GONG EXPRESSO NEW LP RELEASE: DECADENCE

Gong Expresso Feat. Gong Alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe To Release New Album “Decadence”

Montreal - Hansford Rowe's HRIII merges with Gong Expresso! Gong alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe join HRIII guitarist Julien Sandiford for the recording of the new album by Gong Expresso titled “Decadence.”

Says Hansford, “ 'Decadence' is the title tune on the new Gong Expresso album. Here the word means 'falling away.' I hope this tune and all the music on the album somehow addresses this in an unadorned, direct way. When I play with these 3 musicians I am convinced there is something special happening. Benoit Moerlen (vibes, marimba) and Francois Causse (drums, perc) and I began playing together in early 1977 in PM's Gong and our rapport is of the kind only long term relationships can provide. On the other hand Julien who is 25 has been alive less time than I have been playing with the others. Yet our musical relationship feels infinitely long. We are recording in two cities, Paris and Montreal. Francois' studio in Paris is a tuned percussion church and Piccolo Studios in Montreal is owned by Denis Savage who is co-producing with the band. He is known for his work with Celine Dion.”

Featuring:
Francois Causse - drums, percussion
Julien Sandiford - guitar
Benoit Moerlen - vibes, marimba
Hansford Rowe - bass

PM's Gong was a major branch of the massive Gong tree. In the mid 1970's drummer Pierre Moerlen separated from Daevid Allen marking an end to the Flying Teapot period and a powerful jazz/rock unit was formed and signed to Virgin Records. Pierre's brother Benoit Moerlen, Hansford Rowe, Francois Causse, Allan Holdsworth were core members.

Many major guests joined them both on albums and touring. Mick Taylor, Mike Oldfield, and French violinist Didier Lockwood were key participants. Mike Oldfield occasionally used the PMG rhythm section for touring also calling on members for albums such as “Ommadawn”, “Incantations”, “Exposed” and “Platinum.” Pierre Moerlen sadly passed away on May 5th, 2005.

In concert Gong Expresso mines their huge repertoire and has exceptional guests joining them regularly. Along with finishing their new album, the band will be releasing a new video soon.

For more information: www.pledgemusic.com/projects/hr3
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GongExpresso/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDb7pRK9A-fBjZTbp3vbd_w

SIMON'S CAT: MY NEW FAVORITE CARTOONS!

One of my very favorite animators is Simon Tofield of Simon's Cat fame. Simon's simple but endearing cartoon style is burning up the internet! Here is more about Simon.

Simon's Cat is an animated cartoon and book series by the British animator Simon Tofield featuring a hungry house cat who uses increasingly heavy-handed tactics to get his owner to feed him.

Creator Simon Tofield revealed that his four cats, called Teddy, Hugh, Jess and Maisie, provide inspiration for the series, with Hugh being the primary inspiration.

Watch Simon Tofield sketch and then digitally color a cute and romantic Valentine's image for 2017. Featuring Chloe being less than impressed by the cat's odd but loving gift!

Below is Cat Man Do, my favorite (so far) of the Simon's Cat series

Simon's Characters

Simon's Cat: The title character. His antics, often in the quest for food, vex his owner, Simon. He loves cat food, but also enjoys birds, mice, and fish out of Simon's koi pond. A significant amount of the humour in the book comes from his efforts to capture birds, mice, and fish. Simon's cat has not been officially named, though writer Simon Tofield says that Simon's cat is based on his own cat, Hugh.

Simon: The long-suffering owner of the cat, a graphic artist.

Simon's sister's dog: A dog that first appears in the video "Fed Up," in which he is fed underneath the table by a family. The dog also appears in the book and loves to play fetch.

The Bird: A bird who Simon's cat chases, and who generally outsmarts him.

The Hedgehog: A hedgehog that lives in Simon's back garden. Simon's cat loves to annoy the hedgehog by impaling objects such as apples, leaves, and tennis balls onto its prickles. The hedgehog also has children.

The Garden Gnome: A garden gnome similar to the one broken by Simon's cat in "Let Me In." The gnome is seen holding either a fishing rod or a net. Simon's cat often tries to get the gnome to help in his schemes to catch food. The cat considers the gnome a friend, apparently unaware that it is an inanimate object.

The Bunny: A rabbit that lives in Simon's garden who can literally run circles around the cat.

The Kitten: In October 2011, Simon brings home a new member of the family who, in spite of his tender age, appears to be considerably smarter than his adult counterpart.

The Toad: The toad also lives in the garden.

The Frog: The frog appears in some shorts as well, and is differentiated from the toad in a "How to Draw...Frogs and Toads" short as well as in the "Simon Draws" section of the Kitten Chaos book.

The Squirrel: The squirrel lives in a tree in Simon's back yard. He loves to pelt Simon's Cat with acorns when the cat chases him.

The Mouse: Another creature that is often chased by Simon's Cat. Despite their adversarial relationship, the mouse aided Simon's Cat in an elaborate plot intended to impress a female cat in "Smitten."

Chloe: A female cat who is the object of Simon's cats affections for a time. Demure and somewhat snobbish, she exhibits a finicky appetite, munching on a trail of cat treats but angrily refusing a mouse offered by Simon's Cat in the first film.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/simonscat

Google+: http://plus.google.com/+SimonsCat

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SimonsCat

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonscatofficial/...

Tumblr: http://simonscat.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/simonscat

CHINA GLAZE X TOMMY HILFIGER FASHION WEEK NYC

China Glaze in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi was nothing short of Fashion Week fabulous. Nail artist Mar y Soul perfectly captured the cool Cali girl vibe of the collection with a scattering of tiny silver and gold stars across the nails for a negative space meets western chic design.

Follow behind-the-scenes for an all access pass to the magic.

#CGatNYFW

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KONG: SKULL ISLAND "NO MAN'S LAND" IN THEATERS MARCH 10!

King Kong has been an icon of motion pictures since 1933. 

He's back. March 10, 2017!!

Kong:Skull Island

ALL TRAILERS IN ONE VIDEO

A team of explorers and soldiers travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific, unaware that they are crossing into the domain of monsters, including the mythic Kong.

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Writers: Dan Gilroy (screenplay), Max Borenstein (screenplay) | 4 more credits »
Stars: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Brie Larson

DOLLY PARTON WIN 8TH GRAMMY AWARD!

Dolly Parton and Pentatonix win GRAMMY for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with a cappella recording of “Jolene”

Dolly Parton teamed up with the award-winning vocal group Pentatonix to record her 1973 hit, “Jolene. ” The new rendition debuted at No. 18 on the Hot Country Songs chart and now has earned both artists GRAMMY gold. CONGRATULATIONS!!

“Oh my Lord I am so excited to have won the Grammy with Pentatonix on my old song Jolene,” says Dolly Parton. “I am so happy and am so very proud of Pentatonix. The song is one of my favorites. Thanks to the Grammys, but most importantly thanks to all the fans. I love you all.”

NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE HUMAN SIDE OF CAPITOL HILL

Felling Big Trees is the story of disgraced Congressman Fran Stewart as he turns to the American heartland to find redemption in the eyes of his daughter and the woman he loves. He has been adrift after losing his wife in a horrific car accident.

Trying to free himself from a politically powerful mother-in-law who blames him for his daughter's death, Fran searches for a way to prepare a better future for himself and his teenage daughter, Becky. An innocent misstep one evening leads to political disaster for Fran. Fran travels through heartland towns where no one knows he's a former congressman.

Felling Big Trees

Stripped of the detachment that characterized his early years as a congressman, Fran is drawn to an everyman perspective that poses universal questions. What breeds inaction and apathy? How do we jumpstart a deeper connection to the injustices we see every day? What does it take to engender empathy in a meaningful and focused way?

How far will we humble ourselves to help those with few resources? Fran has to stand up to prejudices and uncaring established ways. His story and how he relates to those he meets fits well with a time when compassion and tolerance are often overwhelmed by strident tones and lack of basic civility.

SOCK MONKEY: THE TRUE STORY!

I am still obsessed with Sock Monkeys! Have loved them my entire lifetime! Today we are featuring the history of this very cool doll which has never lost it's "coolness".

The iconic sock monkeys made from red-heeled socks, known today as the Rockford Red Heel, emerged at the earliest in 1932, the year the Nelson Knitting Company added the trademarked red heel to its product.

These socks were originally made by the Nelson Knitting Mills in Rockford, Illinois (hence the name) since 1890, and patented in 1915. When the company decided to include sock monkey instructions with every pair of the Red Heel® socks in the 1950's, the true marketing magic began.

 Vintage Sock Monkeys

John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, patented the sock-knitting machine in 1868, and began knitting socks on an automatic machine in Rockford, Illinois as early as 1870. On September 15, 1880, the Nelson Knitting Company formed, producing "Celebrated Rockford Seamless Hosiery," and selling them under the name of the "Nelson Sock."

Nelson Knitting added the red heel "De-Tec-Tip" to assure it's customers that they were buying "original Rockford's" as opposed to the generic "Rockford's". This red heel gave the monkeys their distinctive mouth and during the Great Depression, American crafters first made sock monkeys out of worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks.

In 1953, a woman named Helen Cooke received the patent for sock monkeys. She sued a man named Stanley Levy because he sold sock monkeys but they were not the same design as hers. Levy contacted the Nelson Knitting Company hoping that they would declare the patent invalid.

The company knew that people had been making dolls for the last two years, so they gathered up all the dolls that had been made the past two years so that they could have evidence proving that Helen Cooke should not have the patent.

Helen Cooke settled the case against Stanley Levy when she was shown all the evidence that had been collected against her. She decided to sell the patent to the Nelson Knitting Company for $750. The company also paid other women for the rights to the doll including a woman in Tennessee who was paid $1000. Rockford, Illinois became the "home of the sock monkey.

Homemade red-heel sock monkey dolls usually have unique faces and body characteristics and are considered one-of-a-kind. Sock monkey dolls are also mass-manufactured in the marketplace. Sock monkey dolls mass-manufactured by a company normally all have the same face and body characteristics.

Sock Monkey Project

Not all sock monkey dolls are created from red-heel socks. A 2015 trend started to create sock monkey dolls from colorful striped or polka dot socks—even mismatched socks.

The Schylling Sock Monkey Company makes them today and they are very nice. But the homemade ones will always be my favorites. The Schylling Co. makes all kinds of merchandise relating to the Sock Monkey.  Here is a very cute Sock Monkey Umbrella

Sock monkeys remain a popular icon and are popular with all ages. They now come in different styles, such as "birthday-themed", different colors, and even electronic ones that sing up-to-date pop songs. Most vintage red-heel sock monkeys found today are no older than the late 1950s, and many date from the 1970s. Read More on Wiki