One can trace a direct line from Louis Jordan to Chuck Berry and Little Richard to rock’n’roll. He is described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “the Father of Rhythm & Blues” and “the Grandfather of Rock’n’Roll.” Jordan usually performed with small, tightly arranged bands and did most of his work in …
Month: July 2012
Fall of ’69, I’m in elementary school, my brother is in high school and we’ve got just a handful of LPs in the basement rec room of our house in western New York – including “In a Gadda Da Vida” and the “Easy Rider” soundtrack. Our two favorite bands are Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf. (In …
This is the best pug photo I’ve seen in years; so subtle, yet so elegant. This was captioned, “Kodi and Minky having a snuggle.”
Sinatra’s confident voice acknowledged death yet evinced no fear thereto. When that dark voice was caressed by the sunny sweetness of Jobim’s deathless guitar, well… como é doce… Jobim is best known for this tune, said to be one the most recorded songs of all time. Brazilians are quite aware, but Americans may not know …
The All-Star Break is almost upon us—time for a mid-season report on the San Francisco Giants. At 46-39, the Giants are one-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, and if the season ended today they would be tied with the Mets for the second and final wild-card spot after losing four …
Last week, feeling overwhelmed by life, I e-mailed my brother in San Francisco. “I need a Giants fix,” I told him. “How about a game?” A few minutes later he e-mailed back, “Funny you should ask. The company tickets are available on Sunday. Are you interested?” God bless having a member of my immediate family …
Garbage – wow, away for seven years. It’s a bit of a personal journey for me too in the 13 years since I last saw them. Back then I was a shrinking violet at gigs, sat up in the cheap seats. Tonight, I’m not ashamed to admit that we queued two hours before doors, and …
OMG – Mayteana Morales of The Pimps of Joytime is literally too cool for school. That’s because we used to watch her on PBS’s Ghostwriters back when we were in school. – Davin Michael Stedman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD90ReIEEKY
Jess Bryant is someone I first came across in London, playing on a boat 200 metres in a straight line from where I lived. I saw her twice in quick succession and then a few times after that, but that first time, she announced with all seriousness (and she can be serious) that this was …
The King Blues have released their latest video for their new song “Wasted Words.” Even though the King Blues’ songwriter, Itch, still manages to come up with creative rhymes, the content is just another boyfriend/girlfriend breakup song with a synthetic female vocalist adding harmony. In other words, it’s just like 90% of the songs and …
The UK’s Dub Pistols have just released a video for their song “Alive.” The visuals in the video are intriguing as the band performs with a distinct reggae sound, but with a dub back beat. The song does, however, get monotonous after awhile. The overdub, electronic sounds don’t vary at all so it’s just the …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scctp8-xYX4
Daisy the pit bull who captured hearts across Portland as she remained trapped all day on an unstable ledge 50 feet below the lip of the quarry and 200 feet above the floor, has been saved by firefighters. The full story is HERE.
The importance of Andy Griffith‘s 1974 TV movie of the week, Pray for the Wildcats, is hard to understand without bathing oneself completely in the 100 minutes of sun-dappled glory featured in this small screen cinematic masterpiece, and for the sake of cinephiles everywhere I hope Wildcats is re-released now in the wake of Griffiths’ …
Girl In A Coma released their cover of the classic “Heatwave,” the song made famous by Martha and the Vandellas in 1964. Girl In A Coma’s version of the song, which was just released today, is now available on iTunes and has been picked up by JC Penney for their July national ad campaign. Girl …
Here’s “The Keepers,” the new single from Santigold’s album Master of My Make-Believe (Downtown/Atlantic), which features the portentous, oft-repeated refrain, “While we sleep in America, our house is burning down.” In the video, Santigold portrays a member of an idyllic 1950s, blonde-wigged, American family which happily and cluelessly sits down to an unappetizing meal of …
This video will remind you how great these guys were together. – Linda Newman Andersson
http://youtu.be/__HeE6NWmDE
British wildlife expert Alex Larenty, 50, calms savage cats with gentle foot-rubs. Alex, originally of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, UK, moved to South Africa in 1999. He started massaging Jamu, nine, after putting insect repellent on him one day. “I gave him a scratch and massage and he rolled around with his tongue out. Now he …