Earl Scruggs, 1924-2012

What else can anyone say about the great Earl Scruggs? He pioneered and popularized the three-finger picking style that helped propel the lowly banjo to a prominent position in bluegrass. He helped Bill Monroe create bluegrass when he joined the Blue Grass Boys in 1945. And he was able to move past his bluegrass roots, and find ways to make music with musicians from many genres.

I can't disagree that the sublime "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" showcases Scruggs at the height of his picking genius. But last night I was wowed all over again by the banjo breaks in the simpler "Molly and Tenbrooks", during Scruggs' time with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Here it is:

Video Vault

I was scanning channels in the car and came across "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat.  The video goes hand in hand with the song telling of a young gay man dealing with  rejection, loneliness, and homophobia in British society in the mid 80's. 

Something about this song always grabbed me.   Maybe it's the electronic beat along with the repetition of the phrase "runaway" that really set the tone of needing to escape.  The small piano coda helps create the loneliness felt.  

The song has become somewhat of a gay anthem, yet pop culture/sportswriter Bill Simmons even respects the song and recommended using it as a song to preview a past NBA final. Still, for the average listener, most have forgotten about Broski Beat and the smalltown boy.

"Dude Rocks Like a Lady"

I (slowly during my class SSR time) have been reading the collection of essays  IV,by Chuck Klosterman.  One of the more fascinating articles that I read dealt with these all female cover bands playing masculine "crotch-rock." I was fascinated with some of the play on words and pseudo names the bands would take.  For example, the article, early on, focuses on lesbian rockers "Lez Zeppelin."  Back when the article was written, they were sponsored by the Showtime series The L Word to perform. The question remained, are they lesbians, or did they just market themselves to play an angle?

One of my two favorite bands featured had to be AC/DShe, who only perform pre-1980 AC/DC, with stage names like "Bonnie Scott" and "Agnes Young."  What made me chuckle was that AC/DShe had all-female, rival cover bands they had to deal with in the LA area, such as "Hell's Belles" and Zepparella.

The band I appreciated most had to be "Cheap Chick" - the Cheap Trick cover band.  (seriously, an all-female Cheap Trcik cover band?!?!) Someone at Nissan liked them, and felt they would be a good example of viral marketing and gave them a Nissan Quest to tour in.  I wonder how "Bunni" Carlos feels about it.

This is just one of many articles that I appreciated.  Check it out.

What's Popular in Music Today

We spend a lot of time in the car.  From dance to soccer, to school to the grocery store, we are logging miles.  The hardest part about any drive is agreeing on a song.  My kids are generally pop/top 40 kids.  After trudging through some awful songs, here are the two (at the moment) we mostly agree upon when we are in the car together.

Grouplove - Tongue Tied. 
This song is probably best known as the iphone 4GS song, but it is poppy and fresh.  Even my two year old will sing along to it. 

Gotye - Someone That I Use to Know

This seems to be the "song Du Jour" at the moment for all pop loving hipsters. I don't know too much about Gotye,except that his real name is Walter, and that he speaks Flemish.  According to Wikipedia, he wrote the song in his parents barn, and played most instruments including the xylophone.  I also like that he sampled the traditional folk song "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

Song In My Head

"We Share the Same Skies" - The Cribs
Nice guitar work in the intro and under the verses by -- who else? -- Johnny Marr.

Poetry In Music Project

We just wrapped up a poetry in music project.  Most kids choose songs like "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, or "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction.  Once in a while, you get an interesting kid.  I saw this list of possible songs on my floor, and got a chuckle at what he/she was interested in examining.  The choices weren the following:

Beatles - Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

Aerosmith - Angel

Beatles - Mean Mr. Mustard

Gary Lewis & the Playboys - This Diamond Ring

J. Geils Band - Love Stinks

La Roux - Bulletproof

Kid Cudi - Pursuit of Happiness

What 12 year old kid spans Kid Cudi to Gary Lewis???  I am fascinated to see what song is chosen!

Best Year in Music - the Rebuttal (1975)

Off the top of my head, The one year that came to mind would be 1975.  A crucial year for music.  Classic Rock apex's, the singer-songwriter begins to fade, disco will begin to creep in, punk roots are formed, and alternative radio influences begin to form.  Do I listen to this stuff much now, not really.  But I can appreciate the influence it has had.

Here are my examples:

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

Patti Smith - Horses

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Blues for Allah by the Grateful Dead, Katy Lied by Steely Dan, Night at the Opera by Queen, Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith, Alive! by Kiss, Tonight's the Night by Neil Young, Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship, Dreamboat Annie by Heart, and Metal Machine Music by Lou Reed are not shabby runner-ups. 

Plus songs like "No Woman , No Cry," by Bob Marley, "Love is the Drug" by Roxy Music, "Low Rider" by WAR, "Slow Ride" by Foghat, "I'm not in Love" by 10cc, "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell, and "If" by Telly Savals all help to make a strong case for our country's199th year!