Uncommon Sence

This tax plan will go over like punishing drivers of gasguzzlers the same as smokers.

In other words, it makes perfect sence but it will never happen.

UPGRADE YOUR BRAIN

Scientists have demonstrated that a “cyborg-like integration of living material into memory chips” could become a reality in the foreseeable future.

The future of file sharing gives a whole new meaning to the old saying "think before you speak" (hopefully that isn't under copyright protection).

Just don't let the record industry anywhere near it!

The Best Part of Waking Up

...is what in your cup?!!?

HOME SWEET HOME

Start 'em while their young!

SMOKE SCREENS

While we have never been able to make sence of the MPA's priorities when it comes to ratings (you know, like sex being more offensive than violence, etc...) this news story takes the cake:

It seems as though movies will now also be rated R for... smoking.

WTF

Coverage on WGN, CLTV & NBC

JaGoFF made it on the WGN News and CLTV last night, for their coverage of LOOPTOPIA !!!.

Thanks to all of you that came out to the JaGoFF performance @ MF Chicago's LOOPTOPIA party. The turn-out was absolutely amazing, we reached capacity (our apoligies to those of you who missed out). Bottom line is that it had to be the best stage we ever played on, period. How often can you throw a party, on the loading dock of a landmark, Louis Sullivan building for you and a couple thousand people on the streets of Chicago and bomb the bass to such ridiculous levels? (We could be heard 3 blocks away). Ha Ha. Let alone, have a massive trash compactor and a hundred surveillance cameras as part of the stage set-up. Everyone involved threw down amazing sets.

Our dressing room was the entire Carson, Pirie, Scott Dept Store - it was very creepy, as it was completely empty, so we explored all 4 floors and sub-basements. We were expecting to see some ghosts. Maybe we will see some when we get the photos back.

There were a whole load of news crews out and about, so we are certain that it will be popping up here and there.

In terms of the overall event, there were so many shows that we wanted to catch, but time simply did not allow it. The city streets were still teaming with people at 2am. With the weather being so cool, we were thinking that the crowd would have been thin, pleased to see that we were wrong. We are certain that it will be around again next year.

The city threw one hell of a party last night. Kudos to the City of Chicago, Mayor Daley and the crew of MF Chicago for throwing such an amazing bash.

... one last note: This was our last performance with Mistress Kimchee Love, who is moving to Hawaii to start a new life. Thanks for some of the craziest shows, performances and memories, thank God for video and photos. We wish you the absolute best. That was one helluva send off!

... and last, but certainly not least, many thanks to Phat Tony for busting his ass to get to the show for another installment of incredible photos. the results of which, will be posted asap.

Video coverage can be found on:

NBC

WGN Click on "Looptopia" in the video player.

CLTV Click on "Chicago holds first all-night Looptopia" in the video player.

JaGoFF teams up with TheRecordIndustry.com

This is extremely cool!!!
Our heros at TheRecordIndustry.com have asked us to write a series of articles, covering current issues in the industry that we just love to hate. This looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship. How could we say no? Below is the first of many ramblings to come.

Used CD Stores Under Fire
by JaGoFF

So you have filled up your iPod/MP3 Player and have decided to clean out the closet to get rid of all that dead weight. Piles of old CD that haven't seen the light of day for years, much of the music you've outgrown a decade ago. So you bust out the broom, cut open the cardboard boxes and sift thru the mess. Some of the CDs you decide to keep, most are going to the second hand store to fill up the tank with $4/gallon gas and rent money. You lug your way to the used CD store and place the box of cds on the counter. Not so fast .

The stoned store clerk, asks to see your ID, collects your personal information and prompts you for your fingerprints. Your eyes dart around the room and wait for the S.W.A.T. team to bust thru the door ... to add insult to injury, you are then informed that you cannot receive any cash for the transaction and must settle for an in-store credit - you know you gotta line some pockets. Somebody needs a royalty and daddy needs a new pair of alligator shoes.

Sound ridiculous? Well, it would if it wasn't happening. It seems that our friends in the "recording industry" have finally gotten what they have been gunning for. After failed attempts to collect royalties on second-hand CD sales and never content with "first-sale doctrine" - they have been squeezing the balls of Mom & Pop and CD resale shops for years.

Facing declining CD sales coupled with years of resistance to adopt a consumer friendly format, not to be outdone by suing everybody under the sun - . the recording industry has added a new low to their bag of dirty tricks, (under the guise of piracy - naturally). Pawn shop laws "designed" to stop the sale of bootleg and stolen merchandise are now rearing their ugly head in Florida, Utah, Rhode Island, Wisconsin. In some cases, taking it to the extreme forcing resellers to pay a $10,000 bond and hold the CDs for a "waiting period" of 30 days until they can be resold. One of my favorite record stores (in Chicago's Hyde Park) closed their doors a couple of years ago, as a direct result of this ridiculousness.

Never mind that the CD is over a quarter century old and is on it's deathbed. Never mind that we are now in a digital singles driven market and ringtone sales are thru the roof. Never mind that there is an entire, post-Napster, generation who have never bought a CD in their lives and view them, as my generation did the cassette tape and 8-track. Never mind the fact that music buying is purely a disposable income purchase, that now finds itself competing with movies, DVDs, tech gadgets and video games - which will all make it to the crap pile faster than you can say Colecovision. And oh yes, then there that thing known as the cost of living.

This new legislation will, no doubt, wipe out whatever exists of the brick and mortar, mom & pops and leave responsibilities of selling to the big box stores, sporting an ever shrinking selection of music to the consumer. This, in turn, will only drive down sales further, at which point, they will have to find a new scape goat. Sooner or later they are going to run out of boogie men.

------------------------------
Support indie music or be force-fed crap.
- JaGoFF

BIG NEWS: JaGoFF at LOOPTIA !!!

JaGoFF will be performing at LOOPTOPIA !!!

This will be our first Chicago performance in almost a year ... so, come party with us and a couple hundred thousand of our closest friends THIS FRIDAY, MAY 11TH, on the streets of Downtown Chicago at the incredible premiere of LOOPTOPIA - the party is FREE and goes from dusk till dawn ...

JaGoFF will be playing several tracks from our upcoming album and will be supported by the MF Chicago video gang, along with our lovely dancers and the whole crew. This performance is bittersweet, as we bid a fond farwell to Mistress Kimchee Love, who is packing her bags for Hawaii, just hours after her performance. That said, bring your cameras because who knows what tricks she has up her black latex thigh highs. Please come by and wish her well. At this time, we would also like to thank the deliciously evil Clandestina, who after joining the JaGoFF crew onstage for several past performances, has left the country for a new life in Mexico City. We will miss you and wish you all the best.

And now on with the show...

JaGoFF will be performing on the
MFchicago Showcase Stage

We will be transforming the loading dock of the old Carson's building (Just east of State St. at Madison) into an electronic dance and visual spectacle. Each music act is either a live AV show or accompanied by live video artists.

5pm - 11pm

Free
Featuring:

Paul Johnson
with VJs Big mini & 3pHaze

Brobot

Monologic
with VJs pixeldixie & Mason Dixion

DJ Adonis TFU
with Video Janitor

Shudder Inc.

0+1=everything

From the site:
Premiering May 11, LOOPTOPIA will be America's first dusk-to-dawn cultural and artistic spectacle showcasing the vibrancy and excitement of Chicago's historic Loop neighborhood through musical and theatrical performances, unique shopping and dining opportunities, indoor programs, outdoor exhibitions, architectural tours, artistic installations and mesmerizing light displays.

PLEASE READ

As many of you who read our posts, may know ... internet radio is under serious threat of being wiped out - courtesy of your not so friendly neighborhood RIAA (the recording industry lobby). "The strategy of playing only non-RIAA songs won't work though because the RIAA has secured the right to collect royalties on all songs regardless of who controls the copyright. RIAA operates under the assumption that they will collect the royalties for the "sound recording copyright" and that the artists who own their own copyright will go to SoundExchange to collect at a later date."

To make a long story short - we were forwarded this form letter that is fairly simple to use and send off to your Congressional representative.

Thus far, the public and artistic outcry against this downright dirty, money grab seems to be picking up steam, as quite a few Congressmen and women have co-sponsored the bill opposing this absolute ridiculousness.

While the momentum is certainly growing, this fight is far from over and WE SINCERELY NEED YOUR HELP! Let the entertainment lobby know that they cannot continue to walk all over your/our rights, as artists and consumers. READ, FILL OUT & SEND THE LETTER BELOW. And please, feel free to repost.

Support indie music or be force fed crap.

(A big shout out to our buddys Mike Arkus, DangerDoom & Gene Leone for keeping this issue out there.) ==============================================
Look up your representative and e-mail them this:

Dear [put their name here]

As one of your valuable constituents, I urge you to please look into this. It's urgent. The future of independent music and small radio stations on the Internet is at stake.

Internet Radio Equality Act, H.R. 2060,

Introduced April 26 by Washington Democrat Jay Inslee and Illinois Republican Donald Manzullo. The law would nullify the CRB's ruling and put webcasting on the same footing as satellite radio -- that is, with a royalty rate of .33 cents per listener-hour or 7.5 percent of total revenue, chosen by the provider. (According to estimates by tech site BetaNews, AOL would owe $916,000 for 2006 under H.R. 2060, as opposed to $23.7 million under the CRB's scheme.) July 15 may seem a ways off -- until this Tuesday the deadline was May 15 -- but Maloney and McSwain urge everyone to call their representatives in Congress now.

Thank you,
[Put your name here]

Fun Facts to Know and Tell!

It isn't a red thing or a blue thing. It's all about the green.

...and while we're on the subject of dead presidents, you won't believe this!

Are you sitting?

Well, then stand up.

Amazing to say the least

...but not surprising!

Researchers in the US say they have firm evidence that apes communicate using gestures - shedding light on the development of human language.

Although all primates use vocal and facial expressions to communicate, only the great apes - chimpanzees, bonobos, orang-utan and gorillas - use gestures as well, an ability they share with humans.