Sunday, November 30, 2008

Request for Sharie...

Urgent email from Keith:
Trying to make an oldies CD for Sharie. Trying to find two songs on iTunes. Can't find it under those artists on iTunes. Help!! K

  • First one: lyrics go "this guy's in love with you. yes i'm in love. who looks at you the way i do. etc etc. Any idea who the original artist is? Or the most popular version from the radio?
    johnnyk response: Sounds like a Hal David/Burt Bacharach song made by Herb Alpert (sans Tijuana Brass). Here's a youtube clip of Alpert singing the song on The Carpenters' television show. -lyrics - songfacts.com

  • Second one: lyrics go "you make me so very happy. I'm so glad you came into my life.etc.etc. The Guess Who? Chicago??
    johnnyk response: You're close on this one - it's "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat & Tears. (I've included a youtube clip of a 1971 performance of this song below) -lyrics. - songfacts.com

  • We lose again, 10-6 on a QB fumble returned for a TD...unbelievable!....


    We suck, but we're on TV!!!!

    We're ahead 6-3 at halftime! What an offense!!!!!!!

    Bill Cowher, we want you...

    Saturday, November 29, 2008

    Saturday morning soundtrack for trying to catch a kitchen mouse as The Reet goes fucking nuts...

    Morning, everyone!

  • Ashgrove (Dave Alvin)
  • Live in Austin (Tony Joe White)
  • Read My Lips (Lou Ann Barton)
  • Annunciation (the subdudes)
  • Just a Little Lovin' (Shelby Lynne)
  • Friday, November 28, 2008

    Imagine there's no heaven....

    Tenor Placido Domingo sings poems by Pope John Paul

    VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Tenor Placido Domingo unveiled a new album of songs based on the poems of Pope John Paul II on Friday and said he was certain the late pontiff was a saintly man. In "Infinite Love," a CD he presented at the Vatican, the Spanish-born Domingo sings duets with Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Vanessa Williams and Katherine Jenkins as well as with his son, Placido Domingo Jr. The songs in English, Spanish and Italian are based on poems the Polish pope wrote before his election in 1978. - complete article

    Unconfirmed poems/songs include:
  • Fridays were never for hotdogs
  • Pew up, y'all, it's Sunday
  • Incense is seriously groovy stuff
  • On being the deuce
  • Thursday, November 27, 2008

    Happy Thanksgiving to Y'all!
    (including the heartless bastards!)


    Great day at the compound, filled with Kennedys, McGowans, Flynns and Iversons eating, drinking, conversing - good family stuff. And these people know their music! Topics of the day included: Peter had been intrigued with a snippet of Fleet Foxes heard on NPR, so we investigated. Found the Seattle band to sound sort of Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds/Good Vibrations. We gave them a C-. ....Revisited Boston's Melvern Taylor, a Fabuloso 2007 Christmas gift from Kay. Overnight visitor Nate O (longtime friend of Garrett, but no relation to Barack O) liked it and grabbed a copy and, later, Ron did likewise.....The tasty dinner was matched with a soundtrack of the Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Terrance Blanchard Let's Get Lost and the classic, six-song John Coltrane/Johnny Hartman. ....Big winners were the Heartless Bastards, the Ohio trio who opened for Lucinda Williams up at the Calvin Theater in Northampton a couple years ago (to whom we paid little attention until Garrett started to play them awhile ago). Here's a youtube clip of them... The new Pretenders CD, Break Up the Concrete, got good reviews. ....Throw in some vintage Clash/Joe Strummer (favs of Ron/Jonathan) and Ray Lamontagne and we've got a mighty fine day of music, don't you think?

    Bette forwards this very interesting site which identifies for us "The #1 song in the U.S.A. on this date in history, according to Billboard magazine." joshhosler.biz

    Turkey with gravy and cranberry; can't believe the Mets traded Darryl Strawberry...

    The Adam Sandler Thanksiving song. Sing alongfolks...

    Has cold turkey got YOU on the run?...

    Wednesday, November 26, 2008

    Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins...

    Mystery `Eleanor Rigby' document goes to auction (AP)
    LONDON – Eleanor Rigby: fact or fiction? That question, which has bedeviled Beatles' fans for decades, may be answered in part by a 1911 hospital payroll sheet to be auctioned in London on Thursday. The document, sent by Paul McCartney in 1990 to the director of a music charity who had asked for funding, contains the signature of a scullery maid named "E. Rigby" who worked in a Liverpool hospital. The director of the company auctioning the document believes the woman who signed the payroll is the same Eleanor Rigby buried in 1939 in a Liverpool graveyard next to the church where McCartney met the young John Lennon. - complete article

    Tuesday, November 25, 2008

    We missed her at Cafe Nine Saturday night, but here's what they said about Sarah Borges' gig at B.B. King's in NYC...

    Band Seeking Audience Willing to Leave Its Seats
    By JON CARAMANICA (NY Times 11/24/08)

    Should there be, sometime in the near future, a sock hop in need of a house band, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles would like to apply for the position. Granted, clean-scrubbed, 1950s-influenced rock is but one part of this gleeful young band’s repertory, which also includes rockabilly, vintage country, moody ’90s indie rock and girl-group pop. Still, this group delivers even its sullen songs with velocity, so that when Ms. Borges looked out on the dinner crowd at B. B. King Blues Club & Grill on Sunday, she couldn’t quite mask her glumness: “You’re all sitting down. How are you going to dance?”

    Ms. Borges and her Boston-based band were opening for the Blasters, the longtime punk-influenced rockabilly outfit that is also no friend to a seated audience. But the modesty and calm of the room turned into an opportunity for Ms. Borges and her brood. After a slow start, in which the band was stiff, and Ms. Borges’s vocals were mixed impossibly low, the chairs finally got some competition. In a sparkling black minidress and beat-up tan cowboy boots, Ms. Borges was a sharp frontwoman, with a warm, cheery voice that she wasn’t afraid to stretch, hissing some of her words on “Daniel Lee” and singing plaintively on “Stop and Think It Over.”

    Released in 2007, “Diamonds in the Dark” (Sugar Hill), Ms. Borges’s second album and first with the Broken Singles, is fiery and charming, featuring an unlikely range of excellent covers of songs by Tom Waits, Canned Heat, X and Dolly Parton. They skipped those here, though, sticking largely to originals. The band — the guitarist Lyle Brewer, the bass player Binky and the drummer Rob Dulaney — was consistently rollicking, and Ms. Borges wielded her guitar in muscular fashion, especially on a ferocious version of NRBQ’s “It Comes to Me Naturally,” from the forthcoming album “The Stars Are Out,” due next year. Only in a couple of spots did this vivacious singer let the audience feel comfortable resting in its seats. “Modern Trick,” an airy, dry number about regret, was one of them. “I want to live my life in stereo,” Ms. Borges sighed, as Mr. Dulaney lightly tapped his snare with a pair of brushes:

    When I want someone to turn me on
    I can signal with my red light
    When I want to, I can amplify
    the parts of me you like the best
    Just the same, I could equalize
    the too-loud parts of the rest.

    Now the first of December was covered with snow, And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston...

    So I'm driving to the post office mid-afternoon and the radio is tuned to WFAN 660's Mike Francesa (formerly Mike and the Mad Dog until Dog took the money and ran) show and I hear the big, fat, self-absorbed one chatting with a man relating his experiences with the Beatles and Apple Records. James Taylor! What gives? Well, it's some kind of fundraiser (Children's Miracle Network) with Taylor auctioning off a guitar and signed copies of his new cd, Covers (is anyone NOT doing a covers album these days?). They are still chatting as I arrive home, so I turn on the television just in time to hear very cool acoustic versions of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne as well as the Taylor classics Carolina in My Mind (written while he was in England recording at Apple Studios, hanging with the Beatles) and Sweet Baby James (written for older brother Alex's first-born named after James).

    Wikipedia factoid (heads up, Toddy): James grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father, Isaac M. Taylor, was the dean of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine from 1964 to 1971. His family spent summers on Martha's Vineyard.

    Endless sleep, indeed...

    PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Ralph Joseph Reynolds, known as Jody, the rockabilly singer and songwriter whose lone hit, “Endless Sleep,” ushered in a wave of tragic teenage pop songs in the 1950s, died here on Nov. 7. He was 75. Mr. Reynolds was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999. "Endless Sleep,” which sold more than a million copies in 1958, kicked off the melodramatic teenage-tragedy genre, including Mark Dinning’s “Teen Angel,” Ray Peterson’s “Tell Laura I Love Her,” Dickey Lee’s “Patches” and the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack.” - complete article

    Monday, November 24, 2008

    Infinity Music Hall & Bistro, Norfolk...

    A friend alerted me to this new music venue up in northwest CT, the Infinity Music Hall & Bistro. A quick peek at its calendar reveals that former Fabulous Rhinestone Kal David is playing on Friday, followed by Sweet Baby James' brother Livingston Taylor on Saturday, followed by (big Johnnyk fav) Leon Russell on Sunday. Not bad. The bistro is slated to open early 2009.

    Per YouTube: Welcome to Infinity Music Hall & Bistro - Connecticut's oldest new music venue in Norfolk, Connecticut. When Infinity Hall opens its doors in Fall 2008 it will host some of the best jazz, folk, classical and other music touring the United States today.

    Sunday, November 23, 2008

    We suck soooo bad -Texans 16, Brownies 6...



    Quinn's finger broken, but will play vs. Houston Texans. Kellen Winslow probably out with bad shoulder (but no staff infection - yet). Wonderful!

    The scoop
    Meanwhile, today's soundtrack:
  • At Carnegie Hall (Thelonious Monk w/ John Coltrane)
  • Let It Bleed (Rolling Stones)
  • 100 Days, 100 Nights (Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings)
  • Fabuloso (Melvern Taylor)
  • The Last Real Texas Blues Band (Doug Sahm)
  • For music lovers everywhere...

    Guitar Hero World Tour Heidi Klum Director's Cut, Directed by Brett Ratner

    Saturday, November 22, 2008

    What I'm listening to on a Saturday as I watch Charlie Weis get his big fat ass kicked...

    The Irish reached another low as Cameron Dantley, son of one of Notre Dame’s all-time basketball greats, threw an 11-yard TD pass with 42 seconds left to lead Syracuse to a 24-23 victory, one of the most surprising upsets in Fighting Irish history. AP story

    Meanwhile, Saturday's soundtrack:
  • Working Man's Cafe (Ray Davies)
  • Humming by the Flowered Vine (Laura Cantrell)
  • UFOs OverBamako (Vieux Farka Toure)
  • Get Inside (Johnny A)
  • Groovebox (The Ahn Trio)
  • Flying Through (Naomi Sommers)
  • Diamonds in the Dark (Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles)
  • Out in California (Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men)
  • Broken Singles 'N Blasters at Cafe Nine tonight!...

    Damn it, I had been really looking forward to Saturday night's Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles and the Blasters gig at Cafe Nine (the musicians' living room) for a number of reasons- a night out at a crowded, noisy bar with a bunch of good friends (it started with just me 'n Keith, Sharie joined in and got The Rick/Joann, which brought The Reet into the fold; Trish/George chimed in they're a go w/tickets; and we were working on Vin/Marcia); an always fun SB&BS show (SB promised to play Tom Waits' Blind Love this time around) with new guitarist Lyle Brewer and new songs from their to-be-released 3rd album; and a set from the legendary Blasters! But, alas, the best laid plans...I do expect several detailed reports from my gig-going buds!

    Email announcement from SB:
    We're over the moon about our three shows with the legendary Blasters this weekend. I'd be hot footing it out to this show even if we weren't on the bill! We're also flying solo Friday night at one of our favorite all-time venues, Club Helsinki, in Great Barrington, MA.

  • Thursday, November 20th, 8pm @Sellersville Theater
    24 Temple Ave., Sellersville PA
    w/The Blasters
  • Friday, November 21st, 9pm @Club Helsinki
    284 Main St., Great Barrington MA
    Price: $15
  • Saturday, November 22nd, 9pm @Cafe Nine
    250 State St., New Haven CT
    Price: $20 w/The Blasters
  • Sunday, November 23rd, 8pm @BB King's
    237 West 42nd St., New York NY
    w/The Blasters
    Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles!
  • Friday, November 21, 2008

    Sawtelles concert alert!...

    Plantsville's own:
  • borders meriden tonite at 8
  • cafe nine new haven w/p drumming for Critelli (plus you get a dose of lasala and raebuck as well so go at 9p) later on tonite at 10
  • billy o's english pub rt 322 milldale near the truck stop/DQ w/HOUND saturday
  • j drumming for grimfacts at the edgewood park farmer's market, new haven/westville sunday at 12pm.
  • p drumming again for critelli up in boston sunday at 3pm.
  • then monday at the beatnik
  • One year ago...

    Gumbo Across America - revisit the adventure

    Random songfact to jumpstart your Friday...

    Great little music resource- Songfacts.com:

    Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) by Bruce Springsteen
    Album: The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Released: 1973

    Songfacts about Rosalita:
  • This is Springsteen's musical autobiography. After touring relentlessly around the Jersey Shore, he finally signed a record deal and got some money.
  • Springsteen considers this the best love song he ever wrote. It's proof that a love song does not have to be slow or sappy.
  • This is Springsteen's most popular live song. It was the last song before the encore at most of his shows from 1973-1984.
  • This became very popular in England when British TV aired a clip of Springsteen performing this at a concert in Phoenix in 1978.
  • The live film clip of this is the closest thing Springsteen had to a music video until he started making them in 1984, starting with "Dancing In The Dark."
  • Springsteen: "A kiss-off to everybody who counted you out, put you down, or decided you weren't good enough."
  • This was one of the first songs to showcase Clarence Clemons on sax. With his bright suits and imposing size, he quickly became the most popular member of the E Street Band.
  • After appearing on the covers of Time and Newsweek in October,1975, he sometimes changed the words to "Tell your papa I ain't no freak, 'cause I got my picture on the cover of Time and Newsweek."
  • The audience always went crazy when Springsteen sang: "The record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance." He got a $25,000 advance from Columbia Records when he signed his first record deal, proving to his father and others who doubted him that he did have a real job.
  • Springsteen never liked his nickname "The Boss," and sometimes sang: "You can call me Lieutenant, Rosie, but don't ever call me Boss."
  • Springsteen wrote this to be a live show-stopper. He was inspired by the Soul revues in the '60s where the artists would pour all their energy into their final song, and just when it seemed to be over, keep playing. He knew his audience would remember this when he played it.
  • Thursday, November 20, 2008

    Hartford Courant article about the Blasters (who appear at Cafe Nine Saturday night with Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles)....

    Blasters' Phil Alvin Rejects Albums, Embraces Technology byy Kenneth Partridge

    There are plenty of things Phil Alvin loves about the history of American music, but the record industry isn't one of them. It's not just that the longtime Blasters front man doesn't trust label execs, although he's been around long enough to know why he shouldn't. On a more fundamental level, he rejects the idea that music should be pressed onto pieces of plastic — records, cassettes, CDs — and sold by large corporations. "The album was an artificial imprint on music that didn't exist before [record labels]," Alvin says from California shortly before beginning a Blasters tour that stops Saturday in New Haven.

    In a sense, it's strange to hear Alvin take such a nontraditional stance. Since he and his brother Dave formed the Blasters in 1979, the band has taken an almost scholarly approach to classic American sounds — rockabilly, most notably, but also R&B, country and blues. Alongside California contemporaries such as X and Los Lobos, the Blasters proved that roots music could be relevant in the age of punk, a genre that, to some, was bent on destroying all that had come before. complete article

    Wednesday, November 19, 2008

    Hop on the bus, Gus (the man knows his music)...

    Got an email from erstwhile Westie Punk, Gus P., responding to my Marianne Faithfull and Signs postings:

    former brave, now a bobcat

    Thanks for the update on Ms Faithful. I had her second to Gracie Slick for awhile; then she dropped out (really dropped out, evidently). Then, again, after seeing Gracie in 'black-face' on the Smothers Brothers in '68 (I think), I had to reassess her elite spot as well. That 'sign' song was close to my most hated 'rock' song, so I would not click on the 'plug-in' for fear of actually having to hear it. Although I'm usually good about blocking out things I disdain, I think the group was 5 man electric band.

    former chieftain, now a nighthawk

    As tears go by.....

    A favorite of mine through the years has been Marianne Faithfull, who seduced me as a teen with As Tears Go By (written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Andrew Loog Oldham) before descending into drugs (in the early 1970s, after her break-up with Mick Jagger, she spent two years living on the streets in London's Soho, a drug addict and an anorexic), only to resurface in 1979 with her very fine Broken English album. Much like Ronnie Spector, Faithfull has the respect of other musicians, collaborating over the years with the likes of Pink Floyd, Garth Hudson, Dr. John, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, Joe Jackson, Blur, Beck, Billy Corgan, Dave Stewart and PJ Harvey. At 61, the voice is completely different, even an acquired taste, but I'm still a fan.

    Well, according to the Canadian music site ChartAttack, after a recent battle with breast cancer, she's about to release Easy Come, Easy Go, her 22nd album. I had no idea!

    Marianne Faithfull enlisted an impressive group of people to contribute to her 22nd album, a collection of wide-ranging covers titled Easy Come, Easy Go. The album, which will be released by Naive Records on Dec. 9, was recorded at New York City's Sear Sound by producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams) last December. The band backing Faithfull featured Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen, Rob Burger, Barry Reynolds and the Dirty Three's Jim White.

    But Faithfull's vocal collaborators were even more impressive: Sean Lennon on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's "Salvation" and Judee Sill's "The Phoenix," Chan Marshall and Lennon on Neko Case's "Hold On, Hold On," Nick Cave on The Decemberists' "The Crane Wife 3," Rufus Wainwright on Espers' "Children Of Stone," Teddy Thompson on Brian Eno's "How Many Worlds," Antony Hegarty on Smokey Robinson And The Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby," Keith Richards on Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home," Jarvis Cocker on Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's West Side Story tune, "Somewhere (A Place For Us)," and Kate and Anna McGarrigle on the traditional "Flandyke Shore."

    Here are the songs, with their original artists in parentheses, on Easy Come, Easy Go:
    Disc one:
    "Down From Dover" (Dolly Parton)
    "Hold On, Hold On" (Neko Case)
    "Solitude" (Billie Holiday)
    "The Crane Wife 3" (The Decemberists)
    "Easy Come, Easy Go" (Bessie Smith)
    "Children Of Stone" (Espers)
    "How Many Worlds" (Brian Eno)
    "In Germany Before The War" (Randy Newman)
    "Ooh Baby Baby" (Smokey Robinson And The Miracles)
    "Sing Me Back Home" (Merle Haggard)
    Disc two:
    "Salvation" (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
    "Black Coffee" (Sarah Vaughn)
    "The Phoenix" (Judee Sill)
    "Dear God Please Help Me" (Morrissey)
    "Kimbie" (Jackson C. Frank)
    "Many A Mile To Freedom" (Traffic)
    "Somewhere (A Place For Us)" (Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) "Flandyke Shore" (traditional)

    "Children Of Stone," "Down From Dover" and "Ooh Baby Baby" can be previewed on Faithfull's MySpace page. - complete article

    Tuesday, November 18, 2008

    Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind...

    Signs
    And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply
    So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
    He said you look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do
    So I took off my hat I said imagine that, huh, me working for you
    woah!
    Sign Sign everywhere a sign
    Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
    Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign


    Just got an urgent (okay, whimsical) call from Johnny Gumbo posing the question: Who sang the song Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, was it Buffalo Springfield? I knew it wasn't Buffalo Springfield and I was pretty sure it was one of those one-hit-wonder bands, but I couldn't remember who. So, where does one go for such important information? The internets, of course, that's why Al Gore invented them!

    Here's the song, by answer here

    Monday, November 17, 2008

    WIDE RIGHT AGAIN! Brownies 29, Bills 27...



    Cheryl, get your $20 ready, the Brownies rule! (actually, keep it, the Browns don't deserve it)

    Thanks to all for the many kind phone calls over the past couple days!

    Friday, November 14, 2008

    We're Bach!...

    Plan b on Park Road in West Hartford was the bait I needed to persuade The Reet to accompany me to The Ahn Trio concert tonight at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. It's predictably crowded on a Friday afternoon, but time is on our side, yes it is. We people-watch as we wait our turn, occasionally gazing up at the news of Hillary being our next Henry Kissinger. Finally summoned, we squeeze into a table by the back of the bar, ordering up a burger to split; two burgers, however delicious (and they ARE delicious), are too much for us. We don't want to be off our game for the Ahns!

    Born in Seoul, South Korea, and educated at Juilliard in New York City, the Ahn Trio - sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella - is redefining the art and architecture of chamber music. "A dominant musical gene has obviously left its imprint on the sisters Ahn." - The Los Angeles Times.

    We arrive at Asylum Hill way too early, immediately spotting the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, an impressive structure designed by Roman Catholic architect Patrick C. Keely of Brooklyn in 1865. We park, walk around to the front. Two lines, we're informed. To the left for those bearing tickets, to the right for those not. We're not. We settle into the back of the still-sparse right line, performing our duty to inform arriving concertgoers of their line choice. At 7:30 (the concert is scheduled for eight), the left door opens and everyone files in. A man appears, laughing, and tells us we are invited in the left door too. Apparently, these were old rules no longer in effect!

    Not to worry, we are early enough to plunk down our two twenties at the admission table, obtain our programs and snap up aisle seats in the front of the church. A grand piano is center stage, positioned just deep enough to allow two chairs, two music stands, one microphone in front. Excellent seats, Reet. Literally, they have cushions! The church quickly fills in behind us as we wait, fidget, read our programs. I note that one of the pieces to be performed, Yu Riung, was composed by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny for the sisters.

    A gentleman identifying himself as the minister of music (understatedly, not in the sense of Godfather of Soul) appears to commence the concert, relating that he was the MC at an Ahn Trio concert ten years ago in Florida. After some obligatory announcements, the visually stunning Ahn sisters enter from the right and parade onto the stage: elder twins Maria (cello), Lucia (piano) and younger sister Angella (violin). Once settled in, violinist Angella becomes the spokessister for the trio, thanking us, prefacing each piece with some personal history, charmingly hawking Ahn Trio cds ("You really don't have to...but you should!").

    (ed. note: rudely interrupted by my heart over the weekend, but back in the saddle)

    The performance is wonderful, from the four-movement Divertissement for Violin, Cello and Piano by Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin (not to be confused with Vladimir Putin, who rears his head and comes into Alaskan airspace) through Metheny's Yu Riung (about Seoul drivers called "dae-ri un-jun-sa" who have the unpleasant task of picking up people late at night who have been drinking too much and taking them home) and Richard Rogers' My Funny Valentine. The sisters interact constantly with eye contact or the slightest of nods, an occasional inside-joke smirk. The entire performance is a joy, finishing with two David Balakrishnan pieces, Tremors and Skylife, the latter "a slow burning, heavy-metal kind of number....if this were the 60's, the comparison would be to Led Zeppelin."

    Bravo! And after the concert we, as instructed, snap up a signed copy of Groovebox (which starts out with the Doors' Riders on the Storm) before heading out I84 west. Great start to the weekend. If I only knew!

    The program:
  • Divertissement for Violin, Cello and Piano (Moscow, 2005) Nikolai Kapustin
  • Dies Irie Kenji Bunch
  • Song on the Land Ronn Yedidia
  • Mr. Twitty's Chair Katrina Wreede
    Intermission
  • Yu Ryung Pat Metheny
  • My Funny Valentine Richard Rogers
  • Tremors David Balakrishnan
  • Skylife David Balakrishnan
  • Jeez, they just go Ahn and Ahn and Ahn...

    Well, despite the reluctance of The Reet, we are off to hear the sisters Ahn tonight at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church at 8pm. Sure hope they're Ahn! (my motto: no joke too obvious) Potential musical offerings:
  • What's goin' Ahn
  • Ahnward Christian soldiers
  • Ahn top of old Smokey
  • Dreamboat Ahnnie
  • Gentle Ahn my mind

    The Ahn Trio Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at Juilliard in New York City, the members of the Ahn Trio "sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella" are redefining the art and architecture of chamber music, breathing new life into the standard piano-trio literature with commissioned works from visionary composers like Kenji Bunch, Maurice Jarre, Nikolai Kapustin and Michael Nyman. The trio's latest CD, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac (recorded by their own label, L.A.M.P), is a showcase of this vibrant and original music. They play at the Asylum Hill Church in Hartford on Friday, November 14.
  • Got my suitcase in my hand....

    Fats Domino documentary to air on PBS (AP)

    NEW ORLEANS — Fats Domino lost his sprawling yellow-and-white house in Hurricane Katrina and with it, the keepsakes of an extraordinary career that took him from New Orleans honky-tonks to worldwide hitmaker. When Katrina swamped his Lower 9th Ward neighborhood and 80 percent of his hometown with floodwater, Domino lost his home, three pianos, dozens of gold and platinum records and other memorabilia.

    So, when the 80-year-old singer took the stage at a popular New Orleans club for the first time after the 2005 storm, fans cheered and cried as he bopped the upbeat strains of "I'm Walkin'" and crooned "Ain't That a Shame," along with a host of other hits. Footage from that appearance in May 2007, his first and last since Katrina, is the basis of a new documentary, "Fats Domino: Walkin' Back to New Orleans," that will air on public broadcasting stations over the next few years.

    Songs from the performance are interwoven with interviews from Domino's friends and fellow musicians, including Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Randy Newman and Allen Toussaint. The roughly hour-long film is narrated by actor John Goodman, who has strong connections to the city. "They did a good job," Domino said softly during an invitation-only showing of the film in New Orleans recently. "It turned out real nice, and I'm real grateful they did that for me," he said as he sat among friends, swapping stories and nibbling on mini-crawfish pies. - complete article

    Thursday, November 13, 2008

    Gotta go! (area concerts on Johnnyk's radar)...

  • Nov 14 (Fri)- The Ahn Trio at Asylum Hill Church in Hartford (The Reet is skeptical)
  • Nov 22 (Sat)- Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles w/ the Blasters at Cafe Nine in New Haven (an evening with good music and good friends)
  • Dec 2 (Tue)- subdudes at Iron Horse in Northampton, MA
  • Dec 3 (Wed)- James Hunter at Iron Horse in Northampton, MA (3rd time here for Mr. Hunter)
  • Dec 4 (Thu)- Pimps of Joytime at Nublu in NYC
  • Dec 5 (Fri)- Eileen Jewell at Cafe Nine in New Haven
  • Dec 31 (Wed)- Al Anderson at Iron Horse in Northampton, MA
  • Jan 7 (Wed)- Bettye LeVette at Iron Horse in Northampton, MA (I'm determined. She's GREAT!)
  • Wednesday, November 12, 2008

    Doesn't a king beat a queen? Guess again...

    Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era: poll (Reuters)

    She's already the Queen of Soul, but now Aretha Franklin has been named the greatest singer of the rock era in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine. Franklin, 66, came in ahead of Ray Charles at No. 2, Elvis Presley at No. 3, Sam Cooke at No. 4 and John Lennon at No. 5, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music-industry insiders. The 100-strong list will be published on Friday, when Rolling Stone hits the newsstands with four different covers.

    The issue includes testimonials from musicians. R&B singer Mary J. Blige, for example, writes that Franklin is "the reason why women want to sing." Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who was No. 15 on the list, describes Presley's voice as "confident, insinuating and taking no prisoners." Besides Franklin, the only other living people in the top 10 were Bob Dylan at No. 7 and Stevie Wonder at No. 9. Marvin Gaye was No. 6, Otis Redding No. 8, and James Brown No. 10. Other notables included Paul McCartney at No. 11, one place ahead of his idol, Little Richard; and Mick Jagger at No. 16, also one ahead of a key influence, Tina Turner. Among the top 25, 50-year-old Michael Jackson was the youngest, coming in at No. 25.

    Voters included Metallica frontman James Hetfield, folk singers David Crosby and Yusuf Islam, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, punk rock veteran Iggy Pop and English pop star James Blunt. They each submitted their top 20 choices, and an accounting firm tabulated the results.

    Monday, November 10, 2008

    Get down with your bad self....

    The Pimps of Joytime Okay, you got me. Great name! The email from Ariel Publicity catches my attention, and Ariel says that they are compared to The Meters, Sly & The Family Stone, Prince, Santana, Bill Withers, Beck and are influenced by Curtis Mayfield, Prince, Sly & The Family Stone, The Meters, Shuggie Otis, Roy Ayers Ubiquity. Pretty good stuff, but do they measure up? Judge for yourself (they appear at Nublu in Manhattan on December 4th):

    My eggs don't taste the same without you...

    Posted by Anonymous to johnnykmusic
    Looks like a fan that remembers those "live" performances and that's trying to keep the memories alive, did some recent tribute cover songs. Search "fabulous farquahr" on YouTube.com and it should bring four songs up: My Eggs Don't Taste the Same Without You, Stick with the Dogs, Sweet Smell of Success and El Groino the Gay Ranchero. Hope this helps and brings some smiles to all you Farquahr-heads out there.

    So, I did! A guy calling himself the HappyHour Parrot has done several Farquahr songs as a tribute. Here's his narrative followed by the video:
    A song about the perils of Divorce...and keeping the damm cat! This is a small tribute to "The Fabulous Farquahr" a group that entertained a generation of Happy Hour goers throughout New England, especially summers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. "My Eggs Don't Taste the Same Without You" is one of their original classics and this cover is attempted by a huge fan, HappyHourParrot.com, in an attempt to keep some of their music alive! Thanks guys for all the memories and laughs!

    Saturday, November 08, 2008

    Saturday stuff...

    New Yorkers trying to save historic Tin Pan Alley
    A group of New Yorkers is fighting to save Tin Pan Alley, the half-dozen row houses where iconic American songs were born. The four-story, 19th-century buildings on Manhattan's West 28th Street were home to publishers of some of the catchiest American tunes and lyrics — from "God Bless America" and "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" to "Give My Regards to Broadway." The music of Irving Berlin, Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, George M. Cohan and other greats was born on Tin Pan Alley. complete article

    It's a New Day new Obama video by will.i.am on dipdive.com

    Thursday, November 06, 2008

    Oh, how the Brownies love to hurt their fans....

    Broncos 34, Browns 30...we did it again....

    Romeo voted for a change!

    Come all without, come all within,
    You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn...
    (Quick, who wrote this? Hint: it's not Manfred Mann.)


    At the Cutting Room, NYC tonight!...

    NYC Hit Squad (featuring Christine Ohlman)
    The Cutting Room Thursday, November 6 @ 7:30pm; $20 Door

    Some of the industry's best players get together and do a show. Based on availability, the band consists of:
    Ricky Byrd-guitar and vocals (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Roger Daltrey, Ian Hunter band, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes)
    Andy York-guitar (John Mellencamp, Ian Hunter band)
    Liberty Devitto- drums (Billy Joel)
    Simon Kirke- drums (Bad Co., Free)
    Will Lee- bass (Letterman band)
    Hugh McDonald- bass and vocals (Bon Jovi)
    Muddy Shews-Bass (Asbury Jukes)
    Jeff Kazee-Keyboards (Asbury Jukes, Bon Jovi)
    Joe Lynn Turner- vocals (Deep Purple, Rainbow)
    Christine Ohlman- vocals (Saturday Night Live Band)
    Andy Burton- keyboards (Ian Hunter band)
    Jeff Carlise- guitar (38 Special)
    Richie Cannata- horns (Billy Joel, Beach Boys)
    Chris Anderson- Horns (Asbury Jukes)
    Joey Stann- Horns (Asbury Jukes)
    Eddie Manion- Horns (Asbury Jukes)
    Gerardo Velez- Percussion (Hendrix, Bowie, Stevie Winwood)

    Wednesday, November 05, 2008

    Hey, Beantowners, WERS CD Release Show featuring Juliana Hatfield and Sarah Borges...


    Monday, November 03, 2008

    SBBS/Juliana Hatfield-WERS
    Current mood: Ready to vote
    Category: Ready to vote Music

    WERS is throwing a CD Release Show in celebration of the release of our third live compilation album, Music For The Independent Mind Volume 3. On Wednesday, November 12th we're taking over the Museum of Science Planetarium to bring you an intimate performance from two of our favorite artists: Juliana Hatfield and Sarah Borges.

    To attend this exclusive performance, listen in to WERS leading up to the show for your chance to win tickets. When the DJs give the cue, be caller number four and you're all set!

    For a limited time, you can also get the special VIP package to the show by pledging your support to WERS. Just visit our membership page, pledge your support and choose the "VIP Package to CD Release Party" as your gift from us in appreciation of your support.

    The VIP Package Includes:
    - 2 Tickets to the WERS CD Release Show @ Museum of Science
    - Copy of brand new Music for the Independent Mind Vol. 3 CD
    - Access to exclusive after party with performing artists
    Pledge your support for WERS and become a VIP guest here:
    wers. org/membership

    WERS Presents The CD Release Show featuring: Juliana Hatfield & Sarah Borges
    @ The Museum of Science Planetarium on Wednesday, November 12th @ 7:00

    Tuesday, November 04, 2008

    Result: Obama lights it up, pounds Mavericks 349-147...



    (AP)—Barack Obama was hitting from the outside. Joe Biden dominated inside. Barry O was Barry O, setting up others and scoring when needed. It was almost a perfect game for Big Blue, and the Mavericks never had chance once the Blues stopped turning the ball over in the second half. Obama hit all six of his 3-pointers and scored 22 points, and the Big Blue shot 63 percent from the field in beating the Mavs 349-147 on Tuesday night.

    “It’s a tough call for any team when you have guys who can shoot the ball and fellas like Joe Biden in the post,” Obama said. “You have to pick your poison. Some nights you pick, and what you pick works. Some nights everything is going and you can’t do anything about it. I think tonight was just one of those nights we shot the skin off the ball. They were damned if they did and damned if they didn’t.”

    Nancy Pelosi added 12 points and 11 assists and Biden added 14 points as the Blues won for the first time in three games. “We’re building but I think we have a chance to have great chemistry,” Obama said. “But it’s important for us to keep working at it.” Johnny McCain had 19 points and Sarah Palin added 15 and eight rebounds for the Nets, who lost their second straight game.

    “When you got Biden down in the paint and Barack running the show and the shooters that they have, we have to defend the three and do a better job in the paint,” Mavs forward Joey Leiberman said. “They just got anything they wanted at any point and that made it tough for us.” The only thing that kept the game interesting and close was the Blues’ 20 turnovers and election updates during timeouts. The New York metropolitan area crowd was decidedly pro Barack Obama, cheering wildly each time he either scored or his assist total was posted. Johnny Mac points were greeted with boos. For the game, the Blues were 43-of-68 from the field, and 12-of-18 from 3-point range. The Mavericks shot 34 percent, hitting 28 of 83 shots.

    Veteran George Bush did not play, coach's decision. His option has not been picked up and he will likely retire at the end of this season after a dismal eight year career.

    Election Day! Who ya got?...

    CNN/Fox News waiting on the Gumbo vote!

    Johnny Mac & Caribou Barbie



    BarackStar & Joe the VP

    Saturday, November 01, 2008

    Killing the messenger in Cleveland....

    Critics bellow over orchestra reviewer losing beat by Thomas J. Sheeran (AP)

    CLEVELAND – The reassignment of a newspaper reviewer critical of Cleveland Orchestra conductor Franz Welser-Moest left a dissonant trail of questions about censorship and the risk of panning a hometown arts icon. The move of Donald Rosenberg off The Plain Dealer's orchestra beat doesn't trump talk about the Browns football team or basketball superstar LeBron James at the watercooler in Cleveland, but reviewers across the country noticed and yelled, "Foul!"

    Rosenberg was summoned into a conference room at Ohio's biggest newspaper in September and was told by Editor Susan Goldberg that he was off the beat that he had for 16 years. Rosenberg, who has written a book about the orchestra and covered 15 of its foreign tours, was reassigned to other arts and entertainment coverage. Britain's Guardian newspaper said the move amounted to censorship, and The New York Times said the reassignment "is sure to send shivers down the opinionated spines of critics everywhere." - complete article

    (Ed. note: Romeo Crennel wanted him suspended)