All Tomorrow`s Parties` Rock Festival Raves This Weekend!
Boy oh Boy! I`m listening to some smokin` tracks of `90s slow-burn metal band Sleep. Just heard The Druid, and it practically tanned my hide and left it out to dry. Sleep will playing at the All Tomorrow`s Parties` Rock Festival,
which will be happening in Monticello, N.Y. this Labor Day weekend. This event is slated as an ‘independent music festival,’ and from the looks of the lineup, it has ALTERNATIVE ROCK signposts written all over it.
The festival will showcase Iggy and the Stooges, Sonic Youth, and the Aquarian occult riffs of the inimitable metal-grinders, Sleep. Sleep`s 1993 effort, Sleep`s Holy Mountain is a must have, in case you don`t already own it. YouTube has a keen black and white video of Dragonaut, with long-haired bassist, Al Cisneros, jamming out with his flowing hair and thumping bass, in case you`re interested.
Sunday night`s bill for All Tomorrow`s Parties will include some interesting acts that I would like to check out. There`s the Black Angels, White Hills, Wooden Shjips and Dungen. The festival will be held at Kutcher`s, an old Catskills estate, and looks like an intimate setting with an actual focus on the artists and their music. That`s a rarity!
“It`s not music, it`s a disease.” Mitch Miller on Rock `N` Roll
I completely missed it! I apologize. Mitch Miller passed away on Saturday, July 31st, in Manhattan. Mitch made it to 99. I am going to be honest here, I never much DUG Mitch when I was growing up. He seemed to me to be a musty,
moldy, BLAST FROM THE PAST, who was incapable of comprehending the dramatic changes that were sweeping our nation.
My assessment is fair, I do believe. Mitch was opposed to Rock `N` Roll! Oh no, Mitch was strictly SQUARESVILLE. But now that I`m older, I can see more clearly what MM did for the music industry. He helped to build up the Columbia record label. Not a small thing. Mitch`s strength was in the category that we know today as LOUNGE. In the late `50s and early `60s it was called something different, as best I can remember.
Easy listening or just plain Pop, I don`t exactly remember? This morning I picked up Tony Bennett`s 1951 No. 1 hit, Because of You, with the Percy Faith orchestra`s beautiful backing. MM convinced Tony to record this one. I love it now, but would have rejected it ferociously when but a rebellious youth. But there are lots of other stories of what Mitch did for some of our favorite crooners, like when he convinced Rosemary Clooney to record Come On-a My House.
I will link for you the obituary in The New York Times, Mitch Miller, Maestro of the Singalong, Dies at 99 by Richard Severo. Good summary of his long, productive career. I enjoy reading it, because it`s a good summary of the entertainment industry back in those days. Mitch rejected the new R & R on moral grounds. You may remember the payola scandal when disc jockeys would take bribes to play R & R records. Follow the bouncing ball, my friend. “It`s not music, it`s a disease.” MM
Taio Cruz a Symbol for Newly Emerging Dynamics in the Music Market!
Taio Cruz`s new video Dynamite packs a punch. Nothing all too original. Rather, the usual display of beautiful girls that follow him around as he sings his song about partying. This sort of thing has been around for a million years as a
marketing tool! Sex sells every time, if it`s packaged right. And Dynamite has garnered 16, 749,870 hits on YouTube.
Another single from his newest album, Break Your Heart, has managed to be viewed 35, 975,048 times already. Not bad, but the album Rokstarr has sold only 93,000 in its first 12 weeks. An article in The New York Times was an eye-opener, especially for us old-timers. It`s titled: Platinum Is So Passe. In itunes Era, the Singles Count. By Joseph Plambeck.
Album sales are no longer an accurate measure for the popularity of an artist. Single sales, especially on itunes, and customer counts of their video can be better harbingers for how they fare in the marketplace. Therefore, the Billboard 200 is not such a great gauge these days. A new service has come along called Ultimate Chart, created by BigChampagne, that is a more accurate barometer of the current music marketplace.
If you use Ultimate Chart, Taio Cruz is the No, 2 artist, right behind Eminem. This is starting to make sense for me. When we go over to itunes we just buy one song off the album, probably the one with the biggest popular bar next to it. Then we race over to YouTube and pick up a freebie video viewing of the rising star`s megahit. This helps us test the waters, to see if we want to continue to support this artist.
But who knows, this new formula could be dumped overnight, and the album format, that witnessed a meteoric rise in the late 1960s, could return. And history repeats itself; you might remember that the single format was tops in the mid-1960s. What comes around, goes around, to use a popular cliche.
Composer of “What A Wonderful World,” George David Weiss Dies
The co-composer (with Bob Thiele) of What A Wonderful World, George David Weiss, 89, died on August 23rd. George David Weiss also composed the ballad Can`t Help Falling in Love for Elvis Presley, for the 1961 film, Blue Hawaii.
Weiss made a small contribution to the hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which was a No. 1 hit for the Tokens. David wrote the line, “In the jungle, the mighty jungle.”
What A Wonderful World got off to a slow start, but was recorded by Louis Armstrong and did well in England. A music executive here in this country thought the lyrics were too corny. Lines like: “I`ve seen babies cry, I watch them grow, they`ll learn much more than I`ll ever know, And I think to myself, What A Wonderful World.”
This was 1968. The song didn`t really take off until 1987 when it was used in Robin Williams hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam. The optimistic song is often played against footage of warfare, which creates an irony that raises questions in the mind of the audience. “I`ve seen friends shakin` hands, saying how do you do, they`re really sayin` I Love You.”
The song has been covered by hundreds of artists, I even did it with The Bubbles many years ago, but I still prefer Satchmo`s original version. George David Weiss wrote a classic that will live forever. “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see `em bloom, for me and you.” The tune makes ya happy and forget your problems for a few minutes. What more can you ask for?
Lady Gaga is now the Queen of the Internet!
So Lady Gaga is bigger on the internet now than Barack Obama? But Gaga is in entertainment, while Obama is in the political arena. Lady Gaga`s attraction is a mystery, but is a reality that we must consider seriously. And now
she is toppling Britney Spears on Twitter. The stats are staggering.
As of last Friday (August 20th), Spears had 5,659,701 followers on Twitter, and Lady Gaga had 5,655,299. THE LADY probably passed up poor Britney sometime that day. Gaga had gained 600,000 new followers just last month, while Spears had picked up a measly 200,000. In a slump, girl.
What`s doing it? Must be the Fame Monster Tour. Another factor is that Gaga dominates the music video scene too. Lady Gaga is a gifted musician and songwriter, but marketing on social media is her real forte. She has 16 million Facebook Friends. She`s the most powerful person in the world!
I have 190 friends on FB and will feel like a social media big shot when I bust 200, if that`s possible. Gaga ought to run for president of Haiti, not Wyclef Jean! I`m going to do some marketing research on Gaga to see if I can tap into her secrets. Understanding her PR Machine could be my ticket out of Dodge! For starters, check out her witty little Twitter video in the fairy queen get up. *(sources-CNN and YouTube)
Hawaii Becomes the 50th State-August 21, 1959! Aloha and Happy Anniversary, Hawaii!
On August 21, 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation that made the Hawaiian Islands the 50th state of the Union. It wasn`t until July 4th, 1960, however, before the official flag with 50 stars was 
publicly unveiled. I`ve been studying up on Hawaii`s history and culture this morning, and am making a little headway, as far as soaking in its fascinating traditions.
It`s not all surfing, pineapples and slack key guitar playing, my friend, but a good amount of that can be factored into your research. There`s a good bit of sugar plantation activity (starting in the 1830s) that you will have to brood over also. And as far as initial Western contact goes, you need to peruse the explorations of the English Captain James Cook in 1778 and 1779.
Captain Cook called them the Sandwich Islands, in honor of his sponsor, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. And don`t forget to read up on Queen Lili Uokalani, who was the last of the monarchy for Hawaii. Lili wrote the most famous song for the Polynesian Islands, Aloha `Oe. I`ve been listening to some slack key guitar by Leonard Kwan today.
I`m grooving to two of the most soothing tunes of Leonard Kwan (1931-2000), Ke`ala`s Mele and Slack Key Serenade. I need to mellow out this morning and these slack key songs are helping a lot. I`ve never been to Hawaii before in my entire life, but boy will I be ready to go when that time comes. Let`s see here, that pic of Honolulu looks enticing! *(sources-Wikipedia and The History Channel)
Miles Davis` “Bitches Brew” Sessions Begin Today-August 19, 1969!
Today marks the day (in 1969) when Miles Davis and friends began their studio sessions for the landmark double
record, Bitches Brew. These experimental sessions occurred over a three day span (August 19, 20, and 21st, 1969) at Columbia`s 30th Street Studio. The very face of Jazz changed with this record; it becomes electrified and assumes many of the characteristics of Rock.
Bitches Brew is often credited as being the first Jazz/Rock record and is considered to be a beginning point for the Jazz/Rock Fusion Movement, that would take flight in the Mid-Seventies. I only have one song for now, John McLaughlin, which is a mere 4 minutes, 23 seconds long. There are so many things about this record that are innovative, but one notable characteristic is use of an expanded rhythm section.
Miles employs 2 bassists, 2 or 3 drummers, 3 electric piano players and an added percussionist. The producer, Teo Macero, used many editing tricks also, when the mix-down was happening, splicing the tape to create new textures and structure. The opening track, Pharoah`s Dance, is usually cited in this regard. And check out the cover art, done by Mati Klarwein. We will definitely need to add this classic title to our collection. *(source-Wikipedia)
Jackie Evancho Will Be Even Bigger than Susan Boyle!
I must confess, I too believed that Jackie Evancho was ‘lip synching’ when singing Puccini`s aria, O Mio Babbino Caro. It`s hard to believe that this Pittsburgh-area fourth-grader can get this level of resonance in her
pitch-perfect soprano voice. And now her performance on last Tuesday`s America`s Got Talent, is eliciting comparisons to the Mega Pop Star, Susan Boyle, whose debut record sold 9 million copies worldwide.
I predict that Jackie Evancho will top the achievements of even Susan Boyle. Her talent surpasses anyone who comes to mind; hopefully, cute little Jackie will keep her cool, and not get a puffy big head. Humility and discipline will serve her well! Hollywood is a snake pit of iniquity; she`ll have to sequester herself from all the ‘medicine peddlers.’
Can`t wait to hear her next performance. Like to hear her do a Lennon/McCartney classic, like In My Life or She`s Leaving Home. Wouldn`t mind hearing Susan Boyle do that one, for that matter. The path to stardom is a perilous road. I can`t help but think of Judy Garland or Karen Carpenter when I see this bundle of talent, energy and hope! Jackie Evancho has the world lying helplessly at her feet. Go get um girl, but watch out for the twists and turns of Dead Man`s Curve (Jan and Dean)!
Elvis Presley Dies on August 16, 1977 At His Graceland Home In Memphis, Tn.!
Elvis died on August 16, 1977 at the ripe age of 42. The exact cause of his death has always been a little hazy. For the most part, I believe it was a combination of out-of-control prescription drug abuse and bad eating habits, which
pickled his arteries. This is an odd form of heart disease, stuffing your system with pills, hamburgers, chocolate cake, and mountainous peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
He had played in Austin not too long before his death. I remember how shocked I was when seeing his blubberous photographs that were included in an Austin American Statesman story covering the concert. I was working as a library clerk at the Collections and Deposit Library, which was the odd man out branch of The University of Texas General Libraries. This is where the Sanskrit titles were parked.
My attitude towards Elvis has remained steady for my entire life. It`s a confounding blend of reverence and ridicule for The King, who himself was subject to contradictory impulses that put him at odds with the Youth Culture, at times. His secret meeting with Richard Nixon to become an undercover Narcotics Agent would have to be the epitome of these conflicting allegiances.
Okay, I`m still on the ground waddling in the mysteries of his Art. My favorite song of Elvis`s is (Marie`s the Name) of His Latest Flame.
Big Mama Thornton Records “Hound Dog” Today-August 13, 1953!
Today, August 13th (Friday The Thirteenth-lay a little low), marks the day that Big Mama Thornton (1926-1984) flew in from Houston to New York for the historic Hound Dog session. The year, however, was 1953. Hound Dog was penned by the winning popster team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, and was actually their first
successful song. Big Mama was on the Peacock-Duke label. The B-side was They Call Me Big Mama; the bluesy single sold almost two million copies.
Naturally enough, Elvis Presley recorded it three years later, and it became a gold mind for The King. The Handbook Of Texas reports that Big Mama Thornton only made $500 off the record. This unbelievable! Big Mama`s version is more of a blues tune. Completely different tune from Elvis, who pumped it up to a Rock `N` Roll number. I`ll link for you Big Mama doing it in 1965 with the Buddy Guy Band.
I prefer this version, actually. Did you know that Big Mama wrote Ball and Chain, that Janis Joplin would run with in the San Francisco Golden Days` Era of the late 1960s? I would like to explore (and you may want to also) Willie Mae`s catalog a little further. The record, Big Mama Thornton with the Chicago Blues Band (1967) looks interesting. It features Muddy Waters, Lightnin` Hopkins and Otis Spann.
And check out the Blues Bibliography on the Handbook of Texas link. Blues Studies (an oxymoron) are getting academic on us! But it`s time to pay back Big Mama by buying her records. Remember, she earned a measly $500 for Hound Dog, and her version (in my humble opinion) is superior to Elvis`s!