Music; Bouchercon – TOTAL TECH MELTDOWN!

Posted in Life, Uncategorized by Jonathan on September 15th, 2011

Hey, I’m in St. Louis, at Bouchercon, where I’ve suffered complete technical collapse. My computer can’t connect to the hotel wifi, the in-room internet connection is via ethernet, and my Macbook Air doesn’t have an ethernet connection, and my Ecto blogging software seems to be having some kind of identity crisis. The crisis is my fault – I seem to have changed something, somewhere and now it won’t connect. So that beautiful, image-studded post is gone, at least until I figure out what the hell is happening. So, here goes:

Kazu from Blonde Redhead – click anyway. She’s my favourite frontwoman, and this is a great song.

I’m on several panels (I put this here as much for me as for you):

Thursday September 15 11:30AM, Landmark 5-7 – A CLEAR CUT CASE OF MURDER – a panel with forensic types, plus Marcia Clarke

Thursday September 15 4PM – 5PM, Landmark 4 – I GOTTA RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES – music and crime fiction

Friday September 16 4PM – 5PM, Landmark 4 – ONE OF OUR OWN – writers write the first lines of each other’s books

In addition to signing sessions after each panel, I’ll be signing with Joe Finder at the Crimespree Booth on Friday September 16th from 11:30AM to noon. Seeya there!

Speaking of music, I like to make mixes to share with my friends. Here are a few – all are downloadable. If you’re using an iPod or iTunes to listen, you’ll find the complete track listing in the Lyrics section. Click on the cover image to reach each mix – you probably know how to download a file on your own particular computer. UPDATED! Click on the link – I can’t get the cover images to load!

THE HIGH ROAD TO A HARD DEATH – My mix for the book tour for A HARD DEATH. An American road mix, fast and loud, featuring the Soledad Brothers, the Cramps, Motorhead and other purveyors of noisy rock and roll. Bad language abounds. At 33 minutes, the shortest.

PERENNIAL SUMMER – Pastoral and psychedelic. A bit too blissed-out at some points, but, still, summer. Animal Collective, the Beach Boys, Blonde Redhead, the Rolling Stones and others. 60 minutes-ish; some of it’s immediately accessible, some may take a little getting used to.

PAUSES AND SILENCES – A mellow, darker mix, tending to the instrumental and electronic. A moody hour of Four Tet, Ry Cooder, Max Richter, the xx and others.

THE 9/11 GARAGE MIX – An odd mix, this, a relic that’s still means a lot to me. During the recovery process, when we had down moments, I’d DJ. The mix starts sad, with an old Joe Walsh/James Gang classic, then kicks off with Fatboy Slim. Along the way: New Order, Royksopp, Goldfrapp, and a sad and beautiful close with the Swans’ cover of “Can’t Find My Way Home”. Oh, I see the track listing isn’t imbedded into the mix file. Here it is:

James Gang, “Ashes, the Rain”

Fatboy Slim, “Right Here, Right Now”

St. Germain, “Rose Rouge”

Looper, “Mondo ’77″

New Order, “Crystal”

Royksopp, “Sparks”

Goldfrapp, “Lovely Head”

Royksopp, “A Higher Place”

Swans, “Can’t Find My Way Home”

Also, last week, I counter-programmed for the 9/11 bathos with some of the most beautiful music I know. Find them on my tumblr, www.afterthetorchlight.tumblr.com .