Mandl Overboard

“My imps’ names are…”

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:31:54 -0400

“My imps’ names are…”

To-do list

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:19:18 -0400

To-do list

Addendum to my re-recordings article

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:58:16 -0400

[A short addendum to my article in Slate about re-recordings. There was no room to fit this in the published article.]

Spotify is so sloppy in distinguishing (or rather, not distinguishing) between originals and re-recordings that it often changes the version of a song that a particular link points to. (This may also be true of other online music services, but I haven’t checked.)

Because it can be so hard to find the original version of a song among the dozen or more copies floating around on Spotify, I created a playlist containing ’60s and ’70s songs that I knew to be originals, sometimes after having to check many different instances of each song. Occasionally, clicking on one of those tracks, I find that the song is not the original. What this means is that the actual MP3 file pointed to by the link has changed, and it has changed to a file containing a re-recording. Coincidentally, this happened to me just today when I was listening to Del Shannon’s “Runaway” (as discussed in my article).

Apart from everything else, this illustrates the danger of keeping music that you care about in the “Cloud.” If you don’t own an actual, physical copy of the song—whether on vinyl, CD, or MP3—there’s no guarantee that it will always be there.

The Growing, Hidden Problem of Re-Recordings

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:25:00 -0400

The Growing, Hidden Problem of Re-Recordings:

A little while back, I was compiling a playlist of ’60s hits in Spotify. The song I started with was “This Diamond Ring,” a 1965 single by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. About 20 instances of the song showed up when I searched for it—some of them on Gary Lewis best-of collections, some on compilations like ’60s Jukebox Hits and 60 Hits of the 60s. Clicking on one at random, I soon noticed that something was off. The vocals sounded strange—was that even Gary Lewis singing? And the snare drum was a very upfront, ’80s-style THWACK, a sound created using “gated reverb,” a studio effect that didn’t exist in the ’60s.

(Continue reading the article in Slate)

Coming on Sunday, May 12: “People Who Only Need a Beat,” with Irwin Chusid, Evan “Funk” Davies, and Dave Mandl

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:46:00 -0400

Three of WFMU’s Hoof & Mouth* rhythm-keepers—Dave Mandl, Evan “Funk” Davies, and Irwin Chusid—will celebrate rim shots, ruffs, rolls, and paradiddles with a three-hour drum throwdown on Sunday, May 12, from 9 p.m. to midnight (Eastern time). Each will in turn feature tracks showcasing some of their favorite percussionists. You’ll hear Art Blakey, Keith Moon, Bev Bevan, Mitch Mitchell, Bonzo, Max Roach, Bill Bruford, Chris Cutler, Aynsley Dunbar, Dave King, and lots of unsung drummers whose names you probably won’t recognize. Phil Collins, even.

Hear WFMU at 91.1 FM in the NYC area, or http://wfmu.org

(* The Hoof & Mouth Sinfonia is WFMU’s world-renowned house band.)

Photo

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:49:08 -0400

Twitter birthday cake, from my lovely wife and daughter.

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:49:50 -0400

Twitter birthday cake, from my lovely wife and daughter.

English Kills (Manhattan in background).

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:15:55 -0400

English Kills (Manhattan in background).

Bushwick.

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 09:30:02 -0400

Bushwick.

English Kills, Brooklyn.

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:20:31 -0400

English Kills, Brooklyn.

Photo

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:41:31 -0500

pheezy: Photo

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:56:25 -0500

pheezy:

Photo

A Master Class in the Avant-Garde: Alvin Lucier’s “Music 109”

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 09:29:38 -0500

A Master Class in the Avant-Garde: Alvin Lucier’s “Music 109”:

by Dave Mandl

ALVIN LUCIER’S MUSIC 109 is one of the oddest books about music I’ve ever come across. Lucier has been an acquaintance of or collaborator with nearly every American experimental composer of the past 50 years, a significant avant-garde figure in his own right, and, since 1970, a professor at Wesleyan University. His career coincides with an exciting, fervent period when received notions regarding the use of sound, or even what constitutes music, were being turned on their head. Given Lucier’s credentials and associations, this modest volume is the last thing I would have expected.

Read full article (LA Review of Books)

WFMU’s toy piano (and the cover of the CD I’m giving...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 10:47:21 -0500

WFMU’s toy piano (and the cover of the CD I’m giving away during FMU’s fundraiser, which starts on Monday).

Cantilevered garage, Cypress Hills (with @danasidonia and...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:37:32 -0500

Cantilevered garage, Cypress Hills (with @danasidonia and @bigbabygenius).

Cypress Hills (iPhone photo).

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:37:28 -0500

Cypress Hills (iPhone photo).

“I’m Bazooka Joe”

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 00:37:00 -0500

Dann: “It’s a Purim show. If you’re wearing a costume you get $5 off the admission.”
Me: “What? I don’t have a costume. Wait—I’ll just pull my scarf up over my face like this.”

——————-

Ticket Seller: “That’ll be $15.”
Me: “Why $15? Don’t I get $5 off?”
Ticket Seller: “You have to be wearing a costume.”
Me: “I am wearing one. Look.” [Points at scarf on face]
Ticket Seller: “What are you supposed to be?”
Me: “I’m Bazooka Joe.”
Ticket Seller: “I don’t know who that is.”
Me: “So $15?”
Ticket Seller: “Yup.”

Broadway, Brooklyn.

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:07:36 -0500

Broadway, Brooklyn.

Photo

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:28:15 -0500

East New York.

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:00:01 -0500

East New York.