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Sir Richard Bishop:
The Freak of Araby

September 2nd, 2009 | No Comments

By: Ron Hart

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On the MySpace page of former Sun City Girls guitarist Sir Richard Bishop and his new group, the Freak of Araby Ensemble, their listed genres read “Psychedelic/Surf/Pop.” While not exactly off the mark, the sounds featured on the post-punk legend’s latest Drag City release predominantly stem from Bishop’s Middle Eastern roots.

Following up on his explorations into flamenco and gypsy music on the excellent 2007 release, Polytheistic Fragments, The Freak of Araby (Drag City) finds the guitarist paying homage to his Lebanese heritage by covering several traditional compositions native to his motherland in combination with a variety of original arrangements crafted in the spirit of the Arizona-born Bishop’s Middle Eastern roots, while continuing to keep one foot in the American Primitive stylings of the late, great John Fahey. Right off the bat, The Freak of Araby finds SRB paying tribute to one of his biggest heroes, Egyptian guitar legend Omar Khorshid, on the album’s first track, “Taqasim for Omar,” a spare, sprawling raga that offers but a glimpse of the rich melodies and textures awaiting the listener deeper within the album’s corridors.

From there, the songs get swept even further into the multi-faceted complexities of Arabic composition, as the rest of Bishop’s Freak of Araby Ensemble, consisting of drummer Mohammed Bandari, percussionist Abdulla Basheem, bassist Ahmed Sharif and second guitarist Rasheed Al-Qahira fill in the colors, particularly on Freak‘s interpretations of traditional Lebanese songs “Kaddak el Mayass” and “Sidi Mansour.” However, glimmers of Western influences do come through in narrow beams of light across the Arabian vibe beyond Bishop’s allegiance to Mr. Fahey’s Takoma label sound. You can certainly hear fragments of the aforementioned surf category in elements of “Solenzara,” which aims to trace The Ventures’ Pacific Ocean blues to the mouth of the Nile, while the seven-and-a-half-minute closer “Blood Stained Sands,” a Bishop original, peels back the layers of American psychedelia to reveal the Eastern influences beneath the acid-laced drones – or is it the other way around?

While the overall feel of The Freak of Araby might not scream “Psychedelic/Surf/Pop,” an educated ear can certainly hear the sketches of such sounds against the heavy Middle Eastern currents crashing inside these ten compositions, which not only result in one of Bishop’s best solo recordings to date but also will remind many Americans sullied by the pragmatic ignorance of their own fears of the unheralded beauty and mystery the Arab world has to offer.

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Radiohead, Wilco, Crowded House:
Collaborate for Charity Album

July 30th, 2009 | No Comments

7 WORLDS COLLIDE’S THE SUN CAME OUT TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 29 VIA SONY MUSIC

BAND FEATURES MEMBERS OF RADIOHEAD, WILCO, CROWDED HOUSE, THE SMITHS, TUNSTALL & MORE

The first 7 Worlds Collide album (you can hear samples at myspace.com/7worldscollide), a collection of amazing musical talents from across the globe in aid of Medecins Sans Frontières, was a unique live performance experience, fusing the varied talents of a stellar cast across a range of cover versions to create a series of shows that culminated in the live album of the same name. Seven years after that project, instigator Neil Finn has upped the ante with the new 7 Worlds Collide project, The Sun Came Out, a double album of original songs created and recorded by many of the original cast alongside notable new additions in an intense three weeks in his native New Zealand. This time the beneficiaries of this album will be Oxfam, as well as music lovers worldwide.

Familiar faces from the original album abound, Johnny Marr, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead but this album, first and foremost presents the listener with new songs rather than interpretations of old favourites. The Sun Came Out also features a whole host of new guest talents such as KT Tunstall and Wilco and heart stopping firsts, including Phil Selway’s songwriting and vocal debut as well as dream collaborations such as those between Johnny Marr and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy; and KT Tunstall and Neil Finn.


At the heart of the record is Neil Finn. His enthusiasm and drive persuaded the likes of celebrated producer Jim Scott, Lisa Germano, Johnny Marr and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Pat Sansone, John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche (amongst others) to spend their Christmas holiday in New Zealand and even interrupted KT Tunstall’s honeymoon in the process.

With families welcome, the studio became a constant whirl of creativity and energy throughout the three weeks allocated to create the record. Johnny Marr returned from a run on the beach with the basis of “Too Blue,” where Jeff Tweedy was waiting to add his talents; KT Tunstall stopped Neil retiring to his bed to complete “Hazel Black;” a wandering Johnny Marr added a chorus melody to Liam Finn’s “Red Wine Bottle;” Ed O’Brien fashioned “Bodhisattva Blues” from a Tibetan chant. In this atmosphere, anything was possible and Neil’s wife Sharon found herself laying down her debut vocal on “Little By Little” whilst Phil Selway also took his vocal bow and unveiled a hitherto unknown songwriting talent with his solo turn “The Ties That Bind Us” in one take.

Jeremy Hobbs, Director of Oxfam International said: “7 Worlds Collide is a great project. I hope The Sun Came Out is a huge success. Not just because it’s a unique musical experience but because each CD sold will make a difference – raising money to fund Oxfam’s work to fight poverty.”

The complete track listing and credits for the 2-CD set is below:

Disc 1

1. Too Blue – (Johnny Marr/Jeff Tweedy) – Johnny Marr and Neil Finn vocals
Elroy Finn & Glenn Kotche (drums), Phil Selway (percussion), John Stirratt (stand-up bass), Johnny Marr & Ed O’Brien (guitars), Pat Sansone (piano), Nile Marr & Neil Finn (acoustic guitars), and Lisa Germano (violins)


2. You Never Know – (Jeff Tweedy) – Jeff vocals
Jeff Tweedy (acoustic & electric guitars), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (acoustic 12 string guitar & piano), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (Wurlitzer piano, fuzz guitar), Liam Finn (additional fuzz guitar), Nels Cline (electric/slide guitar), and Mikael Jorgensen (organ/synth)


3. Little By Little – (Sharon Finn/Neil Finn) – Neil and Sharon vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums & percussion), Liam Finn (additional drums), Sharon Finn (bass), and Neil Finn (guitars, Chamberlin, Jupiter 8, marimba)


4. Learn To Crawl – (Ed O’Brien/Johnny Marr/Liam Finn/Neil Finn) – Neil and Liam vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums), Ed O’Brien, Johnny Marr, Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar arpeggio), Neil Finn (bass), Pat Sansone (background harmonies), Jeff Tweedy (disembodied voice), and Lisa Germano (violin)


5. Black Silk Ribbon – (KT Tunstall/Bic Runga) – KT and Bic vocals
Luke Bullen (drums, thigh slap), KT Tunstall & Bic Runga (acoustic guitars), Sebastian Steinberg (stand up & bowed bass), and Lisa Germano (violin)

6. Girl, Make Your Own Mind Up – (Don McGlashan) – Don vocals
Don McGlashan (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar atmosphere), John Stirratt (bass), Ivy Rossiter (backing vocal), and Jeff Tweedy (electric guitar solo)

7. Run In The Dust – (Johnny Marr) – Johnny vocals
Phil Selway (drums), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Johnny Marr (guitar), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), Pat Sansone (Hammond organ), Jeff Tweedy (harmonica), Neil Finn, Lisa Germano, and Pat Sansone (harmonies)


8. Red Wine Bottle – (Liam Finn/Chris Garland/Johnny Marr) – Liam vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Liam Finn (acoustic guitars, guitar loops and solo, Hammond mash), Neil Finn (Hammond flourish), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), Eliza Jane Barnes & Cecilia Herbert (harmonies)


9. The Ties That Bind Us – (Phil Selway) – Phil vocals
Phil Selway (acoustic guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums, percussion), Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar, celeste), Sebastian Steinberg (standup & bowed bass), Lisa Germano (violin & whisper), Don McGlashan (euphium, flugelhorn), and Jeff Tweedy (additional arrangement)


10. Reptile – (Lisa Germano) – Lisa vocals
Lisa Germano (electric guitar, Theremin), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Spencer Tweedy (drums), Glenn Kotche (toys and robots drumming), Pat Sansone (12 string guitar), Neil Finn (xylophone), Sonny Marr, Nile Marr, Sam Tweedy, Jeff Tweedy, Louise Callaghan, Emma Scott, Pearl McGlashan, mae Moreno, Sharon Finn, Julia Connolly, Sebastian Steinberg, and Milla (humans & dogs singing background vocals)


11. Bodhisattva Blues – (Ed O’Brien/Liam Finn) – Ed and Neil Finn vocals
Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), Elroy Finn (drums), Liam Finn (guitar), Neil Finn (Wurlizer piano, bass), Jeff Tweedy (guitar solo, vocal response & scream), and Johnny Marr (guitar solo)

12. What Could Have Been – (Jeff Tweedy) – Jeff vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums, percussion), Jeff Tweedy (acoustic guitar), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (vibes, electric guitar, harmony), and Pat Sansone (piano, Wurlitzer organ)


Disc 2

1. All Comedians Suffer – (Neil Finn) – Neil vocals
Glenn Kotche (drums), Neil Finn (electric guitar), Pat Sansone (acoustic guitar), Liam Finn (bass, electric guitar, harmonies), and Jeff Tweedy (chorus fuzz, electric guitar solo)

2. Duxton Blues – (Glenn Richards) – Glenn vocals
Glenn Richards (guitar), Liam Finn (drums, guitar & vocal loops), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Bic Runga & Neil Finn (background vocals)


3. Hazel Black – (KT Tunstall/Neil Finn) – KT and Neil vocals
KT Tunstall (acoustic guitar, handclaps, background vocals), Luke Bullen (drums, handclaps), John Stirratt (bass), Johnny Marr & Pat Sansone (electric guitars), Neil Finn (piano, harmony), Glenn Kotche (handclaps), Sonny Marr & Bic Runga (back-
ground vocals)

4. Riding The Wave – (Tim Finn) – Tim vocals
Tim Finn (piano), Elroy Finn (drums), Neil Finn (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, harmony), Liam Finn (harmonies), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), Johnny Marr (electric guitar), and Pat Sansone (Hammond organ)


5. The Witching Hour – (Phil Selway) – Phil vocals
Phil Selway (acoustic guitar), Bic Runga & KT Tunstall (background vocals), Lisa Germano (violin), and Jeff Tweedy (Optigan organ, piano)


6. Over And Done – (John Stirratt) – John vocals
John Stirratt (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), Pat Sansone (bass, piano), Don McGlashan (Euphonium, Flugelhorn), and Neil Finn & Pat Sansone (harmonies)


7. A Change Of Heart – (Bic Runga/Dan Wilson) – Bic vocals
Bic Runga (acoustic guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), Neil Finn (piano), Pat Sansone (Hammond organ), and Don McGlashan (humming)


8. Don’t Forget Me – (Pat Sansone) – Pat vocals
Pat Sansone (guitar), Glenn Kotche (drums), John Stirratt (bass), and Johnny Marr (electric guitar)


9. Long Time Gone – (Don McGlashan) – Don vocals
Don McGlashan (guitar), Phil Selway (drums), Pat Sansone (bass), Ed O’Brien (electric guitar), and Johnny Marr (12 string & 6 string acoustic guitars, backing vocals)


10. The Cobbler – (Elroy Finn) – Elroy vocals
Elroy Finn (guitar), Lisa Germano (violin), and Sebastian Steinberg (bowed bass)


11. 3 Worlds Collide – (Glenn Kotche/Phil Selway/Neil Baldock)
Glenn Kotche & Phil Selway (drums, percussion)


12. The Water – (Sebastian Steinberg) – Sebastian vocals
Sebastian Steinberg (guitars, bass), Neil Finn (piano), Glenn Kotche (drums), and Johnny Marr (ghost guitar)


Produced by Jim Scott and Neil Finn, additional production Neil Baldock



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Line drawn

July 23rd, 2009 | No Comments

A border dispute in Southern Sudan is resolved

A panel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in the Netherlands on July 22nd released its ruling on the boundaries of Abyei, a disputed territory on the border of the autonomous region of Southern Sudan. Unexpectedly, the arbitration tribunal’s eastern boundary determination excluded critical oil fields from Abyei. This ensures that these fields will remain within Sudan, even if Southern Sudan secedes and Abyei chooses to go with it. However, Abyei is likely to remain a flashpoint, and a test of the parties’ commitment to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the decades-long north-south civil war.

Abyei town and the surrounding district is the traditional home of the Ngok Dinka, who are closely related to the other Dinka people of Southern Sudan, and were allied with them in the civil war. However, since 1905 the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms have been administered within the “Northern” region of Kordofan, as a result of a redrawing of provincial borders during the Anglo-Egyptian colonial period. It was therefore agreed in the CPA that a referendum should be held in 2011 to give the people of Abyei the opportunity to decide whether to join Southern Sudan (which will itself be voting on whether to remain as an autonomous region or to secede). Similar referenda were stipulated for two other border regions with links to the South: the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile province. …

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DNA of ancient barley could help modern crops face today’s climate change

July 22nd, 2009 | No Comments

Researchers at the University of Warwick, UK, have recovered significant DNA information from a lost form of ancient barley that survived for over 3000 years, which could assist the development of new varieties of crops to face today’s climate change challenges.
The researchers, led by Dr Robin Allaby from the University of Warwick’s plant research arm [...]

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Journalism Boot Camp: Middle East Christians Vie For Religious Freedom In Qatar, Egypt

July 20th, 2009 | No Comments

The estimated 175,000 Christians in Qatar are cautiously building the foundation to practice their faith within this conservative country in the Muslim world.

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