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“Moon River”

Henry Mancini

Breakfast At Tiffany’s: Music From The Motion Picture Score

Click the HD/HQ button for a higher quality stream.

It’s slower to load, even on a fast internet connection.  So hit the pause button, go wash the dishes, and by the time you come back it will be caught up and ready to go.

There’s also an option to view the HD version at my YouTube page.

My brother turned me onto this record.  80s/90s R&B cat reinvents himself as a Motown-inspired hybrid of Smokey Robinson & Stevie Wonder with a dash of Sam Cooke, a foot in the present and an ear to the future.

Buy this thing and let yourself go.  You’ll dance, you’ll sing, you’ll smile.  You might even choke up a little like me.

I keep playing this cut, “Sometimes”, over and over and over and over lately.

I think about this coming Tuesday and I pause …

I’m excited yet guarded.  I’ve got a feeling of cautious relief.  There’s embers of hope but still ..

such a long .. long .. long way to go.

Get Ready

Peace,

Mark

and announce that we’ll be posting new material will arrive soon.

A brand new song will be uploaded in a matter of days (there’s a sly out) here and to iTunes, a batch of videos will arrive, and we’ll be tweaking the layout here to focus more on the stacks of wax, relocating the blog portion to the periodicals section.

But let’s spin this one to let the day begin:

“Let The Day Begin”

The Call

Let The Day Begin

“Casino Royale”

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Sounds Like

“Monday Morning Rock”

Marshall Crenshaw

Field Day

“Gold Diggers”

Kevin Salem

Ecstatic

“Working On A Dream”

Bruce Springsteen

Working On A Dream

“Sun Is Shining”

The Fireman

Electric Arguments

Michelle was great. Hillary was excellent. Bill was terrific.

Kerry just knocked it out of the park.

p.s. new music coming soon …

Bruce is on board.

TBogg has a sly, funny angle here.

Update: And a sad, fond farewell to Danny Federici.

I grew up worshiping a whole range of guitar heroes. But I was too lazy to be the kid locked in his bedroom for 10 hours a day, skipping school, running scales and practicing practicing practicing. And I liked just strumming chords and playing songs as much or more than playing lookatmelookatmelookatme triplets.

Ever since he joined Robbie Fulks’ band almost a decade ago, I’ve been telling anyone who’d listen that Grant Tye is hands down the best, most versatile, rock/pop/country/younameit guitar player around. Wicked technique, fat, full tones to fit any situation and an uncanny ability to not overplay (though he can slice your head off if he’s feelin’ ornery) but rather stick to sweet phrasing and playing for each and every song.

Did I mention if you close your eyes you’ll swear he’s suddenly playing pedal steel and slide guitar with just a Strat and a whammy bar? Don’t believe me?

And if that’s not enough to turn all us wannabes green with envy he’s just a sweet guy to be around and comedian-level funny. Oh yeah .. he can sing his ass off too with a soulful growl.

When I was a kid, I doubled over with laughter watching Derek St. Hubbins lament about He Who Unleashes The Fury ..

I suspect Derek would say the same thing about Grant.

I watch Grant every time with my jaw half-open knowing full-well what he’s doing yet realizing what looks so effortless demands heroic talent and work behind it.

After years and years of making countless artists and bands sound great, he’s got some of his own terrific songs on his MySpace page. Check it out, drop him a line and send him some coin for all of his efforts.

Now excuse me while I set my bourbon down on my Fender coffee table, click replay above and enjoy.

Cheers,

Mark

I usually arrive on time. Often slightly early, un-fashionably so. I’m a dork that way.

To the music, I don’t mind being a bit late to the game. I gave up trying to be ahead of the curve when I was eleven - all it got me and my Almost Famous-y subscription to Rolling Stone was playground teasing and the moniker of ‘Professor Punk’. Admittedly, The Clash was as punk as it got back then for me and they and the rest now sit comfortably on Retro 80s playlists.

Sure, I looked up from whatever else I was doing during iPod commercials last year and was tickled by Feist’s “1234″. I just never got off the couch to investigate further.

Caught a rerun of Feist on SNL last night and she and the band were just tremendous.

Watched her perform and there it is in full view. Terrific pop songs, great singing, catchy melodies, inventive arrangements, great band. Every unique voice quiver and quaver right on the mark. Leaning into the performance. Made me shout. Made me happy.

Let’s

to the party.

There was no cable television in my Chicago neighborhood when MTV debuted in 1981. My brothers and I subsisted on the smattering of music videos from programs like SCTV or The Kenny Everett Video Show.

But my mom was so cool she would give blank VHS tapes to a co-worker living in the nearby suburbs who would drop the tape in overnight and give us back 6 hours of eye ear candy.

The great mix they played the first few years included lots of single cuts pulled from long-form concerts.

Fleetwood Mac’s performance of “Sara” was a big favorite of mine. It’s much better than the version on the 1980 live album.

Lots of great little moments in four groovy minutes. Mick looking like a mad Muppet, but rolling in with a simple, understated intro. Stevie with her knowing glances, scatting off-mic. John McVie sliding down to grab a meaty low Alembic F. Lindsey sidling up to Christine for a brief moment. Hell, just the guy screaming “YEAH!” at the beginning in high jubilant recognition.

But it’s The Little Huddle at 3:28 that just killed me. Dancing a little jig .. moving in tight to lock in with the drummer .. Lindsey proceeds to unleash the simplest little chord suspension lick with a clean-dirty guitar tone that’s just sublime. Leaning into it, feeling it, milking it. Mick grinning like a madman, lending an ear, playing that groovy brush shuffle like their lives depended on it. I could absolutely feel what they were feeling, rewinding that part over and over.

Stevie sends it off into the sunset with some resonant reverb on Lindsey’s mic and it’s over.

Pop perfection.

I’ve long suspected many guitar players are frustrated drummers. I certainly fit the bill. Many of my favorite moments performing live are these little huddles with the drummer .. just reveling in the now, the moment, and swinging with the music that we’re creating.

And I’ve learned over many years that a guitar player ain’t worth nothin’ without an amazing rhythm section. You can’t get to where you’re going if they don’t clear the brush away and light the path. When the pocket is so deep you’re free to just close your eyes and go off into la la land and float up high .. knowing they’re simultaneously keeping you aloft and also playing that little game of hopscotch with you among the clouds .. yeah, I’m mixin’ some metaphors but when your bandmates create a situation where time stands still and you can actually think a few steps ahead of yourself ..

Woah ..