Tuesday, October 15, 2024: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Shims" Edition

 

Next month will mark the 61st anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States.

The official narrative states that he was fatally shot from the nearby Texas School Book Depository by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.

The weapon Oswald supposedly used was a 20 year old Italian 6.5×52mm Carcano Model 38 long-barrelled rifle, with a telescopic sight, that he purchased via mail order.  

According to the Warren Report, (Testimony of William Waldman, Warren Commission Hearings and Exhibits, vol. 7, p. 368.) The 4-power telescope was made by Ordnance Optics, and had been attached to the rifle by a gunsmith at Klein's Sporting Goods, an American retailer, shortly before being sold as a single unit with the surplus rifle, to Oswald.

Again, according the Warren Report itself (Warren Commission Hearings: 3 WCH 440-5), The rifle couldn't be perfectly sighted using the scope without installing two metal shims (small metal plates), which were not present when the rifle arrived for testing, and were never found at the scene.  FBI Special Agent Robert A. Frazier testified that there was "a rather severe scrape" on the scope tube, and that the sight could have been bent or damaged. He was unable to determine when the defect occurred before the FBI received the rifle and scope on November 27, 1963.

The defect of the rifle’s scope, before it was corrected with the use of shims, caused shots fired from the weapon to land a few inches high and to the right of the target. The scope could not be properly aligned with the target because the sight reached the limit of its adjustment before reaching accurate alignment.

The shooting tests arranged by the Warren Commission with the expectation that they would prove that Oswald could have assassinated JFK with that carbine, ended up proving, on the contrary, that it was nearly impossible for Oswald (or anyone else) to have used the weapon to shoot Kennedy.

Conclusion text attributed to Wilkes, Donald E. Jr., "Lee Harvey Oswald, the Patsy" (2013). Popular Media. 180.

 

Anyway, here's a couple of songs with shim in the title. 

 

Monday, October 14, 2024: Blondie - Maria

 

I recently rediscovered this absolute banger, courtesy of one of the greatest bands ever.

Released as a single from their seventh album, No Exit (1999), this was Blondie's first new release since 1982.  Over twenty years apart from 1978s Parallel Lines album, Maria and No Exit marked a powerful and confident return to form for the band.  

It's the perfect Monday morning jam, smack out the rhythm on your dashboard, scream those wonderful high notes like you were the Queen of New Wave herself.  Or just move like you don't care, smooth as silk, cool as air.

Here's to Maria, and a million and one candle lights.

Sunday, October 13, 2024

No blogging on a Sunday.

See you Monday!

Saturday, October 12, 2024: The Chantays - Pipeline

Autumn has only just started.

But, be honest, who here is already missing Summer?

Well, here's some old school twangy surf guitar to get you back into that Summer vibe.  

Dig it, Daddy-O

Friday, October 11, 2024: Brittney Spencer - Night In

I'm a Brittney Spencer Evangelist. I've come to preach the good news of Brittney Spencer. 

Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Brittney Spencer is a rising star in country music, known for her powerful voice, thoughtful songwriting, and efforts to expand the genre’s diversity.  She grew up with a love for country music, though she was initially inspired by gospel music and artists like Whitney Houston. Her interest in country was nurtured by artists like Shania Twain and The Chicks (The Artists Formerly Known As The Dixie Chicks), whose storytelling and authenticity resonated with her.

She has earned praise by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and others, and she’s appeared on CBS Mornings with Anthony Mason, as well as performed on NBC's Today Show, The Late Show (After Dark), the CMA Awards, ACM Awards and more. 

Spencer told American Songwriter that her musical style is diverse because of the different artists and songwriters she is influenced by: "I feel like I have a really wide stretch of what influences me, which is probably why it still made my songs sound so different."[4] In describing her musical style, Marcus K. Dowling explained that Spencer combines a "thundering power of her talent blended with highly engaging songs".She credits Beyoncé, Ray Charles, Miranda Lambert and Jazmine Sullivan as influences on her artistry.

This is a standout track from her debut album, "My Stupid Life", released in January of this year.

Go, and make yourselves followers of this most talented and special artist.

Here, here's a bonus to help get the spirits moving.

 

Thursday, October 10, 2024: The Plimsouls - Million Miles Away

The weekend is just tomorrow.  

But, man, doesn't feel like it's a million miles away?

Wednesday, October 9, 2024: Caroline Polachek - Bunny Is A Rider

 

Here's one of the songs that has been living in my head rent-free for the last month or so. 

Originally released as a single in 2021, I came to know this song from Caroline Polachek's 2024 album "Desire, I Want To Turn Into You." Probably one of the best albums released this year. 

If you dig alternative-pop, art-pop, indie-pop, experimental-pop, or just straight up pop music covered in modern colors, then do yourself a favor and check out this album, and the rest of Caroline Polachek's discography.