Saw DH open for Frank Turner in a gritty little club in Reading,Pa. Great energy, great songs, and he’s from Philly!!
Monthly Archives: July 2018
Today in Music History July 23
1969, ‘Honky Tonk Women’ by The Rolling Stones, with its instantly recognizable cowbell opening, goes to No.1 on the UK singles chart.
1994, Frank Zappa has an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter named in his honor by the International Astronomical Union. Asteroid 3834 was renamed ‘Zappafrank’. Zappa had died in December of 1993.
2011, Amy Winehouse, English singer and songwriter, is found dead in her north London home of alcohol poisoning; her 2006 album Back to Black won 5 Grammy awards
Sources: This Day in Music.com; Wikipedia
Why Did American Music Festivals Almost Disappear in the 1970s and ’80s?
Interesting long read from Consequence Of Sound blog on history of US music festivals post Woodstock.
Song of the Day – 7/22/18 Skinny Lister – Trouble on Oxford Street
Skinny Lister from England describe themselves as shanty punk. All I know is that this folk punk label mate of Frank Turner makes joyous high energy music that’s a kick to see live. This is the song that did it for me, off their 2015 album, Down on Deptford Broadway.
Song of the Day 7/22/18 Wild Feathers “Big Sky”
Love the vibe of this band. A little country with some southern rock, great harmonies and they can stretch out and jam when they want. Big Sky is a perfect example of that.
Today in Music History July 22
1965 Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones were fined £5 each in a London court after being found guilty of ‘insulting behaviour’ at a British gas station. The three had all urinated against a wall after the station attendant had refused them the use of the facilities. More at Rolling Stone.com
1967 The Doors perform ‘The Crystal Ship’ and ‘Light My Fire’ on American Bandstand. Cultures clash….
1977 Tony Orlando announces his retirement from music on stage in Massachusetts, shocking the audience and his group Dawn. Two months later he is back at work, although he never was as popular again. Music fans rejoice.
Rainy day music
Paul’s great song of the day suggestion for today, “Raining in Baltimore”, puts me in mind of rainy day songs. This article from the New Musical Express lists the top 20 songs about rain. List like this are made to be debated and argued over. I agree with some of the choices here and disagree with others but I absolutely have to give a nod to “Purple Rain”. I think this might be one of the best songs in the last 40 years, not just a great song about rain
https://www.nme.com/list/20-songs-rain-1947915
, some hate it (Travis), and, yes, many use it as a metaphor for something else, but either way, there are more bangers about being soggy than you might have thought.Rihanna – UmbrellaOK, so RiRi’s mega 2007 hit is actually about friendship – but how better to bond with a pal than sharing shelter when it’s pissing it down?image: https://static.apester.com/sdk/loader.gif)
Since Paul’s rainy day song was a cover version, here’s another great cover version. Sometimes it just takes one great artist to do justice to the work of another great artist .
Hmm… – Study claims that attending a concert once every two weeks can add nine years to your life
From Consequences of Sound:
Dave Grohl watching Metalica from the audience, photo via Seth Daniel Lawson Goldman
Conducted by O2 and behavioral science expert Patrick Fagan and reported by NME, the study finds that regular concert attendance can increase one’s lifespan by up to nine years. The logic here is that live music increases feelings of self-worth, closeness to others, and, especially, mental stimulation, all of which contribute to one’s sense of well-being. According to the study, there’s a “positive correlation between regularity of gig attendance and well-being,” and “additional scholarly research directly links high levels of wellbeing with a lifespan increase of nine years.”
These sensations of well-being were measured using psychometric testing and heart-rate tests, and the study says experiencing a gig for just 20 minutes can result in a 21% increase in feelings of well-being. The study’s recommendation is that one concert every two weeks will score one’s “happiness, contentment, productivity and self-esteem at the highest level.”
Does that sound like a load of hooey to you? Especially once you consider that O2 is a concert venue that plugs its “Priority Tickets” program in the text of the study? Yeah, maybe, but who are we to argue? Some of the most fun we’ve ever had has been at concerts, and who’s going to disagree that happy people are likely to live longer?
Also, this isn’t the first time scientists have come to such a conclusion.
See more live music.
Song of the Day 7/21/18 – Raining in Baltimore, Counting Crows cover by Frank Turner
Its raining today in the DC/Baltimore area, so seems fitting to play this song. Frank Turner often covers this song when he plays in Baltimore, including this past June at the MECU Pavilion on the Baltimore waterfront, during an actual rainstorm!
Song of the day 7/21/18- weezer “Mexican Fender”
One of the great things about Rivers Cuomo and Weezer is that they have mastered the art of creating that “ hook” that always grabs me. This song from 2017 is on my “play it loud with the windows down driving in the car on a summer day” playlist.
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