Category Archives: Features – Music

April 12, 2013 Music Night

Posted on by

I just watched a fantastic documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, chronicling the incredible musicians whose skills and innovation drove the incredible sounds of Motown’s hits — and never received any recognition beyond paychecks. Their stories are fascinating and, d’oh, the film is loaded with great music (including a couple of performances by the extraordinary Bootsy Collins), much of it from a reunion concert with the surviving Funk Brothers. Rent it, buy it, just be sure to see it.

And, along the way, the film introduced me to a fantastic singer named Joan Osborne. From the film, this video features the Funk Brothers backing Osborne in a killer version of Heat Wave. (And, yes, I gots a huge crush.)

 

Music Night, the Ides of March

Posted on by

Not everything that came out of the late 60s was great — or even good — although it pains me to admit it. Blue Cheer, for instance, had two things going for them: really long hair and a huge stack of Marshall amps so they were reallllly loud. I could do some research to learn “where are they now?” but I’m afraid they’ll be doing a reunion tour stop at The Alladin here in town. As to this video, at least it’s got a bit of Dick Clark.

Friday Night Music – Something Silly

Posted on by

I heard this song on WXPN yesterday and it made me laugh because the typewriter is certainly a thing of the past.

Once again, Nonewhere was a slacker so the privilege of posting a song was dumped on  handed to me.

This is all I got.  Do whatever you want with it.

BTW – WXPN may be one of the best radio stations in the nation.  Do visit their website to learn more about ‘XPN‘.

Music Night, December 7, 2012

Posted on by

The passing of the great Dave Brubeck this week made him an obvious choice for Music Night. Rather than post his best-known piece, however, I’ve opted for a personal favorite from 1966. That’s the same year I saw the Quartet in concert, being dragged along by a friend and totally clueless about jazz. I know I didn’t appreciate at the time what an opportunity I had.

Music Night. November 9, 2012

Posted on by

When I put together a last-minute Music Night post, you get what’s stuck in my head. Fortunately for all of you, my head has great taste. So tonight you get one of the most versatile and influential singer/songwriter/producers in the business: Nick Lowe.

And you don’t get his biggest hit, as much fun as that might be, you get the one jammed between my ears. And, as it turns out, this video is a two-fer that includes a goofy music video from the past.

Music Night: We no speak Americano

Posted on by

English is the global language of commerce these days, and has dominated cultures in this country and other parts of the world for quite some time. But music is a language without borders, and fighting to survive in places like the backwaters of Louisiana and Acadia in the Maritime Provinces. The theme tonight is music of other languages. Our first guest, Clifton Chenier.

Portland’s Pink Martini is a fabulous ensemble and China Forbes is a most talented songstress in many languages, including Portuguese, Neapolitan accented Italian, and this one in Spanish. You go girl.

September 28, 2012 Music Night!

Posted on by

If for some reason you’re unfamiliar with The Walkabouts, it may be time to catch up. I find Carla Torgerson’s voice hypnotic. They were originally a Sub Pop band out of Seattle, but their real fan base has been in Europe for a long time. (And it turns out that the two founders went to my alma mater). Cool video, too.

Friday Night Music – Free

Posted on by

At the last minute, I got assigned the task to put up a “Music Night” post so here it goes.

As I was searching for songs from my favorite singer/songwriter, I happened upon these two which reference motorcycles.  There is a certain feeling of freedom one gets when riding on a motorcycle.

You choose your topic and go for it.  Tonight, it’s a “free for all”.

Music Night, August 17, 2012

Posted on by

In the summer of 1970 I was in Rotterdam for a pop festival featuring a good number of excellent acts (this was the festival where I fell asleep just as Pink Floyd started their set) including an American band called The Flock. I ended up with their two (?) LPs, neither of which captured the performance I saw. The band supported a violinist and I still vividly remember him at the front of the stage, hair blowing in the wind as his violin screamed out some of the most incredible sounds I’d ever heard.

Fast forward a year or so when a friend of mine had the late night FM show on a radio station where no one gave a damn what was played during those hours. He had a enormous blues collection but when I asked about the violinist, Jerry Goodman, he whipped out something called The Inner Mounting Flame and proceeded to play the entire thing over the air — quite possibly the first or only time that was ever done, at least in central California. The phone lines lit up and not in a good way; he was amazed that he had that many listeners.

Fast forward another year or two and we find me and some friends sitting down in the balcony of Portland’s Paramount Theater to catch Mahavishnu Orchestra live. A single microphone hung down above the stage and as a stagehand passed by and coughed the sound was much like a passing freight train. Hmm, this is going to be loud. (Did I mention we were all completely baked?) This was the only concert I’ve ever attended in which the music pressed me back into my seat like a big warm hand. And that’s the problem with this video: there is no way you can crank your PC’s volume up to that level. But you could try. Just don’t blame me when you lose your hearing.

Music Night – Dueling Banjos

Posted on by

“I do not play no rock ‘n roll, y’all” – Mississippi Fred McDowell

Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck married secretly in 2009. This union of fine musicians brought together widely differing styles of banjo, hers from the folk and bluegrass genre, and he (though starting in bluegrass with the New Grass Revival) offers banjo influenced heavily by jazz and world rhythms. They play separately within their own styles and sometimes together as part of the Sparrow Quartet.

Here’s Abigail BB (before Bela) with the all women band Uncle Earl

Here’s Bela BA (before Abigail)