45 years ago today, 2/28/1970 – Van Morrison released the Moondance album. I jotted down a few thoughts on what I think in 2015. Van Morrison’s second Warner Brothers album is so good; it arguably could have been a ‘best of’ collection. One of those rare records in which there’s no bad tracks. At least …
Month: February 2015
I’ve never understood the fascination that my friends have for ABBA. My ABBA compilation, would be a 4 song EP. Their music is a piece of chalk marinated in vinegar. However, I have a soft-spot for the 1975 Frida ensam (“Frida Alone”) LP. Sung all in Swedish, it includes versions of Bowie’s “Liv på Mars?” …
Saturday night February 21 Reagan Youth headlined an all out punk show at Seattle’s foremost punk venue El Corazon. I head south the 12 miles from my home only to realize I’d left the house without my ID and had to drive all the way back to retrieve it. DOH! So unfortunately I missed the …
Bob’s Burgers is my favorite show of all time. Every night except Sunday I forego whatever’s on now in order to re-watch and re-enjoy the utterly perfect first season of Bob’s Burgers. On Sundays I patiently wait for whatever new episode of Bob’s Burgers awaits me. Sleater-Kinney is one of the most stupendous rock’n roll …
As a father of two boys, I devoted much time with them in the back yard and at the park playing baseball. When I constructed a flower box in the back yard, I also built a pitching mound. Since my boys and I loved baseball, I was delighted to be involved with them not only …
The late Lesley Gore was on the epochal T.A.M.I. Show; that’s epitaph enough for any pop star from the 60s. Here’s her full set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0y1Rr5kPII My favorite was “She’s a Fool,” with its unforgettable, unexplainable backing vocal hook of “shacka doula.” When you’ve got Quincy Jones producing and Claus Ogerman arranging, you can turn otherwise …
Here are four old guys from Stockholm who do a great job with this Breeders cover: While writing and rehearsing original material for their upcoming album, Frog Bouquet – Covers From Our Space, Stockholm’s finest rock rangers The Stuff also explored the deep vaults of the last 45 years of music history. Each week in …
The first and still the best of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” covers: Tori Amos will release 2-CD deluxe editions of her debut and sophomore solo albums, Little Earthquakes and Under The Pink on April 14th via Rhino. Each record is newly re-mastered and paired with an entire disc of rare B-sides and bonus tracks. …
Fat Tuesday. We jump to observe indulgence for indulgence sake. For some, overdoing is where Mardi Gras begins and ends. It may not cross our minds to detox from a decadence for a period of time, afterwards. Or pick up a habit that has the equivalent result. At the very least, we might not ever …
Here’s a good Bill Simmons piece on the SNL 40 special: http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/ready-for-prime-time-the-giddy-brilliant-and-ok-somewhat-bloated-snl-40/ I actually managed to catch most of it last night, though I wasn’t even aware it was on until partway through. The one comment I would add is that Paul Simon’s appearance at the end was a little dispiriting. His voice sounded every …
Portland’s own Ultra Van Krome has just released a fantastic new album called Cyber Funkist and below are two choice cuts from that very same work. The album has eight songs and they’re all spectacular, definitely worth purchasing, if you can find it anywhere. Ultra Van Krome aka Stevie Ray Mays is a musician, comedian, …
I’m ….slightly …..disconcerted by her attire ………….. but this is top class pop music. Yowzah!!” – Mike Hughes
When a band named Our Man in Berlin relases a tune called “Molière,” well, you pretty much have to share it with the world. Those names sound like the mid 80s are back, and the tune doesn’t disappoint. Late period Roxy Music must still be in vogue in Australia and that’s a good thing. The …
With the glow still fresh from the San Francisco Giants’ recent championship, there was no question that I would attend their Fan Fest last weekend. I took both of my daughters with me, and I looked forward to seeing its attractions and avoiding the autograph lines, having spent the previous two Fan Fests standing on …
This is a delicious jazz tune. Please listen well. Jazz pop songstress Amana Melomé is premiering an intimate, in-studio video for her single “Icarus” off of her recently released Lock and Key, an EP produced by The Decoders‘ Adam Berg and Itai Shapira. Amana has previously headlined events for Fendi and Dior and held a …
On Friday night February 6 everyone and anyone who’s punk headed to El Corazon for a wild evening headlined by legendary So. Cal punkers The Dickies. This was my third time seeing the Dickies and I think they get wilder each time. The very second The Dickies hit the stage, the packed crowd was ignited …
In 2002, Rik Swartzwelder released an incredible short film called The Least of These which was based on Tony Campolo’s Agnes story. It was amazing, a powerful little movie bulging with classic lines like, “The kind of church which throws birthday parties for whores at 2 o’clock in the morning,” “Someone has to cut the …
Meet Sirena and her brand new single, “Lunar Lights.” Thanks to the recent successes of Mapei, Seinabo Sey and Elliphant, modern Sweden seems to be perfect breeding ground for high quality pop and talented singers. Another artist making such an upward crawl is Sirena, a 22-year-old Stockholm-Barcelona based singer and songwriter. Writing poetry and singing …
The triumphs of ancient Rome were something of a victory parade on steroids. Usually celebrated after a major conquest, they were long processions that included captives on display and soldiers of the victorious army marching and singing salacious songs at their leader’s expense. In the midst of the procession, the victorious general or emperor would …