“So Gentle Your Arms” – Shannon Stephens. Exquisite vocal control and a strong, deep melodic pulse. She is the real thing. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days Listen to or download the track here. Here’s the Shannon Stephens page at Asthmatic Kitty Records.
Tuesday May 22 brought San Francisco punk band The Avengers back to Seattle. The Avengers is another band I want to throw in the faces of those who say women can’t rock. The vocals of Penelope Houston defy that mentality. Her voice is crystal clear, yet sharp as a razor and sung from the gut. …
“Unnovae Nights” – XVIII Individual Eyes. My current favorite local band. Jaime’s drumming + the awesomest! – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days Band’s website is here – http://eighteenindividualeyes.com/ Eighteen Individual Eyes – Four Poses
“Exploring” – Land of Pines. Big ups to my friend Evan Easthope, a powerful singer with a great heart. LOP forever! – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days
I have often wondered what East Portland Blog readers think of people, lke me who write religious or spiritual pieces under pen names. I’m sure opinions are as diverse as the EPB readers: serious, misguided, enlightening, hypocritical, boring, WTF! (just being realistic), Oh Please!, Fascinating (one can only hope). What do you think? Please let …
This lovely little Danish song with a crowd-sourced video is one of the most popular vids in the US today. It’s reminiscent of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.” The title means, “She Stole My Guitar.”
“Vega$” – Celia Chavez. My girl Chavez is gorgeous and gifted. She’s backing up Melody Gardot in Europe this summer. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days
The last year has been a sad one in music. Amy Winehouse, Bert Jansch, Andrea True, Keef Hartley, Don Cornelius, Whitney Houston, Ronnie Montrose, Dick Clark, Levon Helm, Donald Dunn, Adam “MCA” Yauch, Donna Summer and now Robin Gibb have passed away. It is truly sad to lose these great talents, but sadder yet is …
“Mack the Knife,” which began life in 1928 as “Die Moritat von Mackie Messer” is a reliable evergreen, having been covered countless times by a multitude of singers from Nick Cave to Connie Francis to Ernie Kovacs (!) to Bertolt Brecht himself. It all comes from a Marxist remake of John Gay‘s 18th Century original …
“So Have I For You” – Nikka Costa. Brilliant funk performer but this song is personal, “don’t need a gun/ i got a microphone.” – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days
May 18, 2012 will go down in infamy as one of the best shows I’ve seen! It will also be remembered as the night that cured the common cold. Really, I was sick all week, feeling totally punk, but not the good kind of punk, but now I feel human again. The Real McKenzies and …
“Wicked Game” – Chris Isaak. Make the bed. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAOxCqSxRD0
Ayron Jones and his band are good. But how good – and how good I think they’re going to be – well those will be fighting words. I took the gloves off and wrote an essay. It’s coming soon to the East Portland Blog. Here’s a taste of why you need to see them LIVE …
In recent seasons, American Idol has gone for a down-home kinda of singer. Also they haven’t had a female winner since Jordan Sparks in 2007. So, no, Jessica Sanchez will not be your next American Idol. All recent winners have been, IMO, quirky: David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery. With Joshua out …
Of all of Neko Case’s many skills, her most notable is the innate ability to make haunting music for those who yearn to be haunted. Blacklisted, the second “solo” album released after leaving the Pacific Northwest, is perhaps her darkest recorded hour. It’s also one my favorites; a disc that can change or enhance a …
It’s a great shame, she was very young indeed. I must have been 15 when ‘I Feel Love’ came out, it was like sex on a stick. Aural porn in the best possible taste. I listened to it again last night, with more musical sensibilities than I had back then, and it still holds up …
“Modern Love” – David Bowie. Sometimes an 80’s classic is just what the doctor ordered. PS – Where is DB lately? – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hDbpF4Mvkw
For me and countless others, Donna Summer will always be the Queen of Disco. Her reign was unique and absolute. She exemplified everything good about an era that was known better for its hedonistic ways. I first heard Donna Summer when she was still in Germany working with her mentor, Giogio Morodor. At that point, …
Copenhagen’s The Asteroids Galaxy Tour released their sophomore record, Out Of Frequency, earlier this year on BMG Rights. Brandishing a signature sound that infuses pop with psychedelia, funk, soul, and jazz, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour never fail to produce addictive tunes full of imagination. Having won over audiences globally, the band is now blasting into …
Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers never really broke Nationwide, though “Bustin’ Loose” (#1 R&B, #34 Pop) briefly snuck into the Billboard Top 40 in early-1979, but he was something on the order of James Brown AND George Clinton for his beloved District of Columbia, and he leaves behind some of the most remarkable Funk …
“Further to Fly” – Paul Simon. Rhythm of the Saints kicks Graceland‘s ass. You read that right. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J6LM_pOcmg
In the days when concert tickets were $12, people slow danced… together, and dames were funky and classy all at the same time, Ms. Donna Summer was queen of them all. This won’t be the last dance… – Mikhael Mei Williams [In the LA Times – Donna Summer dead: Her voice soared through disco and …
“This City Never Sleeps”- Eurythmics. This city never sweats, except for the last few days. Temp in my apartment Monday: 92. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days
“Tap the Phone” – Francis and The Lights. Smooths rough edges and turns up the corners of a shy smile. Flirty + honey-sweet. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days
The Summer Meltdown Music Festival at White Horse Amphitheater announces the following line up to the public May 15. Working closely with the Wild Buffalo, and new talent buyers, Craig Jewell and Austin Santiago, the Summer Meltdown Music Festival has grown into one of the finest curated and produced boutique music festivals in the Northwest. …
“The Riot’s Gone” – Santigold. Sometimes I get burned out on activism and just want the world to work its own shit out. – Alicia Dara – @thevolcanodiary – #100songs100days