Ancient Practice, Modern Sound

Mickey's long involvement with the Gyuto Monks was featured this morning (March 24th) as part of a story on NRP's Morning Edition. Mickey, as producer has used modern techniques to recreate the oldest chants of the monks. For the full story Gyuto Monks: Ancient Practice, Modern Sound go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102234687

Ebook of the Dead

Touch of Grey, the newest creation by Jay Blakesberg featuring more than 400 of his photographs has just been released by Mosaic Legends as an interactive e-book. Find it on the App section of the iTunes store. It also includes an introduction by Blakesberg and an essay by Jambase.com editor Aaron Kayce. For more about the visual mosaic production see: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Mosaic-Legends-957070.html

Free for the taking or giving

Some of you might remember the Free Frame of Reference, the Free Bakery, and the Trip Without a Ticket, the free stores set up by the Diggers during the challenging times of the late 1960s. There in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods of San Francisco free exchange of material goods would be made, meals shared, and often the Grateful Dead provided free entertainment. Well, in these new economic hard times free stores are starting up again. Some are close by Wall Street. (Maybe some one might even stage a revival of the happening "Death of Money Parade"???)
The March 16th issue of the London Guardian carries an article on Manhattan's Free Store. The two artists who launched it say, "It's a certain time in history in this country when people really need to help each other out."

Candid Counter Culture Comedy

Everyone loves the Dead even Tom Davis, writing and performing partner of (soon to be Senator?) Al Franken. In Davis' new memoir Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL From Someone Who Was There (Grove Press, 2009) he talks about coming of age in the 60s, the Grateful Dead, sex, early SNL, drugs, and of course comedy.