Fresno Famous

cool...

thank you, sir, for that info..

Re: strings, dancing, and the mid-east percussion... though I've spoken of it before,,,
In 'Pop,' circles, was just listening to

'Elbow,' Leaders of the Free World.
(-If you could imagine RadioHead mixed with the mistyness and vulnerability of Coldplay, --but then throwing in killer guitar guitarwork (sometimes powerchords on an accoustic, sometimes on electric,) -that pulls in a lot of whirling dervish rhythm... Killer CD... I can imagine you have fun with the bow along to this little beauty.)

I was going to recommend it as a best of '06 to KFSR, -but I think it came out in '05...
Very dancable and chompworthy... flew in under a lot of folk's radar,
-and the band has been together for something like 13 years??? (they were slated to be the 'next radiohead,' back about the time of Pablo Honey... but label issues kept them just very well known and loved in their native land.. (the Lead singer is, like 7ft. tall, has a gorgeous smokey, 'peter gabriel,' esque voice...

Big Brits, singing great songs about their feelings and caring for others... (wonderfully disarming stuff.)

Okay, looks like I need to start drinking more burnt coffee and keeping an ear open...
will do.

phre zz know

Gidon Kremer.....good choice. I don't know many violinist's or musicians that have pushed themselves to the extreme edge that Gidon has gone.

Locally......I'm no where to be found for a little over a month out of town gigs have me busy, unless you see me practicing scales at some random starbucks around town. Show's in the works....Feb. 24(crossroads) St. Paddy's Day(full circle brewery), Starline tentatively in early march..I'm gonna do a hip hop show...it'll be a mix traditional instruments (violin, mandolin, mid- eastern percussion) with.....Phat...beats.
My page www.myspace.com/patrickcontreras ...has info that I update regularly.

we pause this string for musician identification:

yo... fiddler... I am not surprised that the likes of ye played some of Glass' works... (and yes, this is a good time to let us know when you're playing again... I am determined to catch a show this winter, one by you is front burner, ---and am drooling my way through the days until the Armen/Julia gig at (weeks end?)

Anyhoo:
For any of you who like Minimalist, might I recommend the following Englishman:
Gavin Breyars
-Two recordings specifically: 'Jesus' Blood Never Failed me Yet,' and 'the sinking of the Titanic.'

-He studied under Glass, is a bit more lush in his presentation, and has this incredible style of going with a basic piece (ala minimal,) and then doing it with the sparsest of instruments, or a vocal, and then floating in full orchestration and groupings, all the while slightly shaping the tune and doing this for hours... very hypnotic.

-'Titanic,' -was out way before the movie, and was recorded with his daughters on various strings, (as well as he,) in a giant water tank, so you hear drips and such, as well as the echo, --the whole piece is based upon the song that was played as the ship went down, (an episc. hymn,) and is played layer on layer over itself, on the concept that in water sound travels eternally. He brings in not only the actual ships bell tolling, but waves, interviews with the surviving members of the sinking, as well as crowd roaring and the sounds of the mini-subs that initially filmed her on the bottom... ----One of the most beautifully haunted and ambient pieces I've heard in my life....

'Blood,' is based upon a similar concept, only it's a single hobo singing a chorus, which gets turned into varying choral parts, orchestral moves, and then becomes a duet with Tom Waits, (who finally finishes the piece as a solo...)
-It was created by a single loop of tape for a documentary that he didn't use in a film, the hobo had passed away by time the whole piece was created,(Breyars used to play the loop just to meditate and write to, one day it was left on at a workspace (ala Broadway Studios,) and he came back to find the whole place just mesmerized by it...

Seriously? Find these two works, and you will be completely in love with this mans work...

(Next week: Who is Giton Kremer, and why is the the Ukraine not only the best weather in the planet, -but possibly the source of the most gorgeous music known to man...)

We return you now to your regularlly scheduled chipper diaolgue...

-Speaking of which...
Regal or Edwards (and possibly IMAX) DOES rent out their theatre to do corp presentations and business meetings... -wonder if they'd let a bunch of film freaks get together and show their fav. films??? (or any area theatre???)

This could be big...

happy new year... (and you're playing when?)

Great movie, Great music

Wow,, i never thought I'd see that name again.. I was introduced to the movie through the music. It was written by modern minimalist composer named Philip Glass, I was lucky enough to perform the music, our orchestra played to clips of the movie....good times....I agree with out of the void..this needs to be on IMAX! that would rock...yo.

re: Koyanisquaatsi

I loaned my copy of the film to the folks who are doing the Second Saturday Film Series back over the summer.

If I recall, they are intending to show it sometime (maybe?) soon.

The setting is intimate, however, but Seeing it in a 'Screening Room,' setting is better than not at all.
(Besides, they're really nice folks, and make you feel right at home, I applaud any of their efforts,(AshTree?) -and she's a damnfine painter ta boot.)

-Koyannisquaatsi (which I manage to spell differently everytime I write it,) DESERVES Large Screen with killer soundsystem.
(Show it on IMAX? I'd be in ecstasy for a month.

---Perhaps it could be shown with it's two (successor) sister films, as well.

-Wanna really have fun? -Wait for Philip Glass to perform the music live, while they show the pieces behind him, (they do this in Brooklyn,

---If he goes to do the same thing in S.F. or L.A. (or anyplace within decent driving range?) I'd strongly recommend it.
-Anybody find out about such a thing, please give a heads up.

Finch and Tadd

Yeah,I know what you mean.

Atticus and Dameron

Atticus and Dameron

We list to the left

Murderball arrived on DVD in November 2005. We viewed it in 2006 which is how it made the list.
The Notorious Bettie Page was a close, close runner-up on our list.
Fresno Filmworks should get El Topo (and Koyaanisqatsi) for the big screen. The Movies carries a funky, grey-market copy of El Topo on VHS. Japanese subtitles if I remember correctly.

add to the list

I thought Murderball came out in 2005.

I'm amazed that Who Killed the Electric Car? even played here in the theaters.

I'd add 'The Notorious Bettie Page' to your list, since that film did not play here and people had to wait for it to come out on DVD and then look for a video rental store that had a copy.

here is another to add to the list but I'm not sure if its even playing any place yet. David Lynch's "Inland Empire".

Now if we can get Holy Mountain to show here or a reshowing of El Topo for there new prints currently touring in theaters across North America.

abkcofilms.com <-offical contact, listings, and trailer for two of the Top Art Films of All Time