Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
10 Apr 2016 2 Comments
in General Posts, Video of the Week Tags: nicholas brothers
Brothers Fayard and Harold Nicholas a.k.a. the Nicholas Brothers formed one of history’s greatest and most beloved dance teams, rising from the nightclub circuit to a successful career on the big screen.
The above scene is from their personal favorite of their over 30 films, 1943’s Stormy Weather. And it just may be the greatest dance routine ever filmed. They come in at 1:30.
Among those the Nicholas brothers later gave dancing instruction to: Janet and Michael Jackson.
09 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: eric bachmann, mercy
Eric Bachmann: “Mercy” (2016)
You know how people try to console you with that philosophical bit of banality that “everything happens for a reason”?
Eric Bachmann isn’t having it.
With a self-titled release that signals a break from his snide and sneering Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers records of the past, Bachmann shows a newfound earnest directness in his lyrical approach.
“Mercy” bathes one such very direct message in early 60’s retro glory with an arrangement that’s equal parts Phil Spector and Four Seasons. While Bachmann reminds us that “there is chaos in the violence” and “there are those who suffer for no reason every day” the ultimate take-away message is to “fill your heart with love and cherish what you can while you are here”.
It’s what I’d call tough love.
09 Apr 2016 1 Comment
in General Posts Tags: rock and roll hall of fame, steve miller
(via USA Today)
Steve Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Friday night, but apparently he didn’t enjoy the experience.
Speaking in the press room after his induction, Miller, 72, insisted, “The whole process needs to be changed…It doesn’t need to be this hard. There’s nothing fancy going on out there that requires all of this stuff.”
08 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: maura o'connell, summerfly
Maura O’Connell: “Summerfly” (1989)
This haunting folk ballad certainly deserves recognition here, where one of our main objectives is to give wider appreciation to great but lesser-known music.
The only difficult decision involved which version of the song to recognize–there are at least three excellent ones.
Cheryl Wheeler originally wrote the song, although her version wasn’t released until 1991, two years after O’Connell’s.
Chanteuse Hayley Westenra also released an excellent recording of “Summerfly” in 2007:
In another younger day I could dream the time away
In the universe inside my room
And the world was really mine from June till September
And if it wasn’t really so I was lucky not to know
And I was lucky not to wonder why
‘Cause the summertime is all that I remember
A summer fly was buzzin’ every night when I was young
In the gentle world my childlike senses knew
And the world was just my cousin, and the wind was just the tongue
In the voice my lonely moments listened to
And I look at me today all the dreams have gone away
And I am where I never thought I’d be
Seein’ things I never thought I’d see happen to me
And I lay awake at night till the darkness turns to light
Hearin’ voices callin’ out my name
Callin’ over and again the same message to me
Cryin’ who’s your partner, who’s your darlin’, who’s your baby now?
Who wakes up at night to pull you in?
It don’t matter, you’ll just make him lonely anyhow
Don’t know why you even try to win
Cryin’ who’s your partner, who’s your darlin’, who’s your baby now?
Who wakes up at night to pull you in?
It don’t matter, you’ll just make her lonely anyhow
Don’t know why you even try to win
08 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: bruce springsteen, lgbt
From Bruce Springsteen’s website:
As you, my fans, know I’m scheduled to play in Greensboro, North Carolina this Sunday. As we also know, North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law. HB2—known officially as the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act—dictates which bathrooms transgender people are permitted to use. Just as important, the law also attacks the rights of LGBT citizens to sue when their human rights are violated in the workplace. No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters. As a result, and with deepest apologies to our dedicated fans in Greensboro, we have canceled our show scheduled for Sunday, April 10th. Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry—which is happening as I write—is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.
07 Apr 2016 2 Comments
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: mama, steven page
Steven Page: “Mama” (2016)
Another Steven Page album, another song I can’t scrape off my brain. The former Barenaked Ladies co-front man delivers another slice of pure audio candy here.
As BNL classics such as “Jane”, “It’s All Been Done” and “Alternative Girlfriend” (and several other posts on this blog) attest, the guy knows how to assemble an irresistible pop track.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/20/songs-you-may-have-missed-17/
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/01/songs-you-may-have-missed-346/
Every Moment Has A Song 