Robbie Basho

Basho1BashoIIAaaaaaaaand we're back. Cold Splinters has been jaunting around the western coast of these United of States for the past couple of weeks testing baselayers for Woolpower, and now that we're back home, posts will be…more regular. More on that trip in a few, but in the meantime, if you haven't heard it, start getting hip to the Robbie Basho record that Gnome Life Records just rereleased. (Fletcher, who owns Gnome Life and records his own music under Bird By Snow, and his wife, Noel, were our gracious hosts on the Big Sur stint of our trip.) Here's a little more info about Visions of the Country:

Recorded in the height of Robbie Basho's creative career, "Visions of the Country" was originally released in 1978, and has been out of print for nearly 35 years. The album is comprised of technically superb instrumentation (6 & 12 string guitars and piano); majestic compositions; transcendent singing and whistling; and astonishing lyrical, emotional, and spiritual depths that defy description or comparison.

Listen and buy vinyl here. Perfect for these cold months ahead.

More Barn!

Neil Young More BarnNot sure how I've gone my whole life without hearing this story, but better late than never, I suppose. Graham Nash was promoting his new book on Fresh Air a week or so back and told this humdinger about hearing Neil Young's Harvest for the first time:

The man is totally committed to the muse of music. And he’ll do anything for good music. And sometimes it’s very strange. I was at Neil’s ranch one day just south of San Francisco, and he has a beautiful lake with red-wing blackbirds. And he asked me if I wanted to hear his new album, “Harvest.” And I said sure, let’s go into the studio and listen.Oh, no. That’s not what Neil had in mind. He said get into the rowboat.I said get into the rowboat? He said, yeah, we’re going to go out into the middle of the lake. Now, I think he’s got a little cassette player with him or a little, you know, early digital format player. So I’m thinking I’m going to wear headphones and listen in the relative peace in the middle of Neil’s lake.Oh, no. He has his entire house as the left speaker and his entire barn as the right speaker. And I heard “Harvest” coming out of these two incredibly large loud speakers louder than hell. It was unbelievable. Elliot Mazer, who produced Neil, produced “Harvest,” came down to the shore of the lake and he shouted out to Neil: How was that, Neil?And I swear to god, Neil Young shouted back: More barn!

Thirty Days to Survival

Screen Shot 2013-10-08 at 9.29.02 AM (2)From NOLS..."In the Summer of 1969, Michael Wadleigh, Charles Grosbeck and Fred Underhill filmed an entire 30-day NOLS wilderness expedition in Wyoming's Wind River Range. The film Thirty Days to Survival, featuring NOLS founder Paul Petzoldt and other early instructors, aired nationally on the Alcoa Hour, on January 20, 1970. Due largely to the film's success and visibility, NOLS' enrollment more than doubled in the summer of 1970 and tripled again in 1971."WATCH IT HERE

Memorial Day

Maine Sandy NassanCold Splinters spent the long weekend on a familiar stretch of the Maine coast, wet and cold from the rain that didn't seem to let up for more than a minute. Despite the unfortunate weather, we had a hell of a time seeing some friends and drinking Oxbow in a small shack in the woods of Newcastle.Along the way was a lot of Sandy Nassan, a damn fine soundtrack to a lot of gray skies. Thank you to our dear friend, Justin, for hipping us to this UH-MAZING album.MP3: Sandy Nassan - Here's That Rainy Day