Sunday, January 27, 2013

Pheaturing Kaz Simmons


Hey, kids, welcome to another entry of the Phile for a Sunday. I received a few emails asking why I am only posting twice a week and not my regular Wednesday entries as well. Well, I am back at work and after work I go to physical therapy for an hour and a half, and by time I get home, have dinner, and a shower it's a little too late. But soon I hope to be back to posting three times a week. Alright, what's going on?  Who saw the inauguration? On the news they made a big deal out of the fact that four years ago there were twice as many people at President Obama's first inauguration than there was at this one. That's because four years ago, twice as many people could afford to stay in hotels. Actually, you know who gave the shortest inauguration speech in history? George Washington. It was only like three minutes long. Well, sure. George Washington couldn't tell a lie.  More than a million people gathered in our nation's capital, and tens of millions more watched from home to celebrate the first lady's new haircut. Most people seem to like the hair style, though some Republicans are demanding further cuts. But bangs aren't easy to pull off. As far as I know, the only other women who have done it successfully this decade are Jessica Biel and... Justin Bieber. The president gave a brief but powerful speech. He did not shy away from the many challenges he faces: a massive federal deficit, a conservative majority in the House, an aging population, runaway entitlements, humongous ears.  Joe Biden made another one of his famous gaffes on camera Monday, saying he was proud to be president of the United States. I guess he forgot he wasn't at home standing in front of the bathroom mirror. In his inaugural address, President Obama praised the patriots of 1776, and said they were much better than the Patriots of last Sunday.  There's been a lot of criticism over the NFL for not hiring enough minority coaches. And, of course, the NFL is trying to spin it. They said, "What are you talking about? We got two brothers coaching the Super Bowl."  According to a new study out of the University of Wisconsin, as much as 81 percent of people lie on online dating websites. To which Notre Dame's Manti Te'o said, "Now you tell me!" I just hope that this one painful online experience doesn't cause Manti to give up on all imaginary girlfriends. Now people are saying that Manti knew it was a hoax way back in early December. He’s gone from being the “Fightin’ Irish” to the “Lyin’ Hawaiian.”  The CEO of Whole Foods is criticizing Obamacare, once again calling it fascism. He did this before when he called it socialism. And he said the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money. As opposed to shopping at Whole Foods, where you eventually run out of your own money.  The post office may sue Lance Armstrong for all of the money they spent sponsoring his team. In fact, after all these lawsuits, they say that Lance Armstrong could end up as broke as the post office.  Kim Kardashian said that in a perfect world she would love being divorced from Kris Humphries before having Kayne’s baby. On the other hand, in a perfect world no one would know who she is.  So, the biggest news of the week is J.J. Abrams is gonna be directing the next Star Wars movie. He’s already updated his production company’s name and logo. Check it out.


So, guess who was at the inauguration? Kelly Clarkson! If I would of known that she was gonna be there, that would of been my chance. Damn it. But someone else who was there had his eye on her.


And did you see the picture of Obama meeting Kelly? Of course I have it here in case you didn't.


Obama's telling her, "You should do the Phile, it'll really help your career." You know I am running a campaign to get Kelly on the Phile, right? Here is the campaign poster to help you spread the word...


Did you guys see Tom Brady crying on the field when the Patriots lost last Sunday? It was kinda sad, especially when the ref walked over.


Alright, now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is...


Top Phive Things Overheard At The Obama Inaugural
5. "Wow! I haven't seen this many people since I was at the unemployment office!"
4. "It's so inspirational that a black man could rise from such modest means to be on the stage today! God, I love Jay-Z."
3. "It's a new day for America... Michelle Obama has bangs."
2. "My ears are tingling from Obama's rousing oratory. Also, frostbite."
And the number one thing heard at Obama's inaugural was...
1. "Mr. Biden, could you at least turn down the volume on your 3DS?"


Okay, kids, some of you have been wondering what our friend Debbie Boldacious has been up to. I was wondering that myself so I invited her back to the Phile. She shoots from the hip, heart, camera, gun, sling-shot, tank... please welcome back to the Phile, Debbie Boldacious in a pheature I call...


At the weekend I made friends with a cat. He was a cool cat. He liked that I had on big rings, so adapted them as face scratching devices. I like cool cats with initiative. But I freakin' LOVE DOGS. I sound like a confused Aldi advert. In other news, what's the going rate for organs on the black market?  Or white market, I can't afford to be racist.

Debbie Boldacious, everybody.




Okay, the 23rd book to be pheatured in the Peverett Phile Book Club is...


Jim Korkis examines the film from concept to controversy, and reveals the politics that nearly scuttled the project. Through interviews with many of the artists and animators who created Song of the South, and through his own extensive research, Korkis delivers both the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the film and a balanced analysis of its cultural impact. The book is available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble, and Phile Alum and author Jim Korkis will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.






Today's pheatured guest is a folk, jazz artist whose new CD "Dandelions" is available on Amazon and iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile, the very beautiful... Kaz Simmons.


Me: Hello, Kaz, welcome to the Phile. So, how are you?

Kaz: I'm very well thanks Jason, how are you?

Me: I'm hanging in there. I love your name, is it short for something? Kaz is very unique sounding.

Kaz: It is short for something, but I'm not telling.

Me: Fair enough. Kaz, I didn't realize you were from England. What part are you from?

Kaz: I'm originally from Hove, East Sussex, but I have lived in London for about 15 years now.

Me: I was born in London myself, Kaz. Do you like it there?

Kaz: South London is the best! Whereabouts were you born?

Me: I was born in Balham. Ever come to the States to perform or just vacation?

Kaz: I'd love to come over to the States and perform and hopefully I will do so, one day. I have family in Houston and Florida, but haven't been over to see them for a while sadly. I should arrange a trip to see them and some gigs...

Me: Kaz, you have a very sweet singing voice. Did it come naturally or did you take voice lessons and go to school?

Kaz: Thank you! I have been singing from a very young age and was lucky enough to be given opportunities to perform at school by teachers who realised I was musical and then I began classical singing lessons when I was eleven.

Me: You also play guitar. How long have you been playing?

Kaz: I have been playing the guitar since I was seven.

Me: What is the first song you learnt on guitar?

Kaz: I studied classical guitar throughout my childhood and only began accompanying myself when singing a few years ago. The first song I played and sang was "Pretty Things" by Rufus Wainwright...  my hero. It then spurred me on to start writing my own songs.

Me: Okay, let's talk about your new album "Dandelions" which I downloaded from iTunes. This is your third album, right?

Kaz: Yes it is. Thanks for downloading it!

Me: Did you write all the songs on the album?

Kaz: I wrote all the songs apart from the lyrics to "The End" which was based on a poem I found by a young lad called James Wallace.

Me: It has a very Latin feel, Kaz. Is Latin music a big influence on you?

Kaz: Yes, definitely. I love Brazilian music and often perform Brazilian cover-tunes in my live sets. I'm also influenced by the Spanish classical guitar styles which I studied as a kid.

Me: What music did you listen to growing up?

Kaz: I was brought up on The Beatles, Dire Straits and Billy Joel. I absolutely love Billy Joel to this day and sing "She's Got a Way" (well, I've changed it to "He's Got a Way") in my gigs. If you fancy a listen... soundcloud.com/kazsimmons/hes-got-a-way-shes-got-a-way.  In my teens I had a New Kids on the Block period, followed by Harry Connick Jr in his funk period and then it was Britpop all the way (Blur, Radiohead...)

Me: There's a song on the album titled "Pachmama". What does that mean, Kaz? It's not a new British slang word I don't know about, is it?

Kaz: No! Pachamama means Mother Earth. I went to Peru a few years ago and the song is my ode to the Andes which were mind-blowing.

Me: Your single and video for the album is the song "Stuck". You are very photogenic and look beautiful on film. Do you like being in front of the camera?

Kaz: Ha thanks! I guess it was my first proper video and it was a bit weird at first, but it was great fun and we were lucky that the weather was beautiful when we filmed it. I'm looking forward to doing more.

Me: Where was it filmed and whose toy train was that?

Kaz: The inside shots were filmed in an old pub called The Trafalgar, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the outside shots in Oxleas Woods in South London. The train was my idea and we borrowed it from a friend. It was actually a bit of a nightmare as the train kept on falling off the tracks and when it was running okay, the tracks would come apart or the train would suddenly stop. I guess it was funny, more than a nightmare.

Me: I tried to get a screen shot of the train going around you when you were sitting in the middle of the track but all I could get was this.


Me: You're better looking than any train anyway. So, I read you performed with Lyn Dobson. Is that the same Lyn Dobson from Manfred Mann? When and where was this performance?

Kaz: Yes, it's the same lovely Lyn. Straight after finishing university, I was called to do some jazz singing as part of a band in Crete, Greece. I didn't know who the other members of the band would be and one happened to be Lyn. I learnt a lot from him and had a great summer chilling out and singing. 

Me: Kaz, this is the 5th year interviewing people and this year I am asking a random question thanks to the game Tabletopics. So, would you rather live by the beach or in the mountains?

Kaz: Can I not live on a mountain, overlooking the beach? I'd like to have both please.

Me: Of course you can have both. Kaz, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Please come back again. Go ahead and plug your websites: Facebook, Twitter, everything. Take care.

Kaz: Thanks for finding me, Jason, and for the interview! It's been fun. My websites are: kazsimmons.comFacebook.com/kazsimmonsofficial, twitter.com/kazsimmons and if anyone would like to be put on my mailing list, please feel free to email info@kazsimmons.com.

Me: Thanks, Kaz. And please come back when your next release comes out. Kaz Simmons, everyone!



There you go, kids, that about wraps it up for another interview. Thanks to my guests Debbie Boldacious and of course Kaz Simmons. The Phile will be back tomorrow with British blues legend Maggie Bell and Joe Biden. Yep, Joe Biden. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. Strawberry Blondes Forever!






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