No long intro this time around. Straight to the videos we go!
Is it too much to ask that a trip to England and a few concerts with The Union be placed in my Christmas stocking?
If you're interested in finding out more about the band, check out The Union's website.
And now, for a special song:
Please visit The Union's ChildLine Rocks page to purchase merchandise, of which 100% of the profits go to support ChildLine, UK’s free, confidential helpline for vulnerable children and young people in distress.
I've been working on a project for the past week involving the Stoney Curtis Band, so it's fitting that I've been listening to him a lot music as I work.
My favorite SCB tune: "Last Train to Chicago".
As much as I love SCB's previous work, can I mention how excited I am about the upcoming release, Cosmic Connection? Once there are videos or even audio clips available, I will be posting away. I expect the new album to be nothing short of brilliant.
I haven't been listening to Stoney Curtis exclusively, though. In fact, I've been listening to a friend of his, Chris Logan, providing lead vocals for the Michael Schenker Group. I consider myself a lucky girl in that I occasionally get to see both Curtis and Chris share the stage. It's like musical magic. Anyhow, from MSG and Chris, "On & On".
I gotta get back to the salt mines, so enjoy the music and have a great day.
Okay, I'm sneaking one more in. My favorite song with Logan on vocals. From Jake E. Lee's Retraced, "I'll Be Creepin'".
And from Curtis again..."Bullets". Heavy, but fabulous.
Someone obviously broke into my brain and accessed the file marked "Beautiful Guitar". I know who that person is and thank him for directing to Andy Timmons. Part of me says I've heard of him and part of me says I haven't. I stopped caring about 3 seconds into "Electric Gypsy". Music, as always, wins every argument I ever have with myself.
As much as I'd prefer this first tune to be Andy playing live, I opted for the clearest, prettiest recording available instead. Once you hear it, I think you'll agree this was a good choice.
Prevailing wisdom says I should write up something about Timmons, but I honestly don't feel cobbling together a bunch of facts from a few websites will enhance the music any. So, just have a listen and Google him if you're interested. That's what I do.
I have many favorite performers these days. While they span the full spectrum of music, blues often gets top billing. This is for good reason: blues draws on the human experience in a way that reaches deep within you and can’t help but elicit a response.
This week’s Two-fer features Zac Harmon (auto start music warning), winner of the 2004 International Blues Challenge with his band the Mid South Blues Revue. Since then, he’s been touring the world, impressing audiences with his tough, but sensitve, approach to the blues. Harmon’s sets can include everything from deep blues to gospel to solid R&B. There’s a little something for everyone. I saw Harmon here in Vegas recently and his show was nothing short of astounding. I would have gladly stood in front of the stage the entire time, but the man made me want to move my feet!
What could one possibly say about B.B. King that hasn’t already been said before?
I have always loved him and, yet, I’ve never seen him live. I had the chance a couple times, but something always happened to prevent me from actually getting to the show. Well, not last night.
Yes, after years and years and years of waiting, I finally saw B.B. King live and in person. Not only that, but I got to meet him. I’ve been home for a few hours and I’m still trying to come down from the high of that experience. While B.B. doesn’t play guitar nearly as much as he used to, he still sings beautifully and his stories…those have to be heard to understand just how special they are. When he did play, it was as if the years fell away and he was a young man again. A young man with a passion for the blues.
I was quite surprised after the show that he invited people up to “come say hello”. Everyone was patient as they waited to have their chance to shake his hand, thank him, and/or have him sign something. Sadly, my B.B. King Treasures book is sitting in storage in San Diego or I’d have had that autographed. (Yep, I’m a fan girl through and through!) However, I did manage to get him to sign my ticket voucher. It was either that or offer up a body part and that hardly seemed appropriate for the King of the Blues.
One of the most magical moments of the entire night, though, came when Stoney Curtis (Stoney Curtis Band) told B.B. that seeing him perform at the Chicago Blues Festival back in 1980 or 81 changed his life and his musical aspirations. Right before my eyes, I saw them go from fan and idol to kindred spirits having this amazing moment together. Sadly, the one photo I got of that moment didn’t turn out so well, but the experience of watching it happen will stick with me forever.
I joke with my son that this next tune is his. My own little Blues Boy knows the blues and he likes this one.
(MuddyBoy61 – B.B. King, “Nobody Loves Me But My Mother”)
And here is a video I’ve loved for years. “Thrill is Gone” was my daughter’s favorite song for several years when she was a little girl. I called her last night as I was on my way to the concert and we talked about the tune. It brought back many memories of a time that seems all too far away these days.
(BBKingVevo – B.B. King ft. Tracy Chapman, “Thrill is Gone”)
The few photos we took after the show are posted on Flickr.
Honestly, I had something else in mind when I started planning this week’s Two-fer Tuesday. However, XM Radio messed me up with a string of 70s awesomeness, which included Suzi Quatro. Who didn’t love Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days? C’mon, she was the coolest character next to Fonzie. Hell, she outcooled the cool-meister!
There are a couple generations who only know of Leather via reruns and they have no clue that Suzi Quatro had been singing her heart out for several years before she ever set foot on the set of a TV sitcom in the late 70s. She was cast without an audition as Leather Tuscadero after Happy Days producer Garry Marshall saw her poster on his daughter’s bedroom wall.
Quatro’s “Devil Gate Drive” was used on Happy Days, as incongruous as it was, during the episode when Joanie thinks she’s ready to leave home and hit the road as one of Leather’s backup singers. (I know, it’s wrong that I know all this. I have a head for mindless trivia, I tell ya.)
Suzi Quatro, who just celebrated her 60th birthday (the woman does NOT look 60), has been living in the UK for decades and can still be found performing throughout Europe. Now that, my friends, is how you rock!
Also recommended listening for today: The BS Blog’s Turn It Up Tuesday selections.
Had to dig deep in the ol’ databank for these. If anyone else remembers them, I’ll be very surprised. We won’t even discuss the miles of satin on the man. Okay, maybe just a little. That’s a lot of satin! (I’m done now.)
Personally, I really enjoy revisiting music from “way back when”, music I listened to while growing up. I have fond memories of lying in bed with the radio next to my ear. Listening to a scratchy AM station, falling asleep to the music. Summers were spent walking down to the 7-Eleven to buy the little book of lyrics to all the 70s pop songs and a few 45s. Seriously, all my chore money went toward music even when I was a kid. Guess some things never change.
Now, listen carefully: I don’t like Shania Twain. Or rather, I hated what she became. That super polished and fashion-y poser. The songs below? A look at how good she once was. The second video is one of my early favorites from CMT.
I understand the desire to capitalize on whatever gifts one has been given, but to bank so heavily on looks rather than substance, well, it rubs me the wrong way. Especially because Shania possesses a great deal of talent. Yes, she reached a whole new level of fame and was able to make great money, however there were many people who turned away because they couldn’t just enjoy the music without having all that Twain-ness constantly rubbed in their faces. I was one of those people. Sure, there were a couple songs here and there that I could listen to and separate from her, mostly after I stopped watching any sort of music TV or country awards shows, but the damage was done.
Instead of dwelling on the negative, I’ve decided to embrace what I liked most about Shania Twain in the first place.
Once upon a time I hated Rod Stewart. I was five years old and my older sister told me I looked like him (I had a shag haircut and, granted, it was awful). I wept. I tried to break her album. I tried to kick her. But nothing worked. It took me years to grow into loving Rod, but it did happen and I was glad that the name my sister had uttered stuck in my mind.
I’ve seen Rod the Mod in concert a number of times, each show better than the last. Bagpipes, a soccer ball, running and jumping about, and the ability to deliver a damn good time has always been part of what makes Stewart special to me. Throw in a former boyfriend who usually accompanied me and some songs that make my heart beat erratically and it’s a recipe for awesome. Yes, I said a recipe for awesome.
While there is at least one generation who hear the name Rod Stewart and think he only does the old standards, let us please disavow this notion with a look back at the man in earlier times.
(rockinjac – Rod Stewart & the Faces, “Stay With Me”)
(dawgmusic – Rod Stewart and the Faces, “I’d Rather Go Blind”)
For those of you who hold fond memories of Rod going solo in the 70s, here’s a bonus video, albeit one from later in his career but he’s still rockin’ the tune! Every Picture Tells A Story is very likely my favorite Stewart album of all times although Gasoline Alley is a close second.
(rockinjac – Rod Stewart, “Every Picture Tells A Story”)
One of the things we love about music is that it has the power to join people together in many ways. Music truly is a universal language. A simple melody, words you can learn phonetically (think “Frère Jacques”), and the spirit of the tune are all enough to break down barriers, to end shyness, to cause you to reach out a hand to a stranger. It opens doors, heals the soul, and gives voice to those who might otherwise be too afraid to speak.
Take, for instance, Sarah McLachlan and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. From the looks of things, you wouldn’t imagine there’d be any common ground. However, in the depths of a major depression, McDaniels heard McLachlan’s song “Angel” and he found the necessary wherewithal to reassess his life and career. While writing his autobiography, McDaniels discovered he’d been adopted as an infant. This led to a VH-1 special, the Felix Organization, and the song “Just Like Me.” While recording with his musical angel McLachlan, she revealed that she, too, was adopted. Once again, music opened a door to bring people together and gave voice to a group of people who weren’t necessarily represented in song before. I might have never known about this story if not for meeting McDaniels at a Harley event in 2008. If witnessing a rapper confessing his depression, adoption story, and his obsession with Sarah McLachlan before a throng of bikers isn’t a little surprising, I don’t know what is. What I do know is that I was deeply moved by his story and his involvement with foster care and adoption organizations. Gotta love a man who stands up, speaks his mind, and does something to improve the lives of others.
While I’m on this particular train of thought, why not include the duet that put RunDMC on the map? That would be “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith. Being of the generation that witnessed this pairing and who can visual Steven Tyler with lips that were still half the size of Texas at the time, I vividly recall thinking, “this is damn cool!” and rocked along with both bands.
(bustedkeys – Run-DMC ft. Aerosmith, “Walk This Way”)
Nothing groundbreaking these days, but once upon a time, this was a big deal. Aerosmith and Run-DMC both found new audiences and more than a little money was made along the way.
Pull yer red hair back into a couple long braids, grab a bandanna, a guitar, and tear up your tax forms! It’s Willie Nelson Day!
Yes, I know the redheaded stranger recently cropped his locks, but in our hearts his head will always sport those braids.
I can’t leave you on a quiet, mellow note, can I? No! Let’s get our toes tappin’ and have a great day! Believe it or not, this was often the last song I heard in the morning as I headed out the door for school. (My parents had music going all the time.)
Back in 1980 or 81, my boyfriend and I were cruising Sears (or KMart), making our favorite stop at the bargain tape bin (tapes were what we crazy kids listened to back then when we weren’t hauling out the vinyl). Our prize discovery of the day was Cognac & Bologna by Doug & the Slugs. I fell in love with the band instantly.
A little quirky, but a whole lotta great hook-laden music poured forth from the speakers for the next year or two, which was quite a feat back then because most tapes had a shelf-life of six months or so. Anyhow, I’ve never forgotten the band.
Lead singer Doug Bennett died in 2004, leaving Canada and the rest of the world a little poorer without him. Just listen to his opening comments on the following tune. And seriously? Who else could get away with a song called “Chinatown Calculation”? Who wouldn’t love a guy like that?
(furrydrummer – Doug & the Slugs, “Chinatown Calculation”)
You may recognize the song in this last video as the theme song from the Norm Show.
Bascom Hill’s new video debuted Wednesday, June 9, on YouTube. The hook-y, party vibe tune features Lou Ferrigno as a fairy godfather of sorts. Fun, inoffensive, and all of 3:45 long, it’s worth a look. Watch for this song to top the charts this summer as it’s the perfect feel-good tune for warm days around the pool, at the beach, or even if you’re stuck working at Hot Dog on a Stick at the mall.
Bascom Hill is Charlie Victor, Lead Vocals; Tom Reschke, Drums; Quin Stickler, Bass; Jason Sheridan, Acoustic Guitar.
Some movies are propelled by a good story. Some rely on music to set the theme. And some manage to weave the two together. Back in the 80s, two movies relied on music to tell the story, to hell with a decent plotline. Both starred Michael Paré.
First up is “On Dark Side” from Eddie & The Cruisers, with the music provided by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. Any decent cover band for the past twenty-some-odd-years had to know this song. I believe it was required by law.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’d seen the movie enough times to know every line by heart. Almost. Hey, I worked in a video store and the music helped pass the time. Besides, my co-worker would have killed me if I’d played the Fleetwood Mac Tusk video again.
The second song is from Streets of Fire, a lamentable flick to be sure, but who could resist the beautiful Diane Lane and sexy, but oddly pornstar-moustachioed Michael Paré as former lovers in peril because nasty biker boy Raven Shaddock (played by Willem DaFoe) kidnaps the fair Ellen Aim (Lane). I don’t recall if there was ever any reason given for the kidnapping, but it’s not really important, is it? The soundtrack was what made the movie, thanks to Ry Cooder, Dan Hartman, and Jim Steinman, amongst others. If “Nowhere Fast” and “Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young” sound familiar it’s due to Steinman’s tried and true rock operatic approach that worked so well for Meatloaf.
I never claimed these were the best movies of the 80s, but damn if they didn’t have some great tunes. And damn if they don’t still make me sing along.
As I patiently await the new Cyndi Lauper blues album (due June 22, 2010), I decided to take a listen to the 80s icon’s song library and see if I could spot anything that would hint at her ability to do the blues justice. By now, most of us have seen her performance on Celebrity Apprentice and if you’re anything like me, you’re left wondering if Memphis Blues will remain a curiosity album or if she’ll be able to dig deep and deliver anything gutsy. Again, I went looking and I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple videos that lead me to believe Memphis Blues might not entirely suck.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I came of age in the 80s and was definitely someone who embraced the crazy clothes and big hair. I had my share of “She Bop” moments, indeed. However, there was a point where I grew up and assumed Cyndi had moved on to something else, or at the very least was riding the tide of her success as fully as she could. I assumed as much for all my favorite 80s bands. So, it is with an adventurous heart that I dove in to this challenge to discover what I’d missed out on in the last 20 some odd years.
First up is “I’ll Be Your River” from her 2005 album Body Acoustic. The song and her delivery is heartfelt and earnest in the promise to be there when you “need someone to fall into”. Lauper and co-writer Tom Hammer have crafted one of the loveliest tunes I’ve heard in a long time. And yes, I realize I’m five years late in this sentiment.
(xicopires video for Cyndi Lauper’s “I’ll Be Your River”)
And while “I’ll Be Your River” isn’t really the blues, it does show a depth of vocal talent that transcends genre and hints at the potential for the June release. Even better, I found a video from 2003 with Cyndi’s take on “At Last”. She does the song proud (better than Beyonce, I might add).
Nowhere in either of these songs — nor in the bonus third video for “Above The Clouds” (co-authored with Jeff Beck and Jed Leiber, again from Body Acoustic) — do you find the expected exuberance or what I call the Lauper squeak. Nowhere. All you have is pure vocals that sound more mature than one has come to associate with Lauper. Not that she’s not delightful when she’s all wound up, but it’s a very pleasant surprise to discover her range once she exercises her talents.
None of this is surprising to Cyndi Lauper fans, but to those of us who mostly remember her as a girl who just wanted to have fun and who believed the Goonies were good enough, these songs are more mature, a bit deeper, and utterly beautiful in their contrast to how we’ve come to see her.
The cuts I’ve heard from Memphis Blues aren’t nearly as restrained vocally as she’s achieved in the past, but I haven’t heard the entire album yet and I’m willing to withhold judgment until I do. Even if Lauper reverts back to her trademark ebullience, I think the blues world should consider themselves lucky to have someone of her caliber coming in to shake things up a bit.
