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Author Archives: Patrick J Gibbs
Ball of Wax 60 Songs: ‘lectrified spit and Small Life Form
‘lectrified spit: “Untitled” “Grandma’s Theme” is one of my favorite tracks on John Mellencamp’s excellent and angry rocker Scarecrow, and ‘lectrified spit’s dusty and down the hall contribution to BoW 60 sits comfortably on the shelf next to that song. … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 57 Songs: The Vardaman Ensemble – “TG’s Hug Machine (B)”
Ball of Wax over its now 57 quarterly releases has reserved a significant amount of its bandwidth and compact discs to music outside of the norm. One of these outsider tracks is the hypnotic “TG’s Hug Machine (B)” by Portland’s … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 57 Songs: Goodmorning Valentine – “My Little Valentine”
Joey Beltram returns to Ball of Wax after contributions to Quarterlies 35, 36, and 39. Beltram, performing as Goodmorning Valentine, delivers a pared down perfect duet in “My Little Valentine.” A gentle walking folk melody played on acoustic guitar sets … Continue reading
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Tagged goodmorning valentine, joey beltram
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Ball of Wax 54 Songs: Kevin Sur – “March and April”
Kevin Sur’s “March and April” is a song as natural as being. The opening cello lines still one’s breath. The accompanying acoustic guitar, gently strummed, enters the heart settling into a slow, certain pace. Together they help to create an intimate … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Virgin of the Birds – “The Earth Won’t Die, We Will”
Sometime around the release of Ball of Wax 38: Songs of Protest, I began referring to the genre Virgin of the Birds occupies and has mastered as “Wiki Rock.” This is due to the large number and wide range of … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Matriarch – “Fracking”
“Fracking,” by the Seattle punk band Matriarch, begins with a guitar screaming like a buzzsaw and crashing drums and cymbals that do not let up until the close of the piece. It is ferocious. A fast and hard introductory few … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 53 Songs: Isaac Castillo – “Someday I’ll Be”
Isaac Castillo’s “Someday I’ll Be” is a fast paced, fingerpicking exploration of the post-life experience. The ever-expanding journey that Isaac takes us on in under two minutes reminds me of the iconic short film “Powers of Ten.” In his afterlife, … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 51 Songs: Doug Haire – “Ilwaco”
When I was in college there were two compact discs that I particularly enjoyed going to bed to because of the way the songs fell in sequence and engaged with my drifting into sleep. Disc Two of the Lou Reed … Continue reading