What Are You Listening To?

[Motor City Sonics]

On 2/11/2025 at 5:55 PM, Hongbit said:

I assume everyone gets earworms that randomly get in your head for a day or two.  Usually, they aren’t even songs that I like, pop stuff that my daughter listens to or TV jingles.

This song somehow maneuvered its way into my brain.  It’s hard to have a bad day while you’re humming this one repeatedly.

 

My head is like a radio on shuffle.  I wake up with songs in my head every day.   Not always ones I like.  Sometimes they are songs I have not heard in years (Go Ahead And Rain by J.D. Souther the other day - which I like).        Today it was Strange Meadow Lark by Dave Brubeck,  which I love.   No idea why it was knockin' around in there, but it was.      

[Hongbit]

On March 11th, it’s only right to honor one of the most mid bands of their time.    Not great by any means but certainly not awful either.   I laugh at how they’ve aged and still try to play the same rap/rock that was so popular at that time, especially the rapper guy.  

Still, they deserve props for still being around almost 30 years later with the same members. 

Love the old school Dave clip too

1996

2024

 

Edited March 11 by Hongbit

[CMRivdogs]

For you youngsters Paramount+ is airing the OLD VH1 Unplugged shows

edit...MTV Unplugged

Edited March 11 by CMRivdogs

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Damn, Willie Nelson did a duet with Rodney Crowell and covered one of my favorite songs of Rodney's. How lucky are we that we got two of the best songwriters collaborating together and doing such a beautiful song like Oh What a Beautiful World. 

 

[CMRivdogs]

2 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Damn, Willie Nelson did a duet with Rodney Crowell and covered one of my favorite songs of Rodney's. How lucky are we that we got two of the best songwriters collaborating together and doing such a beautiful song like Oh What a Beautiful World. 

 

Great song. The link lead me to this

https://youtu.be/NySpcFpPcQg?si=v4iBdC0oathxeJZD

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Jason Isbell has a new solo album out called Foxes in the Snow. This one is more of an Isbell only project as it does not feature his band the 400 Unit. It also features more solo and acoustic guitar work from Jason. So far my favorite songs are True Believer, Gravelweed, Wind Behind the Rain, Ride to Roberts, and Crimson and Clay.

Edited March 25 by Mr.TaterSalad

[lordstanley]

This video screams 1989.  If you showed this to anyone even if they haven’t heard the song before and asked them one what year the video is from, I can’t imagine anyone being off by more than a year or two. 
 

 

Edited March 29 by lordstanley

[Motor City Sonics]

1 hour ago, lordstanley said:

This video screams 1989.  If you showed this to anyone even if they haven’t heard the song before and asked them one what year the video is from, I can’t imagine anyone being off by more than a year or two. 
 

 

I remember Transvision Vamp?   What is her name, Wendy James, or something like that? 

[lordstanley]

26 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

I remember Transvision Vamp?   What is her name, Wendy James, or something like that? 

Yes, Wendy James. 

[gehringer_2]

It's probably inter-cut too fast to mistake the video for 1989, but chord progression and rhythm reminded me immediately of Sheila E "Glamorous Life"

[Motor City Sonics]

I saw Herb Alpert (and the current version of the Tijuana Brass) last Tuesday at Masonic Temple in Detroit.   He's gonna be 90 tomorrow and he put on a great show.   It was great.   You never know when you might not get the chance to see legends like that.    But I don't think he's done.  He can still blow the trumpet pretty strong and he moves well and he's sharp as a tack mentally. .  His trick to maybe avoid getting winded is after 2 or 3 songs he opens things up for questions from the audience, and it's really cool.   Not only does he have his own music history, but he owned a major record label, so he's got a million stories.     At one point his wife, Lani Hall came out and sang a medley of Brasil '66 songs, which was awesome too.  I got to hear Mas Que Nada live with the original singer !!!!

I am sure my teenage self would have never thought I'd like Herb Alpert music and be excited to see him in concert, but my teenage self had underdeveloped taste, like most of us.  

Edited March 30 by Motor City Sonics

[Motor City Sonics]

Peter Cetera ruined Chicago.  

 

 

After Terry Kath's horrible (and stupid) demise,  there was nobody to push back on the king of corny piano ballads.  The band went from very interesting time signatures and horn arrangements surprising song structures to "You're the Inspiration".    

I hate Peter Cetera (the musician),  I can't say I hate the man because he could be a very nice guy.     You know, you could have remained innovative on the bulk of an album,  with the occasional scmaltz to get the radio play for the royalties.    The Police pulled it off.  Why couldn't you? 

[oblong]

6 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

Peter Cetera ruined Chicago.  

 

 

After Terry Kath's horrible (and stupid) demise,  there was nobody to push back on the king of corny piano ballads.  The band went from very interesting time signatures and horn arrangements surprising song structures to "You're the Inspiration".    

I hate Peter Cetera (the musician),  I can't say I hate the man because he could be a very nice guy.     You know, you could have remained innovative on the bulk of an album,  with the occasional scmaltz to get the radio play for the royalties.    The Police pulled it off.  Why couldn't you? 

That's a good take.  I like to think about bands that were "ruined" by things like that.  Especially our generation with MTV.  It did great things for certain careers and made them rich but unless people dig deeper they miss out on some great music by focusing just on the songs they know from videos.  Took me years to discover how great a band like ZZ Top or the Cars were once you dig deeper.... and by golly Stevie Winwood.  FOr the first half of my life he was the "back in the high life again" guy, which I love as a song.... but that was it.  THe mid 80's guy with his suit jacket sleeve rolled up with a mullet.   I think he's severely underrated.  I"m not saying he's a hidden gem because a lot of people love him once they know.  

[chasfh]

5 hours ago, oblong said:

That's a good take.  I like to think about bands that were "ruined" by things like that.  Especially our generation with MTV.  It did great things for certain careers and made them rich but unless people dig deeper they miss out on some great music by focusing just on the songs they know from videos.  Took me years to discover how great a band like ZZ Top or the Cars were once you dig deeper.... and by golly Stevie Winwood.  FOr the first half of my life he was the "back in the high life again" guy, which I love as a song.... but that was it.  THe mid 80's guy with his suit jacket sleeve rolled up with a mullet.   I think he's severely underrated.  I"m not saying he's a hidden gem because a lot of people love him once they know.  

Empty Pages. Traffic. Stevie at his best.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

New country music from a new artist named William Beckmann. This is a simple, straight forward, twangy 90s-style country song. The stuff corporate radio radio won't touch anymore because it sounds too real and too authentic.

 

[Motor City Sonics]

I would guess that the band The New Pornographers (who I like) will be changing their name since their drummer got busted for child pornography.     I mean, lets be honest -- the band is probably finished now because of this and will break up anyway as several of their members (Carl Newman, Neko Case, Todd Fancey) have music projects outside of the band anyway.   They will probably all be damaged by this, even though they weren't aware of his issues.  

 

I remember the situation of Neko Case, who lived in a small town in Vermont.  There was a fire at her house.  Didn't total her house, but caused serious damage.  She begged the local newspaper not to publish it was her house because of stalkers.  They did anyway and she had to move to another town.   It's tough on female musicians, they always have stalkers and it can get pretty scary for them. 

Edited April 19 by Motor City Sonics

[Motor City Sonics]

Woke up with this one in my head this morning.   Underrated band that had some regional success in the early 90's.   

In the Hootie & The Blowfish song Only Wanna Be With You, Darius sings "Listening to Dylan, sittin' on a fence" is a reference to this this band, who they had toured with.       I briefly lived in Chapel Hill, NC.   I was liking it.  Our new radio station was getting a lot of attention, but our owner hadn't paid his taxes, so it was put into receivership and taken over by his son who was a right-wing fanatic who fired us all and told us we were all going to Hell for liking rock music.    He turned it into a Jesus station, but not the gentle kind, the fire and brimstone kind.  It was dark within 6 months.  Nobody wanted to advertise on a station who told it's listeners they were all going to Hell. 

 

Edited Monday at 11:39 AM by Motor City Sonics