A Free Man

The more observant (annoyingly retentive) of you may remember that I wrote a post a few weeks ago scoffing at, even mocking the Australian ‘winter’. I derided both the Aussie version of the bleak season and Aussies themselves for being fragile and delicate when the temperatures dropped below 15°C.

Well, I want to humbly retract that post. As I shivered my way to the bus stop this morning, grass crunching under my feet, I realized that Australia has a proper winter. For the last few weeks it has either been raining - and I mean raining, not drizzling, showering or sprinkling - or bright and cold. There’s no snow or bitter cold, but it’s tangibly winter. Short days, jackets, umbrellas, winter. It’s not that the winter here is terrible. No, I don’t get to the beach as I would like to, but it’s bearable. The problem is that in A Free Man’s world, winter never seems to ends.

If you’ll recall, having survived a fourth long English winter - the season that puts the blight in ‘Blighty’ - we left Britain just as the daffodils were starting to bloom. Just as the promise of spring was on the horizon, we were on a flight out of the country. After a couple of weeks in Sweden (as gloomy as Britain but with snow) and Florida (the closest I’ve seen to a summer in what seems like decades) we headed cross the equator into the Antipodean autumn. 

Eight or nine months of winter is one thing, but I’d like to argue that the ’summer’ of 2007 in Britain may as well have been a winter. It rained, rained and then, just for fun, it rained some more. The Thames came unstuck and Oxford was partially under water. Oh, and then it rained some more.  If you look at things in that glass half empty kind of way, it’s basically been winter for us since November of 2006.

As I to you today, from my own personal Narnia, I’m beaten. I lay prostrate to the gods of winter. What will it take - a virgin sacrifice for Boreas? A snow temple to Skadi? Do I have to slay the White Witch? Because, I’m ready to do whatever it takes. Go on and get Papa’s slaying gear, Baby Z.

The good news is that there are only 39 days until the First Day of Spring. Glorious spring.

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Chet Baker’s “Chet Baker Quartet with Russ Freeman” is available from .

 

 Chet Baker - "Winter Wonderland (LP Take)" [2:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With Dr. O’C returning to the ranks of the employed in a few weeks, this feature is likely short-lived. Maybe if we talk real nice to her she’ll continue - or at least get Baby Z born…

September 10, 2007

Chris and I had convinced ourselves that the baby was going to be late, so when my waters broke a week before my due date, I had to keep smelling my skirt to make sure that it wasn’t just a collapsed bladder.  I walked back to the house, leaking as I went, in a bit of shock, giggling almost hysterically.  When I get nervous I have a tendency to laugh.  I think the reality was finally setting in.  Poor Chris has to harass me to call the hospital to find out what to do next.  We call our friends to pick up the dog, load up the car, call some family and head to the hospital.  They confirm that my waters have broken (no shit, Sherlock) and offer us the option of either staying put and being induced or going home to see if things happen naturally overnight.  Two things go racing through my head at this point - 1) There is no way I am ready for this baby to come now and 2) I don’t want my baby to born on September 11th.  So, I convince Chris that we should go home and take the natural approach of wait and see.

We wake bright and early, after a surprisingly good nights sleep (for me anyway).  I call the hospital to see when we can come in but they are busy so we wait.  I have some email conversations with friends and we laugh and things are a bit surreal.  Contractions haven’t started, I am in no pain but I know that we are going to have a kid, like, soon.

We eventually get the go ahead to go to the hospital and get sent to a ward to start the IV antibiotics. Chris and I waste away the afternoon playing scrabble with Chris nervously checking his watch every 10 mins. His patience was wearing thin when we had been waiting nearly 6 hours before they would take us to a delivery room. For me, I would have been happy to wait as long as they wanted!

The next 54 hours are like an out of body experience.

I hate needles, yet I have them sticking out of both arms until I leave.  I hate pain and yet I know that labour was not going to be pain free.  In the words of one of my wise friends “There is only one way out now”.  I am a private person and yet I know that all types of people are going to be poking and prodding me and at some point it is going to get really messy.  I have drips coming out of both arms, a contraction monitor and a fetal monitor strapped to my belly.  Chris unplugs vital equipment to plug in his iPod stereo.  He had been working on the playlist for months!  I explain to the midwife my birth plan, which in one short word is DRUGS.  I further explain that red heads are scientifically proven to be more sensitive to pain and when she had a minute she should line up the epidural.  A natural birth was NEVER EVER an option.  Personally I don’t see the point.  The kid ain’t going to remember or care.

They start pouring the oxytocin into me. Contractions finally start and I cope well for a while.  They wire me up to a TENS machine which does nothing but distract me from the pain because it is inflicting another more annoying type of pain.  Some crazy substitute midwife (whilst the normal one was on a break) offers me a lavender footbath to relieve my increasing pain and I nearly tell her to fuck off, but restrain myself.  I start calling for an epidural but it was a few hours before they would let me have that and when they do the relief is immediate.  I love modern medicine- the whole keep-still-whilst-I am-shoving-this-needle-into-your-spine is a bit scary, especially when the contractions are coming hard and fast every minute or so.  But damn that needle is a godsend.

The next few hours are a blur - a mix of sleep, epidural top-ups and internal examinations.  But over forty hours after my waters break I am finally given the green light to push. Now there really is only one way out.

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Phantom Planet’s “The Guest” is available from and Amazon.

 

 Phantom Planet - "California" [3:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dr. O’C is the latest member of A Free Man’s household to crack the job market. After what will be nearly a year in the purgatory of stay-at-home motherhood (she would quite possibly use a different word), Dr. O’C will re-join the ranks of the gainfully employed next month. This is the latest in a string of successes in our new Antipodean home and reflects one of the reasons that we came down here. And looking at things as a whole, and knocking exuberantly on wood, things are going pretty good in our new home.

A fellow American in Adelaide who stumbled onto my site wrote a post the other day that got me thinking about immigration. Her point is that most expats (and other people for that matter) relish and toss around the word ‘expatriate’ but ‘cringe’ at the word immigrant. ‘Expatriate’ carries with it images of glamour, worldliness, champagne on the Seine and first class round the world flights. ’Immigrant’ conjures images of huddled masses in steerage, midnight dashes over the Rio Grande and closed doors.

I prefer the word ‘expatriate’ myself but the Australian government, probably rightly, would use the word ’immigrant’ to describe me. Maybe it’s time I started to use that word as well. Both Dr. O’C and I come from a long line of immigrants and maybe it was natural that we followed in their footsteps. Dr. O’C’s family emigrated from Ireland to Australia when she and her sister were quite young in the hopes of making a better life for their family. My great-grandparents emigrated from Europe to Canada in the early part of the 20th century to escape a continent that seemed to be in a state of endless war. My parents moved from Canada to the U.S. in the late 60’s to ride the tail end of the post-war boom. And I emigrated from the U.S. through Europe to Australia in the early part of the 21st century in search of a life that I didn’t think was available to me in the U.S.

I suspect that all of the immigrants in our bloodlines had the same goal when they picked up and left their  home - a better life for our families. All of them achieved that goal - they succeeded beyond what they thought possible in the Old Country. Now, with the unemployment rate in the Free Man household reaching 0%* we’re well on the way to that better life that brought us Down Under.

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* We’re going to give Baby Z a few years before including him in employment statistics. 12 or 13 maybe?

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Led Zeppelin’s III is available from .

 

 Led Zeppelin - "Immigrant Song": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There’s a fine line between being influenced by an artist and being derivative of an artitst and Picture Atlantic is staggering along that tightrope. The Oakland, California based quintet seems to be managing pretty well so far. They recently got the chance to open for Brit-pop brontosaurus Coldplay in California, but while Picture Atlantic’s influences clearly lie in the British Isles, they avoid the trap of sounding like a Coldplay (or Keane, or Travis) cover act. Their self-recorded and produced debut Kleos (buy) broke through the drone of backlogged music this weekend, initially because of it’s Anglophile tendencies. But the more I listened to it, the more I recognized that no matter what their influences, Picture Atlantic is a gifted act. The second track on the record, “Muses” is where frontman Nikolaus Bartunek separates himself from the pack - demonstrating remarkable vocal range. Patrick Chu’s chiming guitar is the other strength of Picture Atlantic, particularly on roarers like “The Sound of Thoughts In Limbo”. Soaring melodies and euphoric riffs aplenty, but Picture Atlantic stakes their own claim. Pick up “Kleos” for a tenner from the band and if you’re on the Left Coast of the US, they may be playing in a town near you.

August 9 - Retox Lounge - San Francisco, CA
August 23 - San Jose Skate - San Jose, CA
September 4 - Rickshaw Stop SF - San Francisco, CA
October 10 - UC Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

It’s not secret that A Free Man is a fan of horns and anytime I get a record on which a band breaks out the brass, I tend to pay closer attention.  ”Whirlaway”, the opener of Head of Femur’s third long player “Great Plains”, was festooned with just enough horniness to make me sit up and listen. The good news is that rather than using horns as a novelty, the Chicago pop collective knows exactly what they are doing with the brass and all the other instruments that they use. It’s not clear to me just how big the band is - their myspace claims that “Great Plains” represents a stripped down version of Head of Femur, but it’s still a big, almost orchestral sounding act. There’s a lot going on, both musically and stylistically, but rather than sounding messy and wandering, Head of Femur puts it together in a tremendous package. It’s poppy but not cloying, danceable but not synthetic, clever but not pedantic. Stand out tracks are the title track and “Napoleon’s Boots”. “Great Plains” is out on Greyday Records and I highly recommend a listen.

 

 Picture Atlantic - "Slip Into The Sea" [2:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Head of Femur - "Great Plains" [2:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As you very likely know, Dr. O’C has taken on a chunk of the writing duties here at A Free Man while your underwhelming correspondent is burning the employment candle at both ends. What you may not know is that she’s largely taken over the photography duties as well. Pretty much any photo  of Baby Z in the last month or so that doesn’t also have Dr. O’C in it, was taken by Dr. O’C. And I must say she’s getting pretty good at it. This photo of Z is one of my favorites to date.

Now, I may be overthinking this, as it is my tendence to do, but I think I see a darkness in these shots. It may be the literal darkness - dark clothes, high contrast. But my fear is that there’s something more. It’s a fear I’ve had since I found out Dr. O’C was pregnant. The curse of being a geneticist is that you can’t help but think about everything in terms of heritability. There are a number of traits that I would rather not pass on to my son. Dark obsessions, addictions and compulsions that I have fought my way through but only after years of struggle. Since, Dr. O’C fell pregnant I’ve hoped that her genes were just a little bit more potent than mine. That rather than my fierce introversion he gets his mother’s easy sociabibility. Rather than my introspective depression he gets his mother’s level headedness. Rather than my tendency to self-absorption he gets his mother’s generosity of spirit.

Or maybe, at the very least, he could get the alleles that give the men in her family a full head of hair into their old age. Maybe sometimes a photo is just a photo.

I couldn’t decide which version of this Will Oldham song I preferred, the Bonnie “Prince” Billy original or Johnny Cash’s cover. So, I’m sharing them both. They’re both spectacular.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I See A Darkness” and Johnny Cash’s “American III: Solitary Man” are available from .

 

 Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "I See A Darkness" [4:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Johnny Cash - "I See A Darkness": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Despite being nearly a presidential term removed from the U.S., I’m still an election junkie. This one has been a real cracker so far and I keep abreast of the news and commentary from the U.S. through podcasts from my favorite pundits. I’m a little embarassed to admit this, but on a weekly basis I listen to the following podcasts for my U.S. politics fix: Meet The Press, This Week with George Snuffalupagus, MSNBC Countdown, The Slate Political Gabfest, KCRW’s Left, Right and Center, The Radio Factor, Washington Week, NPR’s It’s All Politics, Common Sense with Dan Carlin, The New Yorker’s Campaign Trail and Drop Your IQ with Sean Hannity. Sometimes I think I may be overdoing it a little.

Maybe overexposure is the source of my festering frustration with the 2008 U.S. presidential election. It’s not the media’s obsession with trivia (like cartoons, potential first spouses recipes and flag pins), I’m used to that. While listening to an interview with Barack Obama on PBS this morning, I was reminded that the press just doesn’t have the attention span for anything that requires more than about seven words to explain. Gwen Ifill, a journalist who I respect, was actually doing a pretty good job with the Democratic nominee - asking intelligent questions and not getting bogged down in the peripheral nonsense. But then she got to the flip-flop question.

I’m so tired of “flip-flops” as an electoral issue. The 2004 election was full of this non-issue and I had hoped that we had outgrown it, but then I had hoped we had outgrown fear-mongering, name calling, wrapping politicians in the American flag, etc. The only thing that’s different this time around is that both candidates are accused of being flip-floppers.

My question is, when did changing your mind become such a bad thing? Isn’t that one of the problems with the current U.S. administration - a bull headed determination to do what they think is right, regardless of facts or common sense?

Who hasn’t changed their mind, even in terms of major life philosophies? If I hadn’t changed my mind since high school, well I quake to think where I would be, but it certainly wouldn’t be where I am today. If I hadn’t changed my mind about some of my lifestyle choices along the way, I may not be here to rant today. I doubt that there’s a single person reading this who hasn’t re-evaluated a choice that they’ve made and come out better for it?

Why, then, do we expect more from our politicians? Why do we have the expectation that after once uttering an opinion they should stick with it for life. Why is it not OK that you believed something, evaluated the situation and changed your mind based on new information. Frankly, I find it reassuring that both candidates appear to be open minded enough to consider an alternate position. Perhaps if that had been the case for the last 8 years then my homeland wouldn’t be where it is today - bogged down in two wars, trillions of dollars in debt and in an economic tailspin.

The long list of things that I find less than reassuring about both candidates will have to wait for another post.

 

 Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Phew, that feels better. If you’re coming over from my former personal site then thanks for going through the hassle. I’m grateful to you for reading. One small favor, help me to keep this site vaguely anonymous by not using my or Dr. O’C’s surname, etc. Beyond that, things are more or less the same, as you can probably see.

If you’ve been reading A Free Man for music, I’m going attempt to keep up with my favorite new music at least on a weekly basis. With my work situation as it is, I just don’t have time to do daily music blogging. If you’ve submitted music, I will get to it, it just may take me longer than I had hoped.

Now let’s just get on with it.

 

 The Band - "Long Black Veil": Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Expect some major reconstruction here on A Free Man for the next few days. Apologies if things look a bit wonky for a while. Bear with us.

About the only two things that Tropidelic and Tafra have in common are the first letter of their names and the fact that I’ve had their records in my hands waiting for a review for far too long. Actually, one other thing that these two acts share - A Free Man digs them.

A reggae band from the shores of Lake Erie is, I daresay, a questionable prospect. So when I sat down to listen to the Kent, Ohio quintet Tropidelic, I was prepared to take their debut EP with a grain of salt. I love being surprised.

It’s not reggae, more of a dancey ska/punk hybrid with a heavy dose of Sublime. But it’s well crafted and well played music and it’s strangely addictive. I think it was the late 20th century history in the form of a ska flavored rap that is “War City” that sold me on Tropidelic.”Aquafire” is just a wonderful party track. Tropidelic isn’tbreaking new ground, but nobody is really, but they’re good at what they do and I really enjoyed the EP. A Free Man’s rating - 4/5 - go and get “Tree City Exodus” from the band for a fiver.

MP3: Tropidelic - “Aquafire”

Tafra is an entirely different kettle of fish. I got into this Swedish/Croatian Londoner during my trip to Sweden earlier this year but didn’t feature him at that point. The more I listen to his debut LP, “Why Even Bother” (Series Two), the more I am convinced that Niklas Tafra is a budding genius. He’s in the Jamie T./Jim Noir making-music-in-the-bedroom-with-a-shitty-synthesizer camp, but Tafra’s lyrics and monotone delivery set him a little bit apart. This is slacker music that makes ”Loser” era Beck look like an Harvard MBA student. He’s deliciously dry and charming in his apparent disdain for pop musical conventions. If you’re looking for something different, give Tafra a try. 4/5.

“Why Even Bother” is available for $13 (US) from Series Two.

MP3: Tafra - “Tired of London”
MP3: Tafra - “Cheesy Epic View”

The Chapin Sisters, two of whom actually are sisters, are based out of L.A. They got a bit of attention with a cover of “Toxic” last year. What I’ve heard of their new LP “Lake Bottom” sounds pretty good - twisted Americana a la The Be Good Tanyas.

MP3: The Chapin Sisters - “Washed Away”

Speaking of Americana, the more I hear from Damien Jurado the more I am convinced that he’s one of the best songwriters around right now. This track, from his forthcoming LP “Caught In The Trees” is a perfect example. Golden.

MP3: Damien Jurado - “Gillian Was A Horse”

Clem Snide’s 2001 “The Ghost of Fashion” was a masterpiece and one that I’ve been waiting for them to improve on since. Clem Snide is gone, but Eef Barzelay has a new solo record, “Lose Big”, which ciyky sounds like Eef could be back on track.

MP3: Eef Barzelay - “Lose Big”

For those of you not in Australia, Triple J is a national radio station that is pretty good and seeking out new talent from Down Under. One of their latest contests was to find the nation’s best high school bands. Every time I here this track from Sydney trio (is), I’m just amazed that these are high school kids - and then I feel really old.

MP3: (is) - “Cult Romance” 

The Herbaliser has been making jazz influenced hip-hop out of The Big Smoke since the early 90’s. Their latest, “Same As It Never Was” sounds like it’s got a big old dose of The Big Easy as well. These guys are on tour all over the U.S. and Europe this summer.

MP3: The Herbaliser - “On Your Knees”

A little bit Pavement, a little bit Breeders, New York’s The Dig is making solid guitar based indie-rock and is out on tour suppporting their Good Luck and Games EP. They’re all over the East coast this month check them out in a town near you.

MP3: The Dig - “Lovesick Woman”

If what you are missing in your life is Sikh hip-hop, then A Free Man is here to help you out. Sukshinder Shinda is a Birningham (UK) based producer has been a major player in a scene that I never knew existed. He’s worked on over 200 records and “Living The Dream” is his fifth solo effort. I hope I don’t sound dismissive, because this is the most interesting music I’ve heard this week. Check it out if you’re a fan of M.I.A.

MP3: Sukshinder Shinda - “Aao Gidha Palay Eh”

I’ve heard lots of good things, and continually great tunes, from Seattle’s Throw Me The Statue. But nothing tickled the fancy of a self-avowed 80’s hater this week like their Huey Lewis cover. Their excellent LP “Moonbeams” is out on Secretly Canadian and look for Throw Me The Statue in Europe in October.

MP3: Throw Me The Statue - “If This Is It”

Another New York act, The Virgins, are making delightfully radio friendly funk-influenced pop. Their self-titled debut is out now on Atlantic. These guys are going to sell a lot of records.

MP3: The Virgins - “Rich Girl”

Closing things out this week is a duet from A Free Man’s favorite music scene. Portland’s The Old Believers are making sparse yet strangely melodic folk. They’re on a major tour of the Western U.S. this summer and “Eight Golden Greats” is out on July 10.

MP3: The Old Believers - “There It Is”