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.)

Monday, March 3, 2014

Los Lobos at Rams Head on Stage, 2/28/2014 (6:30 show)


On their 40th anniversary tour, Los Lobos once again showed that they are one of the best live rock bands around, far surpassing their humble origins as “Just Another Band from East L.A.” They did a 90-minute set in front of a sold-out crowd for the first of two shows that night, with highlights including “Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)”, “Tears of God”, a nice cover of Traffic’s “40,000 Headmen”, and “The Neighborhood” (with a bit of “Moondance” tossed in for good measure). They ended with a fantastic version of “Don’t Worry Baby” (the lead track from their breakthrough album How Will the Wolf Survive?).

This was my first trip to Rams Head in Annapolis, which frequently gets acts either right before or right after they play the Birchmere in Alexandria. I decided to give Rams Head a try since they offer reserved seating (which the Birchmere does not), and with the Inter-County Connector now available I could minimize the amount of time I’d have to spend on the Washington Beltway. It still took me about 75 minutes to drive from Rockville to Annapolis, but I left home later than I would have for a Birchmere show, knowing that I had my seat waiting for me. It’s a good venue to catch a show. The menu choices at the Rams Head on Stage itself were somewhat more limited than at the Birchmere (although you also can eat at the Rams Head Tavern next door), but the food was good and reasonably priced; I had the Tilapia BLT Sandwich (without the B).

Parking was more of a hassle, though. Annoyingly, the Rams Head folks validate parking (giving you 2 hours free) if you eat at the tavern, but not if you eat at the performance venue. Having a large number of people exit the parking garage at the end of the show also was not a great experience – it’s considerably easier to get out of the (free) surface lot at the Birchmere.

Showtime Bar, 2/27/2014



Four of us had a great time on our field trip this past Thursday evening to the Showtime Bar, on Rhode Island Avenue in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of DC.

Back story – one Friday morning last July I was eating breakfast and browsing through the Weekend section of the Washington Post when I noticed the headline “Looking for the best jukebox in D.C.? It’s at Showtime.” Glancing at the article, I saw that the bar was owned by Paul Vivari, aka DJ Soul Call Paul and with a surname that is familiar to the vast majority of us Westatians. Visiting the establishment and checking out the jukebox immediately went onto my bucket list, and I finally got the chance to make my first trip down there (although it’s unlikely to be the last). 

The place definitely lived up to its reputation for a convivial atmosphere and good cheap beer – business was booming. Paul’s expertise in old R&B tunes far surpasses mine; I think I recognized maybe 3 of the 24 tracks on one of the compilation CDs in the jukebox. However, since I grew up in Harrisburg PA, I was delighted to find “Karate” by the Emperors, a local band who had a #1 local hit with the song back in the mid-60s when I was in junior high. Needless to say, this became our first selection on the box. Fear not, though – if you’re familiar with the likes of Aretha, James Brown, Otis Redding, or Wilson Pickett, you will find some tracks you know and love.