Archive for May, 2011
May 28, 2011
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Stewart Lee – The Complete Vegetable Stew.
By Ash in Art, live, Random, Theatre
There’s no doubt that my favourite, living British comedian is Stewart Lee. Last night, he played to almost 2,200 people at the Royal Festival Hall. Having seen Lee a few times now, this was easily the largest crowd I’ve seen him perform to. Introduced by Armando Iannucci, The Complete Vegetable Stew lasted 3hrs 45mins (including three 10 minute breaks). Though a lot of the material was recently visible on the tellybox since he got his show, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, anyone that had seen him live over the past two years would have been familiar with most of the content.
Surprises were supplied in the form of improvised gags – his own alarm clock unexpectedly sounding near the start providing the first distraction. Like many of Lee’s shows, it was difficult to gauge the audience’s reaction. With few walk-outs, most people near me were either in hysterics, silent or busy getting pissed on the cans of beer they’d smuggled in. The dreadlocked hippie in front of me kept falling asleep during the first hour.
May 27, 2011
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Hills Like White Elephants.
By Ash in Acting
And so another month of class comes to an end. The scene myself and my scene partner worked on was Hemmingway’s Hills Like White Elephants. It’s a very dry, yet rich story, but difficult to work with because it is so vague in terms of background and conclusion. There was a lot to get hold of, and both of us had to learn to let go of our conscious willing while being together in a related immediacy in order to bring life to the scene.
Last night, we managed to get the scene up to a level that affected people, but getting to that territory was challenging - as it should be. There is more work that we can do, but from where we started earlier in the class to where we ended up represented quite a shift in both our instruments. It sounds a bit wanky saying that, but that’s the terminology of the process.
Speaking of the instrument, the more training that has gone in to working with the self during technique is slowly reaping more rewards, and that can only be a good thing. I’ve another piece of film work potentially lined up, and some related good news that I won’t yet reveal.
Self Made continues its tour of the festival circuit, but will also screen at the Wimbledon Curzon next week (Tuesday, 31st May, 18.30 – Wimbledon Curzon). I’ll be joining Sam and Gillian on the Q & A panel.
Overall, it’s been a good month. I’m learning more and more about method, and how my personal methodology needs to change in order to bring about the creative moment.
May 18, 2011
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[Download] FACT mix 248 – Machinedrum.
By Ash in Musical Murmurings
FACT Mix 248 – Machinedrum by factmag
Tracklist:
MF Grimm – Emotions [Day By Day]
DJ Taktix – Hornz for 94 (Philip D Kick Footwork Edit) [Unreleased]
DJ Diamond – Go Hard [Planet Mu]
DJ Spinn – Man I Do It [Planet Mu]
Tom & Jerry – Yamming Snacks Like Jerry (Machinedrum Footwork Edit) [Unreleased]
Secret Squirrel – Jungle Squirrel (Machinedrum Footwork Edit) [Unreleased]
Distal – Behold The Jungle Bootleg [Well Rounded]
Chrissy Murderbot – Club Cirque Riddim [Planet Mu]
EPROM – Twerkul8 [Unreleased]
Africa Hitech – Foot Step [Warp]
Machinedrum – Boxoff [Unreleased]
Mike De Underground and Cool Hand Flex – Day to Day [De Underground]
Dok – Your Love ['89 Revival]
The House Crew – Euphoria (Nino’s Dream) [Production House]
Return Of Macka Brown – Dub Heaven (Machinedrum Edit) [Unreleased]
Untouchables – N Joi This (Machinedrum Edit) [Unreleased]
Vicious Crew – No Politics Vol 2 A1 [Stomp]
Falty DL – Jungle 12-10-10 [Unreleased]
Plug – Feelings [Blue Planet Recordings]
Roni Size & Reprazent – Morse Code [Mercury]
XI – Break Dat [Unreleased]
Son Of Kick – Playing the Villain (Machinedrum Remix) [Muti Music]
Lil Wayne – Six Foot Seven Foot [Young Money]
Walkmen – Countdown Theory [Atomik]
May 17, 2011
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Hallock Hill – The Union.
By Ash in Music Reviews
According to the Hundred Acre Recordings website, Hallock Hill is the “nom de plume of Tom Lecky: an homage to the rural country where he was born in upstate New York. Tom is now a 20 year resident of New York City and its environs.” Whereas groups like Public Enemy and Love incorporated sounds from the thump and blur of the city into their music, Lecky has made the conscious decision to focus on the relative peace of the countryside. Fans of Richard Skelton may immediately be drawn to a principle that could potentially involve found sound, but shouldn’t expect to be swathed in similarity. For starters, Lecky’s primary instrument is the guitar, and there hasn’t exactly been a barrel of riveting solo guitar albums released of late. If you’re thinking this album might be something coursing through the cocaine stained vein of late 80s fretboard destroyers like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteem, then picture a deconstructed, introspective and experimental Al Di Meola instead; but only for the subtle Mediterranean modes and scales that Lecky occasionally riffs on.