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Tuesday, February 21st, 2006
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12:35 pm - Look what ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) swisstone wrote
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Tammy,
I've posted up a couple of tracks from the new albums
on the Audiography community:
http://community.livejournal.com/audiography/1101066.html
So we shall see what comes of that.
Current music: Linus - 'Going Under'
Off topic - Andy Roberts
This post has nothing to do with the Andy Roberts who has worked with Iain Matthews, Neil Innes, and various other luminaries of the UK folk/comedy scene.
The Andy Roberts I'm talking about here was songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the London based indie/alternative band Linus, as far as I know the first band to take that name, in 1992, but far from the last. Linus were one of those bands that never quite made it, despite good press, a Radio One session and prestigious support slots for the likes of Hole in 1994/95. Nevertheless, they continued to write, perform and record. Anyone who was lucky enough to hear their stuff or see them will tell you that they were really good. You can read about the band's history on the Linus website.
Last June, Andy was in a road accident, and died of his injuries. Last Saturday, his friends put on a special show to celebrate his life, with readings, bands, and displays. At that show two records were launched, a singles compilation, The Course of True Linus Never Did Run Smooth, and a collection of the best of Andy's 4-track demos.
'Don't Forget', from the compilation, was the lead track on a 1998 vinyl EP. It's a lovely, poignant song about the importance of friendship and the silly little things that make up life's rich pageant. A lot of the stuff on The Course of True Linus ... is just as good as this. The rest is even better.
'Another Girl' is from the demos album. This charming song was later worked up by Linus, acquiring a counter-melody and an elegiac end section that made it even more beautiful than it is here. Sadly, a proper band version was never recorded.
You can buy both these records, and other Linus releases (I particularly recommend the Good Listener album from 2000), from Mole In The Ground Records - the website is still being developed, but an e-mail to moleintheground@ntlworld.com will get a response. You can get more downloads of Linus music and Andy's demos at the Linus website.
I should declare an interest - Andy was my mate, and I was even Linus' drummer for a short time (though I'm not on anything recorded). But I am posting these songs because I passionately believe that Linus' and Andy's songs are great pop tunes, as good as anything you'll hear on the likes of 6Music and better than most, and that there are people on this community who would love Andy's music as much as I do, if only they got the chance to hear it. And if that isn't the purpose of ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) audiography, I don't know what is.
current mood: Appreciative
current music: What Tony's listening to
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(8 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, February 12th, 2006
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10:01 pm - The Andy Roberts celebration event
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Hello-
I am writing to invite you to the Andy Roberts celebration event. The event takes place on Saturday February 18th, at the Spitz in London. Please let me know if you need a flyer.
The event will have a collection of Andy's art on display, and there will be performances from some of Andy's favourite people, including Charlotte Cooper, Spy 51, The Raincoats, Sidi Bou Said, Eugene Wolstenholme, and Ricky Spontane. The remaining members of Linus will perform one song, at 8:40.
There will be two cds available for sale on the night:
Andy's 4-Track Demos will be £5.00. The cd contains 22 pristine pop ditties, and if you're missing him, it's good to hear his voice again. This cd will convince you that Andy was a genuine musical genius.
The Course of True Linus Never Did Run Smooth, the final Linus compilation, will be available for £10.00. The 16-song cd includes remastered versions of the PE ep and the Don't Forget ep, as well as the lost Supercool single and BBC Radio One session.
The Linus website will continue to be developed, so check back every now and then if you want to hear more demos, see some art and photos, and read more stuff.
Thank you for all your support, and I hope to see you on Saturday-
xoTammy
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(2 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Tuesday, July 19th, 2005
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12:28 am - Sad news
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It is with enormous sadness that we announce the end of Linus, due to the loss of founder member Andy Roberts - talented guitarist, singer, songwriter and best friend.
As a mark of respect, we will be maintaining the Linus website, adding all the music, photos, and artwork that we had originally planned. A guestbook has been created.
A cd collection of Andy's 4-track demos is currently being compiled- please email us if you would like a copy. The cd will be available for £1.50, just to cover postage and costs.
Finally, a compilation of singles and rare recordings (including 'lost' single Supercool) will be released later this year.
The remaining members of the band would like to thank all Linus friends and listeners everywhere for their support and enthusiasm these past 13 years.
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(7 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, May 1st, 2005
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3:33 pm
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On Friday night, we played with the great Pantsuit, Major Matt Mason, and others at the Windmill in Brixton - a lovely show, with lots of friends (hi Charley, Jenni, Sarah, Emily, Tony, Stephen & Siouxsie, Rosie, Katherine, Bridget!) and friendly strangers there. There's some photos at Underexposed.org.uk.
Soon there'll be additions to the website, and in the Summer, a new EP! We'll keep you posted...
current music: Pantsuit
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(choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, March 6th, 2005
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11:03 pm - Linus come out of Winter hibernation
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Hi! It's been a while, huh? We've been writing songs! In fact, we're still writing 'em! Two of them are even kind of finished! We have shows, and if you can make the first one, this week, you'll be able to hear those two songs. (Along with eight others we've played before, naturally.) The second one is a while away, but forewarned is forearmed:
Friday March 11 - The Cube Cinema, Bristol
In addition, there will be puppets.
Onstage at 10:30.
£5.00
Cube Cinema site
Friday April 29 - The Windmill, Brixton, London
Supporting Pantsuit and Major Matt Mason (alias Schwervon!)
We're probably on around 8:30.
£4.00 - bargain!
Windmill site
Take care, and be warm...
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(1 driven thing | choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, August 22nd, 2004
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10:59 pm - Linus play the Bring Yourself Fest!
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We are so thrilled that this event is happening, and even more pleased that we are invited to play!
The Bring Yourself Fest is happening in Bristol on the weekend of September 3rd - 5th. It is being extremely well-organised by the admirable Local Kid gang, who brought us last year's Ladyfest Bristol. It's a free festival, with art, workshops, and some of our favourite bands.
Linus is playing Saturday the 4th, around 10:00, with Hooker, Headfall, The Holy Terror, and Sofia Gradin.
More details:
www.bringyourselffest.com
Apologies if we've already told you about this more than once- can you tell how excited we are?
current mood:  hyper
current music: My Two Toms (playing on Friday September 3rd!)
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(3 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, June 6th, 2004
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7:34 pm - That London show finally...
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Dear Friends,
Remember that London show on the Linus tour that got cancelled? It's been rescheduled, and now doubles as a celebration for the release of our new four-track CD, the 'P.E. ep'.
Those nice Homocrime folks are our hosts. There'll be DJing and other surprising attractions, and it goes on until really quite late. It all happens on:
Saturday June 26th, at:
Needles
5 Clipstone Street
London W1
8pm - 1am
3 pounds, or 2 pounds concessions/with flyer.
Linus onstage 10pm.
As well as the new EP, there will be an EXCLUSIVE Linus item on sale at the show...
It will be invigorating to see you there!
www.linusland.co.uk
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(choose your own adventure)
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| Friday, April 23rd, 2004
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3:10 pm - Oh no!
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| Monday, April 12th, 2004
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11:57 pm - Linus on tour
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| Friday, October 17th, 2003
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12:57 am
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12:35 am - What We Did On Our Summer Holidays
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Except we weren't on holiday, this was all crammed in between work days. But it was summer, and the sun was out, as you may have noticed.
In August we played at Ladyfest Bristol, along with a bunch of other great acts like Hooker, Hello Cuca, Flamingo 50, the Gossip, Rita Lynch, and lovely Allison Wolfe (ex-Bratmobile) bouncing around being part-time compere and performer. Also a remarkable band called Mooz who were unfortunaly planning to break up shortly after the festival. There was a fantastic show of comix art, films (including the amazing 'Group'), and more. They'd even got their own shop for the weekend - which is now looking more long-term. More info at the shop's beautiful site.
Straight after Bristol we played a London show at the Archway Tavern. Two weeks later we found ourselves added to the bill at Ladyfest Amsterdam - a flying visit to a beautiful place we'll surely return to. Mere days after that was Ladyfest Manchester. In the space of three weeks, we became Ladyfest veterans.
In Manchester, in a large arts complex which housed the whole event (Bristol & London's Ladyfests were spread over several venues), there were workshops (drumming, drag kings), panels (future of Ladyfest), films, lots of bands of course - didn't see many of them this time, but we did catch up with our old friend Rosie from Pussycat Trash, now performing as Ithaca Art Ensemble. We stayed (along with our pals Lesbo Pig) with Valerie's guitarist Vix - thanks Vix!
Now we're planning a new Linus EP, to be recorded this winter & released in the spring. Looking forward to playing at Frock On in Glasgow in December - no London shows scheduled for sure for the time being, though we will be playing before too long...
-Andy
current music: Fred Neil
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(8 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Monday, June 30th, 2003
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10:16 pm - We played in Stoke
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We've never been to Stoke before, but we had a very enjoyable weekend travelling to and fro. I'll tell you what, people in Stoke are extremely friendly. It's a strange experience for introverted Londoners.
We were invited up thanks to </a></b></a> and you can read his flattering version of events. We played our longest set in years, all our favourite songs old and new.
And now we're tired.
current mood:  exhausted
current music: Zombina and the Skeletones- Leave My Brain Alone
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(choose your own adventure)
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| Tuesday, June 17th, 2003
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9:28 pm - We Love Gorkys Zygotic Mynci
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Would you believe, we have news- big news. July 15th, we’re doing our biggest Bandland yet. Having been asked in the dying days of 2002 by Gary ‘Wiiija’ Walker to curate a show at the ICA, we thought for, ooh, seventeen seconds in the Florida sun (where we were at that juncture) and set our hearts on getting Gorkys Zygotic Mynci to headline. After a bit of toing and froing, they said yes, and we’re massively happy and thrilled.
The line-up is:
Gorkys
The Keys (Welsh popsters on Too Pure)
Your friendly neighbourhood Linus band
Our favourite troubadour, Eugene Wolstenholme
With record playing by Ed, who wants to hear ‘Paris 1919’ and ‘Another Green World’ on giant size speakers.
Tickets and info: www.ica.org.uk - 020 7930 3647
Brought to you by Bandland
current mood:  excited
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(1 driven thing | choose your own adventure)
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| Tuesday, May 6th, 2003
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8:27 am - Thank you!
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Thanks to everyone for coming down to see us on Saturday at Notting Hill. Have we ever told you how much we like you? You're all such nice people.
Sorry if we weren't too chatty on stage- we never have anything to say. We could announce song titles, if all the songs weren't new and titleless.
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(3 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Tuesday, April 22nd, 2003
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8:22 pm - Ah, Springtime! There's Linus in the air...
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Linus is playing a show on Saturday, May 3rd at the Notting Hill Arts Club.
We're on at 5:00.
It's free.
current mood:  chipper
current music: John Doe! Rough Trade instore! May 13th!
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(2 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Sunday, March 9th, 2003
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10:39 pm - We exist.
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www.linusland.co.uk
At last, you can visit Linus online.
It's still under construction, but come on over and see the work-in-progress. If we have included you on the site, and you'd like something amended, please let us know.
Over 10 years of history, in a handy little website.
current mood: jubilant
current music: Nothing else but Linus
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(12 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Monday, December 9th, 2002
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11:58 pm - A proud announcement...
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Gina Birch and Ana da Silva, as founders of the Raincoats, have been pioneers of underground music and culture in the UK since the late 70s. Their experiments with rhythm and space in music, their fragile melodies, and lyrics which blended the poetic and the everyday, have inspired every left-field band from Massive Attack to Nirvana. They mapped out a path particularly for female musicians outside the mainstream.
On January 15th, at the Spitz, Gina Birch presents her acclaimed solo set, as seen at Ladyfest London. Gina is also a film and video director, and her films will show throughout the set. Ana da Silva provides the main support with a rare performance of her own sparse and touching solo material, accompanied by drum machine. Linus open the show, with a short set of new songs in their customary arty/spiky style.
The Spitz is at the Old Spitalfields Market, 109 Commercial Street, London E1 - nearest tubes Liverpool Street or Shoreditch. The show runs from 8pm-11, and entrance is £6.
(From the RRR site)
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(2 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Friday, September 20th, 2002
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12:24 am - Shot by both sides
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| Sunday, September 8th, 2002
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12:52 am - Bandland continued - the DJ's story
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Hello, I thought I'd post all the records I played, although I appreciate this is excruciatingly anal. I also appreciate that that might be an unfortunate turn of phrase. We made a fake tape cover on which I was to write all the songs I was playing, but the sound dude kept getting in the way, plus my writing was more illegible than usual.
Oh, and we just worked out that the dude in So Solid Crew who does the chorus of '21 seconds' looks exactly like Will Self. I wonder which of the two has imbibed more drugs.
These are not in the order in which they were played. My comments are in the square brackets:
Sly and the Family Stone: Stand! [Which Sly Song to play? It's like Sophie's Choice]
Built to Spill: The Plan
Joe Tex: I Gotcha
Jay-Z: I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me) [Didn't expect to see people dancing to this, mouthing the words - but there they were. The sound of great parties you never knew about]
John Holt: Ali Baba
The Velvet Underground: She's My Best Friend [This inspired outbreaks of air guitar]
I'm Sticking With You
[Not the version in the Ad, the other one]
Ghostface Killah: Daytona 500
The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night [The Kinks are always better than you remember them being]
The Impressions: You A Winner [I might have the name wrong of this one]
The Monkees: Listen to the Band [dang]
Fleetwood Mac: Go Your Own Way [Zombina were rocking out to this - anyone who disses the Mac ain't got no soul]
The Honeys: He's A Doll [A Brian Wilson penned tune, sung by his missus and her sisters - everyone should hear it]
The Steve Miller Band: Take the Money and Run [aawwwwwwwwwwooooooggaaah]
Weezer: In the Garage [You know, 'cause we WERE]
Keep Fishin' [Kermit was with us in spirit]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Mrs William
Air: Remember (d.whitaker version)[Strings. Utterly gorgeous. Two minutes long]
Paul Simon: Can't Run But [Like the Crash Bandicoot music]
Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor: Moses [A request- one I was more than happy to take.]
Norman Blake: I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow [Finger pickin' good]
Jane's Addiction: Ocean Size [A boy came up and asked me 'Have you got any nu-metal? This was the best I could do. He was unsatisfied. Ah, youth]
Bob Dylan and the Band: Million Dollar Bash [Oooh baby, oooh wee]
David Bowie: Sound & Vision
Outkast: Bombs Over Baghdad [Prescient. Visionary. This should have been number one for a year]
the White Stripes: You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) [For Jennifer]
Dream: He Loves You Not [For Tammy]
The Jimmy Castor Bunch: Troglodyte [For Bertha]
Destiny's Child: Say My Name [Who'd have thought the best girl band ever would be discovered by Wyclef Jean?]
Curtis Mayfield: Keep on Keepin' On [Goodness, this is lovely]
N*E*R*D: Stay Together [What if the Beatles and Timbaland and Ric Ocasek had two little babies, and one of 'em had a cap, and went out with Kelis?]
Wire: Outdoor Miner
John Cale: Paris 1919 [That middle eight...]
Brian Eno: St. Elmo's Fire
Jim O'Rourke: Prelude to 110 or 200/Women of the World [...take over, cause if you don't, the world, will come, to an end]
Smokey Robinson: Hey Jude
Sam and Dave: I Thank You [For all]
Stevie Wonder: Uptight (Everything's Alright)
The Webb Brothers: Low Grade Fever
The La's: Knock Me Down
Vince Guaraldi Trio: Linus & Lucy [Joy]
Missy Elliot and Timbaland: Watcha Gon' Do
The Dungeon Family: Crooked Booty
the Apples in Stereo: Seems So
the Magnetic Fields: I Think I Need A New Heart
Washington D.C. [SO hard to just play two]
Kingsbury Manx: Piss Dairy [I prefer to think of it as 'Sweet Autumn Leaves' - the title doesn't exactly communicate the wide eyed joy and loveliness of this]
The Modern Lovers: Someone I Care About
The Partridge Family: I Can Hear Your Heartbeat [Minimalist genius - the obvious inspiration for 'Dreamless Sleep']
Point me in the direction of Albequerque
Prince: When You Were Mine [Three different people felt moved to congratulate me on playing this - congratulate Mr Rogers Nelson, he wrote it, the cuddly little genius]
Young Marble Giants: The Man Amplifier [covered to great effect by the Magnetic Fields, y'know]
There you go.
Ed.
current mood: Enamoured
current music: John Fahey, Late night Music television, GBV
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(8 driven things | choose your own adventure)
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| Monday, September 2nd, 2002
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8:06 pm - Bandland approaches...
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Yep, in two days' time (Thursday Sept 5th), it's the very first Bandland, with Zombina & the Skeletones, Linus, and Eugene Wostenholme, DJs, zines, haikus, cartoons, exotic balloons, and more. Bring a zine for the stall. Come at 8.00 for the show, stay till 2 for dancing. Yay!
Currently in the works: a small show for our mailing list members in November; then Gina Birch (the Raincoats) is playing with Linus, and a very special guest, in January. Gina's show, including films, was a highlight of Ladyfest. Watch this space.
current mood: giddy
current music: Josie and the Pussycats
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(choose your own adventure)
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disappointed
hopeful
pleased