As a fan of a wide variety of popular (and not-so-popular) music from the 1950s (and sometimes even earlier) up through the present, one of my bucket list projects for years has been to put together a list of my 100 favorite songs of all time. At some point I decided that, once I got around to figuring that out, I could put it out on a blog, for the infinitesimally small proportion of the Internet world that might be interested. So, here we are. While the Top 100 will be a major focus, I also plan to post on a variety of other musical (and occasionally non-musical) topics, in which you may or may not be interested. (If a particular posting doesn’t ring your bell, you’re only a few clicks away from a dancing cat video on YouTube.)

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings / Valerie June at the Lincoln Theater, 2/10/2014


Concert-wise at least, there can’t be too many experiences like sitting in the front row of a show by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

Since this was my first time at the Lincoln in years, with one of the hottest acts around (two sold-out shows) and general admission seating, I figured I’d better arrive early, but wound up overdoing it a bit, getting off the Metro around 4:50 with doors scheduled to open at 6:30. No line yet. I walked a few blocks down U Street, picked up a few things at a CVS, and got back to the theater at 5:00 – there was now a line consisting of one person. Stopped next door at Ben’s Chili Bowl, got some chili, and went back outside around 20 minutes later, at which point person #1 had been joined by her friend, making me #3 in the line.

More folks gradually arrived, and with quite a bit of time to wait plenty of conversation ensued, including a discussion of the best place to sit. We all agreed to shoot for the front row, which turned out not to be quite as easy as it sounded. They finally opened the outer doors around 6:45 and let people into the lobby area. Maybe 10 minutes or so later, they opened the lobby doors so we could get into the hall and stairs leading to the theater, but not into the theater itself. Of course, by this point the original order of the line had not exactly managed to hold up all that well. Miraculously, however, once they opened the final set of doors a few members of the original group managed to secure enough front-row seats for all of us early-arrivers. (Another note – “doors open” apparently also meant that the outer doors remained open, at least until the show started, which meant that the lobby was absolutely frigid. I felt really sorry for the folks who were running the two small bars out there.)

Valerie June opened around 8:00 for a half-hour set that was enthusiastically received by the crowd. She characterizes her sound as “Organic Moonshine Roots Music,” which is probably as good a description as any, with shades of country, blues, and especially Appalachian. She has quite an unusual voice – check out “Working Woman” (which has been getting some play on WXPN) on her web site. 

The Dap-Kings (who may be best known for providing backing instrumentals for Amy Winehouse’s breakthrough CD Back in Black), came out around 9:00, with a short warm-up to prepare the crowd for Sharon’s entry. Despite recently overcoming bile duct cancer, there was no decrease in her energy level, as she prowled all over the stage for nearly the entire set of soul originals and a few great covers (“This Land Is Your Land” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”). Other highlights included “I Learned the Hard Way,” “Stranger to My Happiness” (her current single), and “100 Days, 100 Nights” (my personal favorite and the first song of hers I ever heard), although there really wasn’t a weak moment in the show.

To get an idea of Sharon Jones and the band live, check out this performance from SXSW a few years back.

Schooner Fare at Wolf Trap Barns, 2/1/2014


I believe this is the first time we had seen Maine folkies Schooner Fare for a full show since they were down to a duo after the passing of former member Tom Rowe. The Romanoff brothers nevertheless continued to perform at a high level, beginning the show with Bill Staines’ “Roseville Fair” and continuing with a mix of original songs and those borrowed from others, accompanied by a variety of humorous and other anecdotes. The set list managed to include three of my favorites: “Red, Red Robin,” “Calgary, My Home Away from Home,” and of course “Portland Town.”

Good-sized crowd – looked to be either a sellout or very close to it. Unfortunately for the band, due to a shipping screw-up the CDs that were supposed to be available for sale at the show didn’t manage to arrive in time.

Serendipity #8


Can’t Get Used to Losing You – The English Beat (1980)
Heard 2/12/2014 around 5:45, Potbelly (downtown Rockville location)