Song of the Week 6/29/07

Cheap Trick - "Surrender"

Bunnie England and the New Originals, Derby Day 2007

(from left: Paul Crane, Troy Messina, Paul Gill)

If you read last years Top 20, then you know of my creative rebirth as a member of Bunnie England and the New Originals. Thursday night we did our usual bi-monthly gig at Magnetic Field. Yet this one was rather bittersweet, as it was the last time we would have Troy behind the drum kit. He took a job as a professor down in Louisiana, making physics interesting for college age kids. (Um, well, that's what he's going to try to do.) I had known about this change for about three months, yet I still don't think I was prepared for how I felt once the night got underway. I found myself paying attention to a lot of the little details in the music; how Paul and Paul would look at each other for guidance in a song from the under-rehearsed depths of our songlist; how Paul G. would turn and make eye contact with Troy when they were going to wrap a song up; how a really great singer made their jobs so much easier; and how the three of them could really lock in and be, at that one moment, the best band on the planet.

I've read stories (and even interviewed some artists) about playing a preannounced final gig with a band. And for all my experience it usually boils down into two camps--it's either the worst night ever or the music gets carried to new heights. Thursday night was one of those nights where almost everything went right. (Well, except for where I jumped ahead a couple of measures in "Tie Your Mother Down" and the horrible take on "Tainted Love" as done by the Field's esteemed owners.) Now it's not like we were doing anything original musically, but there are points when a cover band can really knock your socks off. And I'm proud to say I got to front one of those bands for one night. Heck, I got to front one of those bands for almost two years.

Now it isn't like the band isn't going to continue in the wake of Troy's departure--the guys have lined up another drummer who we plan to start rehearsing with at the end of the month. And Troy himself was a replacement for Dave, who was in the drum seat when I first came on board as a host in 2005. But I truly loved singing and cracking jokes in front of Troy the past two years. He'd laugh at some of the stupidest comments a guy could make while on stage. And knowing that there was at least someone who would be entertained by my ramblings made my part of the gig that much easier. Also Troy had the perfect laid back attitude for when conditions were not at their best (battling drunken Brooklyn law students; battling drunken bandmates; weirdo Upper East Siders who wanted us to do drug deal for them; a tiny room of tiles at the Long Island bar where every note bounced around seemingly forever). And he encouraged me to play tambourine--what was the guy thinking?

The last song the four of us did was also the first song the four of us ever did--"Surrender." I'd pretty much stopped doing that song over the past year as I wanted to come up with some different set closers (and other songs I could actually fake enough so people thought I was singing in a key that humans can hear). Yet I knew that we'd have to bring that one out of retirement. And to prepare, I listened to it last week. A lot. Over and over again I played it in my iPod, wanting to bring out a performance from myself that I would be able to watch down the road and not totally cringe from the minute I opened my mouth. And I think all my listening and practicing worked. (My neighbors must have been tired of hearing me scream "got my Kiss records out.") I never felt more at home singing "Surrender" than I did Thursday night. There was no blanking on words or when to come in. I was able to walk around on stage, put my hand on Paul C.'s shoulder, then move over to Paul G. and put my hand on his shoulder and then skip back to Troy's kit just like it was a tune we did on tour five nights a week. Heck, we even got the "We're all alright" part at the end right for once.

As much as I'm not one for using props when we do Live Band Karaoke (my own duo gigs are something else), I knew I had to add something to make this performance different from all the others. So just before we hit the last verse, I walked towards the trusty music stand and grabbed up the only Kiss-related item I owned on vinyl--the Kiss My Ass tribute. It's a pretty crappy collection of tunes but all I cared about was that the cover showed a family in Kiss makeup. As I started singing the line "When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch" I walked back towards Troy's drum kit and showed him the cover. I don't think I've ever seen a guy laugh that much while playing drums and keep the beat going. That last on stage laugh made the whole night worth it.

The moments after we were done and I had finished packing up are a blur. There were a couple of really attractive women who sang that were talking to me, but I have no idea what they said. The thought that this little time frame in my life was over was just a bit overwhelming for a few minutes. Then I had another beer and I felt a little better. Yeah, beer always makes things better.

Before I close things out, I want to send special shout out to (in as close to performing order as I can recall) all the folks who came down and sang Thursday night: Abigail, Aaron, Barbara, Joe, The Colonel, Delia, Kathryn, Marya, Rad, Karen, Melinda, Monica, Homer Fink, Spike, Khalid, Dave, William, Lee, Todd, Michelle, Devon & Anya, Cassie and Bryan, you each contributed to making it one incredible night. And once again I want to wish all the best to Troy down in the bayou. I look forward to our reunion gig five years from now, so everyone can accuse us of doing it for the money.

Co-Songs of the Week 6/22/07

Wilco - "Side With the Seeds" and "Either Way"

I waited until after I saw Wilco at Hammerstein Ballroom Monday night to choose the Song of the Week. Of course, I listened to sooooo much Wilco the past five days that I couldn't just pick one. Damn you for being so good Wilco!

"Side With the Seeds" from Sky Blue Sky rocked at the Hammerstein. Nels Cline's guitar playing was smoking (check out the show here) and Jeff Tweedy really belted the lyrics out of the park--even if I have no idea what they mean.

Alas, they didn't play Sky Blue Sky's leadoff track, "Either Way." (Those lucky enough to go to Warsaw Tuesday night go that song and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)"--lucky bastards!) On Thursday I got some kind of upsetting news that was only cured by three hours of very late night drinking and great conversation with a friend of mine that this year has helped me rediscovered the Jamesons gene in my Irish DNA. Friday morning I woke up with a pretty clear idea that things were going to be alright. And when I heard these lyrics as I walked by P.S. 179 on my block, I knew Tweedy was telling me I was right:

"Maybe the sun will shine today

The clouds will blow away

Maybe I won't feel so afraid

I will try to understand either way"

Crap, now I have to wait until ACL to see them again.

Song of the Week 6/15/07

Queen - "Tie Your Mother Down"

A three weeks ago at Magnetic Field one of our singers broke the bottom of the mic stand. When they were done rocking through The Kinks, I climbed on stage and started joking about how I looked like Freddy Mercury holding this stand that could, well, no longer stand. I had no idea the guys had been fooling around with "Tie Your Mother Down" at their last rehearsal. Paul broke into the riff, I started yelling "oooh yeah", Paul and Troy kicked it in and I spent a verse making up lyrics about our broken mic stand until we hit the chorus.

It was exhilarating. Holy crap, it felt so good doing that song.

So the guys learned it and we opened with it Thursday night.

Oh my, I screamed so loud I didn't need the mic.

Seriously.

I mean, we didn't rock it like this:



But still, I felt like I was on stage at Wembley.

Wow.

UPDATE 6/20: In the comments below Mr. Boyd mentioned Queen (well, 1/2 of) and Foo Fighters (well, 1/2 of) performing it at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in 2001. I was at the ceremonies for work, and I do remember this performance really rocking. Dave Grohl's and Taylor Hawkins' enthusiasm for the song and Brian May and Roger Taylor just shines throughout. And May does some blistering guitar work too:



My favorite part comes at 2:47--they've just hit the end of the last chorus, and Grohl throws his head back and just listens to those distinctive May and Taylor backing vocals. Talk about "kid in a candy store" face.

Song of the Week 6/8/07

Paul McCartney - "Dance Tonight"



Yup, Paul McCartney. A man, pardon me, a BEATLE (caps required) who hasn't released a single song in the past decade that I've given more than one cursory listen to. A man who has just released his finest album in 25 years (I'm still a sucker for Tug of War). Memory Almost Full (and this is not a full review, just a first impression) sounds like McCartney wanted to make an album made for the iPod that sampled his entire solo career. I've listened to it through regular speakers and it just doesn't have the same impact. But my oh my, its an incredibly addictive pop gem when I'm riding on the F train with the headphones cranked. Some songs remind me of the 1980 quirky entirely solo work McCartney II, others of the great Wings single "Junior's Farm" and at other moments XTC and (I swear) Guided by Voices. This week I couldn't stop listening to "Dance Tonight." Its one of the three weakest songs on the album, yet the mandolin hook kept bringing me back.

If I had to nominate the most surprising Song of the Week--perhaps ever--this one would be it.
(And hey, Natalie Portman looks cute in that video.)

UPDATE 6/13
My junior year roommate Hank has it as his SOTW as well--he sent me this email the other day.

"I had to pick up the CD when it was released for two reasons - 1) I was driving to Philly for the day. 2) Its a new Paul McCartney cd.

As soon as I played the first track Cindy [Hank's wife] adopted 'Dance Tonight' as the song for the baby. As apparently babies an hear music in the womb. She constantly plays the song over and over when driving, when she wakes up and when just in the house. Apparently the baby has responded well to that song (as well as the third track, 'Sunshine').

I know it is a simple song, which to your point, has a great hook.

I also dig 'Mr. Bellamy' from the album as it is pretty artsy."

I do believe this is the first time a baby and I have ever agreed on anything.

Co-Songs of the Week 6/1/07

Bright Eyes - "The First Day of My Life" and "Road to Joy"

The best decision I've made so far in 2007: getting tickets to two shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall.

The worst decision I've made so far in 2007: not getting tickets to more shows during Bright Eyes seven night stand at Town Hall.

The shows I saw Monday and Wednesday nights with Moria the concert pal will easily go down as two of the best this year. Like the entire run, both nights had great special guests (Monday = Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis; Wednesday = Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard), great live versions of songs from the fine new album Cassadega ("Soul Singer in a Session Band" kicks ass), a great mix of covers and older tunes and frontman Conor Oberst in a really great mood. Props go to the Bowery Presents folks who convinced Oberst to do this run and try to make it something special every night.

Monday's highlight was a reworked version of "The First Day of My Life" from I'm Wide Awake Its Morning. It could be called a "rocking" version, but that doesn't quite capture the rollicking groove that stellar drummer Janet Weiss injected into the song. It made a happy tune about love even happier. Look for yourself:



I smiled at the end of the song in spite of myself. As I searched for a clip of this performance, I stumbled across the very heartwarming video as well:



Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Its sooooo cute I might poop my pants.

Anyway, Wednesday closed with a shake the rafters and rip the seats out of this joint take on "Road to Joy." When Oberst yelled, "Let's fuck it boys, make some noise," the 17 people on stage (yeah, that's right, seventeen) made a cacophony of sound that was still ringing in my ears and my brain the next day. And while I didn't find a version from that night, the version that closed out the entire run Friday night was just as apocalyptic:



I was so pumped after "Road to Joy" I forced Moria to high five me. (Sorry about that MM, but thanks yet again for turning me onto Bright Eyes.) When we got on the F train to head to Brooklyn, I couldn't help but think I had witnessed an artist taking a leap up to a higher level and that fans will be talking about these Town Hall shows in the same way Bruce Springsteen fans reminisce about those legendary shows at the Bottom Line in 1975.

Song of the Week 5/28/07

Arctic Monkeys - "You Know I'm No Good"

Amy Winehouse + Arctic Monkeys = a surprisingly great cover. Those folks at BBC Radio 1 know what they're doing--without them I don't think anyone would have covered Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

Okay, maybe not.

Song of the Week 5/18/07

Ace Frehley - "New York Groove"


I enjoy turning on "young" folks to some cheesy 70s rock every once in a while. Such was the case early Thursday morning as my friend Brian and some other folks took a slow crawling F back to Brooklyn after a rain-delayed Mets-Cubs game at Shea. One of Brian's friends mentioned he was going to play "New York Groove" at some party, and Brian commented that he never heard the song. I was surprised, since the Mets have played "New York Groove" during parts of games for many years (and Brian is only five years younger than me). So I took out the iPod, scrolled to the "A" section and turned over my headphones. It was funny watching Brian (who's a drummer) start bobbing his head as the slinky, late 70s beat took over during the chorus. It was even funnier when he kept singing the chorus during various parts of our seemingly never-ending subway ride. I'm sure the people sharing our car enjoyed it.

As if the Mets wanted to back up my point, during today's Subway Series game they played it again. Now I have no doubt--"New York Groove" sounds really great coming through big stadium speakers.

Song of the Week 5/11/07

Wilco - "What Light"

I've been listening to the new Wilco album for almost three months now (friendships with publicists do pay off once in a while) and I'd have to rate it among their finest--and definitely the best since Summerteeth. Jeff Tweedy has written his most direct and honest songs ever, and the rest of the sextet have created sympathetic arrangements that make those simple words and phrases shine. Alas, it seems most folks (a.k.a, the ones who bent over backwards for the experimental-leaning Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born) don't seem to understand the open and tenderly optimistic vibe this album strives for. Oh well, its their loss. "What Light" is the lead track of the album, and it's opening lines seem to sum up its mission statement:

"If you feel like singing a song

And you want other people to sing along

Just sing what you feel

Don't let anyone say it's wrong."

I really hope that critics -- but more importantly -- the high and mighty music bloggers and indie geek fans come around to what is a stunning gem of an album.

Song of the Week 5/4/07

The Who - "How Many Friends"



Ever have a song just pummel you upon first listen? Where the lyrics make you sit still in one place and block out everything going on around you? And when its over you get that feeling deep in the pit of your stomach that things aren't ever going to be the same?

If so, then don't listen to this Song of the Week, cause you're not going to feel any chipper.

I had never heard The Who By Numbers all the way through until this week (I'd heard "Squeeze Box" a zillion times in my classic crock days), and after getting through "How Many Friends" I felt like a total fool for letting this album be the gap in my Who education. I'd go into an in depth discussion about songwriter Pete Townshend's mindstate in 1975 when he wrote this track, but my boss (and in-house Who expert) Ira Robbins nailed it all when we had this email conversation the day I first listened to "How Many Friends:"

SR: I'm listening to Who by Numbers for the first time ever right now, and I gotta say that this album is pretty damn good (especially "How Many Friends"). What were/are your thoughts on it?

IR: The first time I heard it was over the store system at what was the Sam Goody's across the street. I could hear it clearly, and knowing Pete's mind as well as I did then (which is to say more than now, if not very well at all), I found it absolutely heartbreaking. I recall "How Many Friends" brought a tear to my eye. I absolutely love that album (except for "Squeeze Box"). My favorite of theirs after the early ones

SR: Yeah, I always thought "Squeeze Box" was the weakest Who song that was in regular rotation on the rock station in Albany. "Slip Kid" was the only other song I knew on it. Geez, that "How Many Friends" is just a stunner when you read the lyrics on the page.

IR: Absolutely. I think he was close to suicidal.

I can only imagine. Take a peek and judge for yourself:

"I'm feelin' so good right now
There's a handsome boy tells me how I changed his past
He buys me a brandy
But could it be he's really just after my ass?

He likes the clothes I wear
He says he likes a man who's dressed in season
But no-one else ever stares, he's being so kind
What's the reason?

How many friends have I really got?
You can count 'em on one hand
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

Suddenly it's the silver screen
And a face so beautiful that I have to cry out
Everybody hears me
But I look like a fool now
With a cry and I shy out

She knows all of my friends
But it's nice to find a woman who's keen on living
Now I think I've reached the end
I wonder in the dead of night - how do I rate?

How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

It's all like a dream you know when you're still up early in the morning
And you all sit together to watch the sun come through

But things don't look so good when you could use a bit of warning
Then you know that no one will ever speak the truth
About you

How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?

When I first signed a contract
It was more than a handshake then
I know it still is
But there's a plain fact
We talk so much shit behind each other's backs I get the willies

People know nothing about their own soft gut
So how come they can sum us up
Without suffering all the hype we've known
How come they bum us up

How many friends have I really got?
Well you can count 'em on one hand
How many friends have I really got?
How many friends have I really got?
That love me, that want me, that'll take me as I am?"

Geez, I am SO happy I didn't hear this song last May. I'd be in a looney bin right now, or perhaps worse.

Derby Day 2007: Steve's Indie Scrapbook 5/5/07

Wow.

Next Derby Day, please someone remind me not to have Maker's Mark at 4 a.m. Thank you.

Here's the songs you might have heard after the guys were done rocking last night:

The Replacements - “Can’t Hardly Wait”
Soul Asylum - “Sometime to Return”
The Hold Steady - “Chips Ahoy”
Sonic Youth - “Bull in the Heather”
Guided By Voices - “I Am a Tree”
The Figgs - “Bad Luck Sammie”
Nada Surf - “Do It Again”
Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - “Flesh Number One”
The Lemonheads - “The Great Big No”
The Pixies - “Ed Is Dead”
Blur - “There’s No Other Way”
Jellyfish - “The King is Half-Undressed”
Let’s Active - “Every Dog Has Its Day”
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - “Blue Chair”
Echo & the Bunnymen - “People Are Strange”
Hoodoo Gurus - “What’s My Scene”
Teenage Fanclub - “What You Do to Me”
Sugar - “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”
Matthew Sweet - “Sick of Myself”
L7 - “Pretend We’re Dead”
Modest Mouse - “Dashboard”
Morrissey - “Suedehead”
Scruffy the Cat - “You Dirty Rat”
Buffalo Tom - “Treehouse”
The Strokes - “Under Control”
Ryan Adams - “Hallelujah”
The Pogues - “London Girl”
Talking Heads - “(Nothing But) Flowers”
Cake - “I Will Survive”
The Waterboys - “Fisherman’s Blues”
Guided By Voices - “Bulldog Skin”
World Party - “Ship of Fools”
Wilco - “What Light”
XTC - “That’s Really Super Supergirl”
Violent Femmes - “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”
Lackthereof - “What a Fool Believes”
Fountains of Wayne - “It Must Be Summer”
Ben Folds Five - “Where’s Summer B.?”

Song of the Week 4/27/07

Graham Parker and the Shot - "Break Them Down"

I never expected to see a great rock show in Washington, D.C. when I booked my bi-annual trip to see the Mets play the Nationals back in February. Yet that's exactly what I got last night at the Black Cat from Graham Parker and The Latest Clowns. Parker was supporting his fine new album Don't Tell Columbus with a star-studded lineup of Boston musicians assembled by The Figgs' Mike Gent...who played drums on Don't Tell Columbus and was filling the same slot on the tour.

(I must admit, I found it odd watching Gent behind the kit the entire time, having to be the steady beatmaster instead of the passionate lead guitarist when The Figgs have backed Parker over the years.)

Don't Tell Columbus doesn't rock as much as Songs of No Consequence, the album Parker did with the Figgs two years ago. It's more of a mid-tempo singer-songwriter affair, with a healthy dose of keyboards. With the new album in mind, Gent pulled together a fine roster of folks to bring Parker's tunes to life on this tour--Rudds guitarist Brett Rosenberg, The Gentlemen and Gravel Pit bassist extraordinaire Ed Valauskas and keyboardist Scott Janovitz. Besides the hand-picked musicians, I'm sure Gent had a little bit to do with the set that featured songs Parker hasn't played with a band in at least a decade. The keyboards allowed Parker to dip into the first album in his catalog I ever heard, 1985's Steady Nerves. "Wake Up (Next to You)" did indeed sound great (with a soaring guitar solo from Rosenberg aptly filling in for the recorded version's sax solo), but "Break Them Down" was easily the best song of the night. This tale about Christian missionaries imposing their will upon Central and South America (which seems like a thinly veiled jab at Reagan's mid-80s policy in the same areas) had slipped through my memory banks for many years until it came up one day while I was listening to the WOXY Vintage Channel. Sunday night the Latest Clowns flat out rocked this track, making me wish that the next release in Parker's official bootleg will be something from this oh too short tour.

Song of the Week 4/20/07

Feist - "1 2 3 4"


My lifelong habit of singing and humming along to songs (especially in a car by myself) is something I picked up from my aunt. While I was visiting her this weekend she was humming along to some song, so I needed to get a tune into my head to combat the noise she was making. All of sudden "1 2 3 4" popped in there...and that was it. This song was stuck in my head for two full days until I was able to pop the iPod on and give it a spin. And another. And then another.

Such a simple chorus about moving on from a crappy relationship never seemed so uplifting:

"Oh, oh, oh,
You're changing your heart.
Oh, oh, oh,
You know who you are. "

You'd have to be even more of a cold-hearted son of a bitch than yours truly not to soak in the joy of this song. And while I know every other blog in the universe has linked to this, you'd have to be dead not top having fun watching the video:



Feist, I think you've reserved a place at the top of my singles chart for 2007.

Song of the Week 4/13/07

Guster - "Two At a Time"

If you're a band playing a sold out concert at New York's Beacon Theater the night before the biggest spring rain storm in the city's history hits, how do you mark this once in a lifetime occasion? If you're a great little quartet called Guster, you pull out a an old hidden track about Noah's Ark. "Two at a Time" isn't listed on the CD of Keep It Together (it is listed on iTunes, as you can see clicking the link above), yet when I interviewed drummer Brian Rosenworcel four years ago I felt compelled to ask him about it, even if we would never use that part of the interview for work purposes. The song has a weird keyboard loop that gets it rolling and features a ton of elementary school children singing the chorus. It's just a strange and hypnotic yet very catchy song, one of the many on Keep It Together that turned me into a full-fledged fan. When I asked Brian why the song was tucked away as a hidden track he said (I'm paraphrasing here), "Hmm...a song about Noah's Ark from three Jews with a bunch of kids singing background vocals on it--you try to drop that into an album sequence." I had to admit, he had a point.

During last night's show the band was joined on a few songs by their friends violinist Tom and cellist Jody (I didn't catch their last names). The live strings sounded just about perfect on "Two at a Time." And as I stepped into the rain after a few hours of boozing it up, I couldn't help but have these lyrics in my head:

"I could see the rains a-comin'
To wash away the filth and vermin
Hand-in-hand, we'll watch them runnin"

Alas, the filth and vermin didn't include Mr. Big. I think I'll let someone else tell that story down the road.

SOTW Bonus: Here's the aforementioned strings making "Satellite" sound the best I've ever heard it:

Song of the Week 4/6/07

The Hold Steady - "Atlantic City (Live)"

(pic borrowed from Fresh Bread)

It's not often I steal from myself, but what I sent in to the good folks at Stereogum about the Music for Bruce Springsteen tribute last night works just fine here:

"Overall, the gig was a snoozer (dear lord, why did someone let Kevin Bacon sing "Streets of Philadelphia") but the show's producers knew what they were doing by putting the best two performances at the end. First old folk legend Odetta came out (was wheeled out, actually) and did the best version ever of "57 Channels (and Nothing On)." And then the closing spot was our Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis guys. Not surprisingly, their version of Nebraska's "Atlantic City" was flat out amazing. Their arrangement was similar to the one Springsteen and the E Streeters used on their 99-00 reunion tour--slow through the first verse and chorus, and then exploding into a wall of sound for the rest of the song. The Springsteen fans in the audience ate it up. Craig Finn's smile and hand interpretations of the lyrics as he sang were infectious. These guys need to record that cover and put it out, maybe as a benefit for the event's charity, Music for Youth.

Then the crowd got the surprise they were waiting for with Springsteen walking on stage.

The Boss did "the Promised Land" and "Rosalita" solo acoustic then invited everyone on stage to do "Rosalita" again with the house band. He asked for volunteers to sing verses, and I felt compelled to yell out Craig's name. So he took the first verse and from my 8th row seat, I don't think I've ever seen Springsteen happier seeing someone else sing his word. Craig nailed it, and then pogoed to the side of the stage. Then as the song got to the fourth verse, Bruce called out for Craig to sing lead again. The best part was when Craig got to the line "There's a little cafe/where they play guitars all night and day," and he pointed to Bruce to do that infamous lick on the acoustic guitar. As a Springsteen and Hold Steady fan, it was a magical moment."

Damn, someone MUST have recorded it.

Song of the Week 3/30/07

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - "NY Doll"

Last fall I wrote the following line about this track from Ole Tarantula:

"'N.Y. Doll' is sung from the point of view of the late New York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane. I honestly don’t know much about Kane and his life, but I can’t imagine any man getting a finer tribute in song. It’s the perfect closer to great album."

Over the past few months I've listened to this track over and over again and I'm convinced it's one of the finest songs Hitchock has ever written. The day before seeing Hitchcock and the Venus 3 at the Knitting Factory, I discovered a clip on You Tube from the new documentary Sex, Food, Death...and Insects:


I couldn't help but think of what Peter Buck said in that clip when they played it Tuesday night. It was beautiful performance in another geat show put on by this group of musicans. One can only hope they'll continue to work together in between the times the R.E.M. machine has to roll around the world.

And just because I can, here's Hitchcock and company playing "N.Y. Doll" just a couple days ago:

Song of the Week 3/23/07

Hoodoo Gurus - "Like-Wow Wipeout"

The Police. Genesis. Hoodoo Gurus.

Okay, the first two are selling tens of thousands of tickets because they reunited for the first time in many years. But I was absolutely ecstatic to see the third act return to the U.S. after a 14 year absence. I was so excited that I even went to B.B. King's (blech) in Times Square (double blech) to see them. For a band marking the 25 year anniversary of their debut single, they rocked just as hard as groups half their age. And seeing "Like-Wow Wipeout" in a New York club was thrilling. I couldn't help but scream along to these words frontman Dave Faulkner penned about the band's first trip to the Big Apple:

"I kiss the ground on which you walk,
I kiss the lips through which you talk,
I kiss the city of New York where I first met you."

As a bonus, here's the very colorful video:



They're supposedly coming back in October. There were so good that I would skip a Mets playoff game to see them again.

Paul Gill's 40th Birthday 3/23/07

Friday night was a rollickin' good time at Magnetic Field as we celebrated my bandmate Paul's 40th birthday. As if to prove that life doesn't end at 40, the band played a wild and somewhat drunken set with great performances by a bunch of regulars. Then our stellar soundman Chris broke down the equipment so I could DJ for a couple of hours. Here's what you heard (or what you missed if you were a little too drunk to remember):

Nada Surf - “Blankest Year”
Cheap Trick - “Hot Love”
Guided By Voices - “Motor Away”
The Replacements - “Color Me Impressed”
The Figgs - “Ginger”
The Knack - “Good Girls Don’t”
MC5 - “High School”
Ramones - “Judy Is a Punk”
Big Star - “In the Street”
Blue Oyster Cult - “Godzilla”
The Monkees - “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone”
Joe Jackson - “I’m the Man”
Soul Asylum - “Sometime to Return”
The Only Ones - “Another Girl Another Planet”
Raspberries - “Go All the Way”
The Soft Boys - “I Wanna Destroy You”
Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians - “Madonna of the Wasps”
Hoodoo Gurus - “Leilani”
Humble Pie - “30 Days In the Hole”
Graham Parker and The Rumor - “Discovering Japan”
The Nazz - “Open My Eyes”
NRBQ - “Riding In My Car”
Badfinger - “Day After Day”
The db’s - “Love Is For Lovers”
The Beatles - “A Hard Day’s Night”
The Lovin’ Spoonful - “Do You Believe in Magic”
Nick Lowe - “Cruel to Be Kind”
The Strokes - “Someday”
XTC - The Mayor of Simpleton”
Jellyfish - “Baby’s Coming Back”
Lemonheads - “Different Drum”
Elvis Costello and The Attractions - “Radio Radio”
The Modern Lovers - “I’m Straight”
The Pretenders - “Stop Your Sobbing”
The Kinks - “Days”
Bee Gees - “To Love Somebody”
Teenage Fanclub - “What You Do to Me”
Nada Surf - “Happy Kid”
Sugar - “Helpless”
Matthew Sweet - “Sick of Myself”
Raspberries - “Tonight”
Big Star - “September Girls”
Weezer - “Photograph”
The Posies - “Dream All Day”
The Smithereens - “Only a Memory”
The Buzzcocks - “Even Fallen in Love”
Brendan Benson - “Spit It Out”
The Candy Skins - “Wembley”
The Cars - “Let’s Go”
The Figgs - “Jumping Again”
Guided By Voices - “A Salty Salute”
Jonathan Richman - “Springtime in New York”

Song of the Week 3/16/07

Pete Yorn - "Splendid Isolation"



I finally got to see Pete Yorn.

Finally.

I mean, I've missed this guy every time he's played in New York since 2002 because of:

--I had a DJ gig

--I was upstate visiting family

--I got to Jones Beach too late because of subway hassles and traffic on a Friday (Yorn was opening for R.E.M.)

--I was going out of town to see The Figgs (twice!)

--And I was in Austin for ACL.

I almost thought I wouldn't make it this time due to the snow/sleet/freezing rain/ice cube storm that seems to strike us every March just after we've gotten that taste of sunny spring weather. Yet I slid along the streets of midtown with my friend Molly up to Roseland to catch Yorn and his band deliver a great set that included this cover of my favorite song from Warren Zevon's 1989 album Transverse City. Yorn covered it for the Zevon tribute disc Enjoy Every Sandwich and threw it on his latest album Nightcrawler. This week I listened to that album a couple of times to refresh my memory and every time "Splendid Isolation" came on, I thought, "Wait, this is on this album? I love this cover."

And I really, really hope Viacom doesn't destroy You Tube. How else would I be able to show you visual proof of the song:



I love the shaky camera work. And I love these lyrics too, even if they are a bit dated:

"Michael Jackson in Disneyland
Don't have to share it with nobody else
Lock the gates, Goofy, take my hand
And lead me through the World of Self

Splendid Isolation
I don't need no one
Splendid Isolation"

And you know what, this bridge is pretty great as well:

"Don't want to wake up with no one beside me
Don't want to take up with nobody new
Don't want nobody coming by without calling first
Don't want nothing to do with you"

Yorn has written some really good songs, but he'll never match Zevon's pen.

Song of the Week 3/9/07

Ben Kweller - "Penny on a Train Track"

After watching BK's set get cut short last year due to a wicked nose bleed, I finally got to see my fellow Brooklynite play an entire set Friday night at Webster Hall. Last fall Kweller toured with a six piece band, allowing him to flesh out the arrangements from his fantastic self-made and self-titled 2006 album. This time around the States Kweller stripped his band down to a trio and I couldn't help but think it was an improvement. Since he had no one else to help out with guitar and keyboard parts, Kweller had to focus on carrying the songs by himself. And with the rhythm section of Chris Morrissey and Mark Stepro locked into a groove that can only be honed over a tour behind him, Kweller was--quite simply put--on fire. Great solos, powerful vocals and witty banter--the kid had it all on this night.

"Penny on The Train Track" was the final song, and the best, of the night. Kweller introduced it by saying he had shot a video with his grandmother dancing to the song, and he seemed genuinely surprised to announced that the video had been played on MTV's TRL. And then the pure enthusiasm and joy he poured into his performance was so infectious that I couldn't stop myself from singing along to every word.

When I got home (a trip which took 2 hours and 15 minutes, MTA fuckers!) I searched for this "Penny On the Train Track" clip. And Kweller was right--it's just a fun video of his grandmother dancing and occasionally lip-synching to the song. May it get played on TRL some more:

Song of the Week 3/2/07

Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
I've heard this slice of British soul for a couple of weeks now on the World Cafe and it never fails to make me laugh. Not because of anything in the song itself--it's just that the celeb rehabs of the year (Britney, Lindsey, Isiah Washington) seem to have diluted the whole concept. Check in, check out, do whatever since you'll be out in 28 days not any better physically of emotionally. I suppose I could be wrong, I have been before.

Winehouse has a great smoky voice and looked pretty smoking...until the past few months. Looking at these comparison photos of Ms. Winehouse from 2004 till now, perhaps she needs a dose of rehab herself:

Last fall.........and here's 2004

Whew--where did all that sexy weight go? Maybe "Rehab" is a true life tale. In any case, Amy Winhouse's second album, Back to Black, is due out March 13th.

Song of the Week 2/23/07

The Figgs - "Gonna Get Out (Live in San Francisco 2001)"


This week I finally got my act together to catch a Figgs show outside of the NYC area as I hitched a ride down to Philadelphia with The Figgs own master of the drum kit Pete Hayes. It had been almost two years since I had seen the guys out of town. And even worse, it had been eight months since I had seen the band play anywhere, which is the longest I have ever gone in between Figgs gigs in 12 years.

12 years!

No wonder my life has seemed fucked up at times! It's a simple equation:

No live Figgs = Steve's life isn't as good as it should be

On Friday afternoon I made the quick trip from Brooklyn to meet Pete at his office, listening to a great bootleg from the second leg of the Sucking in Stereo tour. Recorded at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco in March of 2001 the show is just smoking. They were in the middle of a lengthy tour, they were feeling ragged (Mike Gent even says he's exhausted on mic a couple of times) and the generator in their truck was on the fritz--yet they still deliver a great gig. I chuckled out loud on the C train when Pete Donnelly said, "We can play that, and I know Mike wants to do a guitar solo and he can do it in this song." The band breaks into "Reject," which at the time was the template for any lengthy jamming the guys did. And oh does Mike rip one balls-to-the-wall solo. It's a work of sonic riff art.

Back to the present: Friday night's show was at a place called The Parlor...which was a former funeral parlor turned into performance space/dance studio. (And Pete and I must have passed 20 funeral parlors going down Broad Street, which was kind of creepy.) The gig was a release party for a local band Pete D knew and The Figgs were headlining. And this was a par-tay--a great appreciative crowd into all of the night's music; free food, beer and wine; a girl wearing a low cut shirt that almost made me and my buddy Dave snap our necks staring at her; and a drunk (and I think kinda insane) woman yelling in my ear while I was trying to dig the guys cover of Talking Heads' "Love->Building on Fire."

The show was a blast, even if the guys were a bit sloppy at times. But the best part was when Mike said he wanted to solo (and yes, I did laugh to myself, think about my subway trip early in the day) and he started playing the riff to "Gonna Get Out." This version (which I estimate clocked in at around 8 minutes) was the best performance I have ever seen of this song. And I mean ever. Here's what we saw:

--Mike singing along to the slowed down riff of the tune, stating that he was doing it "like George Benson."

--Mike changing the line "we're not gonna be here" to "we're still gonna be here," as if it was a statement of defiance.

--Mike and Pete D jumping off the stage into the crowd during the solo, in which they did a kind of dueling riff battle in front of a bunch of worshiping fans.

--While that was going on, one of the people working the event brought a six pack of beer up to the stage. Pete H started yelling at the guy to get his attention and then motioned repeatedly for this dude to open the beer and then put it up to Pete's mouth. At first this guy was kind of thick--Pete had to yell what he wanted at least five times before the guy caught on. Once the precious beer was in Pete's mouth, he preceded to keep playing and at the same time downed more than 2/3 of the bottle. As a fellow beer drinker, it was a sight to behold. The crowd started yelling, which in turn caused Mike and Pete D to turn around and see what caused all the commotion.

--After Mike and Pete D climbed back on stage, Mike suggested that they switch instruments and that Pete do a solo. So we were treated to a great guitar solo from Mr. Donnelly, this one a wall of noise that made me think of Sonic Youth, of all bands.

Finally they switched back to their regular instruments and they brought the song to a thrilling conclusion. After that performance, I think The Figgs should just retire "Gonna Get Out." It's never gonna get more entertaining than that night.

As a Song of the Week bonus, right click on "Gonna Get Out" in the title of this entry to download a solo-filled version of the song from the previously mentioned San Francisco bootleg. Or if you want the whole thing, head to Captain's Dead.

It Took a Bit of Time...

...but The 17th annual Top 20 is finally archived on the site. Check it out on the sidebar below to the right, or just click here.

Song of the Week 2/16/07

Justin Timberlake - "What Comes Around...Goes Around"

This year was the 12th edition of the Grammys I had to cover and about the only thing I remember a few days later is that Justin Timberlake probably should have done more than just three songs. "What Goes Around..." is the third great single from FutureSex/LoveSounds in a row, and Timberlake's performance of it was the best part of the Grammys. And not to take away from this guy's talent (because it's obvious to even a jaded person like me he's got it in spades) but the fact that he was the highlight of the telecast is just a sad reminder of how bad the show had gotten over the years. When was the last time a rock band or artist gave a memorable appearance on this show? I seriously can't remember.

I will say that the above video is just so over the top that I expect the JT backlash to begin at the end of the sentence. And it's always nice to see Scarlett Johansson dressed in revealing outfits.

Song of the Week 2/9/07

John Mellencamp - "Hurt So Good"

This week I interviewed John Mellencamp for the first time. And surprisingly he was a cordial and funny man to talk to. So I knew that we'd have to open Live Band Karaoke with "Hurt So Good," the only Mellencamp (pardon me, John Cougar) song in our repertoire. It was a bit rough at a couple of points (which was par for the course the entire night) but it sounded much better the second time around when this girl Katie sang it late in the set. She changed the lyrics to a female perspective and did a damn good job of it.

Later on Thursday night I lived out part of these lyrics:

"Don't have to be so exciting.
Just tryin' to give myself a little bit of fun, yeah.

You always look so invitin'
You ain't as green as you are young

Hey baby, its you.
Come on, girl, now, its you.

Sink your teeth right through my bones, baby.
Let's see what we can do."

And who doesn't love a little bit of unexpected fun? I know that I do, and did.

Song of the Week 2/2/07

Steve Winwood - "While You See a Chance"

So tons of kids have hit songs as their cell phone ringtones--or at least that's what I've been told. I think only one person I know has had a "hit" song play when their cell rings. So this week was a first when someone's ringtone reminded me of an old song. A person who I work with (I'll let the guilty party stay anonymous) got a new phone and left the ringtone at the factory setting. When the phone rang for the first time, it sounded like some creepy song you'd hear in a dentist's office or an elevator. A certain way the keyboard riff faded in during the ring reminded me of some song from the past, and after hearing that painful ring a few times I realized that the keyboard tone was similiar to the one throughout "While You See a Chance." I downloaded the song and then played it every time my co-worker's phone rang.

Damn, that continues to be funny. And it caused me to listen to the entire song repeatedly during this week.

Song of the Week 1/26/07

Earth Opera - "The Red Sox Are Winning"

I know we're only in the first month of the year, but I do believe I have a guaranteed entry in my Top 10 Reissues/Compilations/Etc. list for 2007. Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973 surveys a decade of releases from the label that brought us everyone from Judy Collins to The Doors and Carly Simon to The MC5. This five CD set is packed with some so-so folk songs, some so-so early '70s singer-songwriter tracks and a whole bunch of weird shit. Listening to the second and third CD discs Wednesday night while doing laundry I thought my iPod had suddenly tuned in WFMU. One great '60s gem after another made for perhaps the best night of laundry ever. And the highlight had to be this track from Earth Opera. The liner notes say this Boston band got caught up the "Bosstown Sound" hype of the mid-to-late-60s. I just think these once and soon-to-be-again bluegrass musicians just got their hands on some great drugs to make this song. There's a xylophone solo, weird lyrics about wars and arranging hair while looking in a mirror, a bridge that sounds stolen from a Gershwin tune and a hook about the 1967 Sox "Impossible Dream" team. Whew, it's almost too much for a brain unaddled by drugs to take.

I suppose I shouldn't have been shocked to find that one of the main forces behind Earth Opera's everything but the mushroom-filled-kitchen sink sound was David Grissman, who later went on to make bluegrass recordings with Jerry Garcia.

Oh, and did I forget the over-the-top lyrics at the end of the song? Here you go:

"Let's make Boston America's number-one baseball city. Kill the hippes! Kill the hippes!"

WOW. I'm glad I was born in the '60s, but even more glad I wasn't old enough to be aware of anything until 1973.

Song of the Week 1/19/07

Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop - "Punkrocker"

Damn Cadillac Commercial:



This song has been stuck in my head for days after hearing it during some football or hockey game. At least the video is slightly better:



Um, is there anything about this song (or this post) that screams "punk rocker?" I think not.

Song of the Week 1/12/07

Styles P - "G Joint"

Styles P made a killer single over four years ago called "Good Times" that I heard all the time pumping out of cars in Brooklyn. It's sped up hook of "I wanna get high, high, high" rattled around my brain for a month or so. It took four years for Styles P to make a follow-up, and it took me four weeks to actually drop the new album, Time Is Money, into my iTunes. So one night this week I'm listening to a playlist of stuff that I hadn't spun yet, with Styles P at the top. I hit play when I stepped onto the F train, then thought I had ripped in a bum CD. The opening of Asia's "Only Time Can Tell" was in my ears, not Styles P. After 10 seconds, I took the iPod out of my pcoket, and then heard someone talking over those distintive Asia keyboards. Then bam, Styles P starts rapping over a wicked sample about raps crew that suck. Wow, what a mindblower. At the end of each verse the Asia sample -- hell, it's just a big chunk of the song -- comes back in. In theory, this weird track shouldn't make any sense, yet I couldn't stop playing it. One night I had either a Rangers or Islanders game on, and from my kitchen I heard the opening of "Only Time Will Tell." I had to rush into my living room just to see if, for some reason, they were going to play the Styles P cut. Alas, they didn't.

In conclusion, I hope Styles P doesn't wait four years to make his next solo album--and that he samples something from Yes's 90125.

Coalition for NYC Homeless Benefit 1/6/07

When Magnetic Field regular Jon Quinn asked me to DJ his birthday party/fund raising extravaganza, I readily agreed.

And then I totally forgot I agreed to do it for an entire month.

Fortunately Quinn sent me an email to reconfirm a few days before, so I was ready to spin a not-so-traditional mix on the warmest January day ever in New York. (And when I say "not-so-traditional," check out the last 30 minutes).

The Hold Steady - "Party Pit"
Electric Six - "I Buy the Drugs"
The Jam -"In the City"
The Kinks - "Set Me Free"
Love - "Alone Again Or"
Spoon - "Everything Hits at Once"
The Smiths - "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
Squeeze - "Cool For Cats"
Social Distortion - "Bad Luck"
Velvet Underground - "Sweet Jane"
The Lemonheads - "The Great Big No"
Guided By Voices -"Glad Girls"
The Pipettes - "Pull Shapes"
Bananarama - "Cruel Summer"
The Go-Gos - "Vacation"
The Breeders - "Cannonball"
The Raconteurs - "Hands"
Fountains of Wayne - "Red Dragon Tattoo"
Hoodoo Gurus - "What's My Scene"
The Replacements - "Left of the Dial"
New York Dolls - "Personality Crisis"
Buzzcocks - "Orgasm Addict"
The Monkees - "I'm a Believer"
The Turtles - "Happy Together"
Joe Jackson - "Is She Really Going Out With Him"
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down"
Matthew Sweet - "Girlfriend"
The Strokes - "Someday"
The Jesus & Mary Chain - "Happy When It Rains"
The Pixies - "Head On"
The Ramones - "Rockaway Beach"
Nada Surf -"Blankest Year"
The Hives - "Main Offender"
R.E.M. - "Finest Worksong"
T. Rex - "20th Century Boy"
David Bowie - "Moonage Daydream"
Talk Talk - "Talk Talk"
Gang of Four - "I Love a Man in Uniform"
Translator - "Everywhere I'm Not"
Wilco - "Heavy Metal Drummer"
The White Stripes - "Hotel Yorba"
Badfinger - "Come and Get It"
The Beach Boys - "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
Big Star - "In the Street"
Nick Lowe - "So It Goes"
Love and Rockets - "All in My Mind"
The Shins - "Caring Is Creepy"
Elliott Smith - "L.A."
Arctic Monkeys - "Mardy Bum"
The Clash - "Police on My Back"
The Fall - "Victoria"
Simple Minds - "Alive and Kicking"
The English Beat - "Twist and Crawl"
Bill Withers - "Lovely Day"
Boz Scaggs - "Lido Shuffle"
Doobie Brothers - "What a Fool Believes"
REO Speedwagon - "Keep On Loving You"
Journey - "Don't Stop Believin''"
Whitesnake - "Here I Go Again"
Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl"
Pat Benetar - "Heartbreaker"
Andy Gibb - "I Just Want to Be Your Everything"
Madness - "Our House"
Hall & Oates - "Private Eyes"
Toto - "Rosanna"
Hall and Oates - "Kiss on My List"

Song of the Week 1/5/07

The Pipettes - "Pull Shapes"


I always enjoy the beginning of a new year because my creative rush of listening to 20 albums over and over again for ye old list is over; they're aren't a lot of good albums that come out in thefirst month of a new year; and I usually get a chance to hear something from the previous year that I missed. I heard The Pipettes for the very first time on Tuesday when I did a little bit of new music exploring courtesy of WOXY.com. This former terrestial station has gotten even better musically in its Internet run. I heard "Pull Shapes" within 10 minutes of cranking up the WOXY stream. This sonic flashback to when people didn't think murder the first time they heard Phil Spector's name is just pure fun. Strings, handclaps, massed female vocals and a snappy backbeat--did this come out in 2006 or 1966? Think The Ronettes crossed with Banarama (this vocal trio is British, and the one wearing glasses is hot) and you'll know their exact sound.

Song of the Week 12/29/06

Motorhead - "Ace of Spades"



My friend Vanessa sang this song at our gig last night.

Oh my, I've never heard a chick sing it like it was death metal before. WOW. What a way to bring the curtain down on a great year of Live Band Karaoke.

Song of the Week 12/22/06

Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg - "A Special Christmas Box"

Four-million people can't be wrong.



Or at least the four-million people who have watched this genuis nugget of musical comedy from last week's Saturday Night Live. And here I thought they stopped being funny when Will Ferrell left. This song is so catchy I ended up recording it as an MP3 for my Ipod. And I can't wait to buy this shirt:



I almost look forward to Christmas this year!

Magnetic Field 4th Anniversary Party 12/16/06

I was honored to spin tunes at Magentic Field's 4th anniversary party Saturday night, with help from Trouser Press head honcho Ira Robbins. Here's the playlist of perhaps the best night of music I have ever been involved with.

The Replacements - “Can’t Hardly Wait”
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - “Flesh Number One”
Hoodoo Gurus - “I Want You Back”
Los Bravos - “Black Is Black”
The Byrds - “Eight Miles High”
The Kinks - “Death of Clown”
Barry & the Remains - “Don’t Look Back”
Big Star - “September Gurls”
Badfinger - “No Matter What”
Billy Bragg - “Greetings to the New Brunette”
Lemonheads - “It’s a Shame About Ray”
Husker Du - “I Apologize”
Ramones - “Beat on the Brat”
Social Distortion - “Ball and Chain”
The Pretenders - “Mystery Achievement”
NRBQ - “Me and the Boys”
Uncle Tupelo - “Gun”
Soul Asylum - “Cartoon”
Teenage Fanclub - “What You Do to Me”
Belle & Sebastian - “Funny Little Frog”
Spoon - “Sister Jack”
Small Faces - “Itchycoo Park”
Bee Gees - “Massachusetts”
? & the Mysterians - “96 Tears”

Public Image Limited - “Public Image”
Pylon - “Beep”
My Bloody Valentine - “Only Shallow”
Ride - “Polar Bear”
Roxy Music - “Out of the Blue”
Van Morrison - “Moondance”
Animals - “We Gotta Get Outta This Place”
Mysteries of Life - “That’s How Strong My Love Is”
Penelopes - “When Tomorrow Comes”
Paul Revere & the Raiders - “Take a Look at Yourself”
Queers - “Don’t Back Down”
Paul Revere & the Raiders - “Kicks”
Ronettes - “I Wonder”
Rolling Stones - “Dandelion”
Rod Stewart - “(I Know) I’m Losing You”
Arctic Monkeys - “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor”

Sugar - “Helpless”
R.E.M. - “I Believe”
Blondie - “Atomic”
Dramarama - “Anything Anything”
Motorhead - “Ace of Spades”
Mudhoney - “Touch Me I’m Sick”
Iggy & The Stooges - “Search and Destroy”
The Clash - “Julie’s Been Working For the Drug Squad”
Bob Dylan - “Like a Rolling Stone (Live 1966)”
Pavement - “Rattled by the Rush”
Jesus & Mary Chain - “Far Gone and Out”
Alice Cooper - “No More Mr. Nice Guy”
T. Rex - “Telegram Sam”
Humble Pie - “30 Days in the Hole”
The Who - “Punk Meets the Godfather”
The Waterboys - “The Whole of the Moon”
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - “Lost Weekend”
Joy Division - “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
The Waitresses - “I Know What Boys Like”
Love and Rockets - “Ball of Confusion”
Midnight Oil - “The Dead Heart”
The Cure - “Catch”
Big Audio Dynamite - “E=MC2”
Blur - “Chemical World”
The Cult - “She Sells Sanctuary”
Camper Van Beethoven - “Pictures of Matchstick Men”
Hoodoo Gurus - “Like Wow-Wipeout”
The Jam - “David Watts”
Joe Jackson - “It’s Different For Girls”
XTC - “Senses Working Overtime”
The Strokes - “You Only Live Once”
Oasis - “Slide Away”
Hoodoo Gurus - “My Girl”
Nada Surf - “Inside of Love”
Rolling Stones - “Loving Cup”
Patti Smith - “Frederick”
Beach Boys - “Good Vibrations”

Song of the Week 12/15/06

The Hold Steady - "First Night"

As I came down to the wire on the 17th edition of the list, I started spinning the top five albums over and over so I could get into the right frame of mind for writing. I listened to Boys And Girls in America on Sunday, and Monday morning woke up with the gorgeous ballad "First Night" in my head. Just as I was about to hop into the shower, WFUV played "First Night." I was stunned, as I haven't heard them play anything off the album with regularity. It set me off on a good start to the day--and made me pick "First Night" as the best track on the album when I finally did write an entry on Boys And Girls in America.

The 17th Annual Reynolds Top 20 List

2006: I'm Bringing Sexy, I Mean Lazy, Back

How Live Band Karaoke Saved My Life (Or At Least Made It More Interesting)

2006's Top 20 Albums

2006's Top 20 Singles

Top 10 Headlines I Hope I Don't Write in 2007

Other Musical Stuff From 2006

Video Killed the Moviegoer: 2006 in TV Land

99 Degrees and Loving It: Steve Goes to the ACL Festival

The Section to Thank People Without Whom...

The Last Day of ACL, 9/17, 3:30 p.m.

I'm Bringing Sexy, I Mean Lazy Back

I think it’s safe to say that this year was kind of odd on the musical and cultural front. When we’ve seen more pictures of Britney Spears’ vagina than Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’s baby, when a soundtrack to a Disney Channel musical outsells Janet Jackson and Beyonce combined, Billy Ray Cyrus’s daughter has a platinum album, “Weird Al” Yankovic scores the first Top 10 hit of career and Bob Dylan gets his first number-one album in 30 years, I tend to think we’ve traveled even further down the rabbit hole here. If I walked out of my office tonight and saw a midget in a tophat 10 sizes too big pouring cups of tea for tourists, I couldn’t be less surprised. (That’s because it would most likely be one of the little people working as elves at the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show.)

Fortunately some things didn’t change in 2006: the Red Hot Chili Peppers continued their unmatched streak of “band who was cool 15 years ago that gets more annoying with each overplayed single;” Nickelback released that song “How You Remind Me” for the fifth time…but somehow each year they’ve changed the name (“Photograph,” “Saving Me,”); Tool made an album where each track is over 35 minutes long; and Limp Bizkit did something at some point to somebody. Yet without having a current rock station in New York, I never got the chance to let any of that upset me. I didn’t get the chance to switch off the radio in disgust, because there’s nothing left on New York radio to disgust me.

Instead I witnessed the most disturbing musical trend of the year through the multiple video channels I get through digital cable. The commercial explosion of emo-core-whiny-overwraught rock bands—now that made me throw my remote control more than a few times. Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, Hawthorne Heights, 30 Seconds to Mars, Thursday and My Chemical Romance all write songs that are in constant heavy rotation on Fuse and make me embarrassed to say I was a depressed geek at one point in my life. It’s all fine and well to sing about being bummed (many great albums have been created this way), but does everyone have to sing it in a high whiny off-key voice that makes me want to suggest a looser pair of boxers? Or in the case of My Chemical Romance, do they have to do a Queen tribute album that’s also a concept album about death—with a cameo from Liza Minnelli? As a friend said to me about the My Chemical Romance album, “Is everyone in the world taking a break from Dungeons and Dragons to listen to this record?” Furthermore, someone ought to punch the Panic! in the Disco kids in the nads for naming a song “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage.”

Heck, I can’t make sense of it all. I haven’t been this puzzled about the state of music since the heyday of Hootie and Alanis. Maybe that’s why the albums and singles on this year’s Top 20 are all over the place. We’ve got female singer-songwriters (KT Tunstall, Jenny Lewis), male singer-songwriters (Ben Kweller, Josh Rouse) grizzled rock veterans (Neil Young, Tom Petty), a dance rock band from Sweden (The Ark) and, simply put, hitmakers of the day (Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna). There’s no real thread that holds all these types of music together. The closest to a theme is the multitude of female artists on those lists (even a couple made the reissues list). The female contingent is the highest it’s ever been in the 17 years I’ve been doing this list. Maybe it’s a fact of me getting older, or getting in touch with my female side, or wanting to touch a female’s side and other parts, I just don’t know.


This pic has nothing to do with what I wrote on this page. I just wanted it in here because it cracks me up and makes me think highly of drunken driving.

How Live Band Karaoke Saved My Life (Or At Least Made it More Interesting)

12/9/06 10:11a.m.
I’m sitting in front of my computer 36 hours after the craziness and my brain keeps going back to a classic baseball call by announcer Jack Buck at the 1988 World Series—“I don’t believe what I just saw!” Did I really get to sing at Gracie Mansion, the ceremonial home of New York’s mayor? Did I really witness our current Mayor Mike Bloomberg sing a parody of “Born to Run” dressed up like Bruce Springsteen circa Born in the U.S.A. with his senior staff? Did I really hear the mayor give an on stage thanks to the band I work for, Bunnie England and the New Originals? And did I really steal the copy of the mayor’s speech he left on our lyric stand? Why yes, all of those things happened, just look at this picture (Bloomberg’s in the bandana):

Stunned? Yes, me too. Before I get to the tale about the most bizarre December 7th of my life, let me share a little background about how a drunken Thursday night diversion turned into a something that filled a gap that’s been in my life for more than a decade.

In 2004 I started going to a bar-slash-rock club off Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn called Magnetic Field. In what in the literary business might call “foreshadowing,” my first experience at the bar was singing with Utensil, my boss Ira’s cover band, at his 50th birthday party. After 10 Rheingolds to overcome my stage fright, I did a drunken blast of yelling through The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” A few days later when my head cleared, I still remembered that the Field had a cool vibe so I started making it a regular stop on my social rounds. One week I saw that they had a live band karaoke night every other Thursday. In November 2004 I got the nerve up to go and attempt to sing. Alas, the show was canceled that night, which was probably a good thing because I don’t think I was quite ready to be on the mic. Three months later I mustered up the nerve again and went to the bar and signed up to sing Cheap Trick’s “Surrender.” I picked that song because it seemed to be the only one I could sing without looking at the lyrics that much. When my name was finally called, I felt like I would vomit. Then I got on stage, the guys started playing…and I went nuts. I screamed the words, jumped around and at points yelled so loud that without the mic I was louder than the band. When the song was all done, I just about sprinted off the stage.

Then something shocking happened—all three guys in the band came up to me and said my performance was great, and one hoped that I would come back for their next show. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I can’t sing; I wouldn’t know the difference between the key of A and the key of C if my life depended upon it. I guess they were just impressed by my stage presence, which I hadn’t tapped into since my days of hosting radio events. After the adrenaline high and the compliments, I was hooked.

I became a regular at the gigs for this band, Bunnie England and the New Originals. I got to know Michelle, the woman who hosted the evening (I guess she was the Bunnie of the name…oh I am very glad no one has called me Bunnie while I’ve been on stage) pretty well. One week when I showed up she walked right up to me and said, “Oh good, I need a ringer tonight.” “Ringer?” I said. “If I’m your ringer, than you must be having a shitty night.” Yet, she was correct. I had people coming up to me and request that I sing “Surrender.” (One attractive woman wrote it on one of the index cards people filled out to get a slot on stage and gave it to Michelle. And yes, I saved that card as a boost for my ego.) In early October 2005 William, one of Magnetic Field’s co-owners, asked me if I wanted a shot at hosting one week. I said yes immediately, and then spent the few days before my hosting debut having dreams about flopping on stage. It was as if I stepped right back in time to my radio days when I would have that gnawing feeling in my stomach the day I had to go introduce a Styx or Rush tribute band and give away some crappy T-shirts.

Hosting live band karaoke seems pretty simple: you tell people to write down their name and the song they want to do from the band’s master list on an index card and then hand it over. That first night I discovered there was a bit more to it. You have to warn the band what song is coming up; quickly find the right page in the massive lyrics book; remember to pass the hat so the band can get paid; figure out the right time to take a set break; get people to sign up when it’s slow, and placate people when they don’t get on stage right away when its busy. It was a bit rough at times, but by the end of the night I realized what I had been missing in my life—this outlet to entertain. Or at least the outlet to think I was entertaining people. Being on air more than a decade ago fulfilled that void in my life. In the time since I ditched the on-air life my various DJ gigs had satiated that need, but not all the way. This new monthly job did the trick—and I got to pretend I was a rock star!

I split hosting duties with Michelle for four months until she left the bar and then I took over both monthly gigs. The amount of fun I’ve had twice a month during the past 14 months is probably more than I should ever expect to have in my late 30s. I’ve struck up friendships with the three amazing musicians in the band, Paul the guitarist, Paul the bassist and Troy the drummer. (And I’d like to once again thank them publicly for allowing me to tell bad jokes, make fun of some singers, make fun of myself and otherwise work out my various emotional issues in front of a crowd.) I’ve seen long-time friends give it their all on the Magnetic Field stage (to watch my colleague Dave pour his soul out on The Stones’ “Dead Flowers” was something we’d never see at a company Christmas party) and become friends with a bunch of nice neighborhood people who like to stretch out their vocal cords on a regular basis. And for my birthday I got to warble songs by The Figgs and Nada Surf off key and fulfill a long-time goal of jamming on stage with my guitar-slinging friend and former roommate Joe (oh we rocked “Highway to Hell.”) Only three times has it actually felt like work, and two of those times it was due to a bunch of drunken Brooklyn Law students. (After the ways these yahoos acted, it’s easy to see why people have an inherent distrust of the legal profession.)

So how does a hobby that fills a huge void in my life get me singing “Summer of ’69” in front of a bunch of political cronies at the City Hall holiday party? Well, New York City’s TV station Channel 25 features a segment called On the Prowl where the host does short segments about cool things in the city. One of the show’s producers had his birthday party at one of the live band karaoke nights and they filmed it for On the Prowl. Seth the producer enjoyed the experience so much that when the planners for the City Hall holiday party were looking for something different for this year’s shindig, he suggested us. So somehow we ended up at Gracie Mansion on a cold December night, sitting in the nicest green room I have ever seen, with waiters and waitresses bringing around some of the best looking appetizers I have ever seen—and knowing that the Mayor and a bunch of his staff were going to sing new lyrics for “Born to Run” penned by one of his speechwriters. I suppose if I had known that this was the holiday party for all of City Hall (I just thought it was for NYC TV 25) I might have hired my own speechwriter to craft something that would get this pack of public servants to chuckle. For some reason none of them laughed when I got on stage and said “We haven’t seen this many suits since our last trial.” Their lack of humor seemed to dissolve as more booze flowed—and especially after our Mayor got up and did his impression of the Boss.

The picture above can’t do justice to how surreal those 10 minutes felt. I almost forgot to take Paul’s camera out of my pocket because I was so stunned watching this unfold in front of me. When the crew did their exit stage left, I hopped on…and for the first time in 20 years I was left speechless as to what to say into a mic. I somehow recovered enough to get a few people up to sing Green Day’s “Basket Case,” which somehow seemed appropriate for what I had just witnessed. Apparently we were big enough of a hit that they want us back for next year’s party, which might be the biggest surprise of all. Who knew that the quickest route to politics for me would be through music?