Black Tide: Trouble In The Gulf

If you pay attention to the news, you know there’s a catastrophe happening down south in the Gulf of Mexico.  It started in late April, when an offshore oil well exploded and began leaking crude oil into the water.

Since then as much as a million gallons continue to spill out each day, while the oil company feebly tries to stop the flow.  Meanwhile the thick toxic stuff is washing into Gulf shorelines and threatens to kill wildlife, ruin the wetlands and destroy the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Americans.

It seems to me that not enough Americans are enraged by this.  Maybe it’s because the disaster isn’t threatening places like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.  You know, the really important places.

Maybe it’s because that is not your backyard being turned into a sludge pit, it’s not your home becoming a toxic waste dump.  Well, not yet anyway.  As the song says, “Sometimes you’re better off not knowing how much you’ve been had.”

MP3: “Don’t Go Near The Water” by the Beach Boys

MP3: “The Devil’s Been Busy” by the Traveling Wilburys

MP3: “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye

MP3: “Oil Well” by Carbon Silicon

MP3: “Paradise” (live) by John Prine

MP3: “Revelation (Mother Earth)” by Ozzy Osbourne

MP3: “Ecology Song” by Stephen Stills

MP3: “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell

SXSW Report: Austin Crazy Time

The South by Southwest music conference is a big event every year in Austin that masquerades as an important opportunity for music industry types to get together, discuss their business and get exposed to a few new acts.  What it really is – and it shall hereafter be referred to as SXSW – is a huge-ass party with more than a thousand music acts playing nearly continuously for about four days.  Big Fun.

Over the years we’ve covered this event for various news media outlets, but we stopped doing that about 10 years ago.  Now we just go for the free, unofficial “side” events (also known as day parties) that are way more fun than the official SXSW-sponsored events.  Plus they almost always have free beer.  If you’re lucky (or get there really early) you might get a cup or two.

The Gaslight Anthem, 2008

So we’re going over to Austin next week.  My advice has always been to make a plan, pick a few must-see acts and just “go with the flow.”  Last year we parked the car and heard a band playing.  Just a few steps, and we’re watching the Gaslight Anthem.  Take a look at the crowd in the photo … you wouldn’t see that for this band today. 

And that’s really why you go to SXSW, to discover new acts that you really like, and who might sooner or later (or never) become big stars.  Oh sure, we had a blast when the Stooges played in 2007 and when Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Mick Jones of the Clash returned last year with Carbon Silicon – and this year the big rumor is a possible appearance by Metallica – but that sort of stuff is actually a sideshow.