Purple Rain

Carlos Gomez and Ruben Olmos have taught me about all kinds of things, including lowriding. They're two wise men. They run the Lowyalty Car Club, which reps Burlington, Durham, and some other southeastern spots. Carlos' Lincoln Town Car, which he calls Purple Rain, won a top award at the Tampa stop of the Lowrider Magazine Tour in April. He was pretty stoked about that. I watched him put this car together from the ground up in about 3.5 weeks. Insanity.

This is a new section called ON THE BOX. It'll be about what's on or around the box. I'm a fool for lists. Let's start here::

Kris Kristofferson :: "Jesus Was A Capricorn"
Dollar Brand :: "Cape Town Fringe"
Tompall Glaser :: "Tompall and His Outlaw Band"
Merle Haggard :: "Back to the Barrooms"
Sister Nancy :: "One, Two..."
Jeremy Spencer and The Children :: Self-titled, I guess
Mordicai Jones :: Also self-titled? Some of Link Wray's greatest tonez
Zapp :: Also also self-titled? Worth so much more than the $3 I paid for it.
Anthony & The Imperials :: "Reflections"
David Wiffen :: "Coast To Coast Fever" (Simple and lovely)
Pete Townshend :: "Who Came First"
The Pointer Sisters :: S/T (On Blue Thumb; pure class)
Freddie McCoy :: "Gimme Some!"
Erykah Badu :: "Mama's Gun" and lots of "New Amerykah Part One (Fourth World War)"
Thomas Jefferson Kaye :: S/T (Grandiose waster grooves; Fagen and Becker contribute)
Man :: "Rhinos, Winos, and Lunatics"
Dennis Coulson :: S/T
Nas :: "Illmatic"
EPMD :: "Strictly Business"
King Tubby & Soul Syndicate :: "Freedom Sounds in Dub"
Don Cherry :: "Brown Rice"
Jim Pepper :: "Pepper's Pow-wow"

This list could be a mile long, but that Tompall record is especially blowing my balls off. And that Jim Pepper record kills too.

::Three Studies on the Merican South::

Three kings.

From an Old Fort

Motto/mantra/request


Tips & tricks

Old Fort, Western NC 14.6.08

Healing Powerr

Last week I went to visit an herbalist/healer at her rambling farm joint in the foothills of Western NC to talk about her work. Besides creating all types of balms, tinctures, salves, and teas, she grows her own food and makes the best honey I've ever tasted. She's got a nice spread. Lulu would have loved it.


Wands.


Drying herbs.


The bees live over there.


Something was growing in here.


Flowers in the garden.


Making honey. She said she got stung a lot.


The biggest Egyptian Walking Onions I've ever seen.


The greenhouse. She raises little birds in there too.

(((D&B Twofer)))

It's awesome that this exists. Always sweet to see the Dark Horse and Bobby Whitlock back in the day. Kind of creepy to see Jim Gordon rocking that jeepster groove too. He's too good.

I had a guitar made by Creston Lea in Vermont that is a replica of that Telecaster that Delaney is playing, which he got from George Harrison. It's a really nice guitar. Thanks Creston.



And this.

I can get behind Delaney & Bonnie.

What a lovely song. I've always really dug Rodney Crowell. His record album "Ain't Livin' Long Like This" is worth buying for sure. Find er cheap. The guy that plays Waylon on The Wire is to Rodney's left. Emmylou does a rousing rendition of "Bluebird Wine" on "Pieces of the Sky."

I dig David Allen Coe too. But I've always felt a little sorry for the guy for some reason. It seems like he got a weird shake in the biz. My pal Brendan super digs him, and swears by his record SPECTRUM VII. I think that's the one where he learned compassion. And blowing on conch shells.



Guy Clark, what a man.

THE GONZ

Mark Gonzales is one of my favorite soul men. An early interview I read with him in Thrasher Magazine back when I was just a little grom was one of the major reasons I wanted to skate and make art. When I moved to the Mission District, I would sometimes watch him cruise down Alabama Street from my porch and I would always freak. I should have said what's up. He seems like he'd be cool with that.