today's word:

aa (ah-ah) noun

Lava having a rough surface.

[From Hawaiian, apparently from the sound one emits on touching the hot lava surface.]

Aa is one of the two kinds of lava typically found in Hawaiian volcanoes. The other kind is pahoehoe, one with a smooth, ropy surface. You can see their pictures at:

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/pahoehoe.html

"Aa has a surface that's broken into blocks with sharp, spiny projections." Ian Skilling, Lavas and Life, The World & I (Washington, DC), July 1998.

very weird. we have run out of funny named bands so now we will move onto regularly named bands.

Today's Band: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo takes somewhat of a break from the music of its homeland and tackles the music of America, specifically Gospel and R&B. The result is that the group is paired with the likes of Dolly Parton ("Knockin' on Heaven's Door") , Phoebe Snow ("People Get Ready") and Lou Rawls ("Chain Gang"). While it's intriguing to see what Ladysmith does with these standards, the best moments- "Sohlabelelu Hosana," "Ilungelo Ngelakho"- remain those that are uniquely theirs.

my notes: i vote yes mon. dis sounds superb mon.

i am bad at impressions.