We all watched Philip Seymour Hoffman channel Lester Bangs in Almost Famous. But this is the man himself; the real article. Listen close you yutes; you young bloods who never bought an album but pay out your ass for your data plan and call music free; there was a brief time in American history where …
Remember when music was created by people that weren’t by the book, didn’t look like they just rolled out of a diaper, or were hatched from some technological egg? Remember…? They could be complicated motherfuckers and you still loved them… God I’m glad I experienced those days… A dear friend of mine, John Bosch, has …
Disgraced doper-cyclist Lance Armstrong begins his comeback attempt tonight, as he talks to Oprah Winfrey. Reportedly confesses to Oprah Winfrey that he cycled drugs through his blood in an elaborate international cheating scheme that would make rebuilding Steve Austin seem like a mundane affair, by comparison. Perhaps Lance – coached by a small army of …
I’m not going to say a damn thing, except I LOVE Taj Mahal so much, and this song among others knocked my **** in the dirt tonight. Some people live their lives wrapped around the memories of catching 100s of Phish shows. What I wouldn’t give to be able to follow around Taj for a …
For the San Francisco Giants and their fans, where once was poverty is now an embarrassment of riches. Enjoy the pictures. – Chuck Strom
OK everyone can keep their guns as long as we don’t let Alex Jones have anything sharper than a steak knife. I am pro Second Amendment within reason. I’m pretty sure Alex Jones is going to accidentally shoot a puppy in the face in a pressure situation. How can he shoot straight freaking out like …
If anyone still harbored doubts about Colin Kaepernick—I at least will admit to it—he has effectively put them to rest tonight, and barring serious injury he has established himself as the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers for the next decade. The statistics—45 points, 2 touchdown passes, 2 rushing touchdowns, and 183 yards rushing (not …
As the new year begins, small businesses are starting off with daunting times ahead. With an increase in taxes, slow economic growth and the status of the credit market where it is now, small to medium sized businesses will need to pay closer attention to their strategies. Proper marketing, consumer communication and building trust will …
To the surprise of no one who is familiar with my posts, I paid another visit to AT&T last week, this time with my daughter Bethany and her current significant other. Enjoy the pictures. – Chuck Strom
These hip New Yorkers, Hollis Brown, have a fantastic take on blues rock that I absolutely love. At the moment I like these kids better than the Black Keys, though the BKs have the lead in terms of unforgettable videos. It’s not easy to play modern blues rock and keep it real or make it …
This solo/instrumental song, “White Summer,” from 1970, was never on any of their original LPs – but captures perfectly Page’s ability to borrow and steal and make it his own. Yes, I know he got some riffs from Bert Jansch, which Jansch got from Anne Briggs, and let’s not forgot Davy Graham and several American …
MIKA’s new single ,“Popular Song” featuring Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande, is out now on iTunes and other digital retailers through Republic Records. The song offers a fresh twist on “Popular” from the Broadway hit Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz. In a historic move, Schwartz was so moved by this interpretation that he authorized the usage …
It is too bad that Big Country weren’t nearly as successful at bringing working-class passion and romance across the pond as U2 was. Like the Jam, perhaps too English/Scottish/Irish. It’s a wonder the Pogues or the Clash made any headway here. It’s always remarkable, I find, to watch video of a big drunken crowd pogo-ing …
A fine young band from Los Angeles called The Rebel Light would like to call your attention to, “Goodbye Serenade,” the first single from their self-titled debut EP. It’s a catchy pop tune with a very pro sound. Gifted recordists, The Rebel Light recorded and mixed the EP themselves. According to vocalist Alan, the band …
I must admit, this is my current idea of “The horror….the HORROR!” (per J. Conrad, via F.F. Coppola) Courtesy of my weekly EMP member e-mail alert— TEATRO ZINZANNI DISCOUNT RETURN TO PARADISE See Jimi Hendrix come to life in Return to Paradise, Teatro ZinZanni’s tribute to the swinging sixties. Adding to the local musical flavor of …
It’s Saturday night and Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood is hopping with night life. In particular, the Nectar Lounge where Northwest ska band The Skablins headlined. The evening started out slow. The first band up was the slow and steady Island Bound. They were a six-piece who played more of a straight up reggae, but with a …
New York soul singer Sophia Bastian has released an alluring new video for “Gloryboxed”. Inspired by mixtape culture, Sophia wanted to pay homage to Portishead’s classic “Glory Box” and took the instrumental to a new place. “I used to listen to ‘Glory Box’ as a kid a lot and was always mesmerized by the melancholy …
I always think of this song as the pop music center of the 20th century. There are those 33 1/3 books, and the one on Low did a great job of describing its importance this way. Basically what you have here is Northern European melody with rhythm and blues backbeat; synthesized, but analog; intimate haiku …
I just heard that Richard Ben Cramer passed away. I have his DiMaggio biography, and I had heard that he was working on one of Alex Rodriguez. I had looked forward to reading it. It is a sad day for sports literature. – Chuck Strom http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/us/politics/richard-ben-cramer-dies-at-62-chronicled-presidential-politics.html
A few weeks ago the San Francisco Giants broke my wife’s heart. They chose not to offer her favorite player, Brian Wilson, a contract for at least $6.8 million, which is the minimum allowed by the Major League Baseball collective bargaining agreement based on Wilson’s previous service. The Giants, openly concerned about their closer’s ability …
Two women, including one of my friends, lost most of their possessions when a U-Haul truck they were loading got hijacked early January 6. My friend lost all of her clothing, including a brand-new Christmas dress she hadn’t even worn yet. http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Its-like-being-down-and-having-somebody-kick-you-185821162.html Additional Info regarding the stolen UHaul truck: Incident report # is 13-6074 – …
Friday night, January 4, at the invitation of Seattle band Poorsport, I ventured down to Seattle’s Pioneer Square and set foot in a club I haven’t been to in at least 20 years, The Central Tavern. This used to be one of my main haunts back in the late eighties, but then they changed their …
I’m doing some research for a new Staxx Brothers song, “Slick Willie.” I like to get my facts straight, even when the narrator is lying. This is the first time I’ve actually seen Clinton’s legendary saxophone performance on Arsenio Hall. He stepped up and ripped “Heartbreak Hotel” with soul. Those are great chops for a …
You may think that only children are afraid of needles, but you’d be wrong. Many adults possess a fear of needles that can rival that suffered by little ones. Unfortunately, that fear of needles can cause many adults to forego blood work that could ultimately save their lives. If you’ve been avoiding the doctor because …
This is kind of amazing. At this website, clips of numerous instruments can be played together or in any combo to make interesting ambient music in b flat. You need to take a look at it to get an idea. What an exciting world we live in! How can anyone get depressed when boundless possibilities …
In the months before the United States invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003, leaders of the Bush (#43) regime, i.e., National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Vice President Dick Cheney, made statements to various organizations such as the United Nations, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the House+Senate Armed Forces Committees, and …
With the release of this video, “I’ve Got A Boy” by Girls Generation, feminist commentators and experts in the semiotic analysis of Kpop now have years of work cut out for them. Girls Generation was the most popular act in Kpop, and probably in Asia, for several years before chubby newcomer Psy came along with …
I liked Ian Dury. I say he was punk. But I guess that depends upon one’s definition of punk. He was certainly part of that movement. He broke through barriers with his music in the same manner in which punk did, marched to his own beat, so to speak. Punk is NOT a true belief …