The mission is simple. The vision is universal. The travel will be medicine.

With the gift and talents Creator has given us, we will embark on a journey throughout Turtle Island to highlight and help the creation of peace that’s already formulating amongst our young brothers and sisters. Through music, poetry, singing, M.C.ing and dialog we will help raise the consciousness and offer inspiration to the movers of those communities.

The short term objective is to know that everyone of us is taking responsibility for the healing of ourselves, our families, and our communities; through determination, respect, love for life, dialog, creativity and remembering to live as one, once again.

The long term objective is a generation of intelligent coherent spiritual human beings–always remembering their responsibility to our Mother Earth and the respect for all other living beings.

With this vision we will continue to live and evolve to where we came from.

Check The SIte CLICK OUT HERE

And if you have not seen their mention on a Billboard Interview with Les Claypool at SXSW. Check it our here

In San Francisco you will find diversity and burritos and medicinal marijuana and the world of the hi-tech. You will also find a shipwrecked culture that is Sweet Crude Bill & The Lighthouse Nautical Society. Bill's journey is the American journey filtered through wildcatting, rum and whiskey, steel guitars, forgotten dirt roads, merciful angels, and all that is iconic about rock and roll. Bill even has his own musical genre -- "Americano".

Described as "a post-ironic cruise ship in a tropical ocean", "an amazing twist of fate", or "a wonderland that oozes black muck while they fuck shit up with panache", Sweet Crude Bill & The Lighthouse Nautical Society are the cure for the modern era. With fantastically-themed songs that are truly inspired, SCB & TLNS could be the Saturday Night Headliners in any city or on any Treasure Island. With similarities varying from Johnny Cash to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion to traditional sea shanties to Jimmy Rodgers, this is music of merit.

In his mirrored-sunglasses and cowboy shirt, Bill leads the five members of The Lighthouse Nautical Society through country or rock and roll to calypso or folk. And it is now, all so very now. The Lighthouse Nautical Society is comprised of Ten Finger Joe on electric guitar, The Precious on electric guitar & vocals, Hal Burton on drums, Anne Can Anne on electric bass & vocals, and Paintbrush Willie on acoustic guitar. With maxims like "Love! Honor! Cocktails!", "Abandon shame!", and "Rock the boat!", it is clear that SCB & TLNS want you to enjoy yourself while being rescued from the dark currents of today's and/or tomorrow's world. And that is where it is at, luckily, uttering riverside prayers at the end of The Oil Age.

Listen to this exclusive audio interview with Sweet Crude Bill.

Official Sweet Crude Bill Movie Featurette.

Official Sweet Crude Bill & The Lighthouse Nautical Society Website.

Official Sweet Crude Bill & The Lighthouse Nautical Society Myspace Page.

I have known Johhny Fritz, aka the Corndawg, for maybe 5-6 years, a period which he blossomed into a entertainment powerhouse. He never lost the visceral grittiness of his early band Meat Excellence, which featured him, Jeff Melkerson, a trumpet and a junk percussion shopping cart. Sometime since then, Johnny actually learned to play guitar (from the Hillbilly Werewolf) and has written some very tender songs as well as ones that will make your gut bust with laughter. This is a sober man who is touched by the spirits of creativity and inspiration that many seek unsuccessfully via various drug hazes.

Shawn Kornhauser, the man behind the camera, and the editor of this project deserves endless praise. I'd wager that his film is better than 90% of what appears at Sundance this year. The shots and the flow of the editing are truly representative of the Corndawg persona. The documentary was filmed during Corndawg's summer tour of 2005. This is a portrait of a man who is wild, original, and (i'm convinced after viewing the film) destined for greatness. If you are interested in buying this fine DVD it may be bought online at:

punk rock payroll

Check out Corndawgs internet sites www.myspace.com/thecorndawg

and www.letfreedombling.com

This film is recommended for fans of Jesco the Dancing Outlaw.

Monkeyclaus Evangelist Christopher Hlad joined David and Cassie Berman and The Silver Jews posse for two dates on their first ever American tour. In addition to other East Coast, Mid-Western, and UK dates, The Jews performed both in Charlottesville, Virginia at the Satellite Ballroom on March 16, 2006 and a week later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Starlight Ballroom on March 21, 2006. For Hlad, this was a dream come true.

As one of the first initial purchasers of the "Dime Map Of The Reef'" 7-inch EP on Drag City back in 1992, he has waited close to fifteen years for the stars to align themselves and have David, Cassie, and The Jews bring the light to the masses. As a matter of fact, Hlad was quoted as saying,"This is bigger than Texas itself ! This tour has a Significance and Profundity that is unparalleled
in contemporary music. When David's up there, it's me up there too, vicariously or otherwise ! David and Cassie Berman are fantastic together, the best rock-and-roll couple. The Winds of Change. Fucking believe it."

Hlad, a close friend of Berman's, remembered an occasion in the late Nineties when he once DJ-ed a holiday bash for David. Berman's only request was to "Play 'Freebird' at midnight". Hlad sees this as the perfect metaphor for the current Jews touring. He was additionally quoted as saying,"Think about Jesus and the "Rebel Jew" song on "Starlite Walker". And then think about those "WWJD?" t-shirts. It's like that for me, this tour, yet something more like "WWRVZD?" -- What Would Ronnie Van Zandt Do? It's like God, Jesus, Hebrew and "Gimmie Back My Bullets" all together at once! Plus completely cerebral and intelligent and now."

David Berman handled lead vocals and electric Fender guitar and Cassie Berman handled vocals and electric Fender bass. Then there was original Jew and ex-Pavement second drummer Bob Nastanovich (vocals and drums), Brian Kotzur (drums and percussion), Tony Crow (keyboards), former-Jew Peyton Pinkerton (lead electric guitar), and William Tyler (rhythm electric guitar). At the helm, back on the soundboard, was former-Jew and ex-Pavement primary drummer Steve West. The band played a wide variety of songs spanning the entire history of recorded Silver Jews music and manifested an environment that could only be described as "entirely moving". Hlad said, "I cried twice and celebrated a thousand fold, like discovering a new continent ..... man, if life could only be this good everyday."

And if you don't already own a copy of Drag City # 297 -- "Tanglewood Numbers", by all means, go out and buy yourself a copy today. It just might save your soul. All hail The Jews and go and play "Freebird" -- at midnight !

** More Silver Jews Spring Tour 2006 features and Silver Jews related radiance coming soon.

Photographs by Chris Hlad of Charlottesville, Virginia (March 16, 2006) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (March 21, 2006).

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