I used to listen to it all the time. I made a throwaway comment in my last post about not having heard of Altan Urag on the radio, and it got me to thinking; I realized I hadn't turned one on in quite a long time.
It's not that I don't listen to music all the time. I do, everyday. Between my iPod on the subway and iTunes while I am at work (both in the office, quietly, and blaring over the crappy speakers in my workbox when I am on site), most of my day is spent with music on. But the radio is something I have gotten out of the habit of listening to.
So, I started listening, streaming a bunch of radio stations from all over (looking for one I liked that didn't sound like my music collection on random). My current favorite is RadioIO's Alt Country station. It's pretty great- contemporary alt-country and folk, stuff you are not likely to hear on pop country stations. You know, music that is made for the sake of making music and not for the sake of selling CDs. Not surprisingly, I heard some bands on that station that I liked so much that I ended up buying their albums. One of them was Kane Welch Kaplin, comprised of Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, and Fats Kaplin.
Each member of this trio (sometimes quartet- Lucan Kane, Keirnan's son, joins them as percussionist with increasing regularity) is a successful solo artist in their own right, and the tracks I checked out of each of them on their own were great. This is definitely, to me at least, a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, however.
Together, they manage to sound both raw and polished, complex and simple all at the same time, without coming across as formulaic or sacrificing a wide range of style and nuance. The album I bought, titled Kane Welch Kaplin, is their third, and definitely one of the best musical purchases I made this year.
Hello, Gentle Readers. It's been so long; I am glad to see you again.
Actually, it seems like a lot longer for me than it may for you, since my last couple of posts have been 'in the can,' as the say, since the end of August. Fashion Week happened between then and now, and that pretty much disrupts everything else. And when I say 'disrupts,' I mean 'completely obliterates.' I have this joke with some of the people I work with that my year only has 48 weeks; the 4 weeks that get lost by doing Fall and Spring Fashion exist outside of the normal flow of time and space, like Festival Days in olden tymes.
What, you may ask, does this have to do with music? Why, nothing, actually, and I ought to stop talking about it now. I bring it up only to ask your forgiveness if this post seems awkward; it's been a while since I had to write anything coherent. So- enough about me darling; what do you think of my dress?
Like everyone else here, I imagine, I like a good playlist. One of the things I do to entertain myself is to take a subject and then build a list around it. I know, hardly a revolutionary concept. But it has exposed me to music and bands I might otherwise never have heard of. Because once you get a really good concept going, who wants to stop at the bounds of music they already have? Not I, certainly. I mean, what fun would that be?
One of my all time favorites is built around the theme of driving a semi. At first gloss, you might think that this would be dreadfully boring. Probably you have all heard some of the classic truck drivin' songs, and you're thinking, 'How much variation can there be?' When I started this particular little quest, the only songs on the list that I had were Six Days On The Road by Lee Conway, Give Me Forty Acres to Turn This Rig Around by The Willis Brothers, and Truck Drivin' Man by Jimmy Martin. All classics, to be sure, but also all cut from similar cloth, style wise. So I was sort of thinking the same thing- how much variation will there really be? I was pleasantly and thoroughly surprised, not only by the variation, but by the endurance of the truck drivin' theme. Take a look at the list- just the titles should give you an idea of how varied a treatment this subject has gotten.
Girl on the Billboard by Del Reeves Six Days On The Road by Lee Conway Truck Drivin' Queen by Moore & Napier Keep On Truckin' by Hot Tuna Truck Drivin' Man by Jimmy Martin I Took Three Bennies & My Semi Truck Won't Start by Commander Cody And The Lost Planet Airmen Mexican Vampire Truck Drivin' Girl by Jasper Stone Give Me Forty Acres to Turn This Rig Around by The Willis Brothers Drug Store Truck Driving Man by The Coal Porters Eighteen Wheels On A Big Rig by Ralph's World Overloaded Diesel by Jimmy Griggs White Line Fever by The Flying Burrito Brothers Big Rig Blues (Long One) by The Cowslingers
The sub-themes (that is, besides truck driving) of those songs encompass, in no particular order, obsession, exhaustion, racism, faithfulness, adultery, humor, irony, the supernatural, incompetence, drug abuse, the capricious nature of machines, loneliness, math and numbers, the chase, the escape, delusion, and endurance. If I could have found video clips for all of them, I would have posted them here, and damn concerns of an obnoxiously long post! But, as it is, I have only a few choice examples for you.
Give Me Forty Acres to Turn This Rig Around :: The Willis Brothers
Forty Acres is, of course, a classic, and deservedly so. I think anyone who has ever tried to drive even a U-Haul can appreciate how hard it must be to handle 53' of tractor and trailer, and the sense of humor in this song makes it deserving of a listen in any case.
Girl on the Billboard :: Del Reeves
Who among us has never obsessed over what is out of their reach? This is another one with humor and, I think, universal appeal.
I Took Three Bennies, and Now My Semi Truck Won't Start :: Bill Kirchen, formerly of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen
Can you think of anything sadder than being hopped up on speed so that you can drive all night, only to have your truck break down? It is truly Shakespearean in scope. Or something.
18 Wheels on a Big Rig :: Ralph's World
I don't want to spoil this one, so you should just listen to it; but I think it is the best of the bunch, if only by virtue of its sheer cleverness. Oh, and it's a kid's song...
I often buy music on a whim, for some reason that has nothing at all to do with the way it sounds; because something about the cover art, or the font used, or the title of a song just grabs me. I know it seems ridiculous to spend money on so tenuous and unrelated a cue, but I have always been really lucky in this regard. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a lemon because I indulged my first gut reaction.
This is how I came to buy Punch, the debut album by The Punch Brothers. You want to know what made me know I would like it? I'll tell you, Gentle Readers, but I assure you that it won't make sense out loud. Or in type. I don't think I fully understand it myself, even; I just know what the trigger was. Ready?
It was because of the combination of the uses of the word 'punch'. Not only is it part of the band's name and the name of the album, but it also appears in the title of the first track, Punch Bowl. And something about that just... grabbed me. Punch Brothers and Punch evoked a certain rough, maybe even violent, camaraderie to me, and Punch Bowl made me think of, well, a punch bowl. And along with that comes the idea of a party, and getting drunk. But combined with the roughness of the other meanings of the word, which is the way it seemed like it should be taken in the band's name and the album's title, it seemed juxtaposed and discordant and maybe even a little lonely. And in the split second that all that rattled around in my head, I knew I would like it.
(I hope that's less clumsy to you reading than it seems to me writing.)
In any case, I was right. I love this album, and I can't wait to see what comes next from them. It's immediate, visceral, full of undercurrents of loneliness and anger, but there is also a sort of raw defiance underneath that. It seems simple on the surface a lot of the time, but it's really complicated when you start to pay attention, and while it is traditional Bluegrass in a lot of ways, there is nothing stale or recycled about it.
I am going to stop talking now, and let the music speak for itself...
Is there any musical figure who has imprinted himself more deeply on the American zeitgeist than Elvis Presley? I'm not talking about being successful, influencing other musicians, or being a mover and a shaker (no pun intended) in the world outside of the music industry; While Elvis certainly did all those things and more, you could make solid arguments that others were more important or influential... I am talking about achieving mythical cultural status. There are only a few people who have even come close, but to my mind none of them touch The King in terms of the breadth and depth of the impact on our collective unconscious.
Don't believe me? I hold up as my argument a selection of Elvis impersonators so culturally and musically diverse it makes my head spin. These are not hacks in a jumpsuit from the local goodwill... each and every one of them brings talent and drive and dedication to the stage. And while they would all, I think, be perfectly capable of having a career as themselves, they would rather serve The King with their talent.
Dread Zeppelin :: Hearbreaker
These guys, I admit, are a little schticky. But there is no denying that they are passionate about and inspired by Elvis, and having a hell of a good time in the process.
El Vez 'Mexican Elvis' :: En El Barrio
On a scale going from 'Impersonator' to 'Inspired By,' I think that El Vez is furthest toward 'Inspired By' in this particular group. Plus he gets a lot of points for taking a song that is awkward even in the language it was written in and making it work in translation.
The King :: Whole Lotta Rosie
I have already talked about The King, and while I hate to repeat myself, I think he is one of the best Elvis impersonators I have ever heard, and I could not in good conscience omit him here. Not to mention the fact that his whole album is 'Elvis' covering the songs of other artists that have shuffled off this mortal coil, well, I think that is deeply amusing. Whatever that says about me.
Metal Elvis :: Viva Las Vegas
When you got up this morning, I know you said to yourself, "Self, my life would be 110% better if there was a hard rock Elvis impersonator out there for me to listen to." It is icing on the cake that this is from 3000 Miles to Graceland, which, while not a great movie, does have thieves pulling a heist in Vegas dressed up as Elvis. Because, you know, then they blend in.
Robert Washington 'Black Elvis' :: Let It Be Me
This guy is just amazing.
Jelvis - The Jewish Elvis
I have no words for this one. Really. I'm speechless. I found this while looking up clips for the others. I had no idea he even existed before this. Speechless, I say.
And that, Gentle Readers, is my argument on this subject. Take or leave it as you will, but you cannot deny the talent on display.
Putting together an acoustic version of a song is like a lot of things. What I mean is, it's hard to do well, but when it is done well, it seems effortless and as natural as breathing; conversely, it is easy to do badly, and when that happens... well, it's not pretty. So let's take a look at some acoustic arrangements, shall we? And just to be clear, I am talking about artists re-arranging their own work here; covers are a different beast altogether. Also for clarity's sake, let me say up front that these are all artists and songs that I truly enjoy.
Of course, 'done well' and 'done badly' are extremely subjective, so I will elaborate my views on the subject as we go on. The first thing you have to look at is whether the song in and of itself lends itself to an acoustic arrangement. One can, of course, play anything on an acoustic guitar that can be played on an electric. But that doesn't mean one should. Let's take a look at this train wreck as an example:
INXS :: Need You Tonight
This illustrates what is, in my opinion, the single biggest hurdle of making a good acoustic arrangement; the fact that despite being extremely closely related, acoustic instruments are different from their electric counterparts. You cannot play a song the same way and get the same results, nor should you try. They made no effort to take the different sounds they were getting and use them to make the song more interesting. With, I think, awful results.
The Cure :: Friday I'm In Love
This is better, but still no great shakes. The song lends itself fine, but they didn't really do anything fun or new or interesting with it, and it is so tightly engineered that the feeling of spontaneity and intimacy that I think makes acoustic music so enticing has been stifled to the point of non-existence. It's not bad... it's just not any different from the album release version, so why bother?
The Eagles :: Hotel California
This is, I think a good arrangement. The song works, the instruments are used to good effect, feels vibrant and immediate, certainly. But there is no intimacy whatsoever. I mean, part of it isn't their fault- there are 97 guys on stage, which makes it hard, but even taking that into account, it feels very... closed. There is no insight into the song, or how The Eagles feel about the song to be had here. It's a great rendition, but it has no soul.
Sting :: Every Breath You Take
This works on all the technical fronts, and here we have some intimacy (of a sort). There is clearly a lot of connection and feeling going on between the musicians, but the audience feels excluded to me. Like kids with their faces pressed up against a window, watching the neighbors' television. Engaged, but not involved. Some of you may say that I am just being nit-picky, and I can see that, but I stand by my opinion. It's a great performance, but a little cold.
Tommy Tutone :: 867-5309 / Jenny
Here's another example of what I mean about Sting's performance; Tommy Tutone is fantastic in this clip, but totally untouchable. He has perfect 'rock star remove' here, aloof from the audience, holding back from letting any real emotion or meaning slip out into the music. And it's only barely apparent, because the rest of it works so well. That is, except for the guy in the back who's off key...
Colin Hay :: Overkill
This is the cream of the crop. If you are still with me, Gentle Readers, then you are in for a treat. Not only is this a beautifully stripped down and wonderfully executed arrangement, Colin Hay breaks all the barriers. I feel like he's in my living room, and like I can really see what he was thinking and feeling when it was written twenty-five years ago. It's immediate, intimate, and imperfect in a way that only accentuates what a great song it is.
The first time, I talked about some of the music I have in my collection that I am sort of ashamed that I own. (You know what I mean; I know you all have Wham! and Terrence Trent d'Arby in your iTunes. Unchecked so they don't come up in rotation, maybe, but there nonetheless...) But I thought about it some more, and I decided that I wasn't really doing the theme justice, that I was being too narrow. Those tracks, while certainly fulfilling the 'guilty' part of the theme, did not embrace its 'pleasure' aspect.
In order to rectify that, Gentle Readers, I give you some music that I am absolutely, an-apologetically enamored with, no matter how many times I get pointed and laughed at for it.
Spinal Tap :: Big Bottoms
I don't know how one can not love this, or at the very least appreciate how magnificently perfect the parody of every rock band that plays to crowds of teenage boys is, but apparently there are those that do not. It's a mystery to me. If you have never seen this film, you must. And then watch the commentary; they do it in character, as if they are sitting around watching the final cut of the film, and it's like a whole second movie.
Pat Boone :: Crazy Train
That's right, Pat Boone. The same Pat Boone who started recording in the 50's and who made his career on covers of R&B hits intended for a mainstream (which at the time meant 'white') audience. The same man who was so devout that he refused a movie role alongside sex symbol Marilyn Monroe because he didn't want to compromise his standards. The man who, apparently, has developed a killer sense of humor.
Rowlf the Dog :: I Never Harmed an Onion
Some have said that a grown man should not, perhaps, have silly songs by muppets in his music collection. They would be wrong, and unable to appreciate the simple brilliance of Jim Henson.
M.C. Hawking :: Big Bizang
This, of all my music, has gotten the most comments along the lines of, 'What the fuck are you listening to?!?' My answer is always the same: hardcore science rap as if it were done by Stephen Hawking, bitches!
White and Nerdy :: Weird Al Yankovic
Weird Al is (and some of you will find this ridiculous) kind of a hero of mine. I mean, such comedy! Such wit! Such talent! I went to see him live, once, and while it's true that the only other adults there were parents with their pre-teen children, it is also true that it is one of the best live shows that I have ever seen, hands down. The man is a national treasure, I say, and anyone who disagrees can face me at dawn with pistols in hand!
I thought about how to introduce myself to you and to my fellow writers (whom, except for Kelsi, I have just 'met', if that is the right word for beginning a collaboration with people I have never spoken to- but that is not really a discussion for this venue...), and I decided that the best way would be to take a look at my 'Most Played' playlist and go from there. So I started with the top 25, and after I limited the artists that appeared in the list more than once to a single representative piece I am left with thirteen songs with which to begin to present myself.
Million Miles by Bob Dylan Bob Dylan, of course, is classic, and I have always enjoyed his music. When Time Out of Mind came out, though, I was blown away. This was a new Bob Dylan... a lot more country-bluesy, a lot more just plain fun. The lyrics remain his unique mix of poetry and half nonsense, and this whole album just rocks. This song also encapsulates one of my favorite musical themes: that of loneliness. I am sure that will be apparent as you work your way down the list...
Boogie On The Beach by The Red Elvises Russian surfer guitar rock? Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I found these guys because of the movie Six String Samurai. You should check that out, too...
I Never Cared For You by Willie Nelson Another classic performer. I am not sure I even have the vocabulary to sing Willie's praises. In the little bit of space I am allotting myself here; I see a much more detailed posting in the future.
Thirteen by Johnny Cash If I had to pick a single favorite artist, it would be Johnny Cash. His music is smart, sometimes funny, and so diverse. How can you not love a man who Glen Danzig writes songs for?
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by Cat Power One of my other soft spots, musically, is a good cover. Not a note-for-note rendition with no imagination; I mean a real cover, a re-interpretation of the original. This song is just that.
Barricades and Brickwalls by Kasey Chambers This is the opposite of loneliness; this is, 'You're mine and I am going to do whatever it takes to have you.' I like that, too. Kasey Chambers, though, I am ambivalent about. Half of her music is kick ass, like this, and I love it. The other half is whiney and just. so. tired. At least, to me. Your results may vary.
Paper Kitten Nightmare by Margot & The Nuclear So and So's This is one of my more recent favorites. The chorus kills me every time.
Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In) by Michael Penn Michael Penn is another of my all-time favorites. His lyrics are smart and subtle and even scathing at times, and full of depth. This particular one, as you might imagine, is probably my favorite of his. It is heart-wrenching in that way that it must be apparent to you by now that I really like. (Is that sentence really awkward or what?)
Whisper by Slovo Audio Link to Whisper I find this one to be heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Maybe that makes me soft. But what can I say, it speaks to me...
I'm the Only Hell My Mamma Ever Raised by Johnny Paycheck Along with some of Johnny Cash's stuff and a lot of David Allen Coe's, this Johnny Paycheck song represents a certain sub-genre of country music that I like to think of as Redneck Thug. It's pure genius.
Come As You Are by The King For someone like me who likes a good cover, this is the motherlode. An Elvis impersonator covering Nirvana's Come as You Are as if Elvis had it re-arranged for himself. It is mind-blowingly good. And he has a whole album of stuff like this...
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Apocalyptica Another fantastic cover, if you can call such a radical treatment a cover. Who would have thought that Metallica would be so well served by a cello quartet?
About You by Bugs This is the first electronica that I discovered I liked. I stumbled across it by accident, and fell in love with it, for which I am very grateful. It really opened a lot of doors for me, musically speaking.
And that's the list! I hope that you found some things that you like, and that you will be back for more...
