dan ook niet zo moeilijk om te horen van welke muziek Matt Stubbs (gitaar), Pat Faherty (zang, gitaar) en Tim Carman(drums) gek zijn. Dat…