jarvis cocker: waxes ideology

i don’t know, but i somehow loved this guy. in a funny way i feel like i always knew who he was. even before knowing him. in my opinion camille had this amazing being, and she really fucked it up. if i was a girl jarvis would be my dream. by ay

shane macgowan: ‘i put a spell on you’ for haiti

even though the front page news has shifted, haiti still remains a mess. macgowan and johnny depp took their sweet time assembling and releasing this alternative-star jam that includes: the great shane macgowan, johnny depp, nick cave, the clash’s mick jones, chrissie hynde, glen matlock, paloma faith, and others. to quote amrit at stereogum,

“their cover of screamin’ jay hawkins’ i put a spell on you benefits the dublin based concern worldwide, who have been in haiti for 16 years. depp is mostly charged with looking cool and fingering a guitar solo (that isn’t at all the guitar solo on the recording, but who cares he’s so pretty), the rest lay down vocals on a song that doesn’t so obviously address the state and need of the haitian people through self-aggrandized posturing (“everybody hurts”; “we are the world”, and so on) and is all the more effective for it. seems to be more like, let’s get together, realize our place in this thing, smoke a cigarette, remind ourselves that we can still do a little something to help without being patronizing assholes about it.”

well put. we couldn’t have said it better. track available march 7th. by cdc

mark ronson featuring amy winehouse

and for the record here he is… judge for yourself, but i think this video would have been more apt if paul weller was actually playing the gretsch, and mark ronson was one of the people in the audience coming up on stage. by dd

Holly Miranda : Waves at Zebulon

i am always amazed and envious when someone can create such beautiful and transporting sounds with just their body (voice and instrument, sans electricity). leaving detroit and her family at the age of 16, holly miranda has been in new york for the past ten or so years and is finally deemed an ‘overnight success’. early into her move she was signed with BMG and recorded but vaulted the results and dropped the mega-label to be true to herself.  good perspective, and amazing voice.  please check out!  by kl

new york fashion week 2010: no model will compare: d’aquisto, d’angelico and gibson vintage guitars

fashion week is around the corner, hipsters are getting ready, magazines, luxury brands and model agents are throwing their parties… and hell, we will probably dread to a few, but i strongly doubt if we’ll find anything this beautiful and tempting at any one place in new york this season…

let me tell you… 12 years ago i bought a hand made classical/acoustic guitar from the legendary rudy’s music on 48th street (NYC) built by a small unknown guitar maker from spain for a little over a 1000. this guitar has become my love ever since, and the soft warm sound and the cedar smell has been my sole source of inspiration in unsuccessfully mastering eric satie triads… fast-forward to last friday, a cold sunny new york day, when i was strolling past the window of a music store in soho (who ever knew there was one?) where i saw a vintage gretsch. i walked in… past the gretschs, and simply fell in love again. upstairs were 12-16 pieces of craftsmanship to die for. it was only then, that i realized that this was in fact the newly opened rudy’s music downtown… and of course… (i mean who else?) now all i need is enough practice to earn and more importantly deserve one, and a lot more money to ever afford one. here are just 3 of my new loves. all totally acoustic, and all beautifully crafted…

item # 1: the 1998 d’aquisto prototype – $140,000 +plus

“james d’aquisto became an apprentice to acclaimed archtop builder john d’angelico when he was 17 and started making guitars under his own name when d’angelico died in 1964. in the opinion of many collectors, d’aquisto’s archtops were actually superior to d’angelico’s legendary instruments. the model above (avant garde) is considered one of d’aquisto’s finest achievements. he made this prototype in 1988 for vintage guitar dealer/collector hank risan who supplied the luthier with many ideas about its construction. risan sold the guitar to a private collector for $140,000. that said perhaps the most valuable d’aquisto is a one-of-a-kind advance model (not pictured) that was made for renowned vintage guitar collector, scott chinery. the estimated value of that guitar is $250,000, but, according to chinery collection curator, mike carey, it is not for sale”.

these are not electric guitars, but fully acoustic onesitem #2: gibson (1939) super-400C


you cant ever compare any two but here’s a more affordable masterpiece that still beckons a certain mastery. a beautifully crafted acoustic gem. (1939 gibson super 400C – S/N EA5384) “with original sunburst finish and spruce top, maple back/sides, 2 piece maple neck, ebony fingerboard and chrome hardware.”

item #3: gibson (1929) L-5 “snakehead”

and yet another rare dream… closer in reach than the first, but still a handful of responsibilities. “…a 1929 Gibson L-5 “snakehead” in original vintage sunburst finish. the guitar had the fretboard professionally replaced years ago. a little bit of binding repair has been done on the body, but very minimal. otherwise in fantastic original condition! plays beautifully, and sounds gorgeous!”

so if you are here, for what ever reason, and if you care for such things, don’t miss the chance to visit rudy’s. conveniently located near cipriani downtown. please park all cheesy italian sports cars in the back. by dd