Marc Loves Hooters… and Chachi! It is a Nervous Night!

No, not the “restaurant.”  I actually have never been in one… And not the slang word for a woman’s breasts… Well, now wait a minute… I do appreciate the beauty of all women, but I don’t want people getting all up in my face, so I am talking about the band.  Sheesh!  Come on, people!  (Keep reading to see where the name actually comes from!)

Okay… more confessions… I did not really love Chachi either… Scott Baio is cool and all, don’t get me wrong, but I had a little crush on Erin Moran as Joanie… and Lauren Tewes from The Love Boat… and the big one was Kim Richards from Escape to Witch Mountain and Hello Larry, NOT the satanic Real Housewives of Beverly Hills… That just hurts me!!!

Those were my little boy crush loves… and by now it should be very clear that I also, really love me my ’80s music.  It is what I grew up on and what I listened to in my formative years… Which I guess means, it’s what got me through puberty and stuff like that.

Hooters (The) – Nervous Night

These guys played my cousin’s prom in Jenkintown, PA.  How cool is that?  The band is from Philadelphia and actually opened the Philly part of Live Aid in 1985.  This album came out in 1985… after they played almost all the instruments on Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual.

Sorry, but I also love me some Wikipedia… That and the All Music Guide make my fact-finding easy and fun…

“The Hooters’ 1985 Columbia Records debut album, Nervous Night, achieved platinum status around the world, selling in excess of 2 million copies and included Billboard Top 40 hits “Day By Day” (No. 18), “And We Danced” (No. 21) and “Where Do The Children Go” that featured accompanying vocals from Patty Smyth (No. 38). There was also a drastically different version of the live crowd favorite “All You Zombies” that was now laden with a dramatic keyboard arrangement. This song also made the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #58.Rolling Stone named The Hooters the Best New Band of the Year.”

Obviously they never enjoyed the huge success as a band on albums after this, but both Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (who met at Penn in 1971) have had great careers.

Eric helped write, produce and play on Joan Osborne’s stunning Relish… “One of Us” was all him as a writer!  And Rob acted in the same fashion for Joan and Ricky Martin and co-wrote “Time After Time.”

The band reunited in 2001 and apparently are still together and playing from time to time.  I have never seen them live and they did not play my prom.  (*&^%$#^&*()_+)(*&^%$!!!!!  Or did I see them live?  Hmmm… I think I did, but where and when?  Wow, Ginkgo Biloba anyone?  My brain is in need of a tidying up!  I need to figure that one out for sure.

Regardless, this album just makes me happy.  From the opening of “And We Danced” Melodica (NICKNAMED A HOOTER!!!)… to “Day by Day,” “Hanging on a Heartbeat,” and “Where Do the Children Go.”

It’s all good and all fun.  I dare you to not enjoy this album… Go ahead and try.

And for the record. I would not call them a hair band, but they did have really good, abundant hair!  Check it out in that video!

For the other record, this is album #153… That means I have listened to and blogged about 153 albums for 153 days in a row.  Phew.

Viva la ’80s!!!!

In Chicago With A New York State of Mind – Billy Joel’s 52nd Street

I am a New York boy.  While I never lived in the city as an adult… regret #251… and I grew up in Jersey, I was conceived and born in Manhattan and lived in the city til I was two or three… Need to get that right…

NYC is my favorite city in the world.  It just is.  New York will always have my heart… I just feel like I am at home there.  I know my way around, I love the energy and it is a remarkable place to be.  Chicago comes in a close second for me… If it wasn’t for the extreme weather, I could easily live here, well, assuming I could find a career.  I look at the city as a friendlier New York.  I have not been here in probably five or six years and I forgot how much I really missed it.  So why am I writing about Billy Joel?

I looked at my iPod… saw Billy Joel and realized he was a great metaphor for all that is going through my mind as I stroll the streets of Chicago and realize how much I enjoy city living.  So many thoughts… so many conflicting ideas… A big part of my life was here… formative years… regrets at not staying and trying my hand at Second City and on and on and on…

It is a bit overwhelming… but now I am listening to Billy Joel and my brain is being soothed… I am being rocked back into a New York State of Mind… And yes, I know that, that song is not on this album.

Billy Joel – 52nd Street

According to Wikipedia:  ”52nd Street was conceived as a day in Manhattan, and was named after the famous street of same name which hosted many of the world’s premier jazz venues and performers throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.”  I love that!  It was Billy Joel’s first #1 and came on the heels of the also amazing The Stranger.

Here is an interesting fact:  ”52nd Street was the first album to be released on compact disc when it went on sale alongside Sony’s CD player CDP-101 on October 1, 1982, in Japan.“

This album is genius, from start to finish, from song to song… the rock, the classic piano… the jazz.  Just listen to Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard’s solos on “Zanzibar.”  It is a delicious treat, all of it!

So many smart lyrics, too… and ones I just adore…

“Rose, he knows he’s such a credit to the game

But the Yankees grab the headlines every time.”

So here I am in Chicago… in a New York State of Mind… in a Chicago State of Mind… in an LA State of Mind… It’s confusing!

The Beautiful Steve Goodman and the Beautiful City of Chicago

As I roam the streets of Chi Town and get myself re-acquainted with the city I left way too soon after graduating; I keep thinking of music that reminds me of Chicago.

I already did Chicago the band last week, as well as James Cotton yesterday and today this one just hit me.  Not quite as hard as the incredible humidity and heat, but pretty hard.

Steve Goodman – Affordable Art

I remember being aware of Steve Goodman as a young kid… Around the same time I became aware of David Bromberg… They are both classic singer/songwriters in that witty, folk music vein, but I am not quite sure where either came from.  I mean at least to me.  I had a hippie type baby sitter who used to play me James Taylor on her guitar and I am thinking they came from her, but I am not really sure.

Steve Goodman did not even make it to 40.  He died of leukemia in 1984.  It is one of those stories that makes me sad, especially considering how brave he was and how much humor he had about dying…  “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request” is a great example of this humor, although it is not about him dying or being a Cubs fan.  It’s just about how bad the Cubs stink.  When Cubs’ general manager Dallas Green said the song was too depressing, Goodman wrote “Go Cubs, Go” which is still played quite often after a Cubs victory… Sadly, it is not played often enough!

I had a bunch of his albums, but I think my interest was really re-sparked after hearing the amazing tribute album, Tribute to Steve Goodman.  It features John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Bromberg and others.  I always liked him, but I think I missed the depth of his work til after his death.  I really wish I had rediscovered him sooner.  But that’s life, ain’t it?

This one has both new songs and old songs and is the last album released during his lifetime.  It starts with the beautiful instrumental “If Jethro Were Here” (he was a hell of a musician and guitar player),  moves into the live version of the hysterical “Vegematic” and continues with gem after gem.  The duet with John Prine on his song “Souvenirs” kills me, and almost always brings me to tears… Yes, right now!

Two of his best known songs (not on this album) were hits for others…  Arlo Guthie did well by “City of New Orleans” and David Alan Coe struck the charts with “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” (co-written with John Prine).

This kind of says it all… From Wikipedia…

“Four days after Goodman’s death, the Chicago Cubs clinched the Eastern Division title in the National League for the first time ever, earning them their first post-season appearance since 1945, three years before Goodman’s birth. Eight days later, on October 2, the Cubs played their first post-season game since the 1945 World Series. Goodman had been asked to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before it; Jimmy Buffett filled in, and dedicated the song to Goodman.

In April 1988, some of Goodman’s ashes were scattered at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs.  He was survived by his wife and three daughters.”

How I love Chicago… let me listen to the ways.  Thanks, Steve!

James Cotton and My Too Short of a Sweet Home Chicago

When in Rome, right?

I am in Chicago, and so I need to be talking some Chicago Blues…

Before I begin, however, let me mention a blues of another kind.  I was remiss in not mentioning the passing of Dan Peek, one of the founders of America.  He passed away on July 24th at the way too young age of 60… Way too young.  He wrote the beautiful classic “Lonely People” but left the band in 1977 to pursue Christian music.  America will always have a special place in my heart… I just saw Dewey and Gerry a mere few months ago and they still sound great.  RIP Dan.

When I started playing harmonica in Chicago, James Cotton was one of the main guys I went to.  He was and is such an amazing player and seeing him live with one of the tightest bands you will ever see in your life, was a joy and an honor.  He has so many fantastic records…. so many… but seeing him live changed me.  Seriously.  It fits right in to my category of joyous music.  His energy is infectious and will put a smile on your face and a shake in your bootie… so I went with this one.

James Cotton and His Band – Live From Chicago – Mr Superharp Himself!

I was seeing him the late ’80s when he was a mere 50 years old.  He was born in Mississippi in 1935.  He is still recording and playing twenty years after that!!!  Remarkable.

This is from Wikipedia:

“Cotton began his professional career playing the blues harp in Howling Wolf’s band in the early 1950s.  He made his first recordings as a solo artist for the Sun Records label in Memphis, Tennessee in 1953. Cotton began to work with the Muddy Waters Band around 1955.  He performed songs such as “Got My Mojo Working” and “She’s Nineteen Years Old”, although he did not appear on the original recordings; long-time Muddy Waters harmonica player Little Walter was utilized on most of Muddy’s recording sessions in the 1950s.”

“When It Rains It Pours” is a desert island track for me… I love it!

If you want something to cherish and enjoy, give this a listen… If you want to learn how to play the harp, give this is listen.  So what I’m saying is… give this a listen!!!

Ahhh, Chicago… how I have missed you… and my good old Chicago Blues!!!

Interesting Name, Fantastic Music – Ferraby Lionheart and The Jack of Hearts

It’s after midnight… just a wee bit, and I believe this is the earliest entry thus far… but it is another day, so we are right on track.

I’m traveling tomorrow, which means that most of this evening will be sleepless… I can’t help it, I just get very uptight before I travel… worrying that I will forget something or forget to do something I really need to do… Oh well, it is what it is and what it shall be.  I can alway buy deodorant or underwear somewhere if I need to.

With that said, I need something to calm me down and make me relax a little bit.  This one is a piece of beauty and just what the imaginary doctor ordered.

Ferraby Lionheart - The Jack of Hearts

I was at the Sloan concert at the Bootleg Theatre in LA, when one of the guys who works with the band told me about this artist.  Obviously if he works with Sloan I figured he has good musical taste.  He does.

This is his most recent release and came out in 2010.  People will place him in a few categories… singer/songwriter… folk/pop… and I guess the ever popular and expansive “indie”artist.

Sounds like he is a local boy (LA), who either lived in or was born in Nashville… maybe both, I’m not sure… I have seen conflicting information.

According to All Music Guide, “his musical influences range from Shel Silverstein to George Gershwin, Hank Williams, and Cole Porter.”  That is a diverse and wonderful list!  They also list Rufus Wainwright and the late, great Elliott Smith.  I get that… there is definitely a theatricality to some of his tunes.

A reviewer on iTunes said his nine-year-old daughter told him that Ferraby’s music is “beautiful and sad at the same time.”  That seems to be a theme in my life and musical choices over the last week.  Funny how that works out like that.

She is right… the music is beautiful and sad and full of love and life.  I hope enough of you read this and check him out… It is still frustrating that the numbers drop so precipitously when there is an artist folks don’t know.  It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to be the one to tell you about someone new and exciting, so I’ll keep talking.  Eventually you’ll come around, although I guess the world can change one person/reader at a time, so I’ll take what I can get.  Heck, maybe I’ll change the world.

So welcome fellow adventurers!  This one is worth giving up some iPod space for.  Enjoy.

Van Morrison Already Stoned Me To My Soul, So Legalize It

No, this is not a diatribe supporting the legalization of marijuana… although I do lean in that direction.  This is praising the healing powers of music… and in particular, Van Morrison.

“And It Stoned Me” slays me…

“And it stoned me to my soul.  Stoned me just like jelly roll.”

We were listening to it just the other day as we drove home from the free Pine Mountain Logs concert in Playa Vista.  This is the band that is made up of almost all of the guys from Venice, but they only do cover songs… So much fun.  Amazing band and amazing guys!

Van Morrison - Moondance

I have never been to Ireland.  I want to go so badly, but perhaps never as much as when I listen to Van Morrison.  His music just takes me away.  I could easily spend a week just going through Van the Man’s catalog.  There is so much I love.

This album is his third solo effort and came out in 1970.  The refined R&B, soul and jazz influences are obvious and not what one might have expected when hearing his previous band, Them.  This is the first album that Van really took control on, and his producing it gave him the control he wanted, but also the ability to record what was in his head.  The results are magnificent.

“Crazy Love,” “Caravan” and “Into the Mystic” are my other three favorite tracks.  I can listen to this one over and over and over.

I do love the classic “Moondance” of course, but I would actually put the title track way behind those, although I do love to hear jazzy cover versions of it, especially the one by my friend Vinx.  It also worked brilliantly in the film An American Werewolf in London, another of my favorite movies!

The soul sounds and horns make it fairly obvious as to who some of Van’s influences are:  Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding… but he also went deep into the blues and the likes of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.  His music takes so many elements and mixes them together in a way that is familiar but uniquely Van.  When a song comes on the radio and you hear him singing, there is nobody else it can be!  He is also an amazing live performer, although it has been a while since I have seen him.  The last time was years ago, at the Greek… and before that Universal Amphitheatre (now Gibson Amphitheatre) where we ran into Alec Baldwin in the lobby.  I love that man and I’ll tell you, I have met him a number of times and he is always an absolute sweetheart!  He even once tried to win a stuffed animal for my daughter on one of those crazy grabber machines!

So the lesson for today is to just open your soul.  There is so much beauty and wonder and music out there to easily fill it!  Let it stone you!

Trying to Get Into Drive With the Gear Daddies – Billy’s Live Bait

Most people actually know this band… Well… most people who go to hockey games that is.  ”Zamboni” is a hidden track on this alt. country gem.  It comes at the very end of the CD as part of the track “One Voice.”  I first found out about these guys from Vince, who was working the same temp job with me back in the day.  I was trying to make it as an actor… he and his brother had a great band.  He put me onto Gear Daddies, Peter Himmelman and a few other bands I wound up really getting into.

My only gripe was when The Brothers were playing a gig in Hollywood one night and I asked him what time we should get there and if it was worth seeing the opening band… He said we could get there late as they were just okay.  Needless to say, I was not too happy as I walked in and heard the last song and a half from Gin Blossoms.  Now this was before they hit… but the guys were really good.  Lesson is this… go to see and support the opening act… You just never know when you will find your new, favorite band.

Gear Daddies – Billy’s Live Bait

I would describe these guys as an alt. country band with a punk sensibility.  They have a great sense of humor in their songs, but also, often, a real pain or yearning for something else… usually a way out of the small town life.

They are from Austin, Minnesota and were playing in the late ’80s and early ’90s.  They broke up in 1992 but apparently do small reunion tours in the midwest every summer.

Something about this album just grabbed me the first time I heard it.  My old writing partner Josh and I would listen to “Sonic Boom” quite a bit… actually the whole album.  It would pump us up for a writing session, but also describe our lives at that point.

If you dig Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy, Wilco and The Jayhawks, then you will really like this band a lot!!!

They might be hard to find in a used CD store… but then again, they might not cost you a lot, so there… Or you can grab all their stuff on iTunes.

So grab the stick and get into gear!

Between Beauty and Pain – Amy Winehouse

So on Saturday, right after I had posted the blog for the day, I went back onto the web and saw that Amy Winehouse had been found dead.  I was suddenly shocked… I literally gasped out loud, but then, sadly, I wasn’t.

I am still sad and a bit shaken up… I mean, my G-d… twenty-seven years old… but I was not surprised.  That is pretty f—ed up, too, but I guess her lifestyle was such that most of us knew an early death was inevitable.

Perhaps even more sad is the company she keeps by going at age 27.  Not a club I wish on anyone.  Check out the 27 Club.  It will give you pause.

My friend Andrew said to his wife years ago:  ”You are listening to the Janis Joplin of her generation. She’ll never make it to a sophomore effort.”

A few days ago some other friends of mine lost a dear friend, and we started messaging about beauty and pain and how that is exactly what life is… beauty and pain all at the same time.  We all strive to have one more than the other, of course… but words often have their meaning and power in contrast to the opposites… which frustratingly means that opposites have to exist.

Friday was a perfect example of this… We went to Camp Hess Kramer for an alumni dinner and got to watch a group of 7th graders and older, dance and sing their heart outs to Jewish songs… both current pop and dance songs but also religious melodies.

This was the beauty… and what amazing beauty it was and is.  Kids in full bliss, of all shapes and sizes, hugging and dancing and singing and thinking of nothing other than the joy they were feeling.

But there was and is still also a lot of pain… Knowing what happened at a youth camp in Norway earlier is utterly heartbreaking.

Thankfully and quickly that left my brain as I watched these kids having such fun and joy and bliss.  It gave me great hope for the future.  Especially as I watched my own, beautiful and magnificent daughter dancing and jumping.  The smile on her face was so pure and wonderful.  I need to commit myself daily to making sure that smile is there.  She is such an amazing person and deserves to smile and be happy and joyous every day she is alive.  She is going to do great things for this world just by being in it.  I see the way people love her and respond to her and it is magical.  She just has that gift.

Amy Winehouse – Frank

Amy Winehouse made astoundingly beautiful music… But she was clearly tortured and was clearly in pain.  Perhaps that is where that aching beauty came from… I don’t know.  I’d love to live in a world where beauty comes from beauty and not suffering, but perhaps that is naive.

This one (her debut) came out in 2003 in the UK, when she was just 19.  The jazz and soul are stunning.  My favorite song of hers (“F**k Me Pumps”) is on this one, which is why I picked it… Well, that and the fact that everyone will be talking about Back to Black, the one that put her on the map in the US.

I am sure we will get some posthumous releases… but otherwise she is a two and out… What a tragic waste.  So out of this pain, let us grab the ones we love… and teach them about love and beauty… Let them know that great art can be created out of happiness and joy…

There will always be darkness, so let us find the light… let us find the bliss… let us find the music.

 

 

 

Running Late For My Own Spring Awakening

I actually got to see this show with the Original Cast… before all the Tony Awards… and just ahead of all the crazy hype.  I loved every minute of it, although I knew I would.  For me, seeing a musical always raises the question of whether or not to listen to the recording first or be surprised.  I think there are pros and cons either way, but usually I seem to listen first.  I just got through a few passes of The Book of Mormon, for example… I figured with this show, who the hell knows when I’ll get in, so what the heck… I mean HELL!  I love the irreverent humor of Trey Parker and Matt Stone and South Park and enjoyed this a lot… Well… there was one song that actually made me squirm and I am still trying to figure out if there is a slight prude left in me, or if the song REALLY pushes the limits of good taste a little too far.  I need to ask some friends on that one…

With Spring Awakening, I actually did not listen ahead of time but fell in love with the limited music I heard off the bat.  I think I might have seen a number or a sampler tune here and there… I had been a fan of Duncan Sheik… yes, beyond “Barely Breathing,” and loved his style and wit and music, so I knew I would be in good hands… Steven Sater as lyricist and book writer brings a hell of a lot, too… and of course, the brilliant direction of Michael Mayer made this one of my all-time favorite shows.

After seeing it, I could not stop listening for a long while.

Spring Awakening - Original Broadway Cast Recording

With so many iTunes and CDs, getting to everything I have is hard, if not impossible… Again, that is part of the reason for this project.  I had not heard this one in a bit, yet last night, out of nowhere… well, maybe not out of nowhere; that is for a therapist or analyst to decide… random tunes from the show started playing in my head.  If nothing else, that is a great sign of how moving and amazing and strong this musical is… I don’t usually have crap playing in my head… Well, aside from my own crap.

Perhaps that is why these songs came to me, and why I grabbed on to them so strongly in the first place.  I do feel like I am years, if not a full decade behind.  My body and age say one thing, but my mind and heart say another.  It is a constant battle.  I am still trying to find my career path and perhaps even myself, and as I get older that gets scarier and scarier… Time is always moving forward, and I need to make sure that I am as well.    While these songs are about youth and the battle between living a righteous life and still following your passion and well, your lust, I think there is a lesson for all of us, at any age… as individuals struggling to discover all that is out there, and then as parents battling how and what to teach, and when to push our children.

This album and show is just so much fun and energetic and enjoyable, but the lessons and songs are also so very deep and moving and magical.

I just hope I wake up soon and can enjoy my own spring awakening.  In the meantime, the album plays in my mind… and now on my stereo.  Peace.

Slapping the Bass, Mon – Stanley Clarke and School Days

I would like to be Paul Rudd or Jason Segel.  Both seem like really nice guys, have hugely successful careers and are funny as hell.  I was deciding what today’s album would be and Paul Rudd popped into my head, with his lines about “slapping the bass, mon” from I Love You, Man.  Great movie… Ahh…

So why did Paul Rudd pop into my head, you ask?  Well… because today is a celebration of the bass, mon.

Stanley Clarke – School Days

I was tempted to do SMV, so I could rejoice with the bass in triplicate and discuss Marcus Miller and the great Victor Wooten, who is married to my college friend, Holly.  I’ll save that for another time.  Suffice it to say that both of those players are AMAZING!  And the one time I met Victor he was a sweetheart.

Today is about Stanley.

Saw him a little while back at the Canyon Club… Holy S—!  I have seen him before, but being that close to the genius was astounding.

He was born in Philly, as was my Dad… No, my Dad is not a jazz player, just a great guy… and is known for his innovative style with the double bass and electric bass.  The cats he has played with is remarkable… Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz and of course Chick Corea in Return to Forever to name just a few.  In fact, one of my all time favorite records is The Rite of Strings, which me made with Al Di Meola and Jean-Luc Ponty.

I did not know, until literally just a moment ago, that he was a big Scientologist and refers to L. Ron Hubbard on most of his album sleeves… Hmmm… We’ll gloss over that…

This album is all fusion and funk and just a joy to listen to.  If this does not get you ready for the weekend, I may have to come and give you CPR!

What I also love about Stanley is his music scoring and especially his love and support for young musicians.  The band he had when I saw him at the Canyon looked like they were teens!

This one is a mere 6 tracks, but the amount of musical genius and fun makes this one overflow.  It is a true classic, and I am sure got a whole lot of kids picking up the bass.

Enjoy your Friday…

On an unconnected side note… I found a great little Korean place on Western (Ma Dong Gook Soo) and saw the amazingly gifted and witty Ben Folds last night.  Great show, except I am a bit sad that he played hardly any Ben Folds Five.  I did not get to hear my two faves:  “Alice Childress” and “Jackson Cannery,” nor the painful but intoxicating “Brick”… and a bunch of my other faves.  Strange.  I did notice he was really mixing the set lists up from show to show, but still… many of those were not being pulled out at all.  Ah well…

Enjoy your weekend.