I have ten killer recordings to put on The Staxx Brothers‘ last record. I am not sure if they will all make it. But these are outstanding songs that just took a little more time. I note where we recorded basic tracks. Most of these songs could have been on Hot Chocolate. But that album had …
Month: November 2018
Ah a day off. Stingshark Sting invited me to his studio to work on vocals for my collaboration with Hold in Fyah, ‘Going South’. It’s this exciting new direction for me, where I bring a song to a band that I know will knock it out the park, and we cut it with the crew backing me up …
In Paris, at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, aggressor Germany waived the white flag to end the Great War. The Treaty of Versailles would be signed months later. Over 16 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the first war that relied on modern technology such as …
I am lucky that for the last three years I have worked with Chris Mcfann & Erin Mikkelsen on an annual Staxx Brothers weekend at der Hinterhof. Leavenworth is a magical little place. We actually picked one of the slower weekends between seasons to bring more business and original live music to the community. Chris is a visionary. He and …
Over summer I moved and downsized, so vegetable produce was limited. Luckily it was a bonus year for squash. At Fall parties gardeners brought their abundance of winter squash to share. Winter squash is the United Nations of vegetable in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Winter squash have many health benefits from …
Well that was a wild ending. I didn’t want to strip tonight. But I mentioned off hand last night that I would get down to my boxers if people came back the second night to my last Staxx show. Well f☆☆☆☆☆ck. I drank a bit last night and I usually don’t, and I forgot that …
On the evening of November 8 I had the unmitigated privilege of seeing Britain’s Two Tone ska legends the Selecter for the third time in just over a year. Quel honneur! This show commemorated the 40th anniversary of Two Tone ska. The Selecter is fronted by the very charismatic Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, …
If You’re Gonna Ride Your Trojan Horse to the Party and Pack the Champagne, by Davin Michael Stedman
Trump did fire his attorney general Jeff Session in yet another attempt to cover up an obstruction of justice probe that is most legally viable way to hold our President accountable for Treason. It’s called a Trump-Russia probe because we witnessed a Coup and millions of calculated attacks on America and Americans using Facebook as …
Jumping rope, listening to great song after great song; thinking about these last shows, and what comes next. I’ll be in Leavenworth this weekend singing with The Staxx Brothers, celebrating. You can join me. It’s been quite a year. I was reminded that a year ago I wrote a song at a 502, covered in …
Heading to Leavenworth this weekend to close one chapter and start the next. Come see The Staxx Brothers hold court at one of our favorite venues and hangs of all time, der Hinterhof. Since Chris Mcfann and Erin Mikkelsen bought the place they put a lot of love into making the bar a home for local, regional, and even national acts. These …
“Find Someone Who Cares” is the fourth single from the Charlie Hole album Beautiful Decay. Here’s how Charlie describes the genesis of this song: “”I wrote Find Someone Who Cares” for my Dad’s wedding after he asked me if I could sing a song during the ceremony. I was struggling to come up with anything …
I love this dreamy alt-pop tune. It’s definitely worth a listen. Here’s a nice writeup in Atwood Magazine.
More Giraffes was born when musicians Mark Hadley and Keeley Bumford collided over a shared passion for new wave futuristic pop music ideal for the modern attention span. Together, they create songs laced with wit, fresh beats, and undeniable melodies. Mark and Keeley turn to More Giraffes as an artistic playground and the end result …
The new Queen movie did a pretty darn nice job of capturing how bad ass it is to be in a Rock & Roll band in that moment when a song and a band is kicking so much f☆cking ass…and that joy is in a genuine circuit with a willing and participating audience. A living. …
“A call for love and positivity- This song is about zoning out and embracing whatever your happy place is. Life’s more fun when you do what makes your soul feel good right? One love is the vibe!” https://www.facebook.com/MirandaWritesLPD/
Female-fronted, multi-instrumentalist power trio The Accidentals (Sav Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause) have released their newest single, “Heavy Flag.” Produced by Grammy-award winning producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey, The Decemberists), “Heavy Flag” is a focused combination of edgy indie rock, intelligent arrangement, and deeply compelling lyrics. Buist muses, “I wrote “Heavy …
Chris Mcfann the owner of Der Hinterhof and one of our greatest fans and a true friend, designed this ad and purchased by purchased the back of the local entertainment magazine. Definitely consider taking a road trip to see our last shows before the band goes on hiatus. Seriously, it’s a lot of fun. One of the great …
John Mellencamp has today released a politically charged video to accompany his Delta Blues slide guitar version of “Eyes on the Prize,” a song closely associated with the African American civil rights movement of the 20th Century. Mellencamp’s raspy song delivery and the unsettling black and white images displayed in the video fuse rhetorically, delivering …
This is why The SeaMonster Lounge matters. This was last call. Eric Struthers played here tonight. This is why I am proud to rep this City and why I have to travel the world to do so. I love Seattle and everything this town has given me. I want to bring more greats from around the World and I …
Sordal is a Norwegian band consisting of Stein Roger Sordal, Bjarne L. Severinsen, Tommy Jacksonville, Kenneth Silden and Michael Aadal. The musical genre of the band is pop/rock, country, folk and a hint of Americana. However you describe their music, this is a fantastic pop song and nifty video. Their next album, Center of the …
This video explains why an Everett musician such as Jeremy From-Steel Beans that is way more interesting and innovative, and simply better than people getting way more attention locally, don’t get that automatic cool kid hipster cred. Well they do if they can continue long enough to no longer need it. Because they eventually get the co-sign. …
Have you ever been around me when a song came to me? Do you remember which song. It usually starts weeks or months or years earlier. Someone says something and a seed is planted. For me yesterday, I remember Eric Struthers had told me about some instrumental gospel songs he recorded. I held this old giant Gretsch …
How do I write some novels, and make them truly come to life? I just take my Staxx Brothers albums, which are already sequenced cinematically, and breath life into characters in those songs. The narrative voices are already there. Every song is already a story. The videos are already my little movies – a literary …
With the recent passing of her sister Yvonne and her dear friend Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples is one of our few remaining links to an extraordinary time when the gospel tradition and the fight for social justice were deeply and movingly entwined. “It’s kind of unbelievable to me that I’m still recording,” said the 79 …
Ah, to have Richard’s pile of hair – back then, or on my bald head now. None of my favorite three Furs songs were singles – which should be no surprise, given that their albums were hardly built around one or two hit-hopefuls. I recently discovered a great live performance of one old favorite, an …
Paddy McAloon, the singer of this wonderful tune from my high school years, had a medical condition for many years that almost completely blinded him. He recovered a bit, apparently; for some time now, Paddy’s been photographed with a cane and dark glasses, and has long, flowing white hair and a big, white Colonel Sanders …
I heard this composition on wnur.org @ 89.3fm while driving home after visiting my parents last weekend. There are several passages that I like…always trying to expand my musical horizon! Ciao ciao for now. – Mark Erickson
Last night I went to see The Oracle. I took Eric Struthers to see the Troll, because since he hadn’t, he had to. I sat down with him right before this with hot coffee, and the mists of Autumn about us. He gave me sage advice and approved of one of my ideas that will change the …
Did I say it might take me a while to keep up with a thread? I just wanted to respond to your comment, most excellent Theophilus, that I was really happy to get excited about a new band in this case. Unlike you, I liked the new music coming out in the ’90s, but I’ve …
Willie McCovey, Hall-of-Fame first baseman and left-handed slugger extraordinaire for the San Francisco Giants, passed away yesterday at 80. Rest in peace. – Chuck Strom