Foo Fighters have a new operator in the engine room, and he’s killing it. Damn, those fills are CLEAN.
I’m Working Too Hard
Both proof that one needn’t be especially proficient as a musician to write killer songs AND an explanation for my recent blargh absence.
The Nerves weren’t around too long but are regarded by some as ground zero for the LA punk and power pop scene. Drummer Paul Collins went on to form The Beat (“Rock N Roll Girl,” “I Don’t Fit In”), bassist Peter Case formed The Plimsouls (“A Million Miles Away”), and guitarist Jack Lee’s song “Hanging on the Telephone” became a massive hit for Blondie when they covered it on Parallel Lines in 1978.
And here’s Collins a few years later with The Beat …
Incroyable!
Remember Yoyoka? She’s even better now! Watch as she effortlessly replicates Bonham’s Purdie Shuffle.
Polymeter?
The Strange Brew podcast on Lennon’s musical influences circa Double Fantasy sent me down some rabbit holes: Touch and Go, and time signatures. This was never one of my Cars favorites, but I’m totally fascinated by it now.
The song’s verses feature the use of polymeter. The bass and drums are playing in a time signature of 54, while the vocals, keyboards, and guitar are playing in 44.
Bastards! While my rather limited rhythm lobe tried to tap out the beats, my remaining auditory cortex projected the contemporaneous Spirits in the Material World, which only confused me more. Apparently that tune is 44 but so ska and misleading that you’ll fool yourself trying to count it out.
Available musicians please fix my brain and/or comment.
Tell Us About Yellowbeard
“Boogie” Said with A Mancunian Accent is My New Drug
I’m addicted to Andrew Hickey’s A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. I started at #1 after finishing Cocaine & Rhinestones, and have grown progressively more impressed with it. It’s impeccably researched,and so full of good stories and facts you never had any idea of. The episode on “Brand New Cadillac” is masterclass. Highly recommended. I will avoid spoilers.
Episode 77: “Brand New Cadillac” by Vince Taylor and the Playboys
Zeparella
Not the ONLY all-female Zefflin cover band, but they might be the best.
I am required to post Lez Zeppelin for completeness.
Made of Stone
Wow this was good.
Also: I can make more sense of Oasis.
I never quite got the Oasis fervor. But now it just seems to me like England was craving Stone Roses to become the band they were destined to be… and then for various stupid record label and other reasons, they didn´t become that band. There was sort of a Manchester rock awesomeness vacuum, and whatever their redeeming features are, Oasis walked into it at the right time.
Viva Stone Roses, and Reni – what a drummer!
R.I.P. Chawlie
You’ve all heard, but there has to be a shrine here. There was nothing quite like the Stones firing on all cylinders. The Faces tried, but couldn’t entirely replicate it. Some of that mojo came from Charlie. As much a musician as a drummer, I’d pick him over thousands who might be technically better.
This Is Outstanding
If you haven’t seen it. I mean even if you have, it’s still outstanding.
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach and more.
Summer of Soul premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. It will stream on Hulu in conjunction with Disney’s new BIPOC Creator Initiative; Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically.