Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The History of Hammondbeat, Part Twelve

An abridged excerpt from chapter twelve of
THE HISTORY OF HAMMONDBEAT
An accounting of the truth by Kahlil Breithaupt

The addicted man desecrates his own potential; the patriotic man defends his perceived entitlement to possessions and control; the inventive man perpetually tears down and rebuilds his God to reflect the latest, sexy fad; the intelligent man is confused, ashamed, and critical of his very existence; but the artistic man has burned to learn, think and thrive in The Great Anything.

This man found power from his First Mother who provided, preserved, and restored…she who was advocate, counselor, nurse… and now friend. She was the unrelenting teacher of reason; guardian of the door between him and the silliness of the road he would travel to and through The Great Anything. She instinctively endured the inevitable abandonment and he is acutely aware and humbled by that blessed and blooded sacrifice.

He surrendered two tremendous women to The Great Anything this year: his Grand Mother who raised and toured the world with him those many, many wonderful summers past; now his Second Mother, who saved his Father from self-destruction, returning to him a hero and mentor forged from a superior framework of knowledge, compassion, and forgiveness - a foundation that serves to hold the morality of progress to the higher standard of truth and justice than some man-made, flexible contract with faith in a mad, chaotic, imperialistic post-moderne world.

He continues The Great Anything with his partner and very breath of life. She will hold his hand at the many graves ahead, wipe the tears from his heart with her limitless smiles, and one bittersweet day complete a superior history worthy of vigilant remembrance and celebration. Their daughters discover their own strength and will soon selflessly tend the continuance of The Great Anything and vanquish the cynicisms and treacheries frequented upon that tradition that makes the pursuit of life possible.

For Bonnie and Vina: Yatahe!

Pre-published from the forthcoming liner-notes of Paolo "Apollo" Negri's "The Great Anything" (January, 2010).

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

KRTU 2009 - In Studio

Paolo "Apollo" Negri, Brad Bradburn and Kahlil Breithaupt
meet the one and only JJ Lopez

SxSW 2009 - Showcase Photos

Paolo "Apollo" Negri
with Flyjack & The Diplomats of Solid Sound
SxSW 2009

Buck McKinney
(Flyjack)

The Diplomettes with Paolo

Paolo Apollo Negri's SXSW Odyssey

Brad Bradburn
(Flyjack)

Ed Miles
(Flyjack)

David Basinger & Eddie McKinley
(The Diplomats of Solid Sound)

The Diplomettes with Paolo

Buck McKinney
(Flyjack)

Flyjack & The Diplomats of Solid Sound

Friday, May 29, 2009

Fay Hallam Trinity "1975" (review)

Hello groovy ladies and gents. It seems I'm rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of my last commentary (The Diplomats of Solid Sound featuring the Diplomettes, May '08), and like many of you victims of a manipulated and mutilated economy I've had to put work before play to inhumane levels...and as it turns out running a label alone is not as party-licious and fancy-free as you would rightly imagine. The same can be said for those indie bands that we know and love and must throw our modest support whenever we can.

What keeps me driving head-first (and somewhat blind and dumb, but never deaf!) into that horizon of an ever-flattening world is simply the mainlining high of records like "1975" by the effervescent Fay Hallam Trinity. To be blunt, if you can't be swept away by the mod-gospely-goodness of this record or its gut-punching predecessor "Realm" (2006), then I fear you you may be a moron, drink too much, or consume dangerous amounts of sugar and should have that checked out ASAP. But let's assume that you are genius for a moment (which I know you are) and are just a cautious person that won't go a couple of days without food in exchange for a truly worthy pursuit...see a theme emerges to my opening remark!

Food (especially sugar) just makes you fat which leads to being fat in the head and likely to listen to the radio where you will be brain-washed into liking and buying (or even stealing) crap which leads to being a moron and hungry anyway...it's a vicious circle that will impact the lives of friends and family...and you should never hurt the ones you love!!!

FHT makes you smart and happy (and occassionally a little sad) but above all thoughtful and introspective (love, loss, redemption, sprirituality, and more!) which leads to ideas, which leads to food for the body and the soul. It's an investment people...a stimulous package of monumental possibilities. "1975" very well might save your life...I'm living proof.

© Kahlil Breithaupt for Hammondbeat
Originally published April 8, 2009 (http://www.hammondbeat.com/)

Monday, May 11, 2009

Fast Girls & Sexy Cars (new release)

The Link Quartet is the greatest Hammond beat band in the world and during their 3-year break demand has remained high. Resulting in: 3 compilations (Keep It Moving / Evolution / Long Live The Link) of out-of-print and unreleased tracks; continuous appearances on various artist’s packages from the UK to Japan; and a full-on assault of digital-download reissues (highlighted by even more out of print and unreleased). The Link Quartet also diversified into a whole host of new sounds and identities featuring the outrageously talented Paolo “Apollo” Negri disintegrating the plastic and ivory on nearly every kind of keyboard he could get his hands on: Fred Leslie’s missing Link (deep funk); Low Fidelity Jet-Set Orchestra (library/ nu-jazz); The Futuro Seven (space-fi); Wicked Minds/Electric Swan (prog rock); and the “A Bigger Tomorrow” (soul groove) solo album to name a few.

“This is Paolo…what a talent; if he’d been from the UK he’d have given James Taylor a very hard run for the UK fantasy-funk Hammond player/keyboardist.” (Craig Charles live on air – Funk and Soul Show, BBC, March 2009)

But there simply was no denying the compelling need to return to the raw Hammond blast of The Link Quartet groove where go-go girls, European performance cars, and espresso bars reign supreme. A mere week after Paolo’s March 2009 showcase at the SXSW Music Festival (Austin, TX), The Link Quartet were back in business with a session that resulted in two monster grooves built from pure energy and the basic instinct of that lustful DNA that few possess.

The pressure was on to deliver a master quickly for the looming summer tour, but the result has not a single ounce of seeming rushed, and confirms, underscores, and shouts to heaven in triplicate that the time for The Link Quartet’s return to rule the Hammond beat kingdom is clearly here and now.

“Fast Girls & Sexy Cars” and “Drummore” is their stronger-than-ever raw power in evidence: the breakneck power-pop pace of one and the laid-back-beat of the other. The soaring Hammond, sultry guitar, driving drums, and deeeeep bass have put The Link Quartet firmly in their own future – and that’s a place we all desire to be living.

Paolo “Apollo” Negri (Hammond) and Renzo Bassi (bass) are joined by new mates Marco “Majo” Murtas (guitar) and Alberto “Pato” Maffi (drums) and will be in the studio this autumn for the 6th album on Hammondbeat Records. Founding drummer Tony Face will continue as manager and part-time percussionist for the band.