Coffee And Cigarettes, A Film By Jim Jarmusch

In our over saturated, media soaked brains watching full length movies takes a commitment. What we have come to enjoy as of late, are short films that act more as expose, on a subject matter. There are true masters of the craft and Jim Jarmusch created a master piece with his film based on a series of short monologues, entitled Coffee and Cigarettes. Tom Waits and Iggy Pop play up their roles to a tee and deliver an impact that is as uncomfortable and as it is full of wit and substance, enjoy.

Did Tom Waits Inspire Heath Ledger’s Joker? Repost From Mashable

Refer back to Mashable.com for the original post

"Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight is legendary. So is Tom Waits. If these thoughts seem disconnected, you clearly need to watch this video.


The 1979 Australian TV interview with then 29-year-old Waits has been making the viral rounds on the Internet this weekend, and for good reason — Waits’ voice is virtually indistinguishable from Ledger’s memorably creepy Joker. The only difference? Waits is speaking this way in real life.

Also worth noting is interviewer Don Lane’s impressive — and presumably unintentional — rendition of Phil Hartman’s Frank Sinatra impression.


The two share a genuinely awkward (read: hilarious) conversation — witness Waits struggling to sit up and Lane attempting to avoid second-hand smoke to no avail.


Ledger’s extreme commitment to his role as The Joker has been a topic of interest for years, particularly after the actor’s untimely death. But it seems that a little credit may be due to Waits’s unique voice — and perhaps even his casually bizarre demeanor.


Do you see the similarity?"

Mondo Film Posters - Reimagining Classic Film

There is just something about classic movies that continue to make us want to view them over and over and over. Is it the plot lines, the depth the characters plunge into our psyche or is just damn good cinematography? If we had to pick one choice of that bunch, we would have to go with character depth, but then again, without a solid plot line the characters could be as flat as pancakes. 

Mondo prints classic movie posters re-envisioned by a plethora of designers, illustrators and mad thinkers. Their approach is DIY and the way in which the posters are printed in small editions makes them even better. We have missed out on quite a few gems that we would dig for our walls such as the ones below. Dig into their archives and blog and see what Mondo is all about.

Mondo Archives for their gallery of posters

Mondo Blog for up to date info

Werewolves On Wheels by Phantom City Creative

Assault On Precinct 13 by Tyler Stout

Down By Law, featuring Tom Waits by Rich Kelly

Star Wars, Return Of The Jedi, by Olly Moss

Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, by Tyler Stout

Dirty Harry, by Olly Moss

The Warriors, by Tyler Stout

Rock N' Roll High School, by Print Mafia

Hellride (variant) by Tyler Stout

Saving Country Music, Album Of The Year Nominees

Hellbound Glory's - Damaged Goods has is once again in the running for SavingCountryMusic.com album of the year. From the comments and notes over on their page it seems to be a close running between Hellbound Glory and Slackeye Slim. You know of course who our vote goes with but don't count out the Slackeye Slim album. At first listen it has a huge feel to it and definitely grows and builds into becoming warm, friendly and something that David Lynch could easily score as a soundtrack. On the other hand, the latest album from Hellbound Glory is going to be lighting the honky tonks and country radio on fire with the barn burning songs that are ready made to be sung at the top of your lungs til your vocal chords break. Do yourself a favor and get over to Saving Country Music and leave a vote.

But before you do, why not listen to another great album that reviewers have slept on. Jay Berndt's - Sings Waylon For Jessica is an amazing album of covers that go much further than being played as just covers, Jay makes them his own. The whole project was done as a christmas gift a few years back and knowing that Jay played every instrument while recording himself to tape shows his studio prowess. This goes the same for his last solo album, Sad Bastard Songs, another album that got slept on. Hipsters come and go within music scenes but Jay Berndt has been around for a long time and continues to produce, record and write new music in a multitude of categories. This looming presence is definitely starting to build a lot of attention for his solo material and taking off quickly over in Europe. We thank all the listeners far and wide on the European continent that are diggin' Jay's material as does he.

A few tracks from the best albums of the year by Hellbound Glory and Jay Berndt

Jay Berndt - Lonesome On'ry and Mean by RustyKnuckles

  Hellbound Glory - You Better Hope You Die Young by RustyKnuckles

Link to original post on SavingCountryMusic.com

"There is nothing I take more seriously than naming what I think is the best album of any calendar year. The Album of the Year offers a guidepost for future generations to find the best music that was forgotten by the mainstream, while at the same time being a current ambassador to the mainstream to illustrate what great music they are overlooking. An Album of the Year can’t just be the best album to listen to, it has to be impactful, influential, and/or groundbreaking.

The decision of who to nominate is always difficult, but this year it seemed especially difficult because of the additional albums I could have included beyond these three. Both Rachel Brooke’s Down in the Barnyard and Lone Wolf’s self-titled album were excellent, breakthrough releases. Cody Canada & The Departed’s This Is Indian Land I thought was especially strong, though I may be alone in that thought. And there were a couple of landmark blues albums this year, Husky Burnette’s Facedown in the Dirt, and Scott Biram’s Bad Ingredients, and make no mistake, though it would have to fight an uphill battle, a blues album could win.

But in the end, if I had included one of those albums, I’d have to include them all to be fair to the requirements of all the nominees, and that would have diluted attention from the three albums that truly have a chance to win. And certainly those albums and many more will be included on the “2011 Essential Albums List” forthcoming.

Saving Country Music is a benevolent dictatorship, and I will make the end decision of the winner, but feedback will be taken into strong consideration, so please, leave your votes, comments, your own candidates, or write-in votes below. Just don’t make fun of the cheesball “2011 Album of the Year” logo I slapped together, or you comment will be disqualified.

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Austin Lucas – A New Home in the Old World

Of all the albums in 2011, this was the one I listened to the most. It is one of those albums where a few of the songs hit you the first time through, then after you’ve worn out those songs, the ones you didn’t like at first grow on you, and by the time those wear out, you’re favorites in the first place are renewed once again until 6 months have gone by and you never stopped listening. In this day of so much parody in music, this is such a rare feat.

A New Home in the Old World scores two guns up on every element of this album: the songwriting, the singing, the instrumentation, the production and accessibility. You can put this album on for one of your pop country friends, and they will like it, and you will too, and Lucas proved his wide appeal by appearing on Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour this summer. And it is solidly country, pure country, with steal guitars and fiddles and down home, but not apish harmony vocals, even though he comes to us from a punk music background, and through the Suburban Home Records scene.

Simply based on appeal, and our ability to hold up an album to Music Row and say, “See, there is music out there that is better, but still widely appealing, that could save your business model,” there is no better album in 2011 than A New Home in the Old World. (read review)

Slackeye Slim – El Santo Grial, La Pistola Piadosa

El Santo Grial is a masterpiece, a magnum opus, of the highest proportions. And it’s not just that this is the greatest masterpiece of 2011, it very well may be the best masterpiece that has been put out in the independent/underground country world, ever. And I’d go even another step to say there’s a good chance it will never be rivaled in that regard. The artistry, the vision, and the patience and uncompromising approach to see it through makes El Santo Grial one for the ages.

However artistry and vision is one thing, and appeal is another. Is this an album you can play for your pop country friends? Uh yeah, probably not. They’re not ready for it, and even many people who are not pop country fans are probably not ready for it. Ulysses may be the greatest novel of all time, but damn if most of us can’t make it past the first chapter. But even though El Santo Grial may not have mass appeal, I do think it could appeal to a mass variety of people by transcending genre and traditional ideas of taste, like what Tom Waits does, until it does command a big audience. And I do think there are songs here that can be picked out of the work and stand alone. (read review)

Hellbound Glory – Damaged Goods

Originally I was not going to include Damaged Goods on this list; the 2011 Album of the Year was going to be a two horse race. Don’t get me wrong, I think the album is excellent, but I just don’t know if it is their best effort. I’m not saying it “isn’t” their best effort, I’m saying “I don’t know” if it’s their best effort, like I can say about A New Home and El Santo Grial. And I have to balance that against the fact that Leroy Virgil wanted to make an album that was an approximation of their live show, which these days is fairly stripped down because of budgetary restraints.

But when you take into consideration influence and appeal, it would be an injustice to leave Damaged Goods off. Austin Lucas could blow up, but Hellbound Glory would blow up if the right buttons were pushed by someone who has the power, and understands their aesthetic. Leroy Virgil could be the next Justin Townes Earle, a solid underground success story, or he could be the next Alan Jackson. I just wish he knew that the possibilities were in arms length of him, and I wish I knew how to get him that last step–not to afford him arbitrary measures of success like money and fame, but because the world needs Hellbound Glory’s music. (read review)" 

Tom Waits - Bad As Me, Highest Debut Of Career

"Artist" is a term that we continually feel unsettled about as it implies someone who is just "creative". This notion goes right back to Shooter Jenning's article about "Rockstars". As soon as someone says they are an artist, all I can think of is the amateur painter or musician that is internally tortured by not having a real sense of work ethic or unique ideas and has yet to prove their ability, to the level of an "Artisan". ( Artisan are persons having superior skill or ability, or who are capable of producing superior work. An artist is a person engaged in some type of fine art. An artisan is engaged in a craft or applied art. - from Dictionary.com)

Not to directly knock anyone for using the creative process, but the word "artist" has just lost its meaning, same as "rockstar". Anyone can claim it, but are they really that creative and risk taking? It is a razor thin line and the charming aspect of fine art is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Take for example Jackson Pollack, he was a painter that I failed to understand until I dug much deeper into his ideas, or his drunken melee's to really come to a rational mindset of his work. Basically, his work runs parallel with Miles Davis in the sense of its movement. Its the unique signature rhythm of the drips he created on canvas, that plays visually right next to Jazz and its ability to morph on a whim, while still maintaining it's true character.

Jackson Pollack aka Jack the Dripper painting

Miles Davis creating Jazz magic

Artisans come in many forms and knowing Tom Waits personally makes it easier to see all aspects of him as a dyed in the wool creative individual. It could be his photos, the custom music instruments he makes or the sense of wonder when it comes to other "Artisans" that push him to constantly revisit the well of ideas and reformulate his own concepts.

We are damn proud to have had the opportunity to work with Tom Waits on his album Alice, photographer Matt Mahurin and the amazing Anti Records a few years back. After our long diatribes and too many cups of coffee chatting on the randomness of art, music and film, hearing about the biggest debut of his career just gives us one hell of a smile. Congrats Tom, you deserve it!

Link to Tom Waits site

"Tom Waits debuted on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #6, making this the highest debut and the fastest selling (63K+) of his long and storied career—not only in the US, but around the globe. Bad As Me, his 20th album to date, is currently top #10 Europe including the UK, Italy, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal, Austria and Germany; #6 in Canada and #11 in Australia.

Critics are making a racket with rave reviews including the Los Angeles Times: “The singer with the lowdown Howlin’ Wolf yowl, which is richer and more elastic than ever on Bad As Me…his first new studio album in seven years, and one of the best of his wildly fruitful creative life…The record…swirls with adventure and includes the instant classic ballad ‘Back in the Crowd,’ the stomping march ‘Hell Broke Luce’ and the transcendent closer ‘New Year’s Eve,’ a quiet yarn of a waltz” and Rolling Stone: “It doesn’t get much better than this.”

Meanwhile, 2011 is looking like a pretty good year for Waits…he started it off by being inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame and may wind down the clock with his best-selling album to date, no mean task for an artist in these tough times."

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As a side note, for the album design of Alice, Tom really wanted the text to feel like a water mark on the cover. Went through many iterations and concepts but what finally worked is cutting his name out of a piece of balsa wood to create a stamp. This gave us the loose texture and by adding more water to the ink I was able to get exactly what he was after on paper and then transferred that to the final design.

What is Zach Ness Building, Swingarm For A Ducati?

Word was passed along of a bad ass lookin' custom swingarm being fabricated by Zach Ness. Not sure exactly what its for but heard it could be for a Ducati. Any which way it goes on, its going to look damn good and make for a killer asymetrical style to the rear.

Soundtrack by Tom Waits from Mule Variations

Zach Ness custom swing arm

Jay Berndt - New Show Flyers

Hey folks up in the northeast, specifically the Providence area, get out and see Jay Berndt live...

Jay Berndt - Tom Waits Tribute Providence

Ol' Jay Berndt is quite proud to be a part of the Tom Waits tribute up in Providence, so we hope that anyone in the area can make it out to the show. Should be a cool event and quite interested to hear from Jay the songs he will be covering and that of the other players as well. Really stoked that Tom is on his way into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and proud to know him. We were fortunate enough to get to work with him a few years back on a couple of projects and became friends over never ending pots of coffee and talking on music and design. Miss hangin' with ya Tom!

More Info on the Tom Waits Tribute in Providence, RI

On the heels of Tom Waits's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The 201 hosts a Tom Waits Tribute on April 1, 2011!

All proceeds will be donated to Amos House's Soup Kitchen.

Ben Pilgrim
Brown Bird
Jay Berndt
Jess Powers
last good tooth
Mark Cutler
Tai Awolaju
Tig & Bean
Tony the Bookie
Vudu Bevy
The Wrong Reasons

A Production of aboutonething.com
http://www.aboutonething.com/

Sponsored by They're Using Tools!
http://theyreusingtools.com/

Hosted by The 201
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-201/220492045617
201 Westminster St.
Providence, RI, 02903

See also Tom Waits Tribute Somerville at P.A.'s Lounge:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191551907542389

A couple of great tracks from Tom...