Claiming that people in a theater speaking up for diversity and security for all Americans are somehow violating the precepts of a safe space is ABSURD. They were emboldened to speak BECAUSE it is a safe space.
 
Subverting and misusing the language of the opposition is straight out of the Fascist Handbook. If media wants to help fix this, we all need to stop worrying about trivialities and start (re)learning about how our modern dictators have risen to power... early warning signs are already in place. Trump tweets reach 15 million people, most of whom take his idiocy as fact. Bannon is the brain, and he knows exactly what he's doing.

OK, it's time to get and stay political until further notice. 
More music might follow, but for now, it's ideas and action that count.

For starters: the media. Enough hand-wringing about how "we all got it so wrong." Even when it's in the context of not understanding the "other", it's still so us-centered and smacks of the solipsistic nature that creates echo chambers. Which, sorry to say, is not what lost this election.

Mainstream media, you have no influence. Even if you'd got it right, the people who voted for Trump would still have done so!

Most Trump voters are the ones who got it wrong. Nothing that they want - or, more importantly, need - will be addressed by Trump. (The Trump voters who got it right are going to be rewarded with tax breaks, cronyism and more political power.)

Now, if Ted Cruz and Mitt Romney had any balls, instead of showing themselves to be the power-hungry, hypocritical, spineless losers that they are... well, those are people with some degree of influence, who could maybe try to make a difference; if they worked with Dems and kept their principles, we'd have a shot at keeping things from going 100% to hell.

Axelrod pulls no punches on this funky indictment of our country's shameful history... a reprise of which we may be entering soon if more people don't start taking action.

LISTEN HERE - AND NEVER FORGET

This is the Body, this is the Blood...

 As always here at Unbreakable Records, we strive to bring you the odd, unknown, and unknowable.  Peter Ivers' Band Knight of the Blue Communion falls well into all three categories. 

For starters, I just love the apostrophe after Ivers' last name - like the band belongs to him.  The cover states that the record "features" Yolande Bavan, who sings on almost all the tunes, whose throaty keen is somewhere between Grace Slick and Catherin Ribeiro.  Ivers released a second band band album in '71, replacing Bavan (who was Sri Lankan) with the more sultry Asha Puthli; one more self-titled, apostrophe-less band album in '74, and a solo album two years later pretty much marked the end of his career as a leader.  He was a jarring, angular guitarist (
and Harvard grad) with a funky bent and maniacal, proggish leanings in his compositions, and, of course, lots of love for the eastern thang, as evidenced by the singers he chose to work with.

His outre sensibilities led David Lynch to tap Ivers to write a tune for Eraserhead, and then to be chosen to host New Wave Theater, the local LA-based, Billboard-related punk variety show that helped introduce the world to Bad Religion, Fear and the Dead Kennedys, among many others.

Sadly, Ivers died in 1983, at only 36 years old.  These disturbing details come from ye olde Wikipedia: "In 1983, Peter Ivers was found bludgeoned to death with a hammer in his Los Angeles apartment. The murderer was never identified. Harvard established the Peter Ivers Visiting Artist Program in his memory.  Josh Frank and Charlie Buckholtz have written a book about Ivers' life, art and mysterious death, In Heaven Everything Is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre (published 2008). On the basis of new information unearthed during the creation of this book, the LAPD has reopened their investigation into Ivers' death."

Though his recorded legacy was brief, there's some down n' dirty moments not to be missed on his debut. . . Anoint thyself!

Shakin' All Over

I first learned about Alfonso Lovo when I was reviewing his fusion masterpiece La Gigantona for our esteemed friends at Ugly Things.  Released by the Numero Group, the album fit firmly in the label's "cult cargo" tradition: self-financed, unreleased, bitingly funky.  From the liners, I learned of an earlier Lovo album, the mouthful-of-a-name Terremoto richter 6:25 - managua.  Terremoto was recorded in 1972, when Lovo was a student here in the States, in response to a devestating earthquake in his home of Managua, Nicaragua.  It's not quite as strong as Gigantona, and shorter; but for a thrown-together response to an ecological crisis a continent away, it's pretty goddamn good.  Bristling with emotion, introspection, outward frustration, Terremoto also allowed Lovo to define his future musical evolution.  Many of the tracks act as a blueprint for Gigantona, with Latin-influenced acoustic guitar, burbling horns and lightly psychedelic touches.

Hey, why not shake things up?

MAY 10th BROOKLYN FLEA RECORD FAIR CONFIRMED!

It's on, and it's gonna be bigger than ever.  Held at the scenic, sceney Williamsburg Waterfront, the Brooklyn Flea Record Fair will once again have tons of vendors of both new & old vinyl, DJ sets, beer & more!

As always, Unbreakable will be there repping old school flavor with our table of crates heavy on Jazz, Rock, New Wave, Soul, and oddball assortments for your digging pleasure.  

Other collectors and some stores will be selling, too, but no one has the selection (or the prices!).  Be sure to check out the map & stop by UR first.

The labels represented include DFA, Secretly Canadian, Domino, Luaka Bop, Polyvinyl, Rough Trade, Warp, and Sacred Bones, just to name a few.  There will also be serious DJ sets from the likes of Sandra Electronics, Autre Ne Veut, Caroline Polacheck (from Chairlift) and Optimo.

Sponsored again this year by our good friends at the Red Bull Music Academy, which has its own fair share of one-and-done events worth checking out all month.

SEE YOU THERE!

Before Miami

Here's another dirty digging gem, literally - found sitting in a pile of "garbage" on 109th St. between Lexington & 3rd.  As I saw the owner of the Botanica throwing his records away, I verified that he wasn't looking to sell them before scooping up about 50 on my way to a meeting.  Nothing like showing up to discuss contract negotiations and tenure with both arms stacked full of dusty wax...

A couple of duds on here when Roy pushes the schmaltzometer to 11, but otherwise full of fiercely funky nuggets; this album as such is unavailable in its correct running order.

Come on, shake your body baby, do that conga