Archive for category Music
Must Watch: ACL Presents–Americana Music Festival 2012
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on November 22, 2012
It is hard to pick my favorite moment from the Americana Music Festival 2012, which recently aired on PBS (and can still be viewed here).
Watch ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2012 on PBS. See more from Austin City Limits.
The festival was hosted by Jim Lauderdale (who also performed with Buddy Miller). Around the 30-minute mark Guy Clark captures your attention/breaks your heart with a tune dedicated to his late wife and creative collaborator Susana Clark (who died earlier this year). While Bonnie Raitt made Crazy Thing Called Love a hit, I have always considered it a John Hiatt song–so I was pleased as punch to see the two of them perform the song together. The best was saved for last, when all the performers joined together on The Weight, in tribute to the late Levon Helm.
I Love The New Rolling Stones’ Song, Doom & Gloom
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on November 21, 2012
This may make some people doubt my musical tastes. But I really love the Rolling Stones’ new song, Doom & Gloom. I blame Charlie Watts’ drumming for making me love it. This video is not safe for work. But it is a fun video as well.
Music My Nephews Recommend
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on October 31, 2012
So, I am fortunate enough to have nephews with good taste in music.
In the past month, three nephews have recommended three different bands.
First up, my nephew Matt recommended Lord Huron’s Time to Run.
Then another, David, pointed me in the direction of Apex Manor‘s song, Under the Gun.
Finally, my nephew Luke recommended Josh Fix‘s This Town Is Making Me Angry.
And amazingly enough, all three songs are great listens. I am one lucky uncle.
Meklit Hadero & Quinn DeVeaux – This Must Be the Place
Here is an interesting cover of the Talking Heads’ classic, This Must Be the Place, by Meklit Hadero & Quinn DeVeaux.
This is just one of the tunes that the duo cover in their new album, Meklit & Quinn, which was released in late September.
Here’s a tracklist of all the songs (many of them cover versions) on the album:
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) – Arcade Fire
Sent By You – Meklit and Quinn
This Must Be The Place – Talking Heads
Electric Feel – MGMT
Satellite Of Love – Lou Reed
Elegie – Patti Smith
I Was Made To Love Her – Stevie Wonder
Slow – Meklit Hadero
Look At What The Light Did Now – Kyle Field
Saving Up – Quinn DeVeaux
Music Arcade – Neil Young
Bring It On Home To Me – Sam Cooke
My thanks to Porto Fino Records for making me aware of the video (and album).
Kara McGraw on The Hound & The Hare
Kara McGraw: The Hound & The Hare
Singer/songwriter Kara McGraw just released an album, Hound and Hare, that was 10 years in the making. The album, which was released on September 25, is aiming to support 13 charities over 13 weeks. Each week, a new charity will be supported. Yesterday week 2 of the charity support started–and this week the charity that is benefiting is Heifer International. To see McGraw’s entire charitable donation plan, be sure to visit here. My thanks to McGraw for discussing the album (which can be bought in its entirety for $10 here)
Tim O’Shea: When did you realize you wanted to do an album that “takes inspiration from vinyl, including an A and B side“?
Kara McGraw: The songs on this album were composed over the span of ten years. Needless to say, I was staring into a large pool of music when planning the album lineup, and I was divided as to how to proceed. On the one hand, I feel a deep connection to my more intimate, first-person songs. They turn inward to explore and express vulnerability, and in so doing, they offer comfort and healing. On the other hand, I was also ready to dive into a new, more adventurous musical sphere, one that gave me the opportunity to reflect on external affairs and society as a whole. This latter style of music aligns with a different state of mind, one that is more confident, analytical, and outward-focused.
RIP Andy Williams
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on September 27, 2012
This week the music world lost Andy Williams at the age of 84.
To mark his passing, I found this clip of Andy Williams, Elton John, Mama Cass & Ray Charles singing Heaven Help Us All from a 1970 version of Williams’ variety show.
That’s right, John and Charles plus Williams with Cass.
Sara Ryan on Empress of the World
Posted by admin in comics, Literature, Music, photography on September 19, 2012
Empress of the World
Back in 2001, librarian and novelist Sara Ryan captured folks’ attention with her young adult novel, Empress of the World. The book (described as “about friendship, love, and the sometimes blurry lines between the two”) is an Oregon Book Award winner, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Recently the book was re-released in an expanded edition. Ryan and I conducted an email interview about it, as well as delving into her upcoming comics work, which includes Bad Houses, a collaboration with Carla Speed McNeil. This interview goes in some pleasant directions and I was lucky to get to interview Ryan.
Tim O’Shea: In researching our interview, I searched for your Tumblr page but accidentally discovered the number of people that quote your work (and hashtag it “Sara Ryan”). I think it safe to assume that any writer wonders how much their work resonates with people. How affirming is it when you see people quoting your work?
Sara Ryan: Here’s where I expose my ignorance of the finer points of Tumblr. Until you pointed it out, it hadn’t occurred to me to check if anyone had tagged posts about me/my work. Now that I know said posts exist, I’m certainly pleased!
Speaking of Tumblr, visiting your Tumblr page it becomes obvious (at least to me) that you love the power of photography.
I do. Photography actually connects very much to comics writing for me; I can’t draw, but I can compose images with my camera. I try to use that same visual sensibility when I write panel descriptions — while leaving enough room for the artist to bring their own interpretation, of course.
When Nick Lowe & Paul F. Tompkins Intersect
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on September 19, 2012
So apparently indy label Yep Roc is about to celebrate its 15th Anniversary. To mark it, they are sharing cool stuff from their vault. One such example was recently shared by Stereogum–Nick Lowe’s video for Stoplight Roses, starring a miserable Paul F. Tompkins. Tomkins does miserable so well.
Thanks to Caissie St.Onge for making me aware of this gem.
Fear Is Never Boring: Through The Years
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on September 15, 2012
So back in the mid-1980s I was a fan of an Adrian Belew-led band called The Bears. Even got to see them live when they toured in support of their second album, Rise and Shine.
But it is likely my favorite song of theirs came from the first album, The Bears, a tune called Fear Is Never Boring.
But I found out later that actually that song predated The Bears, as it had originally been recorded by The Raisins (who a good chunk of The Bears belonged to, except for Belew–who produced The Raisins album). Here is the originally video for the song, back in the early 1980s.
Then here’s The Bears performing the tune back in 1987, tune into about the 31-minute mark to see the song.
It was not until tonight, when I was watching a 2007 version of the song, that I realized how much this song works not because of Belew, but because of lead singer Rob Fetters.
One last version, from the most recent non-Bears line-up of Fetters, Chris Arduser & Bob Nyswonger in a band called Psychodots. In the 2006 video, it appears they are playing at a Cincinnati Reds-related event. And I love how the song comes full circle in a sense, the original Raisins video starred a few children. So to see children dancing at the live version when Fetters sang “Mama’s little darling likes violent sex” just amused the hell out of me.
Bob Mould: The Descent
Posted by admin in Music, streaming video on September 8, 2012
Thanks to my pal, Bill Childs, for making me aware that Bob Mould has a new album, Silver Age. Here’s the official video for the first single, My Descent. And, much like Mould himself, it is unique and distinct.
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