I'm on a business trip a few hundred miles from home, but thought I'd stop in and wish a Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the fine folks who stop by and take in the blog from time to time.
This time last year I was in New York, drinking too much Guinness and being overwhelmed by the ridiculous number of people who take to the streets for the parade. It's such a minor holiday in Southern California, so it was quite the shock to see how the 'other' coast lives...
Admittedly, I don't have a whole lot to say, but since I'm a good portion Irish, and tend to celebrate the music of the Emerald Isle, felt I shouldn't let the day pass without comment...
Here's a click from the rock doc 'Out of Ireland'
Oh, I'd also like a bit of commiseration... Here is how my hotel chose to commemorate this fine holiday...
First and foremost, just to get it out of the way, James Taylor is sixty one today. If you’re not familiar with my opinion of James Taylor than you haven’t been paying attention… Suffice it to say he’s the SECOND person described in the title of this post.
That being said, Happy Birthday none the less. I appreciate Mr. Taylor’s musical accomplishments if for no reason other than it helps me better gauge good music when there is bad music to compare it to.
I surfed through Taylor’s ‘greatest hits’ to come up with something worth posting here, but what I actually came away with was surprise that a man synonymous with 1970’s singer/songwriters has multiple tracks on ‘HIS’ ‘greatest hits’ collection written by OTHER PEOPLE! Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that artists share each other’s songs, record covers and standards to sell tunes, and generally do not write all or in some cases any of their own material. I was however under the impression that the man who defines singer/songwriter sensitivity would at least have only originals on a greatest hits recording…
BTW, Taylor’s biggest hit, You’ve Got a Friend? Written by Carole King…
Sorry Sweet Baby James, I’ll give you the birthday shout out, but I can’t bring myself to post a song…
Secondly, and much, much more important, today is the sixty seventh birthday of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship co-founder Paul Kantner. Kantner, only responsible for recordings under the ‘Jefferson’ moniker, wrote and performed some of the best examples of the psychedelic rock era, rocked Journey-esque epic studio rock tunes through the 1970’s and played a show in Fountain Valley’s Mile Square Park in 1991 that was likely a shade of the former greatness of Airplane, but I got to see it live, so it was by far the best show ever… At least the best one performed for free in an Orange County public park…
Kantner’s involvement and over arching history of Jefferson Whatchamacalit now spans fourty four years, seven or eight separate band break offs, roughly thirty different members and something like three hundred and fifty thousand different albums… OK, that MAY be an exaggeration, but it’s a lot of music, by a lot of people, and out of all of it there’s about two dozen really REALLY good tunes.
No, Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now isn’t one of them… It was also by STARSHIP, not JEFFERSON Starship. Happy Birthday, Paul, and congrats that you can go through life reminding people that you were NOT responsible for the theme song from Mannequin...
So admittedly I’ve been all U2’d out since the release of No Line on the Horizon earlier in the month, especially after I finally bought it and gave it a listen. It’s not only good, but it inspired a wave of U2 nostalgia that has dominated much of my listening for the last week or so.
That’s not to say I’ve ditched my quest to bring to light the newest of the new from both satellite radio and podcasts… It just means I’m spending even MORE time listening to tunes… Roughly all the time I’m not spending sleeping, or watching the Netherlands smoke Dominican ass in the WBC…
Anyhow, here are the nuggets of joy I’ve unearthed for you on this post. All are 100% guaranteed to make you enjoy life just a little bit more. If they do not, I’ll be happy to refund every cent of your entrance fee… Again, these are in no discernable order, so put away your betting cash…
Deerhunter This Atlanta four piece defines lack of pretention, playing local clubs from Helsinki, Finland to Auburn, Alabama for nothing more than the love of the craft, sporting a brand of indie garage rock reticent of the early days of fellow Georgians REM. The band’s earlier sound was harder edged, a characteristic that was mainly due to the death of their original bass player, Justin Bosworth who passed due to head trauma from a skateboarding accident in 2004. However, the more recent recordings found on the albums Microcastle and Weird Era Cont. display a slightly more grown up and polished sound without denying the indie roots.
The band also hosts their own blog site which features tunes and videos. Well worth the net surf…
Crystal Castles Referring to their sound as ‘thrash’ this Canadian duo can better be described as what your Atari would listen to if it still worked… had ears… and LOVED to dance… Once again proving that Canada is the place to be. The bands self-titled debut Crystal Castles was released to a fury of positive indie reviews roughly a year ago, and the song I can’t seem to get out of my head is Crimewave, linked below.
Still not convinced? How about the fact that their song Magic Spells samples quotes for the iconic 80’s miniseries V? When did Canada get so outrageously cool??
Black Lips Fellow Atlantites and friends of the above mentioned Deerhunter, The Black Lips have been kicking around the southern club scene for more than a few years having released their debut album way back in 2003. Also similar to their pals above, The Black Lips suffered the loss of a band member early in their playing days when original guitarist Ben Eberbaugh was involved in a car accident with a drunk driver going to wrong way on the highway. Despite this loss the band carried on, believing these would be Eberbaugh’s wishes.
The rest of us are lucky they did, mostly because of tunes like this one. Reminds me of a cross between Morphine and any tune from a 70’s exploitation flick with just the slightest tinge of Vanilla Ice mixed in… But don’t worry, not enough to ruin it…
On an only-slightly-related note, Vanilla Ice is FORTY ONE… That’s scary…
The Bird & The Bee Already having crossed over the ‘indie’ plane with appearances on Ellen and Nickelodeon kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba this jazz inspired Los Angeles duo is putting a brand new spin on an old classic sound. As prolific as they are talented, since joining forces in 2006 tB&tB’s Greg Kurstin and Inara George have amassd two studio LP’s and four EP’s ranging from traditionally released CD’s to digital downloads, and have scored a US #1 dance hit with a remix version of Fucking Boyfriend. Did I mention their appearance on a kid’s show?
The new album, Ray Guns are Not Just the Future has received mixed reviews, ranging from ‘really good’ to ‘really REALLY good.’ Certainly worth checking out for yourself. Here’s a tune from the latest. A tune I defy you to not groove to… Just you try it… You WILL fail…
Lykke Li It wouldn’t be a new music post without a visit to Sweden. The EU’s third largest nation and the ONLY place to get yourself a custom made Volvo is certainly a hot bed of indie music activity. This week’s twenty two year old vocalist fits the mold established by The Knife and Fever Ray. Only Li replaces the creepiness of The Knife that could exist just as easily in a Kubrick flick or entrant of the Resident Evil video game franchise with a sweetness that makes one want to hug and squeeze a classic stuffed Hello Kitty…
Did I lose you with that one? Well give her a listen and draw conclusions of your own…
Last Shadow Puppets The British trio made up of Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner, Miles Kane of new outfit The Rascals and producer/drummer James Ford bucks the ‘more electronic is more better’ phenomena gripping the throat of the indie scene in recent years by recording tracks that sound less like Turner’s Monkeys, and more like 2nd tier 60’s brit-invasioneers the Moody Blues or Spanish beat band Los Bravos. It’s a pretty exciting sound when compared to the other stuff hitting the indie air waves right now, but a word of caution… Also once considered the new wave of the brit invasion, Oasis went from pop-rock princes to royal douchebags inside of one LP…
Still, if that’s the fate of these puppeteers, it should be an entertaining ride, just as it was with the brothers Gallagher.
Here’s the throwback track, Standing Next to Me
The Airborne Toxic Event My musical tastes tend to range across five decades from the 1960’s through the 2000’s with specific emphasis on the 90’s as I consider that ‘my’ decade… I point this out because in each of these decades there is a band that I feel if *I* were writing and recording songs during that time period, I would wish and hope to sound like that particular band. In the 1960’s it’s The Grassroots. The 70’s it’s Nick Drake (except for the whole dying part), me in the 80’s would have sounded a lot like Howard Jones, the 90’s is easily Counting Crows, and while the 00’s have heretofore belonged to Josh Ritter, on the strength of just one tune, the Los Feliz quintet The Airborne Toxic Event is making a run at that spot.
Keep in mind, I know and accept that I have neither the talent, patience, or in some cases insanity to fill the shoes of any of these musical acts, but they all sound like I hope I could sound if I was just a little more talented, driven, and out of my mind. Here’s the track I will add to my long list of songs I dream I would have written and performed…
That’ll do it, another seven acts for you to sink your teeth into, share your musical dreams with, and spend your hard earned money on. I’ve got plenty more where these came from, and am adding more every day, even though I’m obsessing over the upcoming DM long play Sounds of the Universe. Frighteningly enough, April is just a few short weeks away…
Is there a more misunderstood state in our union than New Mexico? Sandwiched between Texas and Arizona, named after... well... MEXICO, one would expect a sweltering hot desert wasteland with nary a well-hydrated soul in site. Ask the folks in Las Cruses, and they'd probably agree with you, but find yourself in Albuquerque and you'll find people, and buildings, and merchants who accept cash money, not just beads... Head further north to Santa Fe and you may even encounter snow.
Yup. Effing SNOW in effing New Mexico. I know... Take a minute to recover from your now severely blown mind...
You know what else you can find in New Mexico? Not a whole hell of a lot of music, that's for sure...
That's not to say that the Land of Enchantment, so coined by native country cowboy Michael Martin Murphey, doesn't have some other interesting tidbits about it. Still don't believe me? Do I need to remind you that it EFFING SNOWS here? Let's see what else the Wiki can tell us...
- Geologists speculate that New Mexico is roughly the same age as the rest of the planet, including it's southern neighbor, regular Mexico... Not so NEW after all eh?
- At a population density of 15 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth most sparsely inhabited U.S. state. Meaning the spaces are far too confining for your average Montanian.
- New Mexico does not rank first or last in any ranking convention among the 50 US states. I guess this would make New Mexico the #1 most mediocre state in the union.
- The state flag of New Mexico looks surprisingly like an eye test.
- Apparently my vision is just fine. The horizontal and vertical stripes line up correctly.
- Residents of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, New Mexico's oldest town, likely don't get the irony.
- Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city is located in Bernalillo County. I don't anticipate this information is all that interesting or entertaining, but the next time someone asks you what county houses New Mexico's largest city, you best give credit to how you know the answer...
- New Mexico is famous for chilies, cow skulls, and painting their buildings in pastel hues.
- New Mexico is not famous for their sports teams, which saddens The Isotopes.
- Yes, the Albuquerque Isotopes did get their name from a Simpsons episode.
- Doug Eddings, major league umpire and personal nemesis to Angels fans the world over is a New Mexico native who thinks he should be the central focus of baseball games rather than say, the game itself…
- Bitter? I’m not bitter… ‘The Call’ changed the tone of the entire series and the Angels never recovered from the screwing, but it’s in the past… Really it is…
- Actually, those facts are only true of Billy the Kid, but all four ARE from New Mexico…
- OK, the wrist thing is only true if you believe Emilio Estevez's soliloquy from Young Guns II. Call me crazy, but I think they MAY have just been making it up to further the story line...
OK, enough with the stalling… The list is sparse, but I managed to piece something together… My apologies to the snubbed Amelia Maciszewski, New Mexican sitarist…
Solo Artist: John Denver Yes. Mr. 'Rocky Mountain High' is a native New Mexican... Now this will come as no surprise to you if you have read the entry on the one-tick-to-the-north land of Colorado, but if your new to The Dance, or only here to read about this entry, then I've now blown your mind... TWICE...
Also, if you have ventured into the great internet wide open in search of nothing more than a blog post about New Mexico's music, PLEASE drop me a comment and tell me what prompted such a random and seemingly futile quest...
I am not a die-hard Denverite... For the most part I find his tunes kind of hokey and trite like most 60's and 70's country-tinged singer songwriters. I'm not a big fan of Freddy Fender, or James Taylor, or Merle Haggard either, but I must admit that one of my favorite all time songs is the John Denver version of his own composition, Leaving on a Jet Plane. Although it was recorded by Peter. Paul and Mary first, and more famously, the words and music just fit better together with Denver's voice, lending a sense of pain and longing that's not even diminished by learning that the song was actually written in an airport waiting on a delayed flight...
Unfortunately, the tune would also become eerily prophetic when Denver left us, on a jet plane, the victim of a tragic accident over the California coast on October 12th, 1997. The Long-EZ aircraft he was piloting crashed at Pacific Grove, just off Monterey.
Honor the fallen New Mexican, even if he did prefer the company of OTHER states...
Band: Beirut The great Southwest hasn't been an indie rock capital for very long, but they are starting to make a name for themselves. If you have read the Nevada post, you'll know the Silver State is jam packed with up and coming performers, and a few years before them, Arizona was blowing up the alternative airwaves. Who's next? Well I think New Mexico has as good a shot as anyplace, especially if Zach Condon, the voice behind Beirut has anything to say about it.
Way too new to get a shot in any heavily represented state, I can't really go on and on about Beirut's 'musical legacy', but I include them in hopes that if somebody digs this up ten years from now and sees I was high on this act WAY back in aught-nine that mysterious someone will also say to themselves 'Wow... This OC Kerouac really knows his shit!'
I love nothing so much as I love positive affirmations from total strangers... Here, listen to a song!
Honorable Mention: Neil Patrick Harris So he hasn't put out any albums per se, but dude was in Rent on Broadway for a number of years, and he's NPH for god's sake... That's good enough for me...
That said, I kind of liked when everyone still called him 'that guy who played Doogie Howser' but schadenfreude aside, he's a great actor, funnier than hell, has a tremendous amount of talent and deserves all the pub he's currently receiving. For these reasons and the below, I felt I had no choice but to jump on the bandwagon...
BONUS!: THIS is the greatest song ever about New Mexico, despite the fact that it's singer is Welsh...
Next time, the stalling is over, and it's time to pull the trigger... The selections from New York will likely not anger anyone as much as they anger myself...
Say what you will about the music of Tom Scholz and his Boston cohorts, but it is undeniable that this quote is not one that a person would typically equate with a rock musician: "The public has been sold a bill of goods about the free market being a panacea for mankind. Turning corporations loose and letting the profit motive run amok is not a prescription for a more livable world."
Scholz, aside from writing some unquestionably catchy tunes is also a really smart dude... I don't think that is celebrated nearly often enough in public figures, so here on his sixty second birthday I'm taking a moment to say thank you Tom Scholz for doing your part to raise the average American IQ...
Oh, and note to Wikipedia... Referring to Boston as a 'hard rock band' is kind of like calling Mozart a 'badass'. No matter how true it may have been at the time, it's just not a fact any longer... That's not to say we can't all still enjoy More than a Feeling, and likely can all appreciate it more knowing that the bass player is smarter than your average pop-star, but 'hard rock' this is not...
In 1989 John Frusciante joined Red Hot Chili Peppers as a nineteen year old ingenue replacing band co-founder Hillel Slovak after a heroin overdose led to his death. Frusciante played on Mother's Milk and the band's breakout success Blood Sugar Sex Magik before parting ways with the band due to his own drug-related complications. John completed some experimental solo recordings before kicking his horse habit and re-joining the peppers for their 1999 release Californication.
Frusciante has spent the last ten years recording with RHCP, and continuing to release self-named solo projects, and side projects under the name Ataxia. He has also played in studio on recordings by The Mars Volta, a band of youngsters trying to keep prog-rock alive for the next generation.
The nineteen year old guitar phenom reminds us all just how long ago 1989 was by turning thirty nine today. Here's John, Anthony, Flea and Chad from way back in '89 covering Stevie Wonder...
So today is the day of the US release of U2's latest No Line on the Horizon. This also marks the first time since Achtung Babythat I am not buying the album the day of it's release. I feel pangs of guilt about this, but somehow I think this little band will probably make it anyway...
Having grown up in a suburb of one of the nation’s largest cities, I understand and respect the plight of New Jersey. Try as it might, it will never be New York City,, just as my home of Orange County will never be LA. Well I’m here to say that there’s not a thing wrong with that, and New Jersey’s got the musical chops to back that up.
Seriously, Ohio will never be New York either, but you don’t see them getting the constant ridicule that the Garden State has heaped upon it… Connecticut is tiny, and boring, and oddly sterile, but why pick on them when everybody laughs at the countless ‘what’s that smell? It must be Jersey!’ jokes. Just remember New York, the next time you’re going to drop a snark-bomb on your neighbors to the south, how many football teams would you have without New Jersey and it’s stadiums?
HMM?
One, and it would be the one in Buffalo that can’t manage to win a Superbowl. So show a little respect already…
Alright, the lecture is over. We’re all ready to show Jersey the respect and admiration it deserves… hey… What’s that smell?
I kid because I love… In all fairness, I’ve never actually BEEN to New Jersey. I’ve SEEN it from across the Hudson River, and I’m comfortable with the soul-crushing weight of living in the shadow of a major metropolitan city that has more people, power, and influence than many other whole nations… Logically I can assume I’d feel right at home there. Besides, they really do have a pretty impressive array of native musicians, but more on that later. It’s Wiki-time!
-New Jersey boasts the highest population density of any state un the union. Suck it, forty nine other states…
-New Jersey natives Dionne Warwick, Connie Francis and our solo artist honoree share the same birthday, December 12th… Creepy, party of three…
-New Jersey is broken up in to two metropolitan areas. The greater New York metro area, and the greater Philadelphia metro area. Meaning New Jersey as a whole is nothing more than a giant suburb.
-Some people may see that as an insult. For me it’s cozier than a giant afghan throw… The suburbs kick the ‘urbs ass…
-Megalopolis is one of my favorite new words. I think it shall be the name of the world I build when I make slaves of the invading robot hordes.
-The Palisades are a line of steep cliffs on the lower west side of the Hudson River. If you happen to find yourself in New Jersey and are looking to end it all, I suppose it’s one of the better places to go…
-Around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as many rivers, swamps, and gorges.
-This is precisely why the North African nation of Mauritania falls a close second to New Jersey in per capita usage of Aqua Net.
-The capital and largest city in Mauritania is Nouakchott, which is native Arabic for Newark.
-New Jersey has the second highest median household income of any state in the union. Suck it, forty eight other states that aren’t California…
-The above mentioned Looking Glass of ‘Brandy’ fame were the answer to a trivia question that earned me the respect of a room full of people much older than myself at a Christmas party some twelve years ago. The question was ‘Who sang ‘Brandy’?’ and the answer, which only I knew was… well, I’ve kind of spoiled it… The answer was Looking Glass…
Before moving on to the selections, I must take a moment to honor those artists who were not fortunate enough to make the list. If only a few of you would have come from a Dakota…
With a list like that, who could our selections possibly be?
Solo Artist: Francis Albert Sinatra You don't have to like Sinatra to respect Sinatra, but if you don't like Sinatra you're out of your friggen' head. I mean seriously, what's the matter with you? The man is a freakin' legend over here... Sorry... The Chairman makes me get all Italian-American-Stereotypey...
From his early days singing along with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, to the Vegas Rat Pack sets, Sinatra was on top of the world. Later in life he became as much a statesman for music as he was a performer, the whole time doing it his way. He performed duets with Bono, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, and a score of others, always outshining them all in his own magical way.
Many, many of Sinatra's tunes are well known and well loved the world over. My favorite Sinatra tracks however are the lesser known, funnier tracks. Songs like Lean Baby, where Frank sings about a girlfriend who really needed to eat a good meal, or The Coffee Song off of the Ring-a-Ding-Ding album where Frank opines 'You meet a girl and later find out she smells just like a percolator, coffee pickles way outsell the dill, they've got an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.' Frank also showed his comic genius on stage in Vegas playing off of Dean, Sammy, Joey, and the brother-in-Lawford during the classic Rat Pack days. I don't think enough people respect Sinatra for his comedy since it was so overshadowed by his magnificent voice.
Here's Frank singing and riffing with another best-of-a-stater Louis Armstrong...
Band: Bon Jovi Nothing defines New Jersey for a non-New Jersian like the dichotomy between our best-solo and best-band selections. While the above Francis Albert is one of the enigmatic figures in the history of recorded music, these guys put out an album called Slippery When Wet, and made blow drying and hair spraying an art form for men everywhere. There are few 'supergroups' in the history of Rock & Roll that inspire more 'What were we thinking??' than Jon Bon and friends. Still, in spite of all this overwhelming evidence showing how guilty all of us should feel for owning a copy of Cross Road, a lot of this stuff is undeniably good.
Man it hurts to type that...
There are few artists that I consider guilty pleasures, mostly because I feel no shame about by love for The Thompson Twins, Howard Jones, Speedwagon, or Motley Crue... I'll play them loud, and play them proud, but for some reason, whenever Bon Jovi comes on I feel the need to turn down the stereo and roll up the windows... I fully admit, the problem isn't the Jovi, it's all me...
Here's one that should be cranked until the neighbors call the cops. Wherever you may be, you should pop this one in the car stereo and turn it to eleven on your way home tonight. You KNOW you own it...
Honorable Mention: Bruce Springsteen The duality of New Jersey continues to addle my already well-muddied brain with the inclusion of the artist who is likely the most synonymous with the state itself. Sinatra is a legend, Bon Jovi rocks my particular brand of socks, but no one eats, breathes, and sweats Jersey like The Boss.
Why is this such a departure you ask? Quite simple really, while I wish I could quit my Jovi addiction and move on to more hip and happening things, I have a 100% opposite opinion of Springsteen. Try as I might, I just really don't like him all that much. Don;t get me wrong, there's exceptions to the rule... I enjoy Glory Days, and fun tracks like Pink Cadillac and 88 Channels but Nothing On are worth occasional enough play to warrant a 'Oh Yeah! I remember THAT song', it's just that Bruce and the kids from E Street have never shown me enough to purchase so much as a greatest hits collection.
That being said, again New Jersey reminds me that I'M the one with the problem, and in spite of my personal lack of enjoyment, I have to respect Asbury Park's golden boy, even if I could go a thousand lifetimes never again hearing Born in the USA and wouldn't mind...
Here's another Springsteen tune I enjoy well enough... You know, there's probably a dozen songs I can get down to, which makes we wonder why I hold The Boss to such a high standard. Hell, I'll talk up an artist like Spin Doctors who only put out one good album, and I dump all over a legitimate R&R HoF'er... I seriously need to re-examine my Springsteen issues... Maybe I'll do that while listening to Dancing in the Dark... After all, Courtney Cox likes it
After a few rounds of therapy to deal with my deep-rooted anti-Bruce hysteria we'll reconvene here for New Mexico, a state that'll give me one more chance to honor marginal artists before tackling the gut-wrenching challenges the big apple throws my way...
One of my favorite sites, Vegas Today & Tomorrow just launched a blog site and an RSS feed. If you're as obsessed with gambling, fine dining, fabulous hotels, and 'the glitz' as I am, you really could do worse than checking this place out.
That is all... Return to your lives...
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