Attentive readers with long memories may recall my paean to local rap-metal guys King Hell , who I first encountered and wrote about in these precincts back in September of 2010. A sort of unholy schtup between Judas Priest and Parliament/Funkadelic , they were so theatrical, funny and musical when I chanced upon them at a Battle of the Bands back then that I became an instant fan, despite the fact that the genre they were mining was not by and large my cuppa tea. Anyway, to my chagrin they broke up [...]
Okay, I've decided what my creative project for 2014 is. I'm gonna make a music video -- featuring me, Steve Simels, as Groucho Marx -- doing this song. Seriously -- this may be the greatest thing ever written. One night in Bixby, Mississippi, We watched the clouds roll by. I said "My dear, how are you?" And she whispered "So am I" And obviously I've got some Groucho drag in my [...]
Here's a Floor Models outtake I almost played on last night's radio show [Theme: "Does Humor Belong in Music? And Fuck You Frank Zappa Regardless] which turned out to be a lot fun, BTW. The song is "Fade Into Grey," a different version of which appears on our album. This version was recorded semi-live at WBAI-FM circa 1983; ace 12-string player Andy Pasternack edited out a dramatic, sort of Police-like middle section that worked better on stage and replaced it [...]
For those of you with nothing to fill the gnawing void at the center of your hollow lives, I will be guesting on my old chum Allan Rosenberg's intertube radio show Lost at Sea today. Between 5-7pm. The streaming audio can be accessed at the link above, 'natch. Incidentally, the theme of today's program is "Does Humor Belong in Music?", which is ironic in that I mostly detest Frank Zappa, do not think he's funny, and will not be playing any [...]
A Floor Models fan in Spain -- and I can't believe I just used, without irony, the phrase "a Floor Models fan in Spain" -- made this video for one of the songs from Floor Your Love and passed it along to me last Friday. I had not previously suspected this was in the works, BTW, so you can imagine how astounded I was when it arrived. Words more or less fail me, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the fan in question has something to [...]
And speaking as we were earlier this week of the fetching Ellen Foley , from her 1979 debut elpee -- produced, quite wonderfully, by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson -- please enjoy her absolutely fab cover of Timi Yuro 's "What's a Matter Baby." I don't know how I missed this album back in the day, but I gotta tell you, having now finally listened to the thing, I fully concur with the commenters here on Tuesday -- [...]
Taking a well needed break. Cool stuff resumes tomorrow, scout's honor.
From their latest EP, Hipster Apocalypse , please enjoy Louisville, KY-based indie power popsters The Uncommon Houseflies and their suspiciously familiar sounding ode to the great ennui, "Nothing New." Obviously, this is a little more cynical than the similarly themed "It's All Been Done," by the Barenaked Ladies , but I for one not only appreciate the sentiment but also the fact that they were able to flog the conceit for over two minutes without boring me. I should also add that they had me with the line [...]
From the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1979, please enjoy Ellen Foley and her authoritative cover of The Rolling Stones ' puckish satire of contemporary mores "Stupid Girl." The studio version of this was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson , BTW. I gotta say that, having never been a fan of anything remotely connected with the gentleman the New York Times refers to as "Mr. Loaf," I never paid particular attention to Foley except for when she was on TV's Night Court . [...]
And speaking, as we were last week, of the (sadly) late Phil Seymour , a faithful reader reminded me of two other gems from his solo career. So, from Phil's 1980 eponymous debut elpee, please enjoy the wonderfully kinetic "I Found a Love"... ...and the ineffably poignant "Precious to Me" Both of those have guitars and riffs to die for, of course. I should also add that the Deco film noir-ish office complex [...]
Well, this whole strange two year journey of Floor Your Love: The Album has just gotten a little stranger. Which is to say that -- unlikely as it may seem -- a guy at an Australian power pop label somehow heard about the album and has... ...wait for it... ...decided to release the thing for real. The label is called Zero Hour and they do good work. Like this just released tribute album for The Records ... [...]
Okay, as I mentioned earlier last month, my old garage band geezer rock chums The Weasels have been home recording again , despite countless entreaties to cease and desist by friends and loved ones who feel they've suffered enough for our art. In any case, here's "None of Your Business," the concluding track on our most recent so-called "album." Lead vocals, guitar solo and organ are by the song's composer Glenn Leeds ; the bass is [...]
Yeah, yeah, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the mission statement of this here blog, but cut me some slack, jack. And so, from 1961, and an episode of the television series The Roaring 20s , please enjoy the incomparable Dorothy Provine and her definitive version of the charmingly risque Jazz Era standard "Don't Blame Lulu." The Roaring 20s has never been on video to my knowledge, but of all the Warner Bros. shows of its time, it was by far my favorite, [...]
Yeah, yeah, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with the mission statement of this here blog, but cut me some slack, jack. And so, from 1961, and an episode of the television series The Roaring 20s , please enjoy the incomparable Dorothy Provine and her definitive version of the charmingly risque Jazz Era standard "Don't Blame Lulu." The Roaring 20s has never been on video to my knowledge, but of all the Warner Bros. shows of its time, it was by far my favorite, [...]
However, I'm in roughly the same mood as whoever that cat in the photo is. Highly entertaining posting will resume on the morrow. Swear to the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
So over at Facebook the other day somebody trotted out the old "what's the band/performer you most regret not having seen live when you had the chance?" poser. Which is, of course, a question I'm pretty sure we've batted around here at some point as well. And as usual, my immediate reaction was Buffalo Springfield and the MC5 . But that also got to me thinking about a slight variant to the question -- as in "what's the band/performer whose records you particularly enjoy but whom you not only have never seen live [...]
Okay, I will admit to having become moderately obsessed with 60s hitmakers The Rascals of late, on account of having witnessed Once Upon a Dream , their transplendent Broadway concert/retrospective/mixed media show last week, but I promise that this is the last time I'll bother you about them for the forseeable future. In the meantime, from 1967, please enjoy "Sueno," the utterly insinuating B-side of "Groovin'" This was one of the more obscure songs in the show -- I don't think I'd ever actually heard it before, oddly enough [...]
Taking the day off. Regular posting resumes tomorrow.
From sometime in the early '90s, please enjoy my old chums The Rock Club with the effervescently McCartney-esque power pop gem "She's Alright." Sung by the song's composer, the equally effervescent Ronnie D'Addario . From the band's delightful CD Wet Money . And may I say, and for the record, that... "All of her girlfriends hate me They all call me a creep and a jerk..." ...is one of the greatest opening [...]
PowerPop
[new]: Kanye West – New Slaves
Weekly Mix Vol. I
