The Styrous® Viewfinder: 10/01/2012

October 31, 2012

20,000 Vinyl LPs 13: The Family Dogg update

The Family Dogg, 1973

Steve Rowland on the right

I have great news about the article I wrote, 20,000 Vinyl LPs 15: The Family Dogg & Sixto Rodriguez. Steve Rowland read it, liked it and contacted me. We exchanged emails in the course of which I told him I would like to do a tribute to the group using images set to one of the songs on the album, Riker's Island. Steve said he would like that so I made the video and uploaded it to YouTube where it can be seen.

After he saw the video, he wrote to me:

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS . . . "

REGARDS,

STEVE ROWLAND

Thanks to the Family Dogg for bringing the conditions on Riker's Island into the open. The sad fact is that the song was written in 1972, forty years ago, but the violence continues on to this day. Witness these disturbing images in an article, Rikers Violence: Out Of Control, written By Graham Rayman on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 in the Village Voice; and numerous articles about mayhem at Riker's written by others in The Voice.

The Family Dogg has an official channel on YouTube.

Styrous® ~ October 31, 2012

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October 30, 2012

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de Los Muertos poster

photo of poster by Styrous®

October 28, 2012, the Day of the Dead

More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the indigenous people had been practicing at least 3,000 years; one the Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. The ritual is known today as Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

The Jingletown section of Oakland, California celebrated it in fine style this year. The photos I got tell it all.

All photos by Styrous®

(click on any image to see slideshow)

Styrous® ~ October 30, 2012

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October 19, 2012

Terry Riley: Encore @ the BAM with Tracy Silverman

I had the pleasure and honor, earlier this month, to photograph Terry Riley at the Berkeley Art Museum once again. I had photographed him in concert in November of 2009 (see: Terry Riley: Pipe Dreams @ the BAM/PFA).

(click on any image to see slideshow)

photo by Styrous®

Riley was joined by violinist Tracy Silverman who played an electric six-string violin for the concert. In May of this year Silverman performed the premiere of Riley’s, The Palmian Chord Ryddle, with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Ryddle was written for Silverman by Riley.