Recently I found this interesting video playlist about the Blue Plague. Apparently the Blue Plague is a new desease currently exclusive to the US gulf coast.

A short list of what I understood of it, but english is not my first language so please give me a break if I got something wrong!

1. BP used a new form of artificially created bacteria, pumping it into the well as an aid for drilling under the Deep Water Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico
2. this bacteria has a completely new, previously unknown set of genes and has been patented by a company associated with BP
3. it has two markers: one means completely artificial, the second means complete resistance towards anti-biotics
4. scientists in the lab called it Synthia
5. it eats the crude-oil and by doing so is doing valuable work with the oil in the well for BP, putting out more precious products
6. the process got out of hand, creating uncontrollable gasses and pressure
7. after the accident happened the oil and bacteria spilled in thousands and thousands of tons into the Gulf of Mexico
8. the administration handed the control of events over to BP and got in a supporting roll, since only BP had a chance of knowing how to handle it all
9. Synthia eats body cells, too, and breeds on its own
10. it was important for the people to not get too close to the oil
11. it was important for BP to not tell the public about the bacteria
12. people living in the area got sick anyway
13. a company associated with BP developed a vaccine that is not yet available to the general public

So this is what I made of these videos, and if this is true, even if only in parts, we are looking at immense trouble. I always wondered why I never heard about surfers from the Gulf complaining of the loss of their sea, but writing this right now it dawns on me that most of them are probably in some way or other depending on the oil industry. However, the stuff is not going to stay in their waters, it starts travelling with the currents around the world.

World Vision Portal

For the people who like a wobbly g-string on their guitar to play more expressive I have three versions of the wonderful tune Claire de Lune by turn of the 19th/20th century composer Claude Debussy.

The first is a theremin version with the ultimate degree of pitch modulation.

The second is a violin version with the moderate pitch vibrato that the movement of the left hand permits.

The third and last version is played on harmonica and for me is the winner in the emotion (and sound) department.

So in conclusion: there’s more to an emotional sound than shaky pitch.

A very quick and simple test to see what the practise of BP did to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Update:

According to this journalist the spraying of corexit ist still continuing at this point (video uploaded September 17th 2010). He also reports on the consequences for the area residents.

In case you are not aware, what goes into the foodchain stays in the foodchain. There is no other place to go.

A while ago I posted a link to the work in progress, here it is now filled to the brim.

200 Exotica Music Videos on YouTube

I only heard good things about this years Surfguitar 101 convention out in California.

Here is the Surfguitar 101 YouTube playlist of the event.

This time german band The Space Rangers made an appearance there as a stop on their California tour. The band hails from Ulm and on guitar is Muck who played rhythm guitar on one tour with my old band The Looney Tunes. On that tour I borrowed him my Musima Eterna DeLuxe as he only owned a Steinberger headless and a jazz-box. It’s great to see him finally sporting a Jaguar. I knew the Surf-bug bit him when he started doubling my lead on Miserlou during one of our shows, and checking out the playlist from the convention I reckon his new band plays old showstoppers from the Looney Tunes setlist The Swingin’ Creeper (as it is tradtionally called in Germany, elsewhere known as Nightstick*, A Go-Go Dancer**, Kickstand*** by The Ventures) and Stampede. Talk about keeping the torch on fire.

* UK, ** US, *** Japan

Update

The Leak appears to be plugged, 7/15/2010, here’s hoping the cap will hold the pressure.

It’s not all electric guitar led instros, but all great! Surf is on another list, mind you. Please come back to comment here when you find something of interest.

200 Awesome Instrumentals on YouTube

The father of the Beach Boys’ Wilson brothers was the personified dark cloud over the family. Now a lengthy letter surfaced on the internet that documents this. Apparently in his own words.

Quote from Letters of Note:

In 1964, less than three years after the release of their first single Surfin' and following many years of psychological and physical abuse, Murry Wilson was fired as manager of The Beach Boys by his son Brian. A year later, Murry wrote him the following eight page letter. In it, he blames Brian's mother for their ongoing rift due to her less severe punishment techniques, questions Brian's honesty and the actions of his friends in the music business, and even recommends that Brian dissolve the band as soon as possible in order to avoid any future problems. It's an incredibly interesting – albeit dark – snapshot of a showbiz family in free-fall, made all the more remarkable when you consider that just a few months after this was written, The Beach Boys began to record Pet Sounds, an album regarded by many as one of the best ever produced.

Quote from the actual letter:

No matter how many hit songs you write or how many hundreds of thousands of dollars you may earn, you will find when you finish this short cycle of Beach Boy success that you didn’t do it honestly and for this reason you are going to suffer remorse. I have been trying to fight you on every act of what I thought was not honest to protect you from yourself some five or seven years later; because I knew that when competition hit you between the eyes that you would not be able to cope with this vicious competition, regardless of how talented you are, because you got so much much too fast and the fact that you used your own father and then threw him away when you thought you didn’t need him will come back into your mind over and over again.

via Letters of Note: All I tried to do was make you all honest men.