Sheila E doing “Glamorous Life” at the American Music Awards in 1985. This performance is bonkers. For the first third she sings lead while standing and also playing the lead percussion part. Then she takes the mic and dances around. And then the lights on stage go dark and she solos on drums in the dark with glow-in-the-dark sticks.
Two things occur to me watching this, and recently revisiting Sheila E’s first two albums. One, Prince in the 1980s was the kind of pop genius that comes along every 20-30 years, maybe. The amount of brilliant, boundary-pushing, but still accessible music he was responsible for, as both a solo performer or, as with this song, as a writer/producer, is simply astonishing. It’s honestly like talking about Albert Einstein in 1905, that’s how in the zone he was. It was a decade of a true and lasting genius by an artist at the height of his powers who was given all kinds of resources. A rare thing.
The second thing is what a talent Sheila E was (and probably still is, though I haven’t heard anything she’s done in some time). She had a few big hits, two good records, and came from a remarkable family of musicians (she had several first-call percussionists of note in her family). In the late 1980s she was Prince’s live drummer and also was also the leader of his backing band (you can see her considerable skills behind a proper kit in the Sign O the Times film). Imagine what it takes to be Prince’s musical director in those years, for him to hand over the keys.
Put down whatever you are doing and make sure you watch this video.
Also before the drum solo somebody comes out and puts a white fur coat on her.
Dancing, singing, drumming.
Unbelievable.
(via blackcherryhotel)
Comrades in arms: FAILING captured in the Black Lab late last night. Grief stricken.
(Source: youtube.com)
So, I’ve been working on putting together a proper Soundcloud page and here’s one of the tracks I’ve posted. It’s from the album Crows & Kittiwakes Wheel & Come Again available summer 2013 on Rev.Lab.
Biggie Samuels NEW connect-icut album coming soon. Lap-Top revival round 3.
(Source: weorderedchicken, via goddamnbirds)
Canada can't account for $3.1B in anti-terror funding, AG finds - Politics - CBC News
The Canadian government can’t account for $3.1 billion allocated for anti-terrorism funding, Auditor General Michael Ferguson says in his spring report released today, and he also identified problems in a number of other areas including search and rescue operations, international aid spending and the national diabetes strategy.The lack of information on spending and on results achieved for money spent is a common theme throughout Ferguson’s report, which includes 11 chapters in total.In his audit of the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism (PSAT) Initiative, Ferguson suggested there should have been a government-wide review of spending by 35 departments and of the results for the program that was funded between 2001 and 2009.
He found that departments reported spending $9.8 billion of the $12.9 billion allocated for security and anti-terrorism measures under the program but he couldn’t determine where the other $3.1 billion went. The Treasury Board had no clear answers for him.
Wow. Just, wow. These penny pinching assholes have stripped funding from every tiny little niche they can find but they can’t properly account for 3.1 billion dollars that went into “anti-terrorism” spending? This is just so so unbelievably infuriating, especially after what they did to Attawapiskat.
Yes. But just imagine how much more unsafe we’d all be if they hadn’t lost all that money. Incalculable, really.
Probably got spent on some seriously first class Extraordinary Rendition. Maybe check the cushions of the sofa in the “Kick-Back” lounge?
(Source: e1vispres1ey, via blackcherryhotel)
