Pheaturing Dalmacio Von Diamond

PHIRST OF

Hey there, welcome to another entry of the Phile for a Phriday. The Phile is a proud sponsor on TACAnow.org and generationrescue.org. Are you kids "American Idol" fans? Today and yesterday the auditions are taking place in Orlando. I would go, but it's hot, I don't like crowds, I am too old and I can't sing. Apart from that, I think I could make it. Ha! I have more chance being on "The Deadliest Catch" than Idol. The big news: Sarah Palin quitting as governor of Alaska. Everybody was shocked. Even John McCain was surprised. He was like, "Who?" Palin hasn't made a decision this controversial since deciding whether to wear her hair up or down. Don't worry, though. Alaska will be fine. According to the state's Constitution, the job automatically goes to the lieutenant governor — Chilly Willy. Los Angeles has declared war on marijuana dispensaries, where you get medical marijuana for medical reasons... glaucoma, tunnel vision... strangely, half of Los Angeles is suffering from the scourge of tunnel vision. It's an epidemic there. It's worse than Botox or lying about your age. You have to get a prescription from your doctor, which is not difficult in this town. M.D. stands for "marijuana dude." There’s a new study that says over the course of a lifetime, the average woman spends a year of her life deciding what to wear. Some women spend a lot more time than that. Cher has a 10,000-square-foot dressing room in Las Vegas. Every night she spends hours trying stuff on — noses, ears... she’s like Mr. Potato Head. They say that women get dressed up to impress other women. I think that’s true because no guy ever turned a woman down because her shoes didn’t match her earrings. Guys work differently. It’s basically the smell test: You pick it up, and if doesn’t smell that bad — put it on. I told you the last week, I think it was, about pin trading at Disney, right? Disney has some very unusual pins, as well as the normal movie, ride, theme park and character pins. Take a look at this one. It's either me in twenty years time or Worzel Gummidge.

See what I'm talking about? Me as a homeless person. So, I have a good interview today, but before that...

From the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is this week's top ten list...

Top Ten Things The Founding Fathers Would Say If They Were Alive Today
10. "All those that are bummed about Jon & Kate say 'Aye'"
9. "So we're agreed: $10 billion to bailout the powdered wig industry."
8. "Where is this Appalachian Trial I keep hearing about?"
7. "Total cost of the Revolutionary War was less than a Yankees ticket."
6. "Do you think Mount Rushmore makes my head look fat?"
5. "Hey, Adams! You're on HBO DVD, whatever that means."
4. "Ben Franklin keeps tweeting me."
3. "Where can one procure a Donald Trump wig?"
2. "Give me liberty or give me an iPhone."
And the number thing the founding fathers would say if they were alive today...
1. "We hold these truths to be self-evident -- Megan Fox is smoking hot!"

I can't believe I keep forgetting to do this the last few entries. Anyway, here we go.
Billy Mays: But wait! There's more! Oh. No. Nevermind.
Karl Malden: Left home.
Allen Klein: Sort of a behind-the-scenes Yoko, if you will.
Robert McNamara: Known as the chief architect of the Vietnam war. Thanks, Bob.

1856
Inventor and electromechanical genius Nikola Tesla is born to Serbian parents in what is now Croatia.
1923
Hailstones as heavy as two pounds kill 23 people in Rostov, Russia.
1972
A herd of angry, startled elephants emerges from India's Chandka Forest, and tramples five villages, killing 24 inhabitants.
1984
British customs officials in London open a large wooden crate marked "diplomatic baggage" because of its extremely odd odor. Inside they discover Alhaji Umaru Dikko, Nigeria's former Minister of Transport and Aviation. He had been abducted, drugged, and bound for Nigeria to face trial for embezzlement.
1985
Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is blown up by in Auckland Harbor, killing a photographer. After the New Zealand government determines that French secret agents were responsible, the French Defense Minister resigns and the agents are jailed.
1992
Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega sentenced to 40 years in prison for eight counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering.

Man, that was a pain to do that image. So, I hope Mr. Von Diamond appreciates it. Today's guest is a singer who is bringing the stage back, one show at a time... His next show will be at Silver Factory Studios in Los Angeles and if you rush out tonight, he'll be at Spaceland, in Silverlake California. Please welcome to the Phile... Dalmacio Von Diamond.

Me: Hello, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

Dalmacio: Hello. I am well. You?

Me: So, Dalmacio, is that your real name? It's very long and complicated... Dalmacio Von Diamond, but a cool name nonetheless. What do people call you for short? Can I call you Dal?

Dalmacio: Dalmacio is in fact my birth name, it is my father's name and also my great-grandfather's name. Most people call me Del.

Me: There's not much info on the web to go on, so describe your music for the Phile readers. I would prefer a reader of Phile to have a hear themselves. I would hate to lead people on with an grandiose description only to disappoint as would I hate to dissuade someone from listening with a poor description.

Dalmacio: To me you sound very Nick Cave-ish which is cool, or the Damned. Who are your influences? I would say the former has been an influence on me, yes. I really love the entirety of Scott Walker's output from the Pop crooner stuff to later more oblique experimental jaunts. I love Prince. I also really enjoy Pulp, Tim Buckley, Townes Van Zandt, Fred Neil and Tindersticks. I also have a wide array of influences that aren't necessarily musical. Namely Cinema and Literature.

Me: How long have you been playing, Dal? You had two earlier bands, right? Holy Curtain and Swift Wings. How is the new band different from those bands?

Dalmacio: I have been noodling about on various instruments since I was a teen. I didn't attempt to play guitar or write songs until I was 20 or so though. This project had always been a "side project" to those previous bands only because I didn't have the confidence to really write songs that I like. The two previous bands were more "fun", chaotic and ugh-"experimental".

Me: Your new band is called The Enochian Keys. Explain to the dumbass that I am what the hell does that mean.

Dalmacio: First, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Most people associate or attribute the Keys of Enoch to the late Anton Lavey. Though he may have canonized it in popular culture and in the minds of every aspiring Satanist or would-be Goth, the Keys of Enoch is basically the divine language of Angels as heard by some random dude from the 16th century and his seer.
Casey, our guitar player came up with the idea to name the band The Enochian Keys, which I thought was brilliant but would further convolute our already prolix name.

Me: Speaking of your band, who are they, and what do they play?

Dalmacio: A band of the highest Caliber are The Enochian Keys: Jay Torres plays Keys and extra percussion and also writes and paints in his spare time. Luis Perez play Drums and actually co-produced the album with me before there was even a band. He is also in a fantastic band called Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound. Casey Geisen plays lead guitar and back up vocals and also makes very funny films. David Garcia plays Bass and started and runs Albino Crow Music which put out the LP version of "The Other Side of Darkness". And our latest edition is Ram who plays Cello and Rhythm Guitar, he is also a member of Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound and a wonderful musician.

Me: Where in California are you based? Do you ever get to play outside Cali?

Dalmacio: I live in Echo Park which is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA. Most of the band live in the area as well. We have yet to play outside of California with this outfit but hope to very soon.

Me: Tell the Phile phans about the album "The Other Side of Darkness". Where was it recorded, who produced it, and is it a concept album?

Dalmacio: Most of the album was recorded in Luis' bedroom and Ram's living room, and some of the vocals were recorded in my closet. Luis and I share production credit but he did a hell of a lot more work than myself. He's a wizard. It's not really a concept album but the idea was to write simple tidy pop songs that move in the same direction.

Me: Finally, plug your website and give the readers a word of wisdom.

Dalmacio: Our website is www.myspace.com/asilenthistory and the record label's website is www.albinocrowmusic.com. Tell your mother you love her.

Me: Thanks for doing this interview, Dal. I hope it was fun. Was it?

Dalmacio: Oh indeed.

PHINALLY

Thanks to Dal for a really good interview. Download his CD at iTunes, you'd like it. I am sure. Thanks also to Wikipedia for helping with the history facts. Now for a very special announcement. Monday is the next entry and it's the 25oth entry of the blog. Can you believe that? And on this milestone the guest is one of my number one favorite singers of all time, someone I have been listening to since I was a kid, someone who is my idol. Next Monday Graham Parker will be the guest on the Phile. I am so excited! So, have a good weekend, and spread the word not the turd.