Music player back online

...albeit w/ a different look than before. Oh well.

Music player offline

Sorry. Not much new here anyhow, so...

Just cuz I know you really care

It's about that time for me to review what's in the old blog playlist these days (and don't say, "A lot," smart aleck).

• "Black Cow" -- Steely Dan, Aja (1977): Quintessential '70s jazz-rock w/ some great narrative, good solos (Victor Feldman on electric piano, Tom Scott on sax)...and it's the Dan, so it must be good, right?
• "Low Down" -- Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (1976): Funky piece by Boz to whom I was really introduced by a co-worker and now really can't go much longer than a day without taking a listen.
• "Fascinating Rhythm" -- Dave Grusin, The Gershwin Connection (1991): Grusin (probably known best, somewhat unfortunately, for the theme to St. Elsewhere) keys this Gershwin arrangement with one of my favorite drummers (Dave Weckl) and my favorite vibraphonist (Gary Burton).
• "Follow Me" -- Pat Metheny Group, Imaginary Day (1997): Just a chill instrumental with cool guitar effects and driving piano by Lyle Mays.
• "DJ Culture" -- Pet Shop Boys, Discography (1991): Why not?
• "Again and Again" -- The Bird and the Bee, The Bird and the Bee (2007): Catchy post-pop ditty (recently performed rather sketchily, IMHO, on The Tonight Show).
• "Keep Moving" -- Ivy, In the Clear (2005): Dark yet bouncy (a la Saint Etienne), rife with melancholic trumpet...genius.
• "Reelin' In the Years (Live)" -- Steely Dan, Alive in America (1995): Great re-imagining of the original Dan classic; features Cornelius Bumpus on sax and Georg Wadenius on guitar.
• "Undertow" -- Chroma Key, Dead Air for Radios (1999): Dream Theater member's side project; just because...
• "Come In Out of the Rain" -- Engineers, Engineers (2005): Hailed by many in the Brit press for being at the vanguard of that nation's new music movement.
• "Soul Circus" -- Victor Wooten, Soul Circus (2005): Flecktone bass deity goes to town and adds some (more) soul.
• "Check the Rhime" -- A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991): Killer track from seminal collective's debut album.
• "Green Earrings" -- Steely Dan, The Royal Scam (1976): For a long time, my favorite Steely track; great bass and guitar work, especially in the bridge.
• "Opening" -- Philip Glass, Glassworks (1990): Sparse piano provides insights into the minimalist mind of Glass.
• "The Night Belongs to Mona" -- Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat (2006): Post-9.11 paranoia takes hold of a formerly bubbly Manhattanite, but Fagen makes it fun (sort of).
• "The Hook" -- Stephen Malkmus, Stephen Malkmus (2001): Fun narrative piece by the former Pavement front man.
• "Political Science" -- Randy Newman, The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 1 (2003): Even though it was written in the '70s, this song (this version is only Newman and his piano).
• "Back In the Day" -- Christina Aguilera, Back to Basics (2006): Xtina's paean to those who came before.
• "Almost Gothic" -- Steely Dan, Two Against Nature (2000): My favorite song from Becker and Fagen's Grammy-winning comeback.
• "Nothing Personal" -- Stefon Harris & Blackout, Evolution (2004): Driving, vibraphone-driven combo jam.
• "3 Sides" -- W. Ellington Felton, Outrospective: Me Then, Me Now: DC-based conscious artist who DJs (at least, until recently he did) during Belgian Beer Happy Hour at Bohemian Caverns.
• "Pixeleen" -- Steely Dan, Everything Must Go (2003): The Dan turn gamers (or is it indie auteurs) and manipulate an impressionable and attractive youth.
• "Everywhen" -- Massive Attack, 100th Window (2003): These trip-hop pioneers go at it again in this really dark (but mesmerizing) piece.
• "The Hollow" -- A Perfect Circle, Mer de Noms (2000): I can't believe this Tool frontman "side project" album is seven years old.
• "Premonition" -- Manic (2006 [?]): Downloaded from Amie Street; a good counterpoint to "Everywhen."
• "Down In the Bottom" -- Walter Becker, 11 Tracks of Whack (1994): First track off of the long-silent other Dan-ite's debut solo album.
• "That Door" -- Grow (2006 [?]): See "Premonition"; sounds like the Max Weinberg 7 dropped a little of the swing and added some funk (and vocals).
• "Sal Mineo" -- Doxy, Doxy Demos (2006 [?]): See "That Door"; hard-driving track that I like, but I must admit that any band that uses the name of a relatively long-forgotten movie star/murder victim will win my vote any day.
• "Jet Lag" -- Joss Stone, Mind, Body & Soul (2004): Bluesy pop from the apparent reigning queen of that idiom.
• "Sleepless" -- Marconi Union, Distance (2006): Don't try any lifting and don't operate heavy machinery after listening to this coma-inducing sonicscape.
• "Coming Back to Life" -- Pink Floyd, The Division Bell (1994): All the things one likes about more recent Floyd (i.e., strong Gilmour guitar, intros that last for three minutes, no Roger Waters muckin' about).
• "Dr. Wu" -- Steely Dan, Katy Lied (1975): Phil Woods' sax solo is but one piece of this masterful musical puzzle.
• "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution" -- Esthero, Wikked Lil' Grrrls (2005): The title says it all.

If you'd like more information on any of these tracks, let me know; I just don't particularly feel like doing a bunch of links, etc., right now. Sorry.

New music

I took a little while today and made some revisions to the playlist at right. Hope you enjoy.

"TSSB": The discussion rages on...

If you're interested -- and I know you are -- in a follow-up to my last post, here's a list of all of the folks who have performed "TSSB" at the Super Bowl. If only the one Charlie's Angel (not an original, mind you, but a long-standing crime-fighting cutie) and the citrus spokeswoman-cum-anti-gay loudmouth had performed together.

Also, it's mildly ironic (or is it coincidence?) to note that the Dixie Chicks sang the national anthem before Super Bowl XXXVII (even though I have a pretty good grasp on Roman numerals, I just wish they'd write "Super Bowl 37"), just 43 days before they incurred the wrath of red-state America (and their all-too-eager [and none-too-charming, IMHO {I usually avoid Internet abbreviations/slang, but for this blog entry and for you, dear readers, I'll make an exception}] champion, Toby Keith).

Am I unpatriotic?

On Frozen Blog addresses one of my pet peeves in attending sporting events in the DC area; in fact, it's my biggest pet peeve after knowing full well that 90 percent of the people around here don't care two whits about any team other than the Redskins. (Hello, people...the team is 4-9 with Joe Gibbs, Gregg Williams, Al Saunders, the ghosts of George Allen père [that's two posts today referencing that family -- hope I don't have some sort of Allen-o-philia] and Vince Lombardi, and Santa Claus on the coaching staff, so they ain't goin' nowhere this year -- or, with any luck and some blessings from the football deities, next season either.)

I'm very open about the fact that I think "The Star-Spangled Banner" (I will abbreviate hereafter as "TSSB") is a terrible national anthem. "Why?" you ask.

1. It's about a flag, not a country.
2. Speaking more to that point, can most Americans honestly say they know how the song/poem came to be? If not, it loses even more meaning.
   
3. Unless you're a fairly competent vocalist, it's hard to sing.
   
4. Given (3), if a large-enough crowd attempts to sing it -- and if you're at a sporting event, a good number of folks have probably been a bit over-served already, so to speak -- it just sounds bad.
5. Of course, if they are over-served, it fits right in, considering that "To Anacreon in Heaven," the tune to which the Key poem was set, was, more or less, a drinking song.
   

As such, I'd be very amenable to changing our national anthem to "America the Beautiful" (this is the U.S. Navy Band [with the Sea Chanters], pre-Randy or Deech) or "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (the Coast Guard Band here) -- even with their theistic references, which I am leery of using in this nation that purports to celebrate separation of church and state -- because they speak to the history, beauty, and wonder of the United States and not to a bombed-out Free State flag.

All that being said, however, for the time being, show some respect for "TSSB" (gotta love Hendrix, who was, of course, a parachute infantryman with the 101^st Airborne) as well as for the men and women who have fought and died defending the very flag about which we sing (albeit poorly more often than not) and protecting rights like criticizing the validity of our national "song."

* * * * *

On a related note, does anyone know where one might find audio and/or video clips of James Earl Jones reciting "TTSB" before last night's (12.13.06) Wizards-Nuggets tilt at the Phone Booth? If so, let me know.

* * * * *

If you're wondering, the flag above is the 32-star model in use from 7.4.1858 to 7.3.1859 -- the 32^nd state being Minnesota, of course. (I apologize for using the Rouser as the clip as it's not the state song, but it's peppier and I actually know the words to it.)

Cool music site

I highly recommend checking out Amie Street (pronounced like "Amy"). The site's raison d'être:

Amie Street is charting the future course of music retail because we price music right–all songs start free and rise in price the more they are purchased–and because we have created a social network that facilitates music discovery. Our dynamic prices allow fans to buy music without breaking their banks and they serve as a useful tool for finding great music. We believe that people will support independent artists and buy their music when the community determines the price. On Amie Street every member matters, every purchase impacts. We know music is social. The process of music discovery is stunted by traditional digital music retail sites because they are not social (or fun). Music discovery is best catalyzed by communication between people; we reward fans for recommending songs to each other by giving them credit to buy more music. Whether you spend two minutes or two hours on our site you are connected to a world of music lovers.We want all artists on Amie Street to be successful, to get their music heard and to make money, and we believe that our unique marketplace will accomplish this goal to a degree never achieved before. We endorse our artists by giving them 70% of song sales and never taking ownership of their creative work.Amie Street is where bands and fans run the show. Move to Amie Street, music lives here.

I've already created a playlist of the seven songs made downloadable by Lush Progress, which you can see (and hit "play" on) at the top right of the page.

As a result, the "SD Primer" post containing the nine-track Dan sampler has been relegated to another spot.

Best living songwriters? I think not!

While fiddling around on Paste's website, I found the publication's list of 100 best living songwriters. Of course, not seeing the creative forces behind my favorite group in this inventory irritates me -- especially so because there are numerous artists on the list who haven't produced any significant work in years, if not decades (e.g., Yusuf Islam née Cat Stevens née Steve Georgiou at #49 [he does have a new album, it's true, but I question its quality, given that his fairly strict Muslim beliefs have largely precluded him from singing secular music for the better part of three decades]) and several who -- at least, to my liking -- don't have the breadth (e.g., Josh Ritter at #97 [I don't have the inclination to comb through this list extensively, but anyone younger than me has little or no business being on the list]) or depth of work to justify inclusion (e.g., Michael Jackson at #72 [yes, he's a pop icon, but, to my ears, many of his songs are interchangeable]).

Here are the top 10:

10. Prince
9. Joni Mitchell
8. Elvis Costello
7. Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
6. Leonard Cohen
5. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)
4. Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan
3. Bruce Springsteen
2. Neil Young (Buffalo Sprinfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
1. Bob Dylan

I must admit that I don't listen to most of these folks. I've just gotten "into" The Beatles, so I'm finally coming to like Paul and John's '60s output. (From what I've heard, however, the former should stick to popular music and leave the oratorios and the like to the professionals. The link for the latter is "courtesy of" his much-reviled widow, so haters beware!) Pet Sounds is a landmark in American music, so kudos to the reclusive Wilson (or should I say "the formerly reclusive Wilson"). There are a couple of Leonard Cohen songs I like ("Everybody Knows" [sample available here] and "Waiting for the Miracle" [first heard by me as part of the Natural Born Killers soundtrack album]) and I must give mad props to my fellow Twin Citian at #10. (The Purple One's official website "was abruptly shut down on July 3, 2006" and the MySpace link provided on his Wikipedia page doesn't work, hence the link to his club in Vegas [at which, coincidentally, Esthero is performing tomorrow night].)

Perhaps my musical tastes are not well-developed (read as "he's closed-minded"), but maybe I like it that way, so there!

Dub El, et al @ BoCav 11.28.06

If you haven't checked out Belgian Beer Happy Hour at Bohemian Caverns on Tuesday nights, I highly recommend it. Not only do you get a great deal on really good brews (no Blue Moons [i.e., fake white beers perpetrated on the world by mega-corps]), but you can hear the DJ stylings -- and often the live music -- of W. Ellington Felton, who, as the opening act for Esthero at the Birchmere in mid-August, was off the hook and whose newest joint, Outrospective: Me Then, Me Now, is excellent as well. (Usually, I would link to a site where you can purchase an album, but in this case, it's best to buy directly from Dub Ell at a gig, at the Caverns, or if you just see him on the street.)

Here's what he has to say about the goings-on this coming Tues. (11.28.06 [with a couple of links added by yours truly]):

Do you love GREAT MUSIC, Cool People, Great food, and BELGIUM BEER?

Where can you get ALL of those things in ONE place?

DUB's PUB!!!
Every tuesday @
Bohemian Caverns
2001 11th Street NW [Google map {which allows driving directions}; across the street {at 10th and Vermont exit} from the U St. Metro stop]
Washington, DC
http://www.bohemiancaverns.com/

W.Ellington Felton spins rare grooves, classic hip hop, and the world's best underground and indie soul.

join him as he features Global and Local musical, visiual, and graphic artist.
Chimay, Delirium, Duvel, and other great belgium beers are on sale for half price...
there is a food menu that features delicious Appetizers and Entrees....

This Tuesday, November 28th 2006 Join us for a special meet n greet, listening session and performance, and celebration for the release of "Ancestors" By: The W.E.S. Group

Echoes of ancestral and native sounds can be heard in this collective of talented musicians, whose folk jazz and acoustic approach create a distinctive sound of peace and beauty. Exceptional musicians in their own right, the collaboration of these seasoned musicians exhibits the passion and spirit of a “great camp meeting in the promised land” of jazz.

ABOUT W.E.S.: http://www.myspace.com/thewesgroup [and http://www.thewesgroup.com/ as well]

W. E. S. (William E. Smith, Ph.D.) – Through studying, composing, teaching and living music, saxophonist/composer W.E.S. has sought to enrich the lives of others through sound. His family roots go deep into the history of jazz and the African-American experience. W.E.S.’s grandfather and great-uncle, owned a music publishing company in the 1920s and published music that was performed by the great King Oliver as well as Noble Sissle. Many musicians used to come by the family home on the south side of Chicago including Art Tatum. W.E.S.’s cousin Warren Smith Jr. played percussion with the Miles Davis, Gil Evans orchestra and many other notable performers. In the spirit of this legacy, W.E.S. himself has performed nationally and internationally with his group and with jazz greats such as James Moody, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Wynton Marsalis, and Jon Hendricks.

After leading a quartet under his own name (The Will Smith Quartet) for several years, W.E.S. decided to form a group with a different focus. He wanted the group to transcend the traditional classification of jazz from strictly art music, to music that has a world flavor and is not only enjoyed but inspires the best in people. W.E.S. is currently an Assistant Professor and the Jazz Ensemble Director at American University and gives lectures on jazz and hip hop at the University of Maryland, University of Delaware, and Howard University.

HERE ARE SOME REVIEWS:

"Smith's passion is evident from-the-jump. He has a kind of take no prisoners approach that is full of youthful fire…"

Willard Jenkins, JazzTimes Magazine

"[Will is] an accomplished musician with a confident sound and an appealing repertoire, who brings to mind "the legacy of John Coltrane."

Mike Joyce, Washington Post

"Smith freely channels the spirits of Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and other masters with minimal derivativeness, but comes up with his own muscular style."

Eric Brace, Washington Post

Not too happy (yet)

Just found out that Steely Dan is playing a live gig in Santa Ynez, California in mid-January. I don't know if the duo is playing with their fans' minds by calling that page "Steely Dan: Live '07," thus giving, at least this fair fanatic, the idea that more shows may be forthcoming. We shall see.

I lied (about not being able to post, that is)

I would be remiss if, at a minimum, I didn't pass along a note of praise for my friend Chris' "new music" group, the Great Noise Ensemble, which I had the good fortune to hear this past Friday (11.17.06) at the Sumner School.

During the performance, they performed:

• a ritornello centered on variations on late-16th- and early-17th-century sacred music composer Michael Praetorius' "Puer Natus in Bethlehem";
• a concerto with 10 movements - each featuring a different instrument or instruments - by GNE tubist Blair Goins (second and fourth movements featuring banjo and cello and piano, respectively, available for online listening);
• a four-movement piece by violinist Heather Figi entitled "The Softest Bite," which draws heavily from Satie (his "Gymnopédies" are among my favorite "classical" works) and the vamping of jazz bassist Avishai Cohen (I didn't pick these components out - it was in the program); and
• a post-modern classical fusion extravaganza called General Electric, which, to my mind, evoked the pomposity of ELP, the sonic density of Mellon Collie-era Smashing Pumpkins, the symphonic ambitions of The Moody Blues (circa 1967), the Kraut-electro-rock of Tangerine Dream, and the Americana of Copland (these, I picked out, but have not had confirmed nor denied).

It's true that the type of music GNE plays is not for everyone (I'll admit to having a bit of difficulty with some of the work myself), but if you're a bit adventurous and appreciate musicianship in a very pure form (and you live in or around DC), you should definitely give them a listen.

*** out of ****

Sign of the apocalypse, number 581

From PerezHilton.com via All Headline News via The Fix (Salon's, not WaPo's):

"I may not have the type of voice you like, but I can sing. You can't take that away from me, 'cause singing is a gift from God, and when people say I can't sing, it's kind of like insulting God."
-- Fergie (BEP, not HRH) in Vibe

I'll take "Messianic Complexes" for 800, Alex.

ABTMNE, Part II

Following up on my previous post, I did some more digging around and found videos of people (not sure if they're scientists who invented this thing or just random guys off the street) "playing" a guitar, tambourine, and guiro (percussionists everywhere beware!). I can't believe there's now such a thing as "air guiro"; that's like saying we've been at war for 1,294 days since a president declared the "mission [to be] accomplished" (thanks, Keith Olbermann [I have found him obnoxious on his news programs and long for those heady days of the early- and mid-'90s during which time he partnered with Dan Patrick to form a very entertaining Sportscenter anchor duo]).

A boon to music nerds everywhere

A fellow Wonderjack fan, general music maven, and MySpace blogger par excellence, Melissa DePaulis, has made known to me (and now, you) a new article of clothing, which, if functional as advertised, may change the lives of millions of wannabe Jimi Hendrixes, Eric Claptons, and Yngwie Malmsteens around the world.

An SD primer

For those of you wondering why I like them so much, a song (most of them "slow jams" or "chill-out" joints) from each Steely Dan studio album:

• "Fire In The Hole" (Can't Buy A Thrill [1972])
• "Razor Boy" (Countdown To Ecstasy [1973])
• "Pretzel Logic" (Pretzel Logic [1974])
• "Doctor Wu" (Katy Lied [1975])
• "Don't Take Me Alive" (The Royal Scam [1976])
• "Aja" (pronounced like the continent on which China sits) (Aja [1977])
• "Gaucho" (Gaucho [1980])
• "Almost Gothic" (Two Against Nature [2000])
• "Green Book" (Everything Must Go [2003])

Unfortunately, "Bethlehem Steel" had to go so that I could educate the world as to the wonders of the Dan. ;)

Please vote on your favorite song below and then click on the link back to this page.

Which of the songs in the Steely Dan playlist do you like the most?

"Fire In The Hole" "Razor Boy" "Pretzel Logic" "Doctor Wu" "Don't Take Me Alive" "Aja" "Gaucho" "Almost Gothic" "Green Book"
View Results

Impulse buys

How does one spend one's weekend - as well as the beginning of one's work week - when one has little to do and is relatively flush with cash?

The Best of Blondie

Hits!

Only Revolutions (links to a previous blog entry)

In addition, I've received the following by post over the past couple of days:

Dead Air For Radios

The Beatles 1

The Boogeyman and Bourdain

I found this at WILD PUCK BANTER and thought it was one of the more one-sided hockey fights I've ever seen. Of course, I'm a bit biased given that Derek Boogaard is part of one of my hometown NHL teams.

Can you tell there's not much going on for me today other than watching Wonderjack play at the 20-mile mark of the Marine Corps Marathon?

NOW READING

This entry is FUtastic (w/ a little bit of "X" thrown in for good measure)

Last night, I went to see my friend Chris's band, Dr. FU, at the Clarendon Grill (I recommend the hummus and pita, which has a bit of Southwestern tinge to it [i.e., cumin]). This was the first time I had seen said FU since what was, apparently, one of their first gigs ever - if not their first gig ever - some years ago as openers for Wonderjack - the band whose percussiveness comes from a fellow (i.e., of mine) WHS alum (albeit in a different building than the current high school), Randall A. Johnson (better known to the world as "Randy") - at Rhodeside Grill.

Although, in many instances, I am no great fan of '80s pop-metal (which makes up a large portion of their ouevre), the five-piece doctorate plied their musical trade with great aplomb and enthusiasm. I'd like to send a special shout out to lead singer Sunny, whose unique vocals brought new life to classics like "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Boys of Summer" (The Ataris' version more so than the original Don Henley yawner [just clicking on his site makes me break out in hives]), and "It's Tricky" (yes, you read that right - the Run-D.M.C. classic) and who, sadly, is leaving the band to have a baby. Congrats on the impending birth, best of luck, and thanks - both to you and to the rest of the band - for a truly rockin' evening.

[A side note: Due to Sunny's departure, the FU is looking for a new lead singer.]

I'd have to say that my favorite ditty of their set was a stirring rendition of Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out." This is a family blog, so I won't say exactly what that song, in particular, kicked, but you can probably guess.

At some point - perhaps it was pre-gig - the background music (may have been satellite radio) shot in some Christina Aguilera, who is, by far, my #1 guilty pleasure music-wise. The girl can just flat-out belt, thus putting the rest of the artists with whom Xtina was initially linked genre-wise (you know who you are) to shame. On her new album, Back to Basics, I'm pretty much addicted to "Back in the Day" and "Still Dirrty."

That's all I'll say about that for now, as I wish to delay further ridicule for this inclination for, at least, a couple of weeks more.