Let Me Introduce Myself
She’s from Ohio, she’s nuts about music, and she’s here to give this joint a woman’s touch. Please welcome Kelly – our newest contributor to Ickmusic! – Pete
Hello, Ickmusic readers! I’m thrilled to be contributing to Ickmusic, and I want to thank Pete for asking me to join the team. Some of you may know me as the commenter “Skittles” here on Ickmusic (most of my comments have been on the Friday Five). I am also the owner of the almost-defunct blog, Looking at Them. Because I am in the process of shutting my blog down, Pete’s offer to contribute to Ickmusic couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m excited to be able to still write about the music I love and not constantly have a guilt complex because I’m just too busy to post often.
Before I jump in with my first “real” post, I wanted to give you a little of my musical background, so to speak. I have been obsessed with music since I was a little girl, rifling through my parents’ modest, but excellent, record collection. I grew up on Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Chicago, just to name a few. Some of my fondest memories from childhood involve sitting around the turntable with my dad, listening to his favorite records and hearing him tell me why he loved a certain song so much.
As I got older, my music taste became more diverse. I loved almost all genres of music and always fancied myself a more sophisticated music lover than any of my friends. I remember one trip to the record store when I was 13. The friends I was with bought Color Me Badd and Vanilla Ice. I bought Prince & The New Power Generation’s Diamonds and Pearls. They were just as confused about my purchase as I was about theirs. There were times when I did follow the crowd and listened to what was popular, but when I strayed from the pack, I really strayed from the pack.
High school brought “alternative rock” to my attention and I think that time in my life had the biggest influence on my current taste in music. I started listening to WOXY (“97X…BAM! The future of Rock and Roll) and my discovery of some of the most amazing music I’ve ever heard came from the hours and hours I listened to that station. My collection now is more diverse than ever and I’m discovering new things to love every day.
I must tell you that I do tend to get obsessed with certain artists and won’t stop until I have everything they’ve ever done and every version of my favorite song I can get my hands on. I will see them live as many times as I possibly can (and, if finances and time allow, I have no problems getting on a plane or going on a long road trip in order to see my favorites perform) and I always do my best to meet the artist. So, don’t be surprised to see me post some of my tales of these adventures.
Now that you know a little bit more about me, I’d like to share some random songs I’ve been listening to a lot this summer. I hope you enjoy!
Betty Davis – He Was a Big Freak (from They Say I’m Different)
Edith Piaf – La Vie, L’Amour (from The Voice of the Sparrow: The Best of Edith Piaf)
Zach Galifianakis featuring Fiona Apple – Come on and Get It (Up in ’Dem Guts) (I believe this was all over the Internets a couple of years ago)
New Edition – My Secret (from New Edition)
Dolly Parton – Baby I’m Burning (from Heartbreaker)
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: August 22, 2008
It’s been a long and busy week here at Ickmusic East full of ups and downs. Between the shocking and untimely passing of LeRoi Moore, Jerry Finn, Issac Hayes and Jerry Wexler the music community has lost many members these past two weeks. On the positive side it’s been a week of some cool discoveries (Paul Thorn, Ra Ra Riot) and some great live shows to remind me of the bonds we do create with these musicians and the healing power of music. This week’s playlist is influenced by this sentiment.
Match ANY of the following conditions
NAME contains Dance
NAME contains Light
NAME contains Friend
NAME contains Heart
NAME contains SoulThe tunes rang in aplenty from this combo…
For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (though not so many this week) for each track.
Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Bryan Adams – Straight From the Heart (from So Far So Good)
2. Don Henley – The Heart of the Matter (from Actual Miles: Henley’s Greatest Hits)
3. Susanna and the Magical Orchestra – Condition of the Heart (from Controversy: A Tribute to Prince)
4. Dead Can Dance – Yulunga (Spirit Dance) (from Toward the Within)
5. John Mayer – Dreaming With a Broken Heart (from Continuum)
So what has you dancing into the weekend and beyond?
Prince hips me to Janelle Monáe
(Photo from Nastassia A. Davis’s Flickr photostream.) There are lots of ways to hear about a new artist. Find a cool blog posting. Hear it on the radio. Have a friend tell you about it. Or in this case, have one of your favorite artists wait outside of the Viper Room for the artist’s gig to end so he can talk to her.
Prince drove down the hill to the Sunset Strip last night to meet with Atlanta-based, futuristic R&B singer Janelle Monáe after her gig. E Online found it newsworthy enough to write about it, and I apparently find it newsworthy enough to repeat it here. It’s just that I often wonder what my purple friend is up to. The man still doesn’t have a functional official web site, which is stupefying to me. For all the fuss he makes about people posting his images, songs, and videos on the internet, you’d think that he would have something to offer us. But nope, still zilch on the internet front.
But on to Janelle. The music is unique, fresh, funky, and you can hear influences from Prince to Outkast to smooth singers like Shirley Bassey (she sang some of the James Bond themes). Janelle was recently signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, which is okay as long as he keeps his paws off. I don’t feel like hearing his “yeah”s and “uh”s in her songs.
Janelle’s well on her way to establishing herself as the next best thing on the scene. As usual, I’m a little behind. So thanks Mr. Nelson for swinging by the Viper Room last night. I owe you. No, not actual money. Man, that Prince… always looking for a payday!
“It’s always easier to leave, than to be left….”
Dave Matthews Band – On LeRoi 08/19/2008 (Video)
Coming out after the encore break last night, Dave told the crowd a story about LeRoi. Video courtesy of WeeklyDrop.com.
LeRoi Moore 1961-2008
From the official Dave Matthews Band site:
We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.
On a personal note, I’ve been a fan of the band since ’93 and my wife and I have spent many, many summers with the band and this year was no exception. This is an incredible loss. Our hearts go out to family, the band and friends in this most difficult time…
#40 (Always)
Tables turned again
And you, my friend
You and I face each other
All time and time out
I know it’s sometimes hard
But knowing just, oh
That we will get along
Until we are old and gray
And huddled up
And doubled up, we’ll sit…
And laugh of times were hard
Laugh of times when we thought all
It would end it all, it’s over
And then again…
And though all I know is this way
And to leave you
Well, I’d die
Oh, my friend
It will be you until the end with me
Always…
Always
Always
AlwaysRonnie Wood’s Journey
I just wrapped up Ronnie Wood’s autobiography, Ronnie. Now, I consider myself a pretty big Stones fan. Of course, I missed them in their prime (which I consider their career through 1981’s Tattoo You). I didn’t really learn to appreciate them until I was a senior in high school in ’87-’88, when I came of age with albums like Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, and Let It Bleed.
I’ve only seen the Stones live once – high in the nosebleed seats at Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium during their Bridges of Babylon tour in 1997. The wind was swirling, messing the sound up, and I honestly was too far to get any true enjoyment out of it. Not big on stadium shows am I.
When you start to know a band’s music inside and out, you feel you have a pretty good understanding of their background and roots. But after reading Ronnie’s autobiography, I discovered that I had a lot to learn, and that most of my focus over the years has been on Mick & Keith.
Only over the last couple of years have I started to get into Faces, one of Ronnie’s pre-Stones bands (along with the Jeff Beck Group). And I admit to having no idea that Ronnie has a rich solo catalog, which started with 1974’s I’ve Got My Own Album To Do. Ronnie built a studio in his home at the time, called the Wick (I wish my house was impressive enough to name). This album’s recording took place before Ronnie was in the Stones, but he had already befriended Mick and especially Keith. So they show up on the album, as do Mick Taylor, Rod Stewart, Pete Townshend, and even George Harrison, for crying out loud.
One of the amazing things about the British music scene in the late 60’s and early 70’s is that every musician seemed to know eachother – it was a pretty tight knit club . They also knew eachother’s girlfriends. Pattie Boyd, who was married to George Harrison, and would go on to marry Eric Clapton, actually dated Ronnie in between. Ronnie tells some incredible stories about he and Harrison openly cavorting with eachother’s wives. Pattie Boyd must’ve been something – look at the songs she inspired: “Wonderful Tonight”, “Layla”, and “Something”.
If you want an entertaining read, and want some great behind the scenes stories from a legendary musician – not to mention an accomplished artist – check this book out. Obviously, Ronnie is not without his demons. The book details his struggles with cocaine and alcohol – a struggle which continues to this day. Ronnie’s currently in rehab in Woking, England. And the tabloids say he may leave Jo – his wife of 30 odd years – for a 19 year old Russian waitress. No, you can’t make this shit up.
Underneath all the vices though, is a sweet, funny, talented man. And it shines right through in the book. The guy is/was friends with seemingly everyone: from Slash to Kate Moss to Tony Curtis to John Belushi (who tried his best to steal Jo away from Ronnie).
So here’s one from his first album. You’ll hear Faces bandmate Rod Stewart singing background. I’m really enjoying this album. It’s like unearthing a hidden Stones/Faces hybrid. And over the coming weeks, I’ll be picking up the rest of his solo albums.
Get well Ronnie…
Ron Wood – Mystifies Me (mp3)
Official Site: RonnieWood.com
Buy I’ve Got My Own Album To Do….
Check Ronnie out on Amazon:
Any recommendations for top-notch music autobiographies?
Last Day to Win James Brown Triple DVD and $50
For Elvis
Ickmusic salutes the King!
Elvis passed away 31 years ago today.Buy Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings
.
C’mon Everybody! (and Ann Margret in her prime…yeow)Catch up with all the action in Memphis at ElvisWeek.com.
Ickmusic’s Friday Five: August 15, 2008
Ah Friday. The day most of us look forward to beginning at around 9:30 AM on Monday morning. The gateway to the weekend and the only thing standing between you and the release from the daily grind… I think that I can easily say for everyone, Thank God it’s Friday.
Friday also means it’s time for the Five. This week I struggled a bit with the theme as we head into the final stretch of “The Theme Days of Summer”. It hit me that we’ve covered a good bit of ground to date and that one thing we’ve not covered is direction. Furthering upon that thought the “Feng Shui” playlist was born.
Match ANY of the following conditions
NAME contains North
NAME contains East
NAME contains West
NAME contains South
NAME contains Heaven
NAME contains EarthThe playlist populated with 216 tracks, with nearly half of them being Prince related, go figure!
Last week’s Olympic inspired theme saw everyone going for the gold and some bringing home the bronze. Everything from Dylan to Bowie to the Godfather of Soul made appearances (some more than once) to represent their home country and bring back the glory.
For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (and on occasion the song itself) for each track.
Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden (from Forty Licks)
Yes friends of Ickmusic, this is my favorite Stones tune. Actually it’s tied with “Waiting on a Friend” for the top spot. There’s something about the laid back soul side of Mick and the boys that resonates with me more than some of their more up-tempo numbers.
2. Donna Summer – Heaven Knows (from Gold)
I am surprisingly unashamed of having this disco-era gem pop up. Featuring Joe “Bean” Esposito (who you can find much more than you ever wanted to know about by paying a visit to our friend Jason Hare over at Popdose) this was a Number 2 hit for Miss Summer and was the last of her purely disco hits.
3. Bryan Adams – Heaven (from So Far so Good)
Did anyone else see Bryan Adams on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the other night? It was a far cry from the lackluster performance that he turned in at this year’s American Idol finale. He belted out “Summer of 69′” like it was 1984 all over again. This one brings memories of school dances and Saturday nights with Dr. John Barron on WSPK.
4. The Ohio Players – Heaven Must Be Like This (MP3) (from Skin Tight)
Back to the 70’s for what was likely the soundtrack to many a session of “7 Minutes in Heaven” in 1974. Clocking in at just over 7 minutes it’s hard to picture this track on the same record as the funk tour-de-force of the title track.
5. The Escape Club – Wild, Wild West (from Wild Wild West)
Cliché in just about every respect from the faux reggae breakdown to the super compressed guitar over the electronic drum beat to the innuendo laced lyrics you could not escape this tune in the late 80’s and well into the early 90’s. Released in 1988 the track reached Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November and lingered on radio playlists for damned near a decade. Oh and the video, how could I forget the video…
Well we started in the East and ended in the West with a whole lot of Heaven in between, what’s bringing balance to your day?
Steve Earle at the Newport Folk Festival
For fellow Steve fans, NPR has a podcast of Steve’s set at the Newport Folk Festival available for free.
Get it from their site, or download from iTunes.
While you’re there, grab Jim James’s set, and Tom Waits’s entire Atlanta show. Free.
Thank you NPR.
