All you need to know about Manolo Kabezabolo is that he is a Spanish outsider punk one man band, and that the Spaniards are the sort of crazy people who believe that mixing red wine and cola is a neat idea. Inspired brilliance one moment, utter lunacy the next. As his cover of God Save the Queen is barely a minute long there's not much space for moments; this stays brilliant. You will not hear its like elsewhere.

Manolo Kabezabolo - God Save the Queen
(alternate download)

"There's a certain mystique about the Renaissance period for people," Broxton said. "Be it the elaborate costumes, the crafts, the turkey legs, people really seem to embrace that era and take on the persona."

***

Birds of prey including a bald eagle glared at passersby from perches on the arms of HawkQuest volunteers as bagpipes and drums played.

***

Having performed at a Renaissance faire in Houston as part of the German court, Heather Castillo on Sunday traded in her medieval costume for a flowing dress, a pair of colorful butterfly wings and a paper umbrella.

Four-year-old daughter Ivy Castillo, too, enjoyed playing dress-up for her first Renaissance ArtsFaire, donning a pink gown, glittery fairy wings and a butterfly wing painted on her cheek.

"We're butterfly fairies," Heather said, as Ivy nodded in agreement. "We're having so much fun and we love getting dressed up."

***



Turkey legs?   Bald eagles?   Butterfly fairies?   How very renaissance.

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

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dailyfoodie
Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

Tags: dailyfoodie, food, photography

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Current Mood: bouncy

Tiny Tiny is a brief interlude from Japanese-born sonic artist Sawako. She captures the delicacy of the music box and via some rich reverb uses it to fill a much larger space. It sounds like looking back on the past through a fisheye lens. Exquisite. Taken from her 2007 album Madoromi.

Sawako - Tiny Tiny
(alternate download)

Recently on different waters Zhao posted a couple of amazing videos of Ethiopian Orthodox sacred music. The style seems to be called tehwado, and consists of a singer accompanying him or herself on a 10-string bass lyre called a begena. It's mesmerising, haunting music which sounds almost unfathomably ancient.

Since then I've been trying to investigate the music of Alemu Aga, a man often credited as being one of the masters of the begena. It's difficult going. Tehwado is a subtle music, and learning to distinguish its nuances will require some heavy listening. Time well spent, however, as if nothing else, this is a fantastic sound. Sele Sene Fetret is taken from a compilation of Aga's works, Ethiopiques vol. 11. It features typically meditative string patterns and his softly spoken half-sung vocal delivery. Quite amazing.

Alemu Aga - Sele Sene Fetret
(alternate download)

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Current Mood: amused

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Current Mood: calm

You might think you know your way around a lengthy psychedelic excursion. After all, it's a familiar format; you probably wouldn't have to do much listening before you knew what they were all about. Here's something that might change your mind.

Group Doueh hail from Western Sahara and have been doing this sort of thing for over 20 years. Exactly what "this sort of thing" is tends to be rather hard to describe. Doueh himself sounds as if he clutches at his guitar strings, grabbing handful after handful of notes none of which seem entirely comfortable next to each other.

Tazit Kalifa is a side-long track from Group Doueh's 2009 album Treeg Salaam, which is already out of print.

Group Doueh - Tazit Kalifa