Quiet

Posted on February 19, 2021 by markweiss86
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Harbaugh hater monologue in 2012, the day I met Remi Wolf

Posted on February 18, 2021 by markweiss86

I used to do a comedic monologue about balancing my interest in the 49ers or Stanford football with the fact that I was at Gunn high school when Jim Harbaugh was at Paly and never liked the guy. The difference between stand-up comedy and a comedic monologue is that with stand-up comedy you tell a joke and people laugh or not, you tell another joke and people laugh or not, and you tell a third joke and people laugh or not. With a comedic monologue you talk talk talk talk talk talk for 15 minutes and at the end they go “huh”. 

I think the one time it worked there was a woman named Shelley in the audience who shot this photo but she also shot a video of this amazing singer or duo. The singer, you can see here, is Remi Wolf who was just on the Tonight Show earlier this month and is signed to Island Records. 
Here is the press release Mrs. Wolf sent out a few months later:

Local Teenage Duo Getting Noticed on the Peninsula

Palo Alto High School Juniors, Remi Wolf and Chloe Day Zilliac — known onstage as Remi & Chloe — grabbed their guitars on a Sunday morning one year ago, headed for Castro Street in Mountain View. They had never done anything quite like this, and they were both scared. But they opened their guitar cases, grabbed their guitars, and launched into, appropriately, a cover of Sunday Morning by Maroon 5. To their delight, people responded enthusiastically, tossing money into their open guitar case. Quite a lot of money! Good crowds! The magic was there, and they were hooked.

Within a couple of months, they had written an original, “Carousel,” and had begun playing open mics around the area. After their first open mic performance at Red Rock Cafe in Mountain View, they were scheduled to perform as the featured act at a future Red Rock open mic. Immediately following that first feature performance, Brandon Walker invited them to sit in with his band at the Blue Rock Shoot in Los Gatos.

Afternoons at the Zilliac household in the Evergreen Park neighborhood of Palo Alto were now stuffed over-full with singing and guitar playing pushed in between the Trigonometry, Chemistry, and AP Spanish homework. Outside of school and music, the girls became inseparable.  

While they’ve only been performing as Remi & Chloe for one year, they go way back, first meeting as kindergartners in the Spanish Immersion program at Escondido. While students at Jordan, they had their first experience singing harmonies together as a trio with a mutual friend, eventually performing at the 8th grade graduation ceremony.   

Now Juniors at Palo Alto High School, they have written more original songs. Carousel is being featured in a short film, Washing Away, by Castilleja junior, Frances Hughes. The short by Hughes has been submitted for screening at the 2013 Sundance Film festival.

In September, they were selected to perform at Teens on the Green at Mitchell Park, which led to performances at campaign events for Palo Alto School Board Candidates Melissa Baten Caswell and Camille Townsend. State Senator Joe Simitian stopped to listen at Caswell’s campaign event and coined himself their new biggest fan. The girls have been performing at the Parents Nursery Benefit for several years.

Asked what was the most influential source for their development as musicians, Zilliac said “Working and taking lessons at the Riekes Center in Menlo Park has helped us expand and develop our skills as musicians. The Riekes center has also allowed us meet other talented musicians who we have collaborated with to create amazing music. Remi and I both volunteer our time at the Riekes Center because it is a great place to spend time and we believe in what they do.”

Remi and Chloe are now performing weekly at open mics around the Bay Area and never fail to be recognized for their creativity and complex harmonies. Remi’s soulful voice complemented by Chloe’s sweet harmonies create a unique sound that is all their own. Asked about her favorite performing experience, Remi said, “I love the energy when we are performing at the Riekes Center because of the enthusiasm of the crowd and the support we get.One of my most memorable experiences performing was when Chloe and I performed on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz, and a local beat boxer asked if he could join us. Being able to play a couple of songs with him gave us experience collaborating with other artists and was really fun.”

Coming up for the duo on Thursday November 8th is their first paid gig. They will be performing at Angelica’s Bell Theatre in Redwood city. In the first of their two forty-five minute sets, they will perform as a duo. In the second, they will invite several talented performers from the Riekes Center to join them, bringing together a full band.
With Remi Wolf she sings and people go “Wow” not “huh”.
Posted in art | Leave a comment

Remi Wolf lit on Tonite Shwa

Posted on February 18, 2021 by markweiss86
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ten in the Swear Jar or XITSJ

Posted on February 17, 2021 by markweiss86

not sure what this is, something about research Xgau did in Egypt

Not to be confused with university of illinois at urbana champaign whatever.
I wrote this a year ago, before I was banned from PAW.
And thank you XGAU for the inspiration — he had something about Indestructible Beat of Soweto which I’ve never heard. Maybe Matt Nelson and Magid can do Soweto not Turkey.
To wit:
for the win:
There was briefly in Palo Alto a band named Ten in The Swear Jar — sometimes abbreviated to XITSJ — the leader of which later changed its or his name to Xiu-Xiu (but not XIUXIU). Before that they were called The Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto or IBOPA.
The bandleader’s name is or was Jamie Stewart. I do not know if he is related to the more famous James Stewart but his uncle John Stewart was a member of The Kingston Trio, had a hit for The Monkees and I believe worked for Bobby Kennedy. Jamie is a genius.
Jamie Stewart had an affiliation with KZSU the Stanford radio station but even after knowing him for 25 years I have no idea if he is or is not a Stanford alumnus*.
My point is: be yourself — that probably helps on college essays and apps as much as in the general case.
— my two cents worth
P.S. Do applicants check a box to signify they got coaching? And, how much do you charge?

*I do not believe Jamie Stewart of Xiu-Xiu has collaborated with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, but he did collaborate with Eugene S. Robinson of Oxbow who looks like a thug but did indeed go to Stanford.

P.P.S. I recommend going to college even if you plan a career in the arts. Try to graduate by age 25 but don’t feel you have to graduate with your class. Don’t worry about career until about age 30.

and1: aren’t the posters correct in pointing out that UIUC is Urbana campus which is famous for computing, and not Champaign which no one calls it? I bought my best friend from Dartmouth Dr. Brian Moore a picture of Walt Frazier when Doc (who majored in drama for his a.b., then got a masters in education from Harvard, before his m.d. from UMass) took a job at Southern Illinois, only to find that he was in Springfield where they indeed rooted for The Illini and not Carbondale where they remember Clyde — who himself IMHO uses big words gratuitously. Actually I just looked it up: in my day — I’m a Gunn ’82 — the name changed officially to Illinois University of Urbana Champaigne even tho–according to Wiki — the common use for the region per se was the reverse, Champaign Urbana.

I was also taught that language evolves and the best dictionaries are descriptive not prescriptive. My pet peeve is when people with big dogs believe that leash laws do not apply to them.

Posted in this blue marble | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mazel tov to musician Jacques Schwarz-Bart for his new set of world music and jazz

Posted on February 16, 2021 by markweiss86

He is the son of a famous scholar and novelist, Andre Schwarz-Bart (1928-2006) who wrote the judaic classic “Last of The Just”.

I met Jacques about 1998 when James Hurt Band, with a Blue Note release, played The Cub. Scott Amendola featuring Todd Sickafoose and Jenny Scheinman were also on the bill.
I think of Jacques as Black or French, but he is also Caribbean and Jewish.
I will update with more notes on the music, which features unusual percussion.
Reminds of Don Cherry, thoth, Andy Palacio, bemsha swing.

Posted in ethniceities | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tulpen mit thumb (after G.R.)

Posted on February 15, 2021 by markweiss86

Bw

20 random recent images in gallery

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Cardi B vs Saul Rogovin

Posted on February 15, 2021 by markweiss86
after retired from balling he lick her


Cardi B is a rapper, she’s Trini and her new song “Up” already has 43 million views on YouTube although truthfully I’m not sure what a 57-year-old white guy like myself is supposed to make of it specially the vulgarity and the use of the N-word. Or the distinction in her narrative between her suitors which I think she will honor them by inscribing their name in her very flash versus the second cohort which temporarily shall we say leave their mark.
I saw Irving ease off a Jewish successful music manager interviewed on stage about a year ago at a conference in LA with his client Nikki Minaj, also mixed race or West Indian or Trini I believe. And I am quite certain Azoff will never be a candidate for intimacy with Nicki Minaj but somehow based on his stature he does sort of tease her in a way that does not seem appropriate I think he literally called her a bitch I have a tape of this and she pretended to be offended or she pretended to not be offended.
As I ponder this and in fact I sent a letter to city Council of Palo alto regarding our history of racism here and made a very obscure reference to the phrase “nut on our butt” which I attributed to Cardi B but did not really explicate.
I also sent a note to a reporter or critic for the New York Times saying I agreed with her in part regarding Cardi B and I tried to qualify my assent using these same dangerous metaphors.
on the YouTube account with 43 million views although when I did it earlier this morning it had 42 million views and more than 100,000 comments I said something about this is like an updated version of Mary Tyler Moore who said you’re going to make it after all.

Saul Rogovin was a Jewish major leaguer and although I could name a couple thousand major leaguers I don’t think I was familiar with him. But after his career ended he attended a junior college in New York the same one that Carti attended years later and that is how they are linked .

I have a similar problem with pop smoke not sure what to make of his references to his sexual prowess . and his use of the N-word. but my thinking has evolved such that I agree that his song “we are up in all the stores” could be seen as a protest song if you reference the philosophical and perhaps French thinking about property is theft. so looting is political and not just self-serving and material.

and on 60 minutes last night they had Bill Gates who gave away 20 billion yet hordes 20 billion eating a hamburger and discussing his cognitive diffidence .

and then they have Simone biles 4 foot 11 admitting she was abused. Is it good or bad that Stanford UCLA and Michigan all have mini Simones? Or wrapping it all up how much agency does a Cardi B or a Nicki Minaj actually have and do their proclamations of self empowerment really trickle down to their listeners?

edit to ad, an hour later, and after I started to listen again to Irving Azoff and Nicki Minaj February 5, 2020 in Beverly Hills at Pollstar conference:

Nicki has increased her social media presence 20 percent from 110m followers to 130m.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nothing to say about 40 of the 71 Artists in Robert Xgau 2020 list

Posted on February 13, 2021 by markweiss86

I should see if any of this is in my Apple library already.

I’m watching the Warriors while I type: who knew that Brooklyn had Harden and Durant? And it was Barbara Manning, SF Seals, proving her bona fides by pointing out that Joc Pedersen was traded or not signed by the Dodgers — he’s in Chicago, a Cub.

4. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters(Epic)

5. Lucinda Williams: Good Souls Better Angels(Highway 20)

8. Dramarama: Color TV (Pasadena)

9. Lori McKenna: The Balladeer(CN/Thirty Tigers)

11.Black Thought & Salaam Remi:Streams of Thought Vol. 2 (Human Re  Sources/Passyunk Productions ‘18)

15.Sam Hunt: Southside (MCA Nashville)

16. Bob Dylan:Rough and Rowdy Ways (Columbia)

19. Public Enemy: What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?(Def Jam)

20.Taylor Swift: Evermore (Republic)

27. Black Thought: Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Able (Republic)

28.Eminem: Music to Be Murdered By (Aftermath/Shady/Interscope/Goliath)

30. Les Amazones d’Afrique: Amazones Power(RealWorld)

31. Yonic South: Twix and Dive (La Tempesta)

32. The Chicks: Gaslighter (Columbia)

33. Black Thought: Streams of Thought Vol. 1 (Human Re Sources ‘18)

34. Elizabeth Cook: Aftermath (Agent Love/Thirty Tigers)

35. Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud (Merge)

36. X: Alphabetland (Fat Possum)

38.Haim: Women in Music Pt. III (Columbia)

39. Brandy Clark: Your Life Is a Record (Warner Bros.)

43. Phoebe Bridgers: If We Make It Through December (Dead Oceans)

44.Will Butler: Generations (Merge)

46.New Orleans Mambo: Cuba to Nola (Putumayo)

48. Hamell on Trial: The Pandemic Songs (Saustex)

52. Clem Snide: Forever Just Beyond (Ramseur/Thirty Tigers)

58. Toots and the Maytals: Got to Be Tough (Trojan America)

61. No Age: Goons Be Gone (Drag City)

62. Lil Wayne: Funeral (Young Money ’19)

65. Hayes Carll: Alone Together Sessions(Dualtone)

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Unicorn spotted in Palo Alto

Posted on February 13, 2021 by markweiss86

Hippo is a new insurance startup, a unicorn, which means it is valued at $1b. One-point five billion or a billion and a half, according to the business journal, which lists it among the largest venture deals.
The photo shows an Iguodala. Not to confuse you. (They pay a former Warrior, a basketball champion ten thousand or a hundred thousand dollars to say a few words, sign autographs and hand out his book — which in turn helps the company claim to be worth billions, get it?)

Palo Alto is on FIRE, finance insurance real estate.

Iguodala is in Miami, played six of his 17 seasons here, is averaging a respectable 20 minutes per game but only four points (compared to about 8 per game for the champs). He’s from Springfield, Illinois originally. Assaf Wand is from Israel, I wonder if he played basketball and if so his nickname must have been Magic. 

 

edit to oink or edioi:

Bloomberg reported on Feb. 5 that Hoffman and Pincus are in talks to take public by merging with Hippo at a value of more than $5 billion. That more than double the $2 billion valuation investors gave it in November when it closed a $350 million funding round, according to PitchBook.

 

backed with bw:

PALO ALTO ANNOUNCES NEW MASCOT, GIANT PIG

City Council member Lydia Kuo (the one on the right) poses with the new mascot The Giant Pig. It is known as Giant Pig or OKJA-PA. Ed Shikada said that was his first item on his slop bucket list, coming over from San Jose where he discovered Sharkey the Shark. The Bol Park donkey had no comment other than “eeeeeeyooo”. 

Posted in filthy lucre | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Lions With Wings top 7 list (last 7 days)

Posted on February 13, 2021 by markweiss86
1.Barbara Manning ‘Cantor’s Mind Was Rocking’9
This is a rock song from the ’90s indie goddess, based on a suggestion I made about math.
2.MC Lars: In the Land of the Grasshopper Song2
This is a hip hop song, by the 2010s hip hop nerd-hero, based on a suggestion I made about indigenous cultures and the history of California.
3.Dayna Stephens: The Nomad2
This is an instrumental jazz song, based on writing of a trendy sociologist (who coinkydinky was from Palo Alto and Cubbberley, though 25 years before I started a concert series there)
4.Barbara Manning “Twilight”2
This is a cover by Barbara of an Elliot Smith song.
5.L. Marie Cook: Women on the Wall1
I met Marie on the internet — whereas the previous three artists had appeared in Earthwise Productions live music series at either Cubberley, The Mitch or the JCC — and she wrote this song on my suggestion. It references a story by Wallace Stegner, my former neighbor, the author, environmentalist and Stanford professor. I would call this indie rock or kind of pop.
6.Dayna Stephens: The Prophet1
Dayna is from Berkeley, lives in Jersey but I met him at Stanford Jazz Workshop. This is one of a four-song suite, about archetypes and generations, Neil Howe.
7.Barbara Manning “Dying to Live”
I was not familiar with this 1970s Edgar Winters song.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment