"Dit dit, do do... Dit dit, do do..." - Ulrich Schnauss.

As promised last week, here is an MP3 of a composition written by my great grandfather, T. Leslie Carpenter. The performance is by a pianist named Marcantonio Barone, who was commissioned to perform this, other works by my great grandfather, and some other material at a concert given at the facility where my grandmother, who died last week, lived out most of the last 1/3 of her life. The song, composed about 100 years ago, give or take, is called "The Lucille Waltzes" (I know, I know, what a great name for an indie rock band), and was performed February 6, 2001. Enjoy.

The best deal going right now might be buying paintings on the Stephen Keene web site (which of course I can't find right now). You know Keene from such popular album covers as Pavement's Wowee Zowee and, uh, other ones. Anyway, Lopez and I started getting Keene paintings back when he did a residency at Moore College of Art (one-time or perhaps even current workplace of one Art DiFuria,one-time Lily and the man behind The Photon Band) in 1997. A few weeks ago Lopez hit Keene's site and ordered a painting for the relatively knavely sum of $12 or so plus shipping. The package arrived today. And lo and behold the package contained not one, but SIX paintings. Including the one Lopez really wanted, "Camping Trip Way Out West, 3.9.05." Hot dog.

When I got to the office this morning I had two packages waiting for me: the expanded version of Unrest's Imperial F.F.R.R. (with handwritten apology from Mark for tardiness, so classy) and The Futureheads' self-titled joint. Both are excellent. I find the Futureheads record particularly enjoyable, because it is really strong song for song, throbbing with XTC-licious jams. It is the first record I've gotten in a long while where I've enjoyed every song. For real.

The chap behind Bradley's Almanac [Bradley, we'll presume?], former drummer with erstwhile-The Red and The Black showmates the Also-Rans, reports he is now drumming with the exceptional local electronic-rock act Charlene.Charlene's tune "Ripoff" is available for download here -- it is really a very nice song. In other rock-related news, the Mobius Band have a new web site. Certainly world domination can't be far behind.

More good news: Reader #6, who you may know better as the fine singer and guitar player in Haywood and Wendyfix, emailed to say that the Wendyfix stuff I requested from him earlier this century should be headed my way some time soon. I peppered him like steak with questions about the latest Haywood recordings. I will let you know what I find out.

I've been meaning to mention Commodore Two-Can's Captain's Log. I've known Mr. Two-Can for some 25 years at this point, since right around the time the Marines mistakenly tried to draft him at age 7. Anyway, the Log describes what to me is an almost Thoreau-ian life of moving vessels with a tugboat. It makes for very peaceful reading. E.B. White-ish even. And it is in stark contrast to the goings-on here. After reading the log, it seems strange to while away one's time obsessing over underground music, an abstraction in a relative sense, versus having such an interest in your work, as Two-Can has, that you actually can write about it.

Finally, my cousin Mark Lord has written a thoughtful diatribe [second item] to the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding arts funding. Perhaps not quite as excoriating as the fine work of my late aunt, but it is nice to see he is carrying on the fine family tradition of rabble-rousing.

That is all.