The Life and Times of the Sloth...The world of the Sloth-Ford Family continues to runs circles around even those who belong to the household itself. Do our day planners have a life unto themselves? Is Sloth’s email account auto-generating responses to make things happen more quickly? Our activities venture far and wide... please read on and do not fear!
Heather Leigh: Bird of Prey?Our blossoming bumpkin is not quite walking as of this writing, but she sure is crawling around at top speed! She is also unafraid of expressing her opinion - for example, if she is tired, hungry, or fed up with her present location, she makes her displeasure VERY apparent using her newly patented "blood-curdling screech". Perhaps she really IS a bird, as we've suspected?Heather is still teething, and there is nothing she likes more than chewing on objects - cardboard, plastic, flesh, dead moths, chairs, wood chips - whatever happens to 
be available.
She also appears to be faring better this summer with the heat, but
that's perhaps because the sun could not possibly be hotter than her own temper. We always find it humorous when neighbors
and family members comment on how well-behaved she is... boy, does Heather have THEM fooled, eh? (grin)
More pictures available on the newly re-designed website... 
[Unpublished website; email us for link]
Top: Heather takes a spin on Dad’s Schwinn Searcher LE. Above: James and fellow student Luke Bigham perform a solo during their school’s Spring Concert program. Left: A glimpse of the greenery surrounding the Sloth-Ford abode. Sloth & Steph Acquire Green Paint for Thumbs...W$200 and many evenings of sawdust later, the NW corner of our property has been transformed into a "sun garden" with tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and veggies. The grass is happy as well, now that it gets watered daily. Next year we plan on adding a last, smaller tier to the existing four, perhaps for some "spreadable" plants (ie, chives!). And as an added bonus, we were successful in giving all of our neighbors the impression that we know something about gardening! Pretty cool... |
Steph Takes on the World of Independent Business...Taking a step back from music retail, Steph is working towards an independent business with PartyLite. PartyLite (PartyLite.Com) is a direct sales company, with consultants who set up private showings of their products (candles and fine gifts). Interested in hosting your own "candle party" with friends and family and getting FREE merchandise? Call us or email Steph at crystalsable75@yahoo.com.
MS 150 Bike Tour Milestones...Our 2003 tour was the first that featured "Team N3kk1d" - a collection of oddball misfits who succeeded in raising more than $2000 for the National MS Society! These "oddballs" were so excited about being the last cyclists to come in on each day of the tour that they have built a website and are expecting to expand the team to two times its present size! Learn more about our hardy team of volunteers at...http://www.TeamN3kk1d.com/ Right: Hogwart’s own Professor Sloth and Harry Potter pose for a publicity photo at the Barnes & Noble Harry Potter book release party. Harry Potter Night at Barnes & Noble Booksellers...Ah yes... the much-anticipated new Harry Potter novel from JK Rowling, The Order of the Phoenix, has finally been released, and Barnes & Noble Booksellers celebrated with late-night sales the evening prior to the release date. The store on 28th Street in Grand Rapids featured snacks, games, costumes, chaos, and only a mild bit of hysteria as Sloth and James hosted the children's area with charades and a "Best Costume" contest. Unbelieveably, out of the hundreds and hundreds of people who invaded the store to purchase a copy of the book at midnight, no casualties were reported.
SlothWerks.Com...We asked for "patience" in our newsletter, and it has paid off! SlothWerks.Com has been overhauled and is "darker" than ever! Operation: SnowWeasel is now also a "professional" site with massively expanded information and character bios, as well as some new episodes in the Osiris Project series. Peruse the insanity at...http://www.slothwerks.com/ http://www.slothwerks.com/snowweasel/ Left: The newly redesigned webpages of SlothWerks.Com and Operation: SnowWeasel. |
Music and Concert Reviews!Daniel Lanois LIVE...Sloth was thrilled to bask in the warm glow of Daniel Lanois, one of the principle producers of the band U2 since 1985. His new album Shine (see “NEW MUSIC”) is yet another intense mosaic of atmospherics and melodies... but NOTHING compared to his on-stage performances with the stunning Brian Blade on percussion. He welcomed the crowd after the show and spoke with everyone, receiving (and giving) many an embrace and the occasional memorabilia. The most amazing thing about this man - besides his ability as a producer, songwriter, and musician - is the fact that the guy who has crafted the sound of U2, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, et cetera is completely approachable and HUMAN. Perhaps that is why his music has touched so many with such enduring strength.Fleetwood Mac LIVE...For the first time in 15 years, Lindsey Buckingham has rejoined the ranks of Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. On their newest album Say You Will, Fleetwood Mac is holding the cards but Lindsey is dealing them in a fashion that hasn't been heard since 1979's LP Tusk. (See "NEW MUSIC".) However, each member of the band was given ample time to shine in the limelight at the Van Andel Arena. Stevie performed classic Nicks tunes ("Gold Dust Woman") as well as some surprises from the vault ("Beautiful Child"), while Lindsey snapped several strings on his guitar by the end of the night from intense playing (which included all but smashing the guitar on the stage). Mick Fleetwood (with an amazing backup percussionist) wowed the audience with an electronic drum body suit and strutted his stuff as if he were 30 years younger. Even Lindsey's son showed up for the concert, although he kept to the backstage area (probably because it was WAAAY past his bedtime). Drinks at TGI Friday's and good company made the evening perfect. Thanks, Lindsey... and we missed you, Christine!NEW MUSIC NEW MUSIC NEW MUSICThis year we were able to pick up some new discs, thanks to an ample tax return. In this issue of The Underground, we’re going to limit our reviews to three, but peruse each in depth. Heeeeeeeeere we go...Madonna American Life - This LP, as with many of Madonna's albums, was almost universally panned by critics, who rarely understand what Madonna is trying to do until several years later when she is added to the "Top 20 Most Important Women in Music" lists in the magazines. Indeed, this new release is quite possibly one of the least accessible albums by Madonna, mainly due to its Kraftwerkian sound style and cutting lyrical content. This project is helmed by Mirwais Ahmadzai, the Italian/Afghani/French electronic music master who also produced the groundbreaking Music album. However, while the sound of Music retained a vestige of long-term producer Patrick Leonard and the astounding William Orbit (Ray of Light), this LP is much more sparce in terms of orchestration... perhaps adding to the already rather dark tapestry of lyrics Madonna weaves for us. She opens the album with several cuts which essentially ask: “Has the last 20 years been worth it? Is ‘Madonna the Star’ really what I want to be, or is my career merely a sham?” The stark, bleak reality of the entertainment industry is shown in brittle black-and-white on these cuts, lending to the rather harsh and militaristic album art direction. The later portion of the LP revolves around poignant, honest songs, most of which are written about her husband, director Guy Ritchie. Overall, the album takes quite a bit of listening to get used to, especially if one is expecting another Like a Prayer. But cuts such as "Nothing Fails" and the title track to the James Bond film Die Another Day give the listener enough reason to carry through to the end. Casual Madonna fans, however, will most likely be turned off by this piece of work, which can be haunting at best and downright morbid at worst. Like her male counterpart Prince, Madonna isn't in the industry to impress people... she's an "Artist" to the last. |
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Fleetwood Mac Say You Will - I recently read a review of this album that was bitterly negative. "Too many tempo changes", it said of the driving, haunting "Come". "Too long", it declared of its 18-track length. "It doesn't sound like Fleetwood Mac." (I am curious to hear what sort of review this person would give 1972's Bare Trees.) No, the new album is not a greatest hits package. In a recent interview, in fact, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham admitted that Say You Will was not necessarily a group effort. The LP is essentially three things: 1) the solo album that Lindsey has been working on since 1992's Out of the Cradle, 2) Stevie Nicks' solo album, the follow-up to the splendid Trouble in Shangri-La, and 3) some tunes the band worked on together, such as "Bleed to Love Her". Lindsey was given broad creative license on this LP, something we haven't seen to this degree since 1979’s Tusk; therefore the production work is thick, full of vocal and guitar effects. Mick's drums are prominently recorded and carry the music throughout the album. The one element lacking, however, is Christine McVie's voice and keyboard, although Lindsey throws a bit of keyboard work into a few cuts (such as the forceful Nicks-penned "Everybody Finds Out"). Christine, by far and away having penned the biggest "pop hits" for the band, has always pulled Lindsey's esoteric song-crafting back into the mainstream; however, without this balancing force in place, Lindsey takes the band to places previously unvisited. The effect: one of the most adventurous, unique albums ever released by Fleetwood Mac. The LP is not an easy listen; in fact, its length and its depth of production force the listener to delve into each song separately, exploring the sound of each one within its own terrain. Songs such as the wonderful "Bleed to Love Her", "Thrown Down", 
and "Peacemaker" are
immediately accessible; other cuts such as "Red Rover" and "Murrow Turning Over
in his Grave" submerge the listener into the deeper realms of the Buckingham multi-layered universe. The simple twang of
"Steal Your Heart Away" reminds one of of the original Buckingham-Nicks LP off of Polygram, while on "Miranda" the
same duo tells us a more contemporary story of the dark side of stardom. Overall, Say You Will is a rocky climb; but since the
band is already working toward future releases together, I suspect the top of the hill will be worth the adventure.
Left: Stevie Nicks, still as mystical - and intense - as ever. Daniel Lanois Shine - This is Daniel's third solo release (discounting the soundtrack to the motion picture Slingblade) over a 20+ year career, and a slight musical departure from the previous two released. Malcolm Burn is once again heavily involved on this LP, and the usual host of artists who have been produced by Lanois (Emmylou Harris, Bono from U2, Brady Blade from Spyboy) appear as guests. But unlike the backwoods, New Orleans-tinged Acadie from 1989 and the hard-edged Beauty of Wynona from '93, this release is quiet, seductive, and reflective. "San Juan", by far and away, is my new favorite cut by Dan, which reveals a very vulnerable side to the artist we rarely see. "Fire" and "I Love You" are heart-wrenching peals of emotion; "The Power of One" gives us an interesting raggae-tinged diversion; "Transmitter" and "JJ Leaves LA" are instrumental lullabies on the steel pedal guitar. In addition, as with "White Mustang" from Acadie, Dan gives us a glimpse of why he and Brian Eno get along so well with the atmospheric, effect-laden "Matador". The thirteen tracks certainly leave us haunted with the various visions of Daniel Lanois' artful, minimalist songwriting and production techniques, but unlike Wynona, we are left at peace and feeling whole. This is a man who is, creatively speaking, once again on the move, and he has hinted that another full-length LP is due within the next few years. Who know where it will take us? |