Earthquakes

First, a plug for a good cause. As you know, the Haitian earthquake last month has resulted in one of the most dreadful humanitarian disasters in recent years. While the magnitude of what has happened may seem completely overwhelming, if we all make a small contribution then cumulatively it begins to have a positive effect.

One way to help would be by buying "Make The Load Lighter", a compilation issued by the good folks at Dromedary Records on which all money raised goes directly to Vwa Ayiti (Voice of Haiti) for earthquake relief. The album featuring sixteen indie bands, including The Mommyheads whose track is featured below. If you like it - or even if you don't - why not buy the album?

"Spiders" - The Mommyheads

You would have thought the Haitian earthquake would be bad enough to be getting on with, but then yesterday Chile took a bad hit as well. Let's hope the aftermath of that one isn't anything like as bad.

At the risk of trivialising things, here are a couple of gems from the small but vibrant Chilean psychedelic scene of the late 1960s. Both are from 1967 and the first is available on the Latin American volume of the excellent "Love, Peace and Poetry" series which, like all the other volumes, is pretty much indispensable for fans of global psych.

"Oscar Wilde" - Los Vidrios Quebrados

"F.M. Y Cia" - Los Mac's

Moving on a little, one of the biggest Chilean bands of the 1970s was Los Jaivas, who mixed prog and traditional sounds (I can hear you groaning already). Here they are wigging out at Machu Picchu in 1981.