#mark ballou

[duranduratulsa]

Up next on my 80's Fest Movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 marathon...Big (1988) on YouTube #Movie #movies #comedy #big #tomhanks #pennymarshall #elizabethperkins #JohnHeard #RIPJohnHeard #JaredRushton #davidmoscow #robertloggia #riprobertloggia #mercedesruehl #tracyreiner #JonLovitz #markballou #debrajorupp #GaryHowardKlar #ripgaryhowardklar #billyidol #FrancesFisher #YouTube #80s #80sfest #durandurantulsas6thannual80sfest

[flamingoroadalbumphoto]

Constance (Morgan Fairchild), Titus (Howard Duff), Field (Mark Harmon) et Lane (Cristina Raines).

[husheduphistory]

Dealt a Hand of Death: The Terrible Table of the Delta Saloon

When gold was discovered in California on January 24th 1848 it changed the landscape of the country with approximately 300,000 people swarming to the state from all over dreaming of striking it rich and finding fortune in the ground. Undoubtedly, the California Gold Rush was familiar to Henry T. “Pancake” Comstock, a Canadian miner and acquaintance with brothers Ethan Allen and Hoesa Ballou Grosh. The Grosh brothers were veterans of the California gold fields and in the fall of 1857 they discovered a promising ore deposit in Virginia City, Nevada. But, before they could claim the land both brothers tragically died. Hearing of their deaths, Comstock took it upon himself to take over their cabin, open their belongings, find the documentation connected to their find, and essentially claim it as his own. In the spring of 1859, two miners named Peter O’Riley and Patrick McLaughlin began to work the area around Six-Mile Canyon when they made a huge discovery, a deposit of silver ore, but their elation was short lived. Comstock claimed the men were working on land he had already claimed for “grazing purposes” and he proceeded to threaten them to the point that in order to avoid issues the miners made him a partial owner in the claim, later named the Comstock Lode.

Mining on the Comstock. Image via wikipedia.com.

The men had no idea what they had discovered. The Comstock Lode was a massive deposit of silver ore, the first of its kind in the United States, and news about new riches found under the earth brought back the excitement of the California Gold Rush from less than ten years earlier. From its discovery in 1859 to 1882 the Comstock Lode yielded what would today amount to over ten billion dollars worth of ore. However, none of the men who discovered the claim never saw that level of wealth. Patrick McLaughlin sold his 1/6 interest in the claim for $3,000 but the money was quickly lost and he died after working multiple odd jobs to scrape by. Peter O'Riley held on to his interests at first but eventually sold them for approximately $40,000. He used the money to invest in other endeavors including a hotel and another venture into mining but his attempts were unsuccessful. He lost everything, was declared insane, and his life came to a close in a California asylum.

Henry Comstock sold his interests and went on to open various shops in Carson City and Silver City. He too lost everything in bad business decisions and in September 1870 he died in Montana after shooting himself in the head.

Henry T. "Pancake" Comstock. Image via legendsofamerica.com.

When the Comstock Lode was discovered it completely transformed Virginia City, Nevada. Once a small mining town it was quickly filled with hundreds of thousands of prospectors, driven by the re-ignited dreams of fortune just waiting to be dug up. The influx of people brought everyone imaginable to Virginia City, and it quickly transformed into a place where law dared not tread. Filled to the brim with bordellos, saloons, and opium dens, the city became the darkest definition of the wild west. In 1872 Mark Twain published his semi-autobiographical novel Roughing It where he wrote about his travels by stagecoach through the American West and later the islands of the Pacific. In the book he writes about his trip to Virginia City stating that “Two days before I lectured in Virginia City, two stagecoaches were robbed within two miles of the town.” Twain himself was later robbed at gunpoint once he arrived in the city, losing his money and a gold watch.

Dreams, greed, and human beings all swept through the west and Virginia City, but there was one more thing that was keeping all of their minds occupied, a card game called Faro. Played using one deck of cards and being fairly easy to learn, gamblers quickly made Faro the dominant card game of every gambling hall in the west from 1825 to approximately 1915. One man who was well versed in the game was a Virginia City gambler named “Black Jake” who decided he was going to capitalize on its popularity, buy himself a Faro game table, and make himself rich taking cash out of every pocket he could. He was known for being a greedy man, but one night in 1861 karma came back strong and the table turned on its owner with Black Jake losing multiple rounds and $70,000 in one night. With absolutely no way to pay out that amount of money, the equivalent of two million dollars today, the disgraced gambler grabbed his pistol and took his own life at the table. With Black Jake gone the table needed a new home, and a few years later it found a new owner whose name has been lost to time. This new owner operated the table for exactly one night where he too lost everything, including his life. It is unknown if he chose to take it himself, or if it was taken from him.

Playing Faro in a saloon circa 1895. Image via wikipedia.com.

Having claimed two lives, the table was stored in the back room of where it was last used, The Delta Saloon, where it would sit undisturbed for decades. It wasn’t until the late 1890s that wealthy businessman Charles Fosgard laid eyes on the table, and he was happy to buy it. Fosgard had a lot of money, but he was looking to reinvest it and in Virginia City with its thrill-seeking gamblers looking to strike it rich in the saloons when they couldn’t in the mines, it made perfect sense to Fosgard to bring the notorious table out of retirement. After converting it into a blackjack table, Fosgard went into business.

One night a drunk miner sauntered into The Delta Saloon and made his way to the blackjack table. To Fosgard’s delight the miner lost hand after hand until he only had one thing left to offer the businessman, his gold ring. He bet the ring against a five dollar coin and finally, he won a hand. Then he won another….and then he won another. The miner and Fosgard went face to face over and over again and a crowd grew to watch as the businessman was forced to hand over everything. By the end of the game the miner was the new owner of Fosgard’s stagecoach, his share in a local gold mine, and $85,000 (over 2.5 million dollars in today’s money.) Fosgard’s fortune was decimated and he did the only thing he could think of, he pulled out his gun and took his life at the same table as the previous two owners (and in the same way as not only them, but also the less-than-legit founder of the Comstock Lode that brought them all there.)

The table was soaked in enough tragedy and it was put out of commission with a new dubious nickname of The Suicide Table. Year after year, and as the population of Virginia City depleted, the story of the table only grew and it was eventually made a feature of The Delta Saloon. People came from all over to see the table, guided by a sign that cheerfully read “See the Suicide Table” in bright paint as you approach the building that had been restored as faithfully as possible to how it was in its heyday in the 1800s. The table itself was also restored, brought back to its original state as a Faro table. It stayed a Delta Saloon attraction for decades, saw in new centuries, and lived quietly with its tragic past and infamy.

Vintage postcard showing The Suicide Table on display at The Delta Saloon. Image via ebay.com.

Then, on March 11th 2019, Virginia City was shaken when a gas explosion occurred at The Delta Saloon. Amid the damage sat The Suicide Table, unscathed other than receiving a coating of dust. Movers were brought in and the table was relocated to the Delta’s sister saloon, The Bonanza Saloon, right across the street where it remains on display under protective plastic housing.

The Suicide Table is still a major attraction in Virginia City, attracting the gaze of thousands of people lured in by its horrific past. In a time and place that encompassed the lawless American West like Virginia City, there are many shocking tales to tell. But standing out in the crowd is a simple Faro table, created as a game of chance, and tied to at least four lives suddenly lost in the bloody name of greed.

*****************************************************

Sources:

Step Back in Time Virginia City Nevada by The Virginia City Tourist Commission. 2022. https://visitvirginiacitynv.com/history/

Comstock Lode – Creating Nevada History by Legends of America. 2023. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nv-comstocklode/

The History and Nostalgia of The Delta Saloon by The Delta Saloon. 2023.

The Old West Card Table With a Deadly Past by Danielle Hyman & Adam Aronson. The Daily Beast. September 3, 2018. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-old-west-card-table-with-a-deadly-past

Men’s luck ran out at gaming table by Dave Maxwell. Boulder City Review. June 17, 2020. https://bouldercityreview.com/community/mens-luck-ran-out-at-gaming-table-61432/

[dustinreidmusic]

Jerry Portnoy ~ Down In The Mood Room

Credits: 

Harmonica - Jerry Portnoy

Vocals - Duke Robillard (tracks 3 and 10) Jerry Portnoy (tracks 6 and 13) and Bob Malone (track 8) 

Guitar - Duke Robillard 

Guitar - Troy Gonyea (tracks 8, 10 and 12) 

Bass - Marty Ballou 

Drums - Steve Ramsay 

Fiddle and mandolin - Mark Davis 

Mandocello - Mark Davis (track 7) 

Baritone saxophone and bass clarinet - Doug James 

Tenor saxophone - Gordon Beadle 

 Label: TinyTown Records - TTCD 2011 

Year: 2001

[ulkaralakbarova]

A former basketball all-star, who has lost his wife and family foundation in a struggle with addiction, attempts to regain his soul and salvation by becoming the coach of a disparate ethnically mixed high school basketball team at his alma mater. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Jack Cunningham: Ben Affleck Dan: Al Madrigal Beth: Michaela Watkins Angela: Janina Gavankar Doc: Glynn Turman Marcus Parrish: Melvin Gregg Brandon Durrett: Brandon Wilson Kenny Dawes: Will Ropp Sam Garcia: Fernando Luis Vega Chubbs Hendricks: Charles Lott, Jr. Bobby Freeze: Ben Irving Devon Childress: da’Vinchi Father Edward Devine: John Aylward Russ: T.K. Carter Diane: Rachael Carpani Kurt: Todd Stashwick Anne: Nancy Linehan Charles Gerry Norris: Dan Lauria Sal: Chris Bruno Coach Lombardo: Matthew Glave Matty (Bartender): Jeremy Ratchford Susan Norris: Jayne Taini Father Mark Whelan: Jeremy Radin Ryan: Nico David Sarah: Emelia Golfieri Sarah: Layla Golfieri Miguel: Sal Velez Jr. Sofia: Yeniffer Behrens Sully – Ref #2: Eric Tate Doctor: Christine Horn Construction Worker #1: Josh Latzer Construction Worker #2: Manny Streetz David: Justice Alan Liquor Store Owner: Jay Abdo Lead Referee: Joshua Hubbard Burly Man: James P. Harkins Employee: Mike G. Betty: April Adams Haley: Chieko Hidaka Student: Bronwen O’Connor Student: Charlotte Evelyn Williams Student: Kayla Diaz Trinity Coach: Doc Jacobs Gale: Marlene Forte Ken: Shay Roundtree Pat: Chad Mountain Summit Coach: Sandy Fletcher Opposing Coach: Noah Ballou Female Friend – Nancy: Cynthia Rose Hall Referee: Calvin Barber Fish Scale Operator: Dino Lauro Bishop Bench Player: Roman Mathis Bishop Bench Player: Herbert Morales Bishop Bench Player: Mateo Ortiz Bishop Bench Player: Tyler O’Malley Ethan (uncredited): Tom Archdeacon Basketball Player 7 (uncredited): Brian Nuesi Denise (uncredited): Edelyn Okano Cheerleader (uncredited): Carly Schneider Mike Ball Boy (uncredited): Caleb Thomas Eric (uncredited): Hayes MacArthur Basketball Player: Alexander Tassopoulos Birthday Party Guest (uncredited): Mason Blomberg Film Crew: Producer: Gavin O’Connor Producer: Jennifer Todd Producer: Gordon Gray Sound Mixer: Steven A. Morrow Producer: Ravi D. Mehta Set Decoration Buyer: Ellen Dorros Boom Operator: Craig Dollinger Utility Sound: Bryan Mendoza Art Direction: Bradley Rubin Costume Design: Cindy Evans Director of Photography: Eduard Grau Editor: David Rosenbloom Executive Producer: Brad Ingelsby Executive Producer: Mark Ciardi Unit Production Manager: Bob Dohrmann Executive Producer: Kevin McCormick Executive Producer: Aaron L. Gilbert Executive Producer: Jason Cloth Executive Producer: Kaitlyn Taaffe Cronholm Executive Producer: Madison Ainley Production Design: Keith P. Cunningham Casting: Wendy O’Brien Co-Producer: Brittany Hapner Original Music Composer: Rob Simonsen Music Supervisor: Gabe Hilfer Unit Production Manager: Victor Ho Second Assistant Director: Kevin Lum First Assistant Director: Jamie Marshall Visual Effects Supervisor: Bruce Jones Set Decoration: Douglas A. Mowat Set Designer: Paul Sonski Assistant Art Director: Linia Marie Hardy Assistant Art Director: Brittany Bradford Graphic Designer: Stephanie Charbonneau Graphic Designer: Andrew Campbell Art Department Coordinator: Michael LaCorte Leadman: Fred Haft Set Decoration Buyer: Jane Madden Stunt Coordinator: Tom McComas Stunts: Oliver Keller Stunts: Courtney Farnsworth Stunts: Allan Graf Stunts: Craigory Glen Hunter Stunts: Lauren Shaw Stunts: B R Lamar Stunts: David Rowden II Property Master: J.P. Jones Assistant Property Master: Rick Chavez Script Supervisor: Steve Gehrke “A” Camera Operator: Peter Rosenfeld Still Photographer: Richard Foreman Jr. “B” Camera Operator: Michael Merriman First Assistant “A” Camera: Stephen MacDougall Second Assistant “A” Camera: Jordan Pellegrini First Assistant “B” Camera: Jesse Cain Second Assistant “B” Camera: Seth A. Peschansky Digital Imaging Technician: Jesse Tyler Music Editor: Curt Sobel Assistant Editor: Anna Rottke First Assistant Editor: Joe Rosenbloom Soun...

[ethanv9911]

Historical Figures from Waterbury, Vermont: Influential People and Their Legacies.

Waterbury, Vermont, a quaint town nestled in the heart of the Green Mountains, has been home to many influential figures throughout its history. From pioneers in industry to champions of social justice, these individuals have left a lasting impact on both the local community and the broader world. In this article, we'll explore some of the most notable historical figures from Waterbury and examine their legacies.Click Here

Benjamin Dillingham: Born in Waterbury in 1799, Benjamin Dillingham was a prominent businessman and politician. He made significant contributions to the development of the region's infrastructure, particularly through his involvement in the construction of the Waterbury Reservoir and the development of the local railroad system. Dillingham's vision and leadership helped to shape Waterbury into a thriving hub of commerce and transportation.

Carrie Stevens: A pioneer in the art of fly tying, Carrie Stevens gained international acclaim for her intricate and innovative fly designs. Born in Waterbury in 1882, Stevens perfected her craft while living in the town, drawing inspiration from the surrounding natural beauty. Her flies, known for their lifelike appearance and exceptional fishing performance, revolutionized the sport of fly fishing and earned her a place in angling history.

William T. Mayo: William T. Mayo was a prominent abolitionist and advocate for civil rights who called Waterbury home during the mid-19th century. A vocal critic of slavery and racial injustice, Mayo played a key role in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved individuals escape to freedom in Canada. His courageous efforts to combat inequality and oppression continue to inspire generations of activists to this day.

Ida Ballou: Born in Waterbury in 1865, Ida Ballou was a pioneering educator and community leader. She devoted her life to improving access to education for children in rural Vermont, founding several schools and educational initiatives in the area. Ballou's commitment to learning and her belief in the power of education to transform lives left a lasting legacy in Waterbury and beyond.

Charles A. Smith: Charles A. Smith was a trailblazing entrepreneur and philanthropist who left an indelible mark on the town of Waterbury. Born in 1845, Smith founded the Waterbury Watch Company, which quickly became one of the leading watch manufacturers in the United States. In addition to his business success, Smith was known for his generosity and civic-mindedness, supporting numerous charitable causes and community projects throughout his life.

Grace Goodhue Coolidge: Perhaps one of the most well-known figures from Waterbury is Grace Goodhue Coolidge, the wife of President Calvin Coolidge. Born in 1879, Grace grew up in the town and attended local schools before eventually marrying Calvin Coolidge in 1905. As First Lady, Grace was known for her grace, charm, and dedication to public service, earning her widespread admiration and respect.

These are just a few of the many historical figures who have called Waterbury, Vermont, home. Each of these individuals made unique contributions to the town and the world at large, leaving behind legacies that continue to inspire and enrich the lives of others. From business leaders to social activists, their stories serve as a testament to the spirit of innovation, perseverance, and community that defines Waterbury to this day.

[metalshockfinland]

HIGH ON FIRE Unleash New Album "Cometh the Storm", Out Now

Photo Credit: James Rexroad Iconic U.S. rock band High on Fire releases their new album Cometh the Storm, today via MNRK Heavy. The GRAMMY Award-winning group, celebrating its 25th anniversary, recorded Cometh the Storm at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou. The 11-song effort (the band’s ninth studio album) marks the release of the first new High on Fire music…

[altroottv]

"Can't Trust Your Neighbor" - Seth Rosenbloom - LIVE from The Fallout Shelter from The Extended Play Sessions on Vimeo.

Seth Rosenbloom - guitar, vocals Bruce Bears - Hammond organ, piano Marty Ballou - bass Mark Texeira - drums

[house-of-rivers]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Ohio Buckeye State Flag Gold Tone Pin Accessory 1 inch by 1 inch Red Blu.

[flamingoroadalbumphoto]

Lane (Cristina Raines) et Field (Mark Harmon).

[nofatclips]

The Music Becomes a Skull by The Armed (featuring Mark Lanegan) from the album ULTRAPOP

[mobiusxyearslater]

Mobius X Years Later Dream Cast Part 2

Haha I made a pun. Alright gang!

Pull up a seat!

We’ve (mostly Mun @t-vict101) have been waiting to talk about who would be the voice cast of this AU. Over on DeviantArt there were some suggestions that weren’t bad (although some got Mun @spacepumpkinz tight) so we figured to share it with you guys.

It’s in different parts because there’s a whole lot of characters to go through and Tumblr only let’s us post 5 videos per post!

It is a long list but we’ve been talking about it for a good while now so let’s do it to it shall we~?

Laura Bailey as Sally Acorn:

So Sally is another one we bounced around with a lot. It was from Sally’s original voice actress from SatAM Kath Soucie to Mae Whiteman as Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender to Christy Carlson Romano as Kim Possible. But ultimately we both agreed on Laura Bailey as Mary Jane Watson from the PS4 Spiderman game. With Sally we had to think about who could at least sound smart, kinda flirty, and has a good head on her shoulders. MJ from that game felt like a perfect match for Sally especially during her banters with Peter.

Ashleigh Ball as Bunnie Rabbot-D’Coolette:

Was there any sort of surprise there? When you think about a Southern Belle now a days first voice you probably will think about is Applejack from MLP (Mun SP’s favorite too~). Asleigh Ball is just pitch perfect as Applejack and she would be perfect for Bunnie as well. Now if you guys don’t know Bunnie’s SatAM voice actress Christine Cavanaugh died back in 2014 and her version of Bunnie was really fun. We truly think Ashleigh would be a great successor for the sweet southern mama Bunnie!

Rob Paulsen as Antoine D’Coolette:

So Anotine was a funny story. At first YEARS back we decided on J. Michael Tatum as Antoine because of his role as France from the Hetalia series. We immediately wanted to scrap it because we just wanted to BURY Hetalia from a consciousness (Mun TV even scrapped her old Hetalia OC because it made her physically ill to go through again) So we were on the hunt once more. Recently we rewatched SatAM and heard Rob Paulsen as Antoine. We looked at each other and agreed that it should go to him. We found it real funny and could see him do wide range of emotions and serious takes. Funny we think Antoine is the only one that retained his original voice actor. 

Khary Payton as Rotor Walrus:

This one was kind of an easy pick. We only read the comics when we were introduced to Rotor. While Mun TV was reading she observed that his personality was more on the laid back and cool side with a sparkle of determination to him. Very first voice that came to mind was Khary Payton as Cyborg from Teen Titans (2003). After talking for a bit we figured that it was perfect for Rotor. We did go back and watch SatAM and heard Rotor’s original voice actor, both Cam Brainard and Mark Ballou, but ultimately figured Khary was our number one pick.

Tara Strong as NICOLE the Holo-Lynx:

So NICOLE was a tricky one. We did like Kath Soucie on her take on NICOLE but reading how she developed in the comics we figured we could probably find someone better suited. Again we went through many options like, Nicole Oliver as Princess Celestia and Tabitha St. Germain as Princess Luna from MLP but something just drew us to Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle. We said if her voice was a bit deeper it would be perfect. Then it hit us. SHE WAS BATGIRL/BARBARA GORDON in the New Batman Adventures! So after listening to that we agreed that this is our NICOLE for sure.

Let us know what you think~

Part 3~

[damnrightshow]

17. Aug ’21 Damn Right Show ~Tuesday Soul n’ Funk 2 Hours~

 Tuesday edition of Damn Right Show is now on YouTube and here again. Soul music mainly 2 hours is Tuesday style. 

 Enjoy the music time of sound of 45s. 

I hope my show to be your listening music pleasure. 

Damn Right Show will start today also start from 15:00 in Europe, 14:00 in UK 9:00 in NY 6:00 in LA (22:00 in Japan) . 

Here is the address http://www.mixcloud.com/live/taizotaniguchi

Feel free to join ! And share your friends !

Here is the playlist get your new favorite tune, and when you will be free when I do live on Mixcloud Live, please tune in.

"See And Don't See" MARIE QUEENIE LYONS (DeLuxe)

"Build It Up, Tear It Down" THE GHETTO FRIENDSHIP (Ghetto Production)

"Gotta Find Me Somebody To Love" THE JADES (Imperial)

"You Got Me" EDDIE RAY (Prix)

"Soul Day Theme" CARL TEMPLE (Brighter World)

"Keeping Up My Front" SMOKED SUGAR (20th Century)

"Morning Madness" SCOTT CUNNINGHAM BAND (Black Horce)

"Change In My Life" UNCLE BOB & THE FIREPROOF BAND (Busy Bee)

"Laugh To Keep From Crying" NAT TURNER REBELLION (Soulville)

"Disco Explosion" ALFIE AND THE EXPLOSIONS (R & G)

"Disco Tick" MORNING AFTER (Reward)

"Dance With Me" JOE McKEEVER (A.M.S.)

"I Knew It Wouldn't Last" MARK Ⅳ (Cordial Recordings)

"Let Me In" EBONEY ESSENCE (Goodie Train)

"I'll Make It On My Own" CECIL LYDE (Alwest)

"Love Episode" STRIVERS SHOW BAND (Strivers)

"No Stranger To Love" GLENDA McLEOD  (HGEI)

"Ain't Nothing Like The Love" PHILLIP BALLOU (Super Disco Edits)

"Because You're You" MAGGTRAP (Preservation Project)

"Don't Pop The Question" OLIVER CEATHAM (Soul Junction)

"Gonna Make You Mine" ANGLO SAXON BROWN (Atlantic)

"(Love Is My) Secret Weapon" DARROW FLETCHER (Kent)

"That's Love" BILL MERRIWEATHER (Fee)

"Mind Wrecker" CRACK OF DAWN (Columbia)

"You Can Do It By Yourself" THE DYNAMOS (Dynamo)

"Don't Need Your Music" THE WORDS OF WISDOM AND THE TRUTH REVUE (Cannonball)

"I'm In Love With You" CAROL DIONNE (Gateway)

"Someone Special" RIDEOUT (Hot Licks)

"I'm Alive" SAGE (Head)

"I Can't Stop The Rain" DAVID RUFFIN (Motown)

"When Can i See You" PATRICK GAMMON (Metronome)

"I'm Gonna Get Ya" HEAVEN SCENT (Epsilon)

"Merry Go Round" MONDAY AFTER (Buddah)

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" EMANUEL TAYLOR (Bernard)

"I Want You" EXPORTATIONS (Vir-Ro)

"Hey Girl" MASTER FORCE (Rain Forest)

"The Feeling's Good" MARLENA SHAW (Blue Note)

[stephaniemarlowftw]

GENGHIS TRON ANNOUNCE DREAM WEAPON, THEIR FIRST NEW FULL-LENGTH IN 13 YEARS

Dream Weapon is out March 26, 2021 via Relapse Records.  Watch a music video for the album's title track now.

Genghis Tron make their return with their highly anticipated new album, Dream Weapon. The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn.  

Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisolm (Chelsea Wolfe) JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders) and was mastered by Heba Kadry. 

Watch + share Genghis Tron’s new “Dream Weapon” music video, directed by Mount Emult (Dying Fetus, The Pixies), here. 

Lyrically and conceptually, Dream Weapon picks up where Board Up The House left off.  “That album’s closing track, ‘Relief,’ was about how humans have become a burden to the planet, and how Earth will endure long after we’re gone,” Hamilton Jordan explains. “There is sadness at the end, but some relief—and beauty—too. Dream Weapon is, loosely, an album-length meditation on that theme.”

From the ethereal, almost robotic vocal phrasings accompanying the industrial attack of “Pyrocene,” to the chaotic, pulse-pounding drumming acrobatics and cyclical guitar patterns in the album’s triumphant title track, Dream Weapon is not just a nod to Genghis Tron’s celebrated past as a metal/progressive/experimental outfit. The new album redefines what these genres, sounds, and musical elements can achieve. Dream Weapon is a record that captures Genghis Tron at a matured, focused state; the ebbs and flows of the album are just as hard-hitting as they are dreamy, soaring, and meditative. 

Seasoned Genghis Tron listeners will find Dream Weapon to be both excitingly fresh and reassuringly familiar. “Though it sounds a bit different than our previous albums, I don't think we approached Dream Weapon any differently than the others,” Jordan explains. “Michael and I take years to write and trade demos, with about 80% of our ideas landing on the cutting-room floor. Once we have a rough song idea we both like, we write dozens of drafts of a song over months before we end up with a final demo.”  “I think one difference in our approach for this album was that we had a strong sense from the outset of what kind of vibe we wanted to create,” Sochynsky adds. “Something more cohesive, meditative and hypnotic.” 

Through the album’s inventiveness and rejuvenated approach, Dream Weapon marks another bold step forward in the wildly creative career of Genghis Tron, and cements the band's legacy of groundbreaking, genre-defying innovation.

Dream Weapon Tracklist:

1. Exit Perfect Mind

2. Pyrocene

3. Dream Weapon

4. Desert Stairs

5. Alone In The Heart Of The Light

6. Ritual Circle

7. Single Black Point

8. Great Mother 

[themarktwainblog]

Quotes from Mark Twain’s Roughing it

1. " Moralizing, I observed, then, that 'all that glitters is not gold.' Mr. Ballou said I could go further than that [and say] that nothing that glitters is gold. " – Mark Twain, chapter 28.

Why I like this quote:

This quote shows a young Mark Twain, who had an unexperienced perception, preaching about life and connecting it with minerals. but is quickly set straight by someone who is more experienced in life, as well as in minerals than he is. Which humbles Mark. Also, I like this quote because it shows how travel can broaden one's horizons.

2. " The first twenty-six graves in the Virginia cemetery were occupied by murdered men." – Mark Twain, Chapter 48.

Why I like this quote:

This shows how life in the west is like, how social norms are and the view of the people and how killing can sometimes be justified if not a normal means of taking action.  

[blackkudos]

Essex Hemphill

Essex Hemphill (April 16, 1957 – November 4, 1995) was an openly gay American poet and activist. He is known for his contributions to the Washington, D.C. art scene in the 1980s, and for openly discussing the topics pertinent to the African-American gay community.

Biography

Early life

Essex Hemphill was born April 16, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, to Warren and Mantalene Hemphill, and was the second eldest of five children. Early in his life, he moved to Washington D.C. where he attended Ballou High School. He began writing poetry at the age of fourteen, writing about his own thoughts, family life, and budding sexuality. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Maryland in 1975 to study journalism. Though he left college after his freshman year, he continued to interact with the D.C. art scene: performing spoken word, working on journals, and beginning to publish his first poetry chapbooks. He would go on to achieve his degree in English at the University of the District of Columbia.

Career

In 1979, Hemphill and his colleagues started the Nethula Journal of Contemporary Literature, a publication aimed at showcasing the works of modern black artists. One of his first public readings was arranged by Nethula co-editor E. Ethelbert Miller at Howard University’s Founder Library where he performed beside and befriended filmmaker Michelle Parkerson. He also performed at other institutions, including Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California at Los Angeles to name a few.

In 1982, Essex Hemphill, Larry Duckett, his close friend, and Wayson Jones, his university roommate, founded the spoken word group called "Cinque," which performed in the Washington D.C. area. Hemphill continued performing his rhythmic, spoken word poetry, and in 1983, received a grant from Washington Project for the Arts to perform an "experimental dramatization" of poetry entitled Murder on Glass, alongside Parkerson and Jones. Hemphill also began publishing his own collections of poetry during this time, beginning with Diamonds Was in the Kitty and Some of the People We Love (1982), and followed by the more favorably reviewed Earth Life (1985) and Conditions (1986). He would garner more national attention when his work was included in In the Life (1986), an anthology of poems from black, gay artists, compiled by Hemphill's good friend, lover, and fellow author, Joseph F. Beam. His poetry has been published widely in journals, and his essays have appeared in Obsidian, Black Scholar, CALLALOO, and Essence among others. In 1986, Hemphill received a fellowship in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Essex Hemphill also made appearances in a number of documentaries between 1989 and 1992. In 1989, he appeared in Looking for Langston, a film directed by Isaac Julien about poet Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. Hemphill also worked with Emmy award-winning filmmaker Marlon Riggs on two documentaries:Tongues Untied (1989) which looked into the complex overlapping of black and queer identities, and Black is... Black Ain't (1992) which discussed what exactly constitutes "blackness."

After Beam's death from AIDS in 1988, Essex Hemphill and Beam's mother worked conjointly in order to publish his sequel to In the Life. The second manuscript was published in 1991 under the title Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men, which archived the works of about three dozen authors, including Hemphill himself. Writing about Hemphill and Beam in his book, Evidence of Being: The Black Gay Cultural Renaissance and the Politics of Violence, Darius Bost notes that Hemphill moved in with Beam's mother to help finish the anthology, taking on domestic tasks in exchange for room and board. He writes that Hemphill said in an interview that the anthology “was produced in the ‘context of confronting AIDS and the death around us. It’s almost like a fierce resistance that says, ‘Before I die, I’m going to say these things.’’” Hemphill also wrote a poem dedicated to Beam after his death titled “When My Brother Fell,” and dedicated his 1986 poem “Heavy Corners” to him. In 1990, he gave a speech at the OutWrite conference (where he was the only Black panelist), which eventually became the introduction to the anthology. Brother to Brother would go on to win a Lambda Literary Award.

In 1992, Hemphill published his largest collection of poetry and short stories, entitled Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry, which included recent work, but also selection from his earlier poetry collections, Earth Life and Conditions. The next year, the anthology would be awarded the National Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual New Author Award and a Pew Charitable Trust Fellowship in the Arts. In 1993, he was a visiting scholar at the Getty Center.

Death

In the 1990s, Hemphill would rarely give information about his health, although he would occasionally talk about "being a person with AIDS." It was not until 1994 that he wrote about his experiences with the disease in his poem "Vital Signs." He died on November 4, 1995, of AIDS-related complications.

Legacy

After his death on December 10, 1995, this day was announced by three organizations (Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), Other Countries, and Black Nations/Queer Nations?) to be a National Day of Remembrance for Essex Hemphill at New York City's Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center.

In his essay "(Re)- Recalling Essex Hemphill" in Words to Our Now, Thomas Glave, pays tribute to Hemphill's life, focusing on the lasting effects of his actions. Glave writes:

In this now, we celebrate your life and language Essex. So celebrating, we know that we re-call you in what is largely, to borrow from another visionary, a 'giantless time.' The sheer giantry of your breathing presence has passed. Now present and future warriors—ourselves and others—will be compelled to learn, as you did and made manifest, that all hauls toward truth—toward venality; ardor, not arrogance; forthrightness, not cowardice.

In 2014, Martin Duberman wrote Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS in which Duberman documents the life of Essex Hemphill, along with author and activist, Michael Callen. The book would go on to win the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Nonfiction.

In June 2019, Hemphill was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes” inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City’s Stonewall Inn. The SNM is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history, and the wall’s unveiling was timed to take place during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

Works

Themes

Much of Hemphill's poetry and spoken word was autobiographical, and portrayed his experiences as a minority in both the African-American and LGBT communities.

He wrote pieces such as "Family Jewels," which conveyed his frustrations about white bigotry, specifically within the gay community. In his essay "Does Your Momma Know About me?" Hemphill criticizes photographer Robert Mapplethorpe's The Black Book, which showcased pictures of the penises of black men. Hemphill argued that excluding the faces of the black male subjects demonstrated the fetishism of African Americans by whites in the gay community.

The poems and essays in Ceremonies address the sexual objectification of black men in white culture, relationships among gay black men and non-gay black men, HIV/AIDS in the black community and the meaning of family. He also goes on to critique both the institutionalized patriarchy, and dominant gender identities within society.

Hemphill repeatedly invoked loneliness throughout his work. Loneliness in Hemphill's work is a traumatic feeling, a constant sense of rejection. Many of the men returned home after being rejected by white gay communities, only to be rejected within black communities as well. In Hemphill's poetry, he portrays loneliness as a collective feeling. He defined loneliness as a sense of being, marked by suffering without public recognition. A sense of separation from the public creates a social longing because even though the journey is lonesome, fighting against that journey not to kill you, as Hemphill said in one of his poems, makes you yearn for community and support.

Essays

(essay in) Patrick Merla (ed.), Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, Avon Books. 1996

(essays in) Thomas Avena (ed.), "Life Sentences: Writers, Artists, and AIDS", Mercury House. 1994

Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry, 1992; Cleis Press, 2000, ISBN 9781573441018

Conditions: Poems, Be Bop Books, 1986

Anthologies

In the Life

Gay and Lesbian Poetry in Our Time

Art Against Apartheid

Men and Intimacy

New Men

New Minds

Natives

Tourists and Other Mysteries

(ed.) Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men, 1991; RedBone Press, 2007, ISBN 9780978625115

Appearances

Looking for Langston (1989)

Tongues Untied (1989)

Black Is...Black Ain't (1994)

Narrator: Out of the Shadows, AIDS documentary