So Sto 2.0

Updating the website, getting ourselves in position to unleash our new sound for all of you.
Stay tuned.

Two sites you need in your life…

First of all, be warned – these two sites are unbelievably addictive. That said…

the sixty one (our page is here) is a real breath of fresh air. (Good explanation here) Explore and have fun.

And you may have heard of Twitter. If not, enjoy. Simple, fun and again, addictive as hell.

Cheers.

Trying To Arrange…

…Paul’s flight to NY so that he might join us onstage on June 19th.

I have to say, if we were Radiohead, maybe Paul would have to play bass from his studio in Madison and we would patch him in via satellite. You know, to reduce his carbon footprint…

We Are Not Who We Think We Are

I run hot and cold on Thomas Friedman, but his column today, entitled “Who Will Tell The People?” is an absolute stunner. It speaks to every fear and hope I have for this country. An excellent, excellent read.

The Original of Laura – It Lives!

Forgot to post this on Sunday, but I was so excited to open my Sunday Times to find that The Original of Laura has been spared a fiery death. Nabokov’s final work will see the light of day, and I am counting the hours until I can finally read it…

New Music?

We’re talking (and talking and talking… about various music-related issues in the group right now, but I think we’ll have something new and fabulous very very soon…

-a

“Where Is Everybody?”

Indeed.

Helen Thomas asks the defining question that is the shame of our nation – The press’ absolute cowardice in the face of an obvious collapse of our moral compass.

The Art of the Title Sequence

This is too great not to share.

My personal favorite is ‘Catch Me If You Can’.

Because That’s What Ian Would Have Wanted…

This just makes me sick.

Microsoft is making a Joy Division ‘Zune’ player.

I understand a band like U2 aligning itself with IPod, but for the surviving members of Joy Division (ie New Order) to cash in on Ian Curtis in this manner seems blasphemous. Now, one could argue that all the recent books and films made about the band are doing the same thing, but I would counter that things like Anton Corbijn’s Control and Paul Morley’s Piece by Piece (which I highly recommend, by the way) augment and explore the band and it’s music by not only paying homage but trying to put the band and it’s music in a new context and possibly bring their music to a whole new generation of fans. The branding of a Zune with the bands identity, however, does nothing but bring the bands legend and aura to a third rate Mp3 player that is desperately in need of some market share. Pathetic.

The Filter

I downloaded an early version of The Filter two years ago and was underwhelmed. But Peter Gabriel’s recommendation software has had a complete makeover and is close to being released in beta.

It’s all grand, and goodness knows I am loathe to disparage St. Peter, whose musical work I adore, but I have yet to see any recommendations on any kind of site that have ever shown me something I haven’t already heard of. Indeed, in the original Filter, I was constantly being recommended the latest Depeche Mode or Nine Inch Nails albums. Thrilling.

Here’s hoping the new Filter surprises me and sets the world on fire…