Borderline New Age: Phillip Keveren, "Prayer Changes Everything"

Phillip Keveren, Prayer Changes Everything (Discovery House, 2016)

This compact disc of “instrumental music for reflective prayer” was offered by the devotional magazine Our Daily Bread. Apparently uncredited on the cover and tray card, the insert includes a personal message from Phillip Keveren, who plays keyboards on the recording and arranged six of the 10 pieces. Kent Hooper, also on keyboards, arranged the remainder.

The music is performed by seven musicians led by Keveren and/or Hooper and includes flute, oboe, guitars, and percussion. Some of the pieces also involve the Sacred Arts String Ensemble, which might be a larger or similar setting of the Sacred Arts String Quartet or Sacred Arts Strings, which Keveren had a hand in. Only the concertmaster and contractor of that ensemble receive credit. Unlike most meditation or spa music (its own distinct genre!) I’ve encountered, the music—while calm and largely soothing—is more inspirational and upbeat in its tempo and structure. Prayer, though reflective, seems intended as an uplifting experience.

Opening with “Pray for Me,” an instrumental cover of Michael W. Smith’s single taken from his 1988 album I 2 (Eye), the initial sensation is borderline new age music, with Hooper’s keyboard work slightly more synthesizer oriented. The pieces Hooper arranged seem to feature synths more forwardly, while the pieces arranged by Keveren largely do not. (Actually, some do, such as “Take My Life, and Let It Be” and “In the Garden” though the synths are more muted in those cases, providing more background wash or swell than the occasional bleep and gurgle, which I welcome.)

The bulk of the songs other than the Smith cover are traditional hymns, with one—Hillsong’s “Lead Me to the Cross”—stemming from more recent devotional music currents. Of the two arrangers, I prefer Hooper’s arrangements—”Pray for Me,” “Lead Me to the Cross,” “On My Knees,” and “The Lord’s Prayer”—because they edge closer toward new age music. (“On My Knees” even includes pleasant Enya-like portions, reminding me of “Orinoco Flow.”) For the most part, however, the music is gentle, minimal—though not minimalist—music along the lines of a simpler Windham Hill or Dan Gibson’s Solitudes without the natural sounds. That both of those labels are now defunct saddens me.

Erik Gratton’s flute features prominently in “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” paired with Bill Woodworth’s oboe for duet sections. Woodworth also features in “Take My Life, and Let It Be,” offering a nice counterpoint to the predominant piano. A guitarist takes the melody line briefly in “Lead Me to the Cross” before returning for a triumphant ending. For the rest of the CD, the keyboards—the piano, really, if it be one—takes lead in most cases, with the other instruments there merely for variety.

As a prayer or meditation aid, the music is a bit dramatic and energetic for me; I’d find it distracting, though it could make excellent music for focused work. If a listener is more familiar with the hymns featured, their lyrics might come to mind, either aiding one’s prayer or meditation, or perhaps distracting one with the lyrical content.

The recording is an interesting project, one which inspires me to ask who its intended audience is. Was it merely intended as a premium for Our Daily Bread readers? Is there a market for instrumental devotional music? If so, how large is it?

Song of the Day: The Shangri-Las, "Sophisticated Boom Boom"

 

Daily Headlines for Aug. 2, 2022

Editorial: Senators, protect marriage equality ASAP

Column: Solitary confinement is shrouded in secrecy and open to abuse. Why does California allow it?

Boy Scouts Near End of Bankruptcy, but Group Faces Challenges
Organization’s $2.5 billion plan for compensating roughly 82,200 sex-abuse victims will test whether scouting can still appeal to families

Life under the Taliban: ‘what matters is that we’re hungry’
Economic collapse since Islamists retook power a year ago leaves many Afghans struggling to make ends meet

Samuel Sandoval, one of the last World War II Navajo code talkers, dies at 98

It Took an English Women’s Team to Bring Home a Soccer Title—and Fans Love Them for It
Lionesses are still celebrating their victory over Germany in the European Championship; ‘this is what dreams are made of’

Deshaun Watson gets laughable suspension from Sue Robinson as NFL fumbles its case | Opinion
The retired judge who gave Deshaun Watson a measly six-game suspension deserves criticism, but the NFL failed to make a strong enough case against QB.

Why Deshaun Watson's towel habit was key in his suspension ruling

Deshaun Watson Is Suspended for Six Games Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations
A neutral arbitrator levied the penalty against the star quarterback after the NFL recommended that he receive an indefinite ban, no shorter than a year. The league still has the option to appeal the ruling.

Impostor Who Wooed Secret Service Agents With Lavish Gifts Pleads Guilty
Arian Taherzadeh claimed to work at Homeland Security to ingratiate himself with agents

Song of the Day: Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely, "Slipping Around"

Friendly Exhortations: Long Way, "We Got a Long Way to Go…"

Long Way, We Got a Long Way to Go… demo cassette (self-released, 1999)

This is a seven-song demo tape from a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-based pop punk band called Long Way. Recorded March 24 and 26, 1999, the songs were performed by a four piece made up of Vinicius (guitar and vocals), Marcos (drums), Edson (guitar), and Claudio (bass and vocals)—and written collectively.

Sung in English, the music is high-energy pop punk that reminds me of melodic Dischord-style hardcore—the vocals occasionally bring Minor Threat or Seven Seconds to mind—and California pop punk, with simple, single-note guitar solos along the lines of Screeching Weasel. 

The handwritten insert offers lyrics in English and Portuguese, as well as several friendly exhortations such as “Read zines”—calling out the Brazilian zines Enizzine and No Fun Zine—“Go to shows,” “No violence at shows! Pogo happily to the sound of the Long Way,” and  “Any form of prejudice, whether racial, social, sexual, to different people—all prejudice—is shit.” Liner note marginalia also says, “Lyrics and vocals by their respective authors,” “Society often tries to reduce us to a simple number: a CPF, a grade at school, a paycheck, a statistic. Value yourself; don't lose sensitivity. Be human and be happy!” and “Booklet by Vinicius Mitchell, Rio de Janeiro, 1999.” Almost 25 years after this demo came out, I reached out to a Brazilian illustrator and comics artist named Vinicius Mitchell to see if they’re the same person. We shall see!

Long Way offers an energetic, friendly approach to pop punk, with tuneful songs, solid choruses—particularly on “Don’t Judge Me” and “Hopeless”—and largely positive lyrics. I can only imagine the local scene in Rio de Janeiro at the time; Long Way would have fit easily onto the bill for many shows I’ve gone to over the years in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New York City, and now Los Angeles. I would have loved to see them live. Additional bands (Freakanoise, Dirty Shoes, YAWL, New Born Generation, Speak Clear, PPZ, and Surface—assuming they’re all bands) and zines (Trapilho, PV, and AFL) are listed in the thank you section.

Song lyrics address topics including living life to the fullest; individualism; making choices; the 1970s Mexican situation comedy El Chavo del Ocho, which was dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese in the 1980s; hopelessness; conformity; and challenging relationships. Despite some sense of concern or complaint in some of the songs, the tenor overall is one of hope and optimism. By finding our own way in life and developing a strong sense of self, we can overcome day-to-day challenges and problems.

The seven songs are recorded on one side of a tape. When the songs end, there’s little one can do but rewind and listen to them again. Seven solid songs! I wonder whether the band recorded anything else—and what’s happened to everyone since this demo was released. I hope they’re all doing well. I’ve enjoyed revisiting this demo.

Daily Headlines for Aug. 1, 2022

Judge approves major parts of Boy Scouts' bankruptcy exit plan; pieces remain unresolved

Column: Republicans are ready to talk about racism. But only anti-white racism

A Nigerian Street Vendor Is Beaten to Death in Italy as Witnesses Stand By
The killing, in a seaside town on the Adriatic, has shocked Italians because of its brutality and because of the indifference of those looking on.

Reconnected After Years, College Friends Find Strength in Each Other
Their bond faded while they were raising children and starting careers. A jolt of bad news reunited them.

Key Lime Pie Fans Whipped Up Over Dessert Snub
Florida designated strawberry shortcake as its official state dessert. That hasn’t gone down well in certain culinary circles; ‘a travesty’

Op-Ed: What happens when TikTok is your main source of news and information

Man With Loaded Assault Rifle Arrested Outside Iranian Writer’s Home
Masih Alinejad, a journalist who lives in Brooklyn, was the target of an international kidnapping plot last year, according to a federal indictment and the writer.

Lies for Profit: Can Sandy Hook Parents Shut Alex Jones Down?
A hefty financial verdict this week could dissuade other politically driven liars. But the path forward is uncertain, and the legal battles take a toll.

Alex Jones' main company files for bankruptcy; Austin trial expected to continue

Will the Biggest Publisher in the United States Get Even Bigger?
The Biden administration is suing to block Penguin Random House from buying Simon & Schuster. A United States District Court will decide if the sale can proceed.

Oddly Poetic: Killing Joke, "Revelations"

Killing Joke, Revelations (Virgin, 2005)

I first heard Killing Joke courtesy of Metallica’s 1987 The $5.98 E.P.—Garage Days Re-Revisited. On that five-song budget EP, Metallica shared their take on “The Wait,” gleaned from Killing Joke’s 1980 self-titled album. Even though I bought this compact disc in 2016, I hadn’t spent much time absorbing Killing Joke’s approach to music over the intervening years until listening to this record this afternoon.

Remastered and reissued in 2005, Revelations is the band’s third album, originally released in 1982. The reissue, digitally remastered by Steve Rooke at Abbey Road Studios in London, contains the 11 songs originally on the album as well as a bonus track, an alternate mix of “We Have Joy.” It is also the last album featuring Killing Joke’s original lineup—until 2010’s Absolute Dissent.

At the time the record was originally released, the band comprised Jaz Coleman (vocals and synthesizer), Paul Ferguson (drums and vocals), Geordie Walker (guitar), and Youth (bass). (The much more recent Corpus Mei, recorded by Crass’ Penny Rimbaud and Youth is an exceptionally excellent record.) Recorded in Germany, the album was produced by Conny Plank, marking the first time Killing Joke didn’t produce a record themselves. (Plank had done earlier work with Neu! and Kraftwerk, so the pairing might have seemed promising.) Because I’m not a student of Killing Joke, I cannot remark on any differences that his production introduced.

On the whole, the record is darkly tribal post-punk, with the drum and bass offering a compelling undercurrent to the largely discordant, jagged, angular guitar work. Ferguson’s dramatic vocals and synthesizer work are a highlight of the record, indicating the influence Killing Joke would have on later darkwave, gothic, and industrial acts. 

The first four songs of Revelations—“The Hum,” “Empire Song,” “We Have Joy,” and “Chop Chop”—are an awesome introduction to the band and album. “Empire Song” was released as a single and performed on Top of the Pops on television, though without Coleman. Then the record lands on “The Pandy’s Are Coming,” an oddly poetic song, before returning to “Chapter III,” which is more in line with the earlier songs.

The next three songs on the record diverge slightly, still offering darkly tribal post-punk, but with a slightly stronger pop or rock orientation. I can hear hints of XTC in “Have a Nice Day,” while “Land of Milk and Honey” reminds me slightly of Bow Wow Wow. “Good Samaritan” includes a Marvel Comics reference (“a Hawkheaded man”) and resonates with “The Pandy’s Are Coming”—another odd, surreal song, and one of the most somnolent songs about happiness that I’ve ever heard. (Danny Elfman’s “Happy” might owe a small debt to the singing at the end of the track.) The album ends with “Dregs,” returning to the form exhibited by the first four songs and featuring largely nonsensical lyrics.

An alternate mix of “We Have Joy,” the third song, ends the reissue. The production is a little thinner, and the primary difference seems to be the percussion, which is lighter, the bass perhaps further forward in the mix. There are also slight variations in the vocal performance and additional synthesizer work. It’s worth comparing to the original version, but presents a slightly lackluster—if esoteric—bonus for the reissue. Regardless, after repeated listens, I am torn in terms of which mix I prefer. There’s a lot to be said for the alternate.

Coleman didn’t appear on Top of the Pops with the rest of the band to perform “Empire Song” on March 25, 1982—Ferguson sang instead—because he’d relocated to Iceland. Many of the band’s members were interested in the occult, including the works of Aleister Crowley, and Coleman was concerned about a coming apocalypse. Coleman moved to Iceland to escape, Walker soon joined him, and Youth left the band. Thus ended the first phase of Killing Joke, a band that still had plenty of life in it. (I remember enjoying 2015’s Pylon with the original lineup well reunited. That record inspired me to further explore the band’s earlier output.) That creative longevity was a bit of a revelation to this listener.

Back from the Dead: Ministry, "Last Tangle in Paris: Live 2012"

Ministry, Last Tangle in Paris: Live 2012 (UDR, 2014)

“You know, they say it takes a whole pack of wolves to take down a moose because one on one, that moose would smack them down. It's like being in the music business. You’ve got your managers, your ex-managers, your ex-bandmates, your ex-labels, your ex-wives, your lawyers, your tax attorneys. Hell, that sounds more like a pack of hyenas to me. You know, I was once told by an ex-manager, ‘Son, you're worth more dead than alive. Because when you're dead, we can sell you off in pieces.’ That's the way it works around here. You don't believe me? Why don't you try asking Jim Morrison, or Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin, or Kurt Cobain, or Amy Winehouse. I'm pretty sure they're going to take my side of the story. Sometimes I think they're the lucky ones. They don't have to deal with these douchebags because they're already dead.”

Thus opens Ministry’s Last Tangle in Paris: Live 2012 album, as well as the 2012 album Relapse. (The song “Ghouldiggers” also includes a quote from the Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues.”) This live album released in 2014 combines two compact discs with a DVD. The two CDs, “Ministry Retro Live,” captures 18 songs recorded between 2006-2012 at various venues. The DVD offers 12 of those songs recorded during the band’s DeFibriLaTour July 28, 2012, at La Cigale in Paris, interspersed with interview and candid footage, memorial content celebrating the life of guitarist Mike Scaccia, and material filmed a month earlier—June 28-29, 2012—when Ministry was playing the Vic in Chicago. (Sweet home Chicago.)

The track list of the two CDs is mostly made up of material from post-2000 albums: one song from 2004’s Houses Of The Molé, five songs off Rio Grande Blood, four songs from The Last Sucker, and three songs from the newest release at the time of the tour, Relapse. Al Jourgensen (Alien F. Jourgensen) and the band—John Bechdel on keyboards, Casey Orr on bass, Sin Quirin on guitar, Aaron Rossi on drums, and Scaccia on guitar—also include a handful of older songs. Those pieces include three songs from 1992’s ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (also titled Psalm 69) and two songs from 1989’s The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. Given that I first listened to Ministry in the late-1980s, I was particularly pleased that those songs were included.

The band Jourgensen toured with in 2012—captured on the DVD—was well credentialed. Bechdel previously played with Static-X, Orr performed with Rigor Mortis and Gwar, Quirin spent time with Revolting Cocks, Rossi played with Prong and Revolting Cocks, and Scaccia first met Jourgensen while performing with Rigor Mortis.

That meeting is documented on the DVD in interview footage, with Jourgensen recalling how he first saw Rigor Mortis perform in Chicago in 1987-1988—with either Death Angel or Morbid Angel; tellings vary in different sources. (Death Angel played with Rigor Mortis at the Cubby Bear in Chicago in September 1988, so it was probably at that show. Jourgensen lived just down the street at the time.) That meeting and subsequent friendship led to Scaccia (and later Orr) joining Ministry, as well as Jourgensen’s band turning to a much more guitar-oriented sound.

By the time this live album was released in 2014, Scaccia had died, suffering a heart attack while performing with Rigor Mortis in Texas in late 2012. Jourgensen himself collapsed during a show in Paris during the DeFibriLaTour tour, indicating health and substance abuse concerns. Both events led to Ministry largely disbanding, and this album’s release was accompanied by reports that the band wouldn’t record or tour again. Luckily that wasn’t to be. Ministry has since come back from the dead. Ministry played Hellfest in France earlier this year, and since this album came out, the band has released several live albums on Cleopatra and two studio albums with Nuclear Blast. Those records include 2018’s AmeriKKKant and last year’s Moral Hygiene.

Angelina Lukacin Jourgensen’s liner notes to this album recount Jourgensen’s collapse and subsequent return to rehab and recovery. In 2014, Jourgensen sold his 13th Planet compound in Texas and moved to Los Angeles, where he planned to work on film scores, musical collaborations, film and TV appearances, books, and online activity. As of 2019, Jourgensen still lived in Los Angeles. And he remained sober-ish: “Now I just do mushrooms and pot and a little bit of beer.”

I haven’t watched all of the DVD yet, but I’ve seen all but the last few songs. Approaching this more as a record review, I have listened to the two CDs several times in their entirety. Highlights include the production elements in between songs—Jourgensen should definitely consider more book projects and perhaps the lecture circuit—as well as the songs “Lieslieslies,” “99 Percenters,” “Relapse,” “New World Order (NWO),” and “Khyber Pass,” which reminds me somewhat of Dead Can Dance. The performances contain an explicit stance against the politics of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush—and would have been critical of Donald Trump had he been elected at the time. (AmeriKKKant contains songs along those lines.)

If you haven’t experienced Ministry live, the DVD is a close approximation. And if you enjoy the band’s recordings as reflected during this tour, the live recordings will make intriguing alternate takes to what’s on the studio albums.

I’m just relieved and grateful that Jourgensen is still alive, still politically active, still recording, and still touring. It could have gone another way in 2012, and I am thankful that it didn’t. Here’s to many, many more decades of tangling with the powers that be.

Genre Films on Turner Classic Movies: August 2022

The following science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies, shorts, serials, and cartoons are scheduled for broadcast on Turner Classic Movies in August, according to TCM’s Web site. All times listed are ET. Please check your local listings before tuning in.

August 5—6 a.m.: The Tartars (1961)

August 6—10 a.m.: Green Mansions (1959)

August 7—11:45 a.m.: The Three Musketeers (1948)

August 8—2 a.m.: Brigadoon (1954); 4 a.m.: Invitation to the Dance (1956); 10:45 a.m.: The Devil-Doll (1936); 8 p.m.: Tarzan, the Ape Man (1932); 10 p.m.: Tarzan and His Mate (1934)

August 11—1:45 p.m.: The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), 8 p.m.: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

August 14—4 a.m.: The Formula (1980)

August 16—4 p.m.: The Three Musketeers (1973), 8 p.m.: One Million Years B.C. (1966)

August 17—10 a.m.: Edison, the Man (1940)

August 18—2 a.m.: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

August 19—8 a.m.: Throne of Blood (1957)

August 20—4 a.m.: I Live in Fear (1967), 5:30 p.m.: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

August 22—6 p.m.: Topper (1937)

August 23—6 a.m.: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935), 10:45 a.m.: Young Tom Edison (1940)

August 27—6 p.m.: Monkey Business (1952)

Daily Headlines for July 30, 2022

States With Abortion Bans Are Among Least Supportive for Mothers and Children
They tend to have the weakest social services and the worst results in several categories of health and well-being.

Study: One in five adults don’t want children — and they’re deciding early in life

In defence of people watching
Summer in the city is made for it – but observing those around us can also make us more empathetic

When Police Fail to Act in a Crisis
Psychology can help explain why law enforcement officers in Uvalde took so long to confront a school shooter

How I came to loathe my car
Driving has been sold to us as freedom. It really isn’t

Splendid isolation? Most people prefer globalisation
Once insular places like Ireland and Singapore understand the benefits of global exchange. Ukrainians yearn for it

‘Agent Josephine’ Review: A Spy in Costume
While on tour, Josephine Baker befriended Axis power elites, then traveled home with war intelligence tucked in her furs.

34 days, 2,400 miles and one cramped boat: How 4 women set a record rowing across the Pacific

Emma Forrest’s fantasy dinner: Jon Ronson and a ‘mean mommy’ porn star
Stoned under the stars in Jamaica, the writer and memoirist can’t bring herself to tell George Michael he’s dead

This Is Not Just Another Bike Race
A women’s edition of the Tour de France triumphantly returns—with fireworks in final mountain stages to come

A Creative Community: Pocket Thoughts Annual #2

Pocket Thoughts Annual #2 (2020)

Kingston, Ontario, Canada-based Ryan Ewing’s Pocket Thoughts Annual is a yearly collaborative zine featuring pages of art, comics, poetry, and writing by other zine makers from around the world. Consider it a minicomics or zine sampler, or an amateur press association approach to making art-oriented zines. It’s a project parallel to his zine Pocket Thoughts, which offers similar content—artwork, comics, photography, poetry, and prose—created by Ewing himself.

This edition, which I received from A.J. Smith in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, one of the contributors, features work from 15 creators around the world. Most sell their zines via Etsy, and those who don’t are active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Checking out their online shops, it looks like creators represent Australia, Canada, and the United States. Not all are still actively selling (in fact, Smith isn’t any longer, which is a shame), but hopefully they continue to make zines.

All of the contributions are minicomic-sized pages, with two half-page submissions. Some combine text and image, and one is text only. Material addresses themes of inappropriate intimacy and relationships, self-medication, COVID-19, mental health, the afterlife, DIY media, the power of art, education and parenting, and the contents of our personal space.

It’s an interesting walk through a community of creative friends and people who probably trade amongst themselves. Some contributions are fun and funny, and some might provoke thought or evoke an emotion. Pocket Thoughts Annual is a great introduction to creators you might not have encountered otherwise—and now you can contact them directly to explore further. It’s also a good gauge of the kind of material Ewing appreciates and enjoys.

This edition is available for about $5 as part of a bundle of issues #1-5 from https://www.etsy.com/shop/PocketThoughts (look for Pocket Thoughts Annuals).

Easy and Elegant: Thuban Press Guide to Analog Self Publishing

Thuban Press Guide to Analog Self Publishing (2019)

This eight-page, handwritten and hand-drawn primer was created by Floral Park, New York-based minicomics artist Julia Gforer. Offering “step-by-step instructions to make your own book without a computer,” the DIY zine focuses on digest-sized publications, recommended for about 40 pages or fewer. “A book like this is ephemeral in exchange for being accessible,” Gforer writes.

With easy-to-follow instructions and steps, she walks fledgling zine makers through preparing pages on half of an 8.5”-by-11” inch sheet of paper, making sure the page count is divisible by four, preparing a dummy book so each side of an 8.5”-by-11” piece of paper includes pages whose page numbers add up to total n+1, where n is the number of pages total. (For example, a 12-page zine would pair pages 12 and 1, 11 and 2, 10 and 3, and so on. That’s really the trickiest bit, to ensure your pages sequence appropriately when you go to photocopy or print.

The primer reminded me slightly of Ron Rege, Jr.; Dave Choe; Brian Ralph; and Jordan Crane’s more widely ranging Re: A Guide to Reproduction, as well as Jessica Abel’s “DIY: Making Minicomics,” which takes on the more complicated minicomics format (four pages per side vs. two pages). Minicomics maestro Matt Feazell also offered a minicomic about making minicomics at one time.

But this is all you should need to get started, really. Gforer’s approach is easy and elegant, like this how-to zine. As Bread and Puppet Theater said in its 1984 “Why Cheap Art?” manifesto, which is quoted on the back cover, “Art has to be cheap and available to everybody. It needs to be everywhere because it is inside of the world.”

Available for $1 from http://www.thorazos.net; https://www.etsy.com/shop/thorazos.