Hey Dino!

I am terrible at prioritizing, and this blog has fallen into disrepair because of it.
So, here again i will try to post a post.

Today's lesson is about Dino Valente. He isn't what he sounds like. He is not to be confused with Dean Martin, or Gino Vanelli.


Dino


Not Dino


Dino Valente was involved in the Greenwich scene, wrote the song 'Get Together'. You know the one, recorded by the Byrds, the Kingston Trio, Jefferson Airplane and about twenty other bands.

He Moved to San Francisco and helped start Quicksilver Messenger Service with wild ideas of having Wireless Instruments strapped into their leather jackets and back up singers dressed as American Indian Chiefs but got busted for weed and spent two years in jail locked up by the man, man! He spent two years at Folsom prison, which is were all the rad convicts get to go. Sold the rights to the song Get Together to pay for his legal fees, and managed to pen this album, the only solo album listed on his wiki page. I think after this, he rejoined Quicksilver and probably made some crappy albums with a band of hippies all strung out in the seventies; poor hippies, the seventies were rough for them. Dino died in 1994 after a rough couple of years. But here is a great album to remember him by.
So, download this if you dare, its pretty sweet. All the songs are great, but Children of the Sun definitely stands out.

This is not my mega upload link, so if it doesn't work message me and i'll find another.


Bon Appetit

Let's Paint!!

I posted this on my facebook the other day, but i thought it was just too good not to post a second time here.

The television show is called "Let's Paint.tv". The host is John Kilduff, he's an artist, as crazy as this seems, he is has a masters in Fine Art from UCLA and from skimming through his web site it seems he does mostly oil on canvas. Anyway, this show has been on since 2002 and although it started in L.A. its been picked up in New York and London.
Let's just hope that the motivation and enthusiasm that John exhibits for art gets passed on.


oh yeah, the title of the episode is "Let's paint, and exercise and blend drinks".

Enjoy!!

Water Walk, 1960

Live television in b & w
In 1960, John Cage appeared on the game show "I've Got a Secret", where contestants force a panel to guess their secret to win, i don't know, in the 60's maybe some free cigarettes and dish soap.
Anyway, when Cage was on they decided to forgo the secret guessing crap and let him do perform an entire piece. Other than the radio's not getting plugged in due to some union bullshit it went off rather well, i think.
Hard to believe that in 1960, television would air this, let alone trick an entire studio audience into sitting through it.

Silent Cities

In the Stillness of the City we can hear its heart.