HARD AT WORK

TODD SNIDER'S NEW BAND

from Rolling Stone Online

For his latest project, Todd Snider was encouraged to start spending time with musicians his own age. 

"One day Chad Staehly pointed out to me that I spend a lot of time with my heroes and avoid my peers," Snider tells Rolling Stone. "He was like, 'I always see you with Jerry Jeff, or John Prine, or Kris Kristofferson. Who do you like that's your age?'"

That conversation prompted Snider to reach out to Dave Schools, bassist of Widespread Panic, where they started discussing plans to record together. 

They enlisted guitarist Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood), keyboardist Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi) and Duane Trucks (King Lincoln) on drums to form a new group they're calling Hard Working Americans. 

Their self-titled debut was recorded at Bob Weir's TRI Studios and was released on January 21st.

"When I speak of hard working Americans, I'm talking about Tonya Harding, Courtney Love, Mike Tyson, Marilyn Manson, and myself," Snider says. "I think we work harder than a lot of people, people who wave flags a lot." 

"I wanted to find a name that would poke fun at the people who think that the phrase 'hard working Americans' applies to them and only them. It's what Woody Guthrie said: music should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

Far from being a one-off super-group session, Hard Working Americans is full of the themes that surround class consciousness and economic despair, which echo Snider's most recent album of original material, 2012's Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables. 

The songs are covers written in the past decade by the likes of Gillian Welch, Hayes Carll, the Bottle Rockets and Randy Newman.

"I've always collected songs on the folk circuit that I felt spoke to me or moved me," Snider says. "The thing I like about these songs is that the people who wrote them wrote them for themselves to sing, not for me. I really feel like I've lived these songs, even though my friends wrote them."

Here is the Hard Working Americans tracklist:

"Blackland Farmer" (Frankie Miller)

"Another Train" (Will Kimbrough)

"Down to the Well" (Kevin Gordon and Lucinda Williams)

"The Mountain Song" (Kieran Kane)

"Stomp and Holler" (Hayes Carll)

"Straight to Hell" (Drivin' N' Cryin)

"Welfare Music" (The Bottle Rockets)

"Mr. President, Have Pity on the Working Man" (Randy Newman)

"Run a Mile" (Dan Herron and Chuck Mead)

"I Don't Have a Gun" (Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack)

"Wrecking Ball" (Gillian Welch)

DOWN TO THE WELL

STOMP AND HOLLER

DENNIS "FERGIE" FREDERICKSEN 1951-2014

Fergie Fredericksen (former lead vocalist for the bands Trillion, Angel, LeRoux, and briefly, Toto), lost his long battle with cancer on Saturday.

The legacy of music he created over the last forty years will live on every time a needle is dropped on the vinyl (or a laser hits the CD, or a PC does whatever it does to a digital file).

Albums such as Toto Isolation, and the debut Mecca album, as well as Fergie's own solo albums Equilibrium, Happiness is the Road and last year's Any Given Moment are Fergie’s legacy.

Fergie may not have been as prolific as other artists, but each record was something very special.

His timing was often off as well, joining bands like Angel and Toto after their peak fame. Fergie never became a household name, but his music speaks for itself.

Sadly, I find myself at the age where the musical heroes of my youth are starting to be called into the afterlife for “normal” reasons rather than the excesses of early stardom.

This is all a normal part of life. 

That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Rest in peace, Fergie!

ANGEL DON'T CRY

TOTO-STRANGER IN TOWN

LOVE IS IN THE AIR...AND IT STINKS!

Robin at Your Daily Dose spoke of this blogfest the other day, but I read the entry in my preview pane too fast-I thought it said love songs.

A few years back, several of us had done a blog hop for love songs-here is a link to mine if you have an interesting in reading it.

But love scenes is a different thing altogether.

What is love, really?

A jumble of hormones and pheremones? A chemical reaction? An allergic reaction?

At my age, I've learned that love is war. 

Real people seem to simply engage in a battle for supremacy, whether over the checkbook, the side of the bed near the alarm clock, or the remote control.

So for those of you who still look at the opposite sex (or the same sex-I ain't here to judge ya!) through a rose-tinted haze and with the eyes of a poet, let me lay some wisdom down on ya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0LAs7X5ybE


This is my entry, and I'm sticking to it!

BOTB: I SAW THE LIGHT

The bloggers below are co-sponsoring a blog event on the first and fifteenth of each month. 

Far Away Eyes

Stephen T. McCarthy

Arlee Bird

Alex J. Cavanaugh 

Robin (Your Daily Dose) 

Chris Fries

I have been an uninvited guest in the process, at least until I run out of covers of Todd Rundgren songs. That day is coming soon.

For today's post, I am back to what should be more familiar territory, as I still hear this song played when in stores, so I am thinking most of you will know it.

"I Saw The Light" was the opening track on the Something/Anything? album, and followed in the Motown tradition of putting hit songs at the beginning of the album.

The song is a pastiche of 1960's pop songs, as well as an homage to Carole King and Laura Nyro.

Todd's version peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

TODD RUNDGREN-I SAW THE LIGHT

This song has seen quite a few cover versions, including takes by The New Seekers, Mood Six, Workshy, Terry Hall (ex-Specials), Lori Carson, Hal Ketchum (reached #36 on the country charts), Teenage Fan Club and Yo La Tengo. 

Rundgren even covered it himself when he fronted The New Cars. 

So here are few of those versions for your perusal. 

The last time I posted multiple versions I got some abuse for having so many of them. 

So I decided to post even more versions this time. 

Serves you complainers right!


THE NEW CARS-I SAW THE LIGHT

THE NEW SEEKERS-I SAW THE LIGHT

HAL KETCHUM-I SAW THE LIGHT

LORI CARSON-I SAW THE LIGHT

TERRY HALL-I SAW THE LIGHT

LAST WORDS

BRETT WALKER

STRAIGHT JACKET VACATION

After the untimely death of Brett Walker last year, I held off my commentary on this album, released posthumously, wanting to let some healing happen before featuring this review.

This review is short. 

Quite simply, this album is a classic, his best since Nevertheless.


While most readers will not know Brett Walker by name, due to his numerous contributions of songs for use in television programming (such as Sex And The City, Baywatch, One Tree Hill, Felicity for starters), it is quite probable you are familiar with his work.

Brett was born with a voice made for rock, and Straight Jacket Vacation is an album full of rock anthems and ballads that are tailor-made for that voice. In a world with radio, this would be full of radio hits. 

Top notch songwriting, superior playing, and clean, balanced production. Did I mention the singing?

Tragically, this will be Brett's last album, and he goes out on a high note.

Available at NEH Records (US) and AOR Heaven (Europe).


ALBUM SAMPLER



FIGHT YOUR FEAR

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

I'M A COWARD (WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE)

Yeah, I know some of you don't like Bruce because of his Socialist leanings, but he's still pretty durn good in concert!

Here's a nugget from the 1988 Tunnel Of Love tour...

I ain't afraid of no lions

I ain't afraid of no grizzly bear

I got in a wrestlin' match with old King Kong

He didn't even muss my hair

There's just one thing in the whole wide world

That make me doubt my stuff

I'm a coward when it comes to love

Now bring down old Hulk Hogan

King Kong Bundy too

Bring down old Big Mike Tyson

I'll show them what a real man can do

They say the tougher' get goin'

Now baby that's when the goin' get tough

But I'm a coward when it comes to love

I'm a coward when it comes to love

I'm a coward when it comes to love

You can bring on a different sexy girl

At every night of the week

Buddy that's okay

But I start tremblin', my knees get weak

Whenever I hear her say

"Do you love me baby?"

"Do you love me baby?"

"Do you love me baby?"

I got a muscle of iron

I got another muscle made of steel

But when we start kissin' 'n' huggin'

You may be the bravest man in the whole wide world

But Buddy, that ain't enough

I'm a coward when it comes to love

I'm a coward when it comes to love

I'm a coward when it comes to love

BALLAD FROM AN EXCITABLE BOY

WARREN ZEVON

KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART

Warren Zevon decided to record one last record after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. 

The result was the Grammy-winning The Wind, and this song is a tender ballad from that record.

A review I am writing made me think of this song, so I decided to share it today.

MIGRANT WORKS

It’s hard to fit The Dear Hunter neatly into a genre.

I recently became aware of the band and collected their albums, and saw them live in Arizona on December 30 (great show-even with two opening acts they played for two and a half hours), and stylistically, they go all over the map.

It’s not folk….it’s not pop….it’s not a traditional rock album, but a collection of alternative ballads that, for the first time in the band’s history, is NOT a concept album.

Other bands put out a concept album after they have become established, but The Dear Hunter came out of the gate with four in a row, including the three-disc The Color Spectrum.

So why come out with an album relying on lush string arrangements and melancholy piano, underplayed harmonies wrapped together by rapid drum beats and overflowing with sweeping choruses,  with no set theme or storyline?

Does it matter when the result is as rich an album as Migrant?

The lyrics complement the instrumental fullness quite nicely, and the album fits quite nicely into the band’s catalog.

 

 

SHOUTING AT THE RAIN

 

 

 

THE KISS OF LIFE

 

 

BOTB: COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU

First off, happy new year to all!

The five bloggers below are co-sponsoring a blog event on the first and fifteenth of each month. 
 

Far Away Eyes

Stephen T. McCarthy

Arlee Bird

Alex J. Cavanaugh 

Robin (Your Daily Dose) 


I decided to tag along, featuring covers of Todd Rundgren songs against the original versions.

Many of you know that the two album set, Something/Anything? was considered Todd's high-water mark by critics, reaching number 29 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and spawning 4 singles including his signature tune, "Hello It's Me," which went all the way to number 5.

The second single from the album (after "I Saw The Light") was "Couldn't I Just Tell You." This song is considered a major influence on the power-pop music genre, with music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine (All Music Guide) calling it "one of the great songs that provided power pop with its foundation."

Today we're going to listen to Todd's original version compared to a cover by power pop legend Matthew Sweet (teamed up with Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles).

This is the second Rundgren cover by this pair to be featured in BOTB-they also covered "Hello Its's Me."





TODD RUNDGREN-
COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU

MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS-
COULDN'T I JUST TELL YOU

My vote is probably no big surprise-which one will you choose?

Joe Jackson did a good cover of this song, but I could not find it on You Tube.

Anyone who knows how I could put my own sound samples onto a blog post, I'd appreciate the lesson.