Jim Finnigan Poop 2022


Mammy Yoakum ah Has Spoken Jim Finnigan Poop 2023

In this third year of the pandemic, I made a decision to slow down my record hunting activities and concentrate on exploring what’s already on my shelves (lots of shelves #fuckyeahphysicalmedia). But I found it a little difficult to go completely cold turkey so I still have enough new acquisitions to make a PooP List yet again.

So here’s some stuff that I got into this year:

  • Rockers & Scorchers – Horace Andy – classic-style On-U reggae outings Midnight Rockers vocals and Midnight Scorchers dubs – and the UK 2 cassette version has ‘Japanese only’ bonus tracks too. After laying low for the last coupla years On-U had quite a burst of activity this year (although some of the releases have been in the queue for quite a while)
  • Pay It All Back Vol. 8 – nice assortment of new and forthcoming On-U stuff (and a cassette-only On-U Disturbing the Comfortable / Comforting the Disturbed compilation has yet more new stuff on display)
  • Dub No Frontiers – all non-English female vocals to On-U riddims – worth the wait
  • United States of the Broken Hearted – Jeb Loy Nichols – nice song selection – lefty politricks – although I was more impressed with the vocals on the limited release Nichols & Phillips Live in Munich April 2022
  • Lucifer on the Moon – Spoon x On-U dub version of their Lucifer on the Sofa album
  • Snapshots of Reality EP / Who You Gonna Run To EP – Ghetto Priest x D.Foe
  • Vs. – Mark Stewart – a mellow(?) Mark Stewart outing – Mark vs. Stephan Mallinder, Front 242, Mike Watt, Eric Random, Lee Perry and Nun Gun
  • Happy Hour – Holly Cook – positive vibes – modern lover’s rock
  • Neneh Cherry The Versions – Neneh Cherry vs. Robyn, Sia, Tyson, Honey Dijon et al – a little trepidatious after the first coupla cuts sounded too much like the originals, but once Anohni kicked in with It’s a Woman’s World (how appropriate) it got considerably better
  • Snockument – songs by Michael Hurley – quite as good as a Snock album, but without Snock’s vocals, which I guess you have to go to Oregon (or Nelsonville) to catch these days. Sorry that Michael didn’t make it any further east than Ohio this year. Counter to my little physical media rant above, I was happy that his Mississippi Records albums were all finally released in digital versions this year. Now if only his Feeding Tube releases were…
  • Shuckin’ Sugar – Karen Dalton – yet another wonderful lively archive release from the folk singer with the Billie Holiday voice.
  • This Machine STILL Kills Fascists – Lyrics of Woody Guthrie – Dropkick Murphys – more lefty folk, with a Boston Irish beat
  • Get On Board – The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder – reunion of the old Rising Sons guys
  • Words and Music 1965 – Lou Reed Archive Series No.1 – some familiar tunes, some silly tunes, and John Cale on backing vocals before Cale’s voice changed
  • “Incredible?” / Sii felice – Le Forbici di Manitu & friends – just what I always wanted – Incredible String Band covers in Italian – yes, really
  • Blackwaterside – Sounds of the New Weird Albion – various artists including The Left Outsides, Cath & Phil Tyler, Elizabeth Fraser – what would one of my PooP lists be without a Uncut cover-mounted CD? As old favorites such as the Albion Band, Shirley Collins and Robin Williamson fade into retirement, here’s some newbies to take their place. Also getting into Lankum lately – Brit-folk with auto-tune? – this CD fits right in. Other MOJO cover-mounted CD’s I liked included Thunder In Our Hearts – A Kate Bush Companion (despite not being particularly into Kate Bush) and The Meaning of Within – MOJO’s Guide to the Fab Avant-Garde which manages to draw the connection between John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Delia Derbyshire and …Nat King Cole(?)
  • I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Quinn’s Monday Night Jazz scene during the pandemic (while my Bard community music group has been hibernating), and one of my favorite recent gigs was a very funky set by bassist Lindsey Horner’s trio. But I was pleasantly surprised by his CD, under the name Sleeping Bee – Come Down in Thunder – Irish folk jazz?
  • Living Sky – Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen
  • Pulse of the Early Brain (Switched On Vol.5) – Stereolab
  • El Mocambo 1977 – The Rolling Stones

Only music flick that got my attention this year was Moonage Daydream. Though I did like the film about the Horn & Hardart Automats.

Still enjoying going to many concerts (mask-free this year) and I’m glad that my own community “orchestra” has resumed rehearsals #fuckyeahlivemusic.

  • Gig of the year was Marshall Allen’s Sun Ra Arkestra at Opus40! Rocket No.9 Zoom Zoom!
  • Massive props to dozens of James Keepnews’ Monday Night Jazz sessions at Quinn’s in Beacon: Eric Person’s Duoscope, Michael Dromanek, Thollem McDonas, Bob Meyer, Geoff Vidal, Kenny Wessels, Choban Elektrik, Jon Irabagon, Two Sisters (Dave Sewelson of Microscopic Septet & Claire Daly), Ray Blue (numerous gigs), Pete Levin, Chris Pasin’s Ornettiquette, Liana Gabel, Patrick Brennan’s s0nic 0penings, Loren Stillman, Howard Britz, Kells Noellenberger’s Mean Green, KJ Denhert’s Jazz Project, Sweet Lee Odum, the Irreversible Quartet, AkustyxMusic, JazzOetry night (with Poet Gold, Jim Eve, Penny Brodie & others), Joe Fiedler, Brian Kopchak, Premik Russell Tubbs Inner Power Quartet, and the aforementioned Lindsey Horner (…whew!). And not forgetting Craig Chin’s Electronic + Experimental Music night at Quinn’s with Bob Lukomski and Craig’s own Errant Space music.
  • Attended a lotta great gigs at Lee Falco’s The Falcon in Marlboro: Ed Palermo’s Big Band, Son Rompe Pera, David Amram, Person 2 Person (Eric Person meets Houston Person), Sheila Jordan, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, Juma Sultan’s Aboriginal Music Society, and Don Byron!
  • And not forgetting Tara Johannessen’s & Brian Farmer’s Rail Trail Café in Rosendale: Madeleine Grace’s Sonic Elixirs, Levanta, Guzmango Saxophone Quartet, The Spirit Brothers, Liana Gabel, Joakim Lartey’s Shokoloko, Djam Gong, Mario Rincon, Yungchen Lhamo, and Steve Gorn
  • The Chinese Opera Society at Vassar’s Martel Recital Hall
  • Tani Tabbal & Michael Bisio at Kingston Artists Collective – and Michael Bisio at Elysium Furnace Works at Cunneen-Hackett in Poughkeepsie
  • Young Frankenstein at County Players Wappingers Falls
  • Eric Squindo’s Wild Mountain Rose – The Songs of Dolly Parton at Colony Woodstock
  • Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock & Roll Revue with Los Straitjackets at Colony Woodstock
  • Kraftwerk “In 3D” at Radio City Music Hall (but disappointed that they didn’t work the Rockettes into their show…)
  • Nona Hendryx & Mamafunk at Spiegeltent at Bard
  • A couple of excellent Karl Berger & CMS Improviser’s Orchestra sessions at the Shirt Factory Kingston
  • The Horszowski Trio at the Howland Cultural Center Beacon
  • Jaap Blonk performing Kurt Schwitters’ Ur-sonata from memory at Dogwood in Beacon
  • Simon’s Dream with Jennifer Maidman & Annie Whitehead performing the music of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra at Avalon Lounge in Catskill
  • The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players at Trinity-Pawling School
  • Nora Brown & The Down Hill Strugglers at Tompkins Corners
  • Peter Stampfel & his various groups – The Ether Frolic Mob & The Atomic Meta-Pagans – in Williamsburg and at Otto’s Shrunken Head
  • The Du-Tels (Peter Stampfel & Gary Lucas) at the Bowery Electric
  • The World of Captain Beefheart (Gary Lucas & Nona Hendryx) at Bang On A Can’s LONG PLAY Festival at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn
  • Matmos performing Robert Ashley’s ‘The Backyard’ from Perfect Lives (Private Parts) at Roulette Intermedium (same festival)
  • and, as usual, Sinterklaas Rhinebeck with the Vassar Devils, Bard College Georgian Choir, The Chinelos, Batata New York Samba Band, Djam Gong, Mac $ Cheese, and Hungry March Brass Band

Finally, I wanted to thank George Santos, the forward thinking founder of POOP, for continuing to maintain this list, and to his assistant Anthony Devolder for keeping the POOP website up to date.