Day 29: Down to the Wire

It's 11:42 pm and I don't have a topic. I've actually written two posts that I decided not to put up for various reasons (they sucked and they sucked). So here's a list of  some of the songs I'd like to play with a band one day. It's a good thing there's only one day left.

Mack the Knife. Not particularly hard or fancy but I like the build of energy the way Bobby Darin did it. And I love a good groove.

L.A Woman. Similar thing. Irresistible, almost cathartic, groove that busts forward, and just when you think it can never be stopped it drops into half time and lets you add some tasty fills before kicking back into gear and driving to the end. Cops in cars, topless bars, I never saw a woman, so alone.

Hell is for Children. I would play the hell out of this song. Normally I'm understated, but in this song I'd go full Keith Moon on it and I wouldn't let it end until we'd turned it into a 12 minute rock blow out. Just because.

Sing Sing Sing. I want to replicate the 1938 Carnegie Hall performance. It's sublime. I've played Sing Sing Sing before in various band arrangements but I want to play it like Gene and Benny, just once. If you choose to listen to this, pay attention to the piano solo toward the end, right after Benny's solo. The pianist says he didn't know Benny was going to throw it to him, and if he'd known in advance he would have been afraid he'd screw it up. It's gorgeous.

Stairway to Heaven. Because it's Stairway to Heaven. (I've linked the Kennedy Center version by Heart, because I love watching Page and Plant get all misty eyed. Also, the top hats.)

Day 18: Midweek Music Break

Lunasa is my favorite Irish group and one of my all time favorite bands. I've seen them live twice, once at my favorite venue, Nighttown in Cleveland Heights, and once at P.J.McIntyres. They play mainly traditional Irish music with (mostly) traditional instrumentation, but with updated arrangements and exceptional artistry.

This is a tune set called The Dimmers. Irish tunes are traditionally played in sets of two or three. Often, jigs are played with jigs, and reels with reels, but there is no rule, and some of the best sets are mixtures. This particular set is made of two tunes, Jerry O'Sullivan's and The Dimmers.

I picked this because it's accessible to the non-fan. Jerry O'Sullivan's is a beautiful flute piece, while The Dimmers is led by fiddle and Uilleann pipes. The other members play rhythm guitar and stand-up bass.

Without further ado, I give you, Lunasa

Bonus:

Here's a second set called Morning Nightcap, which is one of their most popular sets. It also shows them live with a bootleg-quality recording. My favorite part is the whistle-featured middle tune, which is the title tune, Morning Nightcap. The first tune is MacLeod's farewell and the final tune is The Malbay Shuffle. They are all reels. 

Day 15: Violins of Hope

Free music is good. Good free music is better. Tonight we saw Di Tsvey, a musical duo of Steven Greenman on violin and Pete Rushefsky on tsimbl, playing klezmer music in conjunction with the Violins of Hope exhibit at the Maltz Museum of Jewish History in Beachwood. 

What is a tsimbl, you ask?  It's like a hammered dulcimer.

But it sounds more Eastern European-y. It's more suited to 'Lemisch Sher' than 'Oh, Suzanna.'

The Violins of Hope is an exhibit of violins that were played by Jews before or during the Holocaust and were all but lost. These instruments have been lovingly restored and "serve as testaments to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of music to lift hearts in even the most horrific of circumstances." They are on display at the Maltz Muesum until Jan 3. 

Here is a video of Steve and Pete (not from last night)

Day 4: Where I Remind You About an Often Overlooked Pop Album.

Every time I hear one of the few Journey songs that weren't sung by Steve Perry I shake my head and say aloud, "What were they thinking?" I mean, that voice! But the same doesn't apply to Hall and Oates, even though Daryl Hall had a significantly better voice. In later years Oates was pretty much relegated to backup status, but for a while he was given a lot to sing, and his voice is perfect for the blue eyed soul style of the early years. And that's one of the things that makes 'Abandoned Luncheonette' such a good album. It's truly a collaboration. And while Hall sounds great and the harmonies are beautiful, some of the real gems are with John Oates on lead. 'I'm Just a Kid" is a terrific song. But this is one you'll probably remember.

But there's solid songwriting and singing throughout the album. It's an under appreciated piece of work, I think.

You can listen to the entire album here




Or check it out on Spotify. It's a great pop album.

Music Break

I DVR Conan  every night for the sole purpose of fast forwarding past the starlets, and shenanigans and straight to the musical guest, in hopes of discovering someone I've never seen. That's how I discovered Florence and the Machine among others.

This week it's Mariachi El Bronx with 'Wildfires.'

Sunday Tunes

Here is a little gem from one of my favorite newer bands.

Re-run Tuesday

This is from 2011 but is appropriate for the season. The groups I play in are smack in the middle of concert season and we've been playing Christmas and chanukah music for weeks.

 Here are some thoughts I had about it a couple of years ago. 

A little music for you

It's a good thing we're 70% done with this whole Blogapalooza thing, because I'm running low on ideas. I have a long one in draft mode and maybe I'll finish it tomorrow, so meanwhile here's a new song by one of my new favorite bands.






Thanks for reading.

Halftime

NaBloPoMo is halfway done and what do we do at halftime? A band show. And not just any band, but TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band in the Land).

Many of you have seen the viral videos from this year, but may have missed the show that started it all. Last year, unexpectedly, and before anyone knew that it was going to be a weekly deal, they did a tribute to video games that went viral, followed by one that featured a horse. Here they are.

So you think you're already tired of Christmas music?

This is the time of year when people look forward to holiday concerts. At venues all over the area, local musical groups put on free and not so free performances of all your holiday favorites. You can hear concert bands at nursing homes, bell choirs in the gazebo on the town square, choruses in the mall, and small combos in whatever cafe nooks they can find. There is nothing like live music, which sets the tone for the season, and creates the backdrop for the memories we carry with us always.

But as you're just now starting to find your way to the live musical performances, we musicians have been rehearsing for weeks. One of the groups I play in began the holiday repertoire in early October, so we could be ready by this week, when we play the first of five concerts. Another of the groups I'm in (neither group is blog friendly, in that they do not have a web presence I can link to) started in late October. My friend's bell choir started weeks ago.

I've rehearsed Frosty the Snowman 6 times so far, The Christmas Song 5 times, Festive Sounds of Hanukkah (my personal favorite to play) 7 times and the Nightmare Before Christmas about 15 (it was new and we really needed the work on it). There was also a piece called the Eighth Candle (or something like that), with a tricky 5/8 time that we never polished up enough to present in public. Maybe next year.

You would think we're sick of it, but I can tell you we are not. I guess I cannot speak for all my band mates, but I've been playing Christmas and Hanukka music for almost 20 years now and I'm never tired of it. But I can say I don't listen to much of it on the radio until the last few days before Christmas. And since I rarely shop, I'm not subjected to the overhead music inspiring me to buy, buy, buy.

Here's what you can do to help your local musicians, Show up. Listen, Applaud. That's all we ask. It makes weeks of rehearsal completely worth it.

When Black Friday Comes I'm Going to Stake My Claim

Black Friday starts at midnight and this song won't get out of my head. All you shoppers who are heading out for the deal of the century, enjoy one of my favorite bands

Names, Part 2: Every Name is a Song Cue

Many years ago I had a kennel assistant named Ellie. One day I (unintentionally) snuck up on her while she was bathing a dog named Mickey.  I caught her singing, "Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey." Then she saw me and said, sheepishly. "You weren't supposed to hear that." Maybe not, but she's not the only person to be inspired by dogs' names. With jillions of songs having been recorded it's hard to NOT have one that is brought to mind whenever a Lola or a Mandy visit. Here now are my top song cue names (this will keep you busy for a little while):
 

Layla
Patches
Harmony
Rocket  (but ya gotta see this version too)
Angel
Blondie
O'Reilly 
Sloopy 
Brandy
Denver (apologies for the advertisement)
Duke
Jack
Jet
Koko  but not Coco or Cocoa
Lady
And the one that sticks in my head for days AFTER she leaves Buttercup