New CD Offers Audio Satisfaction

I met John Heino on the set of Iron Will in 1993. We were extras in a celluloid production that was bigger than life for most of us small town folks here up north. The thrills and stimulation created by the Hollywood film making machinery invigorated nearly everyone involved. Few of us will ever watch a movie without noticing those extras.

Our creative interests ultimately led to a friendship that now extends fifteen years. Hard to believe it has been that long! The band for which John plays keyboards has been out there making music for decades... which is probably hard to believe for the band.

That story is for another space in time. For the moment, I just wanted to introduce their music to a wider audience. The following is a portion of the review that appeared this week in Duluth's Reader Weekly. The link at the bottom here will lead you to the full story. But to really get the most of it, you will want to obtain the CD.

New Centerville All Stars CD Offers Audio Satisfaction

Have you heard the news? Party With The Band is now in stores everywhere, or ought to be.

They’re back. The Centerville All Stars have given birth to a new CD. One criticism of last year’s supergreat Not Dead Yet CD was that people were expecting to hear Lance Cloutier on vocals. Maybe it wasn’t clear to some folks that it was a John Heino assemblage. Heino had wearied of putting off his desire to get some tracks down somewhere in this lifetime, and despite a Centerville All Stars cast, circumstances did not really make it a true All Stars CD. But the effort ignited a spark, and this year the band is back. And their CD is gift to the City by the Lake, and an homage to its soul, its spaces, its people and places.

With the full band in place, the All Stars put in motion some great energy toward preserving for a wider audience their special breed of rock, blues and creative power. Their fans reap the benefits. This is a true mirror of a band Twin Ports clubbers have grown to love and admire. It’s solidly produced, thoroughly entertaining and is clearly a tribute to every facet of the home town that has inspired and motivated them. What’s more, the All Stars step out with a range of styles and sounds that will surprise a few listeners, combining re-energized inventiveness with its classic sounds.

Here’s my take of the CD’s contents, before interviewing the band.

City by the Lake
Unless a group is utterly unknown, you always approach a new album with a certain set of expectations. For this reason, the band chooses an opening cut that sends a signal: Lance is back. It also sends a second signal: This album will be a tribute to its roots. The opening number tips the hat to Duluth. Right away we also have echoes of riffs from Not Dead Yet so that while something new, there is a measure of continuity in this offering.

Prelude
The second and shortest song, also sends a signal: this CD is going to be something different. Prelude has a Scottish Highlands feel… I can hear Braveheart, and Rob Roy, tender waves of simple longing. Julie and Lance blend their voices into the gentle stream of sound, a beautiful lead in to the next tune, a playful instrumental.

Troll
Continuing out of the Scots/Irish firmament, Troll is an exploration of the joy of making music. The acoustic guitars, synthesized flute, dancing keyboards, vibrant with life and spirited beauty.

I Believe
Organ music introduces a short duet by Lance and Julie, which releases itself into a caliente calypso rumba. The song is built on a syncopated rhythmic frame with keyboard embellishments and slithery guitar work. The emotive exchanges between Lance and Julie on vocals are effective. Lance wrote the song as a tribute to his beloved Barbara, one of three wonderful people to whom the CD is dedicated.

The rest of the tracks include a jazzy I’m Not Done Lovin’ You Yet, Dirt Track Rocks, From the Heart, Bayfront Blues, Misery Loves Me, No More Tears, and the raucous exclamation point at the end titled Party With The Band (All Night Long).

It’s obvious the band is here to have fun, and they want you to have some fun, too. To lose yourself in the music pick up a copy at the Electric Fetus next time your downtown. Or, if you prefer the thoroughly modern method of acquiring music, you’ll be able to soon download your CD from cdbaby.com or Itunes.

Party With the Band
Read the full review here

As usual... CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Sound and Unsound Bytes

In 1991 Duluth MN experienced a four day blizzard that literally buried the city in snow. The Halloween Blizzard, as it came to be known, dropped nearly four feet of powder on our Northland city-on-a-hillside, blanketing cars and everything else. With the mayoral election just days away, it became an amusing spectacle to see even the weather used as a political issue.

Once the snow finally ceased, the city began the challenging process of digging itself out. I lived in the Central Hillside at the time, and decided to take a walk around our neighborhood on the first illustriously sunny day after the four day blow.

It was probably Sunday morning. I had walked down the hillside to Fourth Street and headed east. There were no cleared roads except the snow emergency routes, which are maintained in all circumstances.

When I got to the corner of Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue East, I was somewhat surprised to see three people tromping through the snow up the middle of the road from below. It was a news camera from Channel 3 TV, along with mayoral candidate Gary Doty and his handler. I was the only person in sight, and so they walked up to me. I greeted them. They were looking for people in cars who were stuck and needing help getting pushed out of the drifted snow. Mayor Doty had makeup on his face for the sake of the camera to help reduce the glare of the sun on his shiny white skin. In other words, it was a staged event

Did I get a warm fuzzy from seeing the mayor-elect pushing cars out of snowbanks? Truth is, it left me feeling weird. What I do not understand is how they think people don’t see through this kind of bogus “compassion.” They (the people orchestrating media, political candidate and news byte) were looking to capture images for the evening news, to show that Mr. Doty cared about the people in our city when it was obvious all they cared about was getting that staged image.

It brought to mind my short term involvement in politics in 1984. I was at a Republican district meeting where they were seeking volunteers to show up on a Saturday morning to paint a house for an 87 year old woman in St. Paul. The media would be there to cover the (staged) event. I asked the question, “If our (Republican) policies help the poor and needy, why don’t we explain HOW our platform is better for everyone than the Democratic platform.” The facial expressions essentially dismissed my remarks as impertinent. The sound byte was more important than facts. Besides, they had already made arrangements with the TV news directors. It would make a good story.

Sadly, what is important is not truth, not rationale, but the sound byte. Manipulation based on the assumption that people are too stupid to see through the crap they are told to swallow.

This submission to the PR “experts” was the nail in the coffin for the Dukakis campaign in the 1980’s when he allowed himself to be filmed riding a tank… in an effort to show he was pro-military. Stupid. The real message is, “You are not a leader. You listen to your idiot PR experts instead of following your own gut based on experience, observation, expertise.” (I can't believe Michael Dukakis thought of his bungled byte all by himself... when he road in a tank to show he was pro-military. It was his handlers, right?)

I like Gary Doty as a person, but politically, that day in November a few days before the election was too fakey for me and a symbol of at least one thing wrong with America today.

And why do the journalists go along with it? I thought the media was supposed to be a watchdog that informs, not a tool in the hands of power seeking orchestra conductors.

From where I sit, things are not getting better any time soon. A lot of our leaders are themselves only pawns in a game.

AMSOIL Duluth Nationals

This weekend the snowmobile racing world comes alive as the AMSOIL Duluth Nationals are underway. Enthusiastic masses descend upon Spirit Mountain to stand outside in frigid temps drinking beer and beating their chests. Will it be Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo or Yamaha atop the podiums at the end of it all? Naturally, I will be rooting for D.J. and Shaun on the AMSOIL Polaris sleds.

The AMSOIL Duluth Nationals is akin to opening day at Yankee Stadium. You just gotta be there if you are part of the snowmobile scene.

Despite the lack of Northland snow, the temperatures plunged enough to make plenty for the races. On the far side of the track the base must be close to 25 feet deep since the event is held on a ski slope that slopes away and down from the lodge. With the Aerial Lift Bridge in the background and the full moon illuminating all last night, it was quite a spectacular site.

The locals, as well as all the AMSOIL people present, were thrilled by the exhibition Team AMSOIL put on. Local hero D.J. Eckstrom literally smoked everyone in the Winter X qualifiers. Shaun Crapo likewise showed that the AMSOIL sleds will be something to reckon with as he, too, won his feature almost effortlessly. The boys are looking strong and the sleds dominant, thanks to the tireless work of Steve Scheuring and his team of mechanics.

At the end of day one the season looks promising. But it is a dangerous sport and no one takes anything for granted.

Thought food: Some of these riders have flown over 130 feet through the air on their snowmobiles, sometimes getting as high as 30 feet off the ground. The Wright brothers' first flight was only 120 feet, and I do not think they went quite that high, yet they called it flying.

Dylan

Add caption

Dylan hospitalized with rare heart infection.
May 30, 1997

Dylan's comment after release from hospital last week: "I almost saw Elvis."
June 6, 1997

Have been a long time Bob Dylan fan. He was born here in Duluth, but my fan-hood began 40+ years ago when I was growing up in NJ. What a long time ago, and a long strange trip it's been.

Last night, I decided to place a short vid clip on YouTube in an effort to learn how to do it. The piece I selected was a little overview of a section of wall in my garage where I have Dylan memorabilia, newspaper clips, etc. A link to this clip can be found on my personal website at the bottom of my review of the 1998 Dylan concert I attended in Duluth that fall.

To check out the review and the clip, visit: http://www.ennyman.com/dylan.html