Best Music of 2017

Songs (AAA division) 

1. On Hold – The XX (#33 WXPN Top 50)
2. Santiago – Preservation Hall Jazz Band (#49 WXPN)
3. Back Against The Wall – Son Volt (#46 WTMD Top 89)
4. Baby I’m Broken – The Record Company
5. Find Yourself – Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real (#7 WXPN, #10 WTMD)
6. Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man (#2 WXPN, #4 WTMD)
7. Can’t Go Back – Ted Leo
8. The National – The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness (#6 WXPN, #11 WTMD)

 Songs (other) 

1. Rockabye – Clean Bandit f/Sean Paul & Anne-Marie
2. That's What I Like – Bruno Mars
3. I Feel It Coming – The Weeknd f/Daft Punk
4. 24K Magic – Bruno Mars
5. Starboy – The Weeknd f/Daft Punk
6. It Ain't Me – Kygo & Selena Gomez
7. Unforgettable – French Montana f/Swae Lee
8. Kissing Strangers – DNCE f/Nicki Minaj
9. Slide – Calvin Harris f/Frank Ocean & Migos

Albums 

1. So It Is – Preservation Hall Jazz Band
2. XXIVK Magic – Bruno Mars
3. Bug Fixes & Performance Improvements – Brian Dunne
4. Freedom Highway – Rhiannon Giddens (#4 mvyradio Top 25)

Pat DiNizio

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2017/12/pat_dinizio_dead_at_62_smithereens.html

 

This one really hits me. Just yesterday I finally figured out my favorite Smithereens song and wrote it up in my blog. I had bought a ticket for their show at the Rams Head in Annapolis next month. Previously I had seen them twice: at Wolf Trap on 6/16/2011 (on a double bill with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes), and at WXPN’s XpoNential Music Festival in July of 2007. This was for me the best XPNFest lineup ever, as it also included James Hunter, Ryan Shaw, and Suzanne Vega. Vega appeared the same day as the Smithereens but a few hours later, so I had hoped that the band might bring her out to reprise her guest vocals on “In A Lonely Place”. Pat did mention the coincidence and song during their set, but confessed that “We shan’t be doing that one.” A small disappointment in an otherwise great day.

 

DiNizio was one of the most underappreciated songwriters of his time, just as the Smithereens were one of the most underappreciated bands. (And Jim Babjak remains one of rock’s most underappreciated guitarists.)

 

Other than their occasional ballads, their songs all had (in the words of Brett Milano) “big guitars, real-life lyrics and hooks a mile wide.” Although the sound ranged from light and poppy to heavy and ominous, the recipe was deceptively simple: start with a great lyric and melody, insert a killer hook at the beginning, add a searing Babjak solo for the bridge, and there you are. Works every time.

 

Perhaps the surviving band membets put it best in their tribute: "Pat had the magic touch. He channeled the essence of joy and heartbreak into hook-laden three minute pop songs, infused with a lifelong passion for rock & roll." All of the songs listed below can be found on their superlative (and cleverly named) Blown to Smithereens compilation. If you love rock & roll, get it now.

 

Favorite songs:

Behind The Wall Of Sleep

In A Lonely Place

Blood And Roses

House We Used To Live In

A Girl Like You

Only A Memory

Blues Before & After

Yesterday Girl

Strangers When We Meet

Beauty & Sadness

#177 Second Chance – 38 Special (1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwlkzQl4Qys

 

In theory, a power ballad by a band that started out doing Southern rock and never made much of an impression on me shouldn’t have had much chance of making my list of all-time favorites. It’s probably some combination of the understated but just-right guitar work and the lyrical hook (“A heart needs a second chance”), but this is still one that I look for whenever I feel like putting some coins into a jukebox.

#176 Behind The Wall Of Sleep – The Smithereens (1986)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNZbP3ZVem4

 

For me, the Smithereens are the second-best rock act to ever come out of New Jersey (in between two others with close ties to Asbury Park). They don’t do anything fancy, just write and play great, hooky, basic rock & roll songs. The only reason they haven’t made this list before now is that I haven’t been able to pick one of their songs as my favorite. This one starts side 2 of their Especially For You album, but either of the two that immediately follow it (“In A Lonely Place” and “Blood And Roses”) could have been my pick. So could “A Girl Like You” (one of their few singles to edge into the top 40), or “House We Used To Live In”, with one of the great call-and-response endings of all time. I finally decided on this one largely because there aren’t many songs about guy groupies, and the sly reference to Bill Wyman closed the deal.

#175 Peace Of Mind – The Magnificent Men (1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=701f4Zv1IOo

 

Had to give some love to the first hit (local at least) for the pride of Harrisburg PA, a blue-eyed soul aggregation that included their own band and wrote much of their own material, including this single. While largely unknown, they made quite an impression on many who heard them (see links below). And, like the Spaniels, they did a great version of “Stormy Weather”.

 

http://popdose.com/soul-serenade-the-magnificent-men-peace-of-mind/

http://ontherecordshow.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-magnificent-men-nobody-treats-me.html

#174 Stormy Weather – The Spaniels (1958)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7NcPs--olQ

 

There may be no sun up in the sky, and you may have been dumped, but no one else ever made a storm sound like so much fun.

 

Off the topic, but given that doo-wop produced so many “bird groups” (Orioles, Flamingos, Ravens, Wrens, Swallows, Penguins), why is it that only one (to be best of my knowledge) was named after a breed of dog?

#173 I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack) – Kenny Loggins (1980)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rmPckNvD3E

 

A masterpiece of barely-controlled energy, this one sounds as though it’s going to run completely off the tracks, but somehow never actually does. The bass vocals are priceless.

Notable Quotes #6

From Norman Chad’s column in today’s Washington Post sports section:

 

“From the moment the Ohio State-Wisconsin game ended until the moment ESPN announced the national semifinalists 12 hours later, the CFP selection committee spent more time deliberating on playoff seedings than the U.S. Senate did on a 479-page tax bill.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/rather-than-arguing-about-who-makes-the-college-football-playoff-why-not-them-all-in/2017/12/10/4b4a4d18-ddca-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.59bc073618c7

Shuffle #101 (December 3, 2017)

Angel – Aretha Franklin

Sitting In Limbo – Jimmy Cliff

Still Waters Run Deep – Brook Benton

Fool #1 – Brenda Lee

Walk Away Renee – The Four Tops

Chapel Of Love – The Dixie Cups

Cowgirl In The Sand – Neil Young

Softly – Gordon Lightfoot

#172 Love Is The Answer – England Dan & John Ford Coley (1979)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d404PeooWl8

 

This duo hit the top 10 in 1976 with “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” and “Nights Are Forever Without You”, both of which I considered pleasant enough but not particularly memorable. I certainly didn’t expect them to come up with this sublime slice of blue-eyed soul three years later, with a performance and arrangement of this Todd Rundgren song that even the Righteous Brothers would have been proud of.

#171 Come Go With Me – The Del Vikings (1957)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1eU_lDQaVM

 

Not all great doo-wop songs were big hits, but this uptempo gem certainly was, spending 31 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 back when that meant something, peaking at #4. Group member Clarence Quick wrote this one, as well as the follow-up “Whispering Bells”, which also reached the top 10.

#170 Havana Daydreamin' – Jimmy Buffett (1976)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWklt0TSas

 

Find the nearest warm, sunny beach, get yourself a margarita, and enjoy!

#169 Holiday Road – Lindsey Buckingham (1983)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcTLeuFni7s

 

Inexplicably and unfortunately, this one still seems to remain unavailable for purchase in any digital form. (Update 11/11/2018 -- now available!!!)

Shuffle #100 (November 29, 2017)

A Solid Bond In Your Heart – The Style Council

I Don’t Want To Go Home – Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes

The Next One – Teddy Thompson

Marie Marie – The Blasters

It’s All Over Now – The Rolling Stones

Oblivious – Aztec Camera

It’s A Sign – Teenage Fanclub

Tears Dry On Their Own – Amy Winehouse

Perfect World – Broken Bells

#168 When My Buckner Moment Comes -- Dan Bern (2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef5mlTzlErE

 

Another great baseball song. Googling “Buckner moment” can be fun; my favorite search result applied the phrase to the missteps of corporate CEOs.

 

Here’s the chorus:

 

Every game don’t roll your way

I get down on my knees and pray

That it won’t be in the Series

Underneath October drums

When my Buckner moment comes

When my Buckner moment comes

 

#167 A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request -- Steve Goodman (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk

 

One of my favorite baseball songs ever. And it still works, despite the Cubs’ recent success.

Shuffle #99 (November 28, 2017)

Night Patrol – The Robert Cray Band

When It Began – The Replacements

Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles

Getcha Back – The Beach Boys

Great Balls Of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis

When My Buckner Moment Comes – Dan Bern

Sleep Like A Baby Tonight – U2

Good Lovin’ Gone Bad – Bad Company

Only The Strong Survive – Jerry Butler

Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple

Shuffle #98 (November 27, 2017)

The Land Of Milk And Honey – The Vogues

Why Can’t We Be Friends – Smash Mouth

Oh Beautiful Loser – The Radiators

Crawling Back – Roy Orbison

Lonely Drifter – Pieces of Eight

Bye Bye Love – The Everly Brothers

Volcano – U2

The Heart Of Rock & Roll – Huey Lewis & The News

Chimes Of Freedom [Live] – Bruce Springsteen

How to protect against fake ‘facts’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/getting-back-to-facts/2017/11/23/ebd6a12e-cfb9-11e7-81bc-c55a220c8cbe_story.html?utm_term=.84496176f812

 

Proposal by David Ignatius: “Just as the provenance of a work of art is established by art historians and auction houses, we need technological tools that will help confirm the provenance of facts.”

#166 Mr. Dieingly Sad – The Critters (1966)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h27rFCiL96Y

 

Although also released in 1966, this one could hardly be more different from its predecessor on this list. (BTW, blame the misspelling on the record label folks, not on songwriter Don Ciccone.) Its sound has been compared to that of the Association and the Beach Boys, with chord progressions that are unusual enough that I never did manage to master them when I was playing around with it on the guitar back in the day. For a much longer ode to the song, see this entry by a fellow blogger.

#165 Happenings Ten Years Time Ago – The Yardbirds (1966)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAVuOQ7Z4WU

 

The best of many worthy Yardbirds singles (“Heart Full Of Soul”, “Shapes Of Things”, “I’m A Man”, to name a few), this one stands out for one of the most original and ear-shattering instrumental breaks in the history of rock, with two of the generation’s greatest guitarists, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, trading riffs. (It should be noted that then-blues-purist Eric Clapton was in the band earlier, but left because “For Your Love” was too pop for his tastes.) It has been aptly characterized as “frightening”, and apparently scared enough radio programmers that it only got to #30 in the U.S. and #43 in Britain.

The Russia investigation’s spectacular accumulation of lies

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-russia-investigations-spectacular-accumulation-of-lies/2017/11/16/741024bc-cb0e-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html?utm_term=.0eee6f0cdf55

 

Another compelling Michael Gerson column.

#164 Heroes Are Hard To Find – Fleetwood Mac (1974)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIARC-2ji6I

 

In the first half of the 1970s, after their origins as a British blues band and before their emergence as California rock stars following the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac released some largely-overlooked but worthy material, particularly this track (written by Christine McVie) and “Hypnotized” (by then-guitarist Bob Welch, whose departure prompted the addition of Buckingham and Nicks). While the albums released during this period have not been difficult to find on CD, the tracks for some reason weren’t available for purchase in iTunes or Amazon. I continued to check every several months, and lo and beyond they have finally appeared, so I guess I have a couple of purchases to make.

#163 Stranger On The Shore – Mr. Acker Bilk (1962)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzx664u5DA

 

That clarinet! Those strings!!!

 

I still miss the serendipity of going into a record store, browsing leisurely through the bins, and coming up with something I never expected to find. Sometime during the spring of 1974, when I was in DC for American University’s Washington Semester program, I was downtown in one of the local stores (Serenade?), found the album to which this is the title track, and promptly plunked down my 10 bucks (or whatever). The rest of the album is just OK, but this one is still a standout.

 

Unfortunately, Mr. Bilk apparently re-recorded this song several times, and when I decided I wanted a digital version I bought the wrong version at least twice before finding the original.

#162 Hometown Headstone – Owen Danoff (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqm0IE4mcb0

 

I’ve mentioned Owen Danoff here on several occasions, so I won’t repeat myself in this entry. This is track 1 from his first (and so far only) full-length CD, and still my favorite Danoff song. Suffice to say that (IMHO) it’s better than almost anything you’ll hear on the radio these days, regardless of format.

#161 Tryin’ Times – Roberta Flack (1969)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La8_flXOTrI

 

The great Roberta Flack, who got her musical start in DC (after enrolling in Howard University at the tender age of 15), is best known for such hit singles as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, each of which won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year. This song, like the material from Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On LP, continues to resonate today, despite being nearly 50 years old. Written by frequent duet partner Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson, it’s the only track on her debut album First Take with neither a string or horn section, simply featuring a small all-star combo with Flack on piano, Ron Carter on bass, John Pizzarelli on guitar, and Ray Lucas on drums.

Jesse Colin Young – Rams Head On Stage, 11/4/2017

Table 102, Row A, Seats 3-4 – front and center, with my seat only about a foot away from the stage 

This was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. Jesse, who remains an excellent acoustic guitarist after all these years, began with a seven-song solo set, which started with “Sugar Babe” and included my two all-time favorites of his, “Songbird” and “Sunlight”. After a break, he brought out his band, consisting of his son Tristan on bass and 6 other recent Berklee College of Music graduates. The musicianship was stellar, particularly on electric guitar and sax, and Jesse was obviously enjoying himself throughout. The band portion of the show featured some material that I wasn’t familiar with, although it also included “Ridgetop”, “Darkness Darkness”, a great medley of “What’s Going On” and “Mercy Mercy Me”, and the obligatory audience sing-along on “Get Together” to end the set (with “T-Bone Shuffle” as the encore).

 

Setlist

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jesse-colin-young/2017/rams-head-on-stage-annapolis-md-6be0be3a.html

Hey, Dems, a better tax plan isn’t going to write itself

The title of this Steven Pearlstein column is pretty self-explanatory.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/03/hey-dems-a-better-tax-plan-isnt-going-to-write-itself/?utm_term=.8b8ceaf2fafa

Livingston Taylor – AMP, 11/3/2017

Great VIP seats again, center table in front row

 

It’s always tough for a solo performer to pull off a two-hour show while keeping the audience engaged throughout, but Livingston Taylor managed to pull it off last night at AMP, with his songs and stories accompanied only by his work on guitar, piano on several songs in his post-intermission set, and frequently-tapping feet. Although many of the songs he performed were older than I am (most notably “Pick Yourself Up”, “Heart And Soul”, and his standard closing medley of “Merry Old Land Of Oz”/”Over The Rainbow”), he also spotlighted more contemporary songwriters such as Stevie Wonder (the opening “Isn’t She Lovely”) and Laura Nyro (the classic “Sweet Blindness”), as well as such originals as “You Can Take Me Home”, “Life Is Good”, and “Writing A Book” (undoubtedly Taylor Swift’s next move). His love of nicely-tuned song lyrics was evident throughout, as he did a recitation of Oscar Hammerstein II’s lyrics to “I Cain’t Say No” (from Oklahoma!) and spent a few minutes praising the beginning of Lesley Gore’s big hit “It’s My Party”.

#160 The Boys of Summer – Don Henley (1984)

http://uploadstars.com/video/YX8AW27OOBS9

 

This one has to make the list, even if Henley doesn’t seem to be a big YouTube fan …

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100805/15015310512.shtml

#159 I Confess – The English Beat (1983)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEuxBbybuj4

 

The best of several great songs from the band that begat both General Public and Fine Young Cannibals.

 

“Being dead don't hurt,

No only dying.”

#158 Happy – Pharrell Williams (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs

 

Over 6 million of us in the United States bought this song in 2014. It sounds just as good today.

The religious right carries its golden calf into Steve Bannon’s battles

“Who would now identify conservative Christian political engagement with the pursuit of the common good? Rather, the religious right is an interest group seeking preference and advancement from a strongman — and rewarding him with loyal acceptance of his priorities. … When Christians ally their faith with bias and exclusion, they are influencing how the public views Christianity itself.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-religious-right-carries-its-golden-calf-into-steve-bannons-battles/2017/10/16/53717dcc-b28c-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?utm_term=.332dfe64cc55

October 12, 2017 – Cubs 9, Nats 8 (NLDS Game 3) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/258393242/cubs-outlast-nationals-advance-to-nlcs/

 

Attendance: 43,849

Duration: 4:37

Weather: 62 degrees, Cloudy

Wind: 13 MPH In From Right

Umpires: HP: Jerry Layne. 1B: Will Little. 2B: Cory Blaser. 3B: Ron Kulpa. LF: Fieldin Culbreth. RF: Laz Díaz.

 

Game notes – Nats’ 4-1 lead after 2^nd-inning homers by Murphy and Taylor didn’t last, as Gio gave up 2 more runs in his third and final inning, and Cubs scored 4 off Scherzer in the unbelievable 5^th frame … Cubs scored 1 more run each off Kintzler and Solis, giving them just enough to hold off the Nats’ 4 in innings 6-8, including another RBI hit by Taylor … game ended as Werth and Harper fanned against Chicago closer Wade Davis, running on fumes in his third inning of relief … longest 9-inning post-season game ever

 

Other – traffic on the way down was not as bad as it could have been (although slow on the GW Parkway), and we had no trouble getting into our parking lot, although getting out of SW onto M Street after the game was over was unbelievably slow … chilly and breezy on the concourse before the game with a little rain, but rain-free and reasonably comfortable once the game actually started … concessions stands were out of pretzels (both levels) and pizza (upper level at least) by the top of the seventh … Metro wound up letting people in until 1am, thanks to them and to Exelon (but no thanks to the Nats)

 

The problem with some progressive politicians

Not to particularly pick on Sanders-endorsed Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous, but he’s the one who happened to catch my eye today:

 

“Maryland gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous is calling for Maryland to join the state of New York in providing public higher education for a large segment of the population free of charge.”

 

And four paragraphs later …

 

“Jealous has not estimated how much a Maryland tuition-free state program would cost, how many students would benefit or what type of income-eligibility requirements would be required.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/ben-jealous-wants-tuition-free-college-in-maryland-his-plan-is-like-sanders-college-for-all-bill/2017/10/10/06500cec-ad47-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?utm_term=.e5b49780dac6

October 7, 2017 – Nats 6, Cubs 3 (NLDS Game 2) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/257843238/nationals-homer-rally-to-beat-cubs-in-game-2/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 43,860

Duration: 3:06

Weather: 82 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 8 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Ron Kulpa. 1B: Fieldin Culbreth. 2B: Laz Díaz. 3B: Jerry Layne. LF: Will Little. RF: Cory Blaser.

 

Game notes – Rendon broke the Nats’ scoring drought with a first-inning homer, but Willson Contreras answered for Chicago in the top of the second … visitors took the lead in the fourth on a Bryant double and Rizzo HR off Gio, who wound up with a kept-them-in-the-game 5-inning outing, giving up only those 3 hits and runs … Nats didn’t get another baserunner off Jon Lester until the 5^th, when they loaded the bases on a leadoff single by Zim and 2-out walks to Taylor and pinch-hitter Howie Kendrick, before Turner fanned to end the frame … Washington finally broke out in the bottom of the 8^th, when pinch-hitter Adam Lind singled, Harper hit a 2-run HR to tie things up, and Zim hit a 3-run shot after a walk to Rendon and a Murphy single … Doolittle got the save, finishing up 4 innings of scoreless ball by the Nats’ bullpen

October 6, 2017 – Cubs 3, Nats 0 (NLDS Game 1) – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/257722064/nationals-stephen-strasburg-fans-10-in-seven/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 43,898

Duration: 3:02

Weather: 77 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Left

Umpires: HP: Cory Blaser. 1B: Ron Kulpa. 2B: Fieldin Culbreth. 3B: Laz Díaz. LF: Jerry Layne. RF: Will Little.

 

Section 306, Row D, Seats 19-21 – our home for the NL playoffs, a few sections beyond our usual location behind 3B, but certainly not bad

 

Game notes – Strasburg was dominant through the first 5 innings, allowing only one baserunner (on a walk) while breaking the franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game (finishing with 10) and keeping his pitch count down … with 2 outs in the 6^th, the no-hitter and shutout ended when Kris Bryant singled on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Javier Baez from second, which he had reached on a Rendon error and a sac bunt … Bryant got to second when Harper missed the cutoff man, and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s single … Cubs added what proved to be a completely unnecessary insurance run in the 8^th off Ryan Madson … Nats “offense” didn’t get a hit after the second inning off Kyle Hendricks and 2 relievers, and only 2 for the game (Harper and Taylor)

 

Other – perfect weather for short sleeves … Metro worked well in both directions … took longer than I expected, but I did get back the remote for my Prius that I lost on Sunday

Tom Petty

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/tom-petty-hall-of-fame-singer-who-became-rock-mainstay-in-1970s-dies-at-66/2017/10/03/57f33aca-a7a6-11e7-b3aa-c0e2e1d41e38_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-moretopstories2_tom-petty-930am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.06e8ddd87097

 

Like the Doobie Brothers, there’s not necessarily a correspondence between Petty’s best work and his biggest hits.

 

Favorite songs:

Breakdown

A Face In The Crowd

A Woman In Love

I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better

I Won’t Back Down

American Girl

Trailer [Mudcrutch]

The Waiting

Runnin’ Down A Dream

The Last DJ

October 1, 2017 – Pirates 11, Nats 8 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/256998120/pirates-win-finale-as-nationals-enjoy-moment/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 35,652

Duration: 4:22

Weather: 67 degrees, Clear

Wind: 2 MPH In From Right

Umpires: HP: Chris Guccione. 1B: Dana DeMuth. 2B: Paul Nauert. 3B: Carlos Torres.

 

Section 125, Row S, Seats 3-5 (PNC Diamond Club)

 

Game notes -- longest regular-season nine-inning game in both Pirates and Nationals history … Nats never led, as Gio (apparently under the weather) gave up 5 runs in the top of the 1^st, which featured 2 walks, a hit batter, and a 3-run double by Bucs shortshop Max Moroff … Nats battled back in the bottom of the frame, as Rendon reached 25 HR and 100 RBI following a Turner double and a walk to Harper … Nats continued to battle back throughout the game, but also missed several opportunities as they left 16 men on base (Pittsburgh stranded 10) … Pirates extended their lead with 1 more off Gio in the 5^th, 2 off Roark in the 6^th, and 3 off Oliver Perez in the 8^th … Bryce looked better than at any time after his return from the DL, with 2 singles and a walk

 

Other – “fan appreciation” worked both ways, as the crowd gave standing ovations to Zim, Rendon, Gio, Bryce, and (especially) Jayson Werth, as Dusty removed them one-by-one over the course of the game … as is the final-game custom, the Racing Presidents threw numerous pieces of swag into the stands after the game … we also appreciated the free food, beer, and ambiance of the PNC Diamond Club … personally sampled the braised pork roast, slow-roasted strip loin, roasted root veggies, rice pilaf, tomato salad, hot dogs, cupcakes, dessert shots, and Goose Island IPA

September 29, 2017 – Nats 6, Pirates 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/256740958/stephen-strasburg-nationals-defeat-pirates/

 

Attendance: 36,339

Duration: 3:06

Weather: 72 degrees, Clear

Wind: 5 MPH Out to Center

Umpires: HP: Paul Nauert. 1B: Carlos Torres. 2B: Chris Guccione. 3B: Dana DeMuth.

 

Section 312, Row D, Seats 11-13 – great seats, two sections closer to home plate than our regular location

 

Notes – almost a replay of our last game: dominant performance by Strasburg, 2 homers by Zim, close game early until the Nats’ offense finally arrived … but cooler and earlier-ending, with a lot more people, presumably due largely to the beer stein giveaway (which we arrived too late to get) … Stras only allowed 2 hits in 7⅔ innings, retiring the first 14 batters and not allowing a runner past second base … Nats scored a run in the first on singles by Rendon and Murphy and Zim’s double … added 3 in the 6^th, capped by Zim’s 2-run HR, and 2 in the 8^th on back-to-back solo shots by Zimmerman (who had 2 doubles in addition to his 2 round-trippers) and Werth

#157 The Big Heat – Stan Ridgway (1986)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZfNo30VwNw

 

You can have roman noir and film noir – Stan Ridgway is the king of music noir, if that’s an actual thing. (It’s no accident that the title of this song is identical to that of the 1953 movie starring Glenn Ford.) This one is Ridgway’s best, but if you like it, check out “Peg And Pete And Me”, “Drive, She Said”, and “Camouflage”.

#156 (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone – The Monkees (1967)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mZ_YDzoKmE

 

Like many other red-blooded American 13-year-olds, I refused to watch the 1966 TV series starring the “Prefab Four” (who didn’t even play their own instruments!), which we saw as a cynical corporate creation to make tons of money and drive our female counterparts crazy. (They were, of course, wildly successful on both counts.) I did, however, actually buy two of their 45s on the strength of their B-sides: this one (which backed “I’m A Believer”) and “Words”. Later in life, I did come to appreciate the quality of the material, arrangements, and production of much of their oeuvre.  It didn’t hurt that “Pleasant Valley Sunday” (by the always-excellent team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and the A-side of “Words”) could be interpreted as a somewhat sarcastic ode to the college where I spent four mostly wonderful years.

 

Two things really make the song great: the overall garage-band sound, and the drum solo. It was first recorded by Paul Revere & The Raiders, but I didn’t hear their version until a few years ago. I still like the Monkees’ rendition better.

#155 Don’t Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes – Iain Matthews (1978)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MkQwa1IKP0

 

I remember picking up Ian’s Stealin’ Home album (he only used one “I” in his first name back then) for a buck in the cutout bin of an Ames store in Prince George’s Plaza a few years after it was released, largely on the strength of his hit single “Shake It”. It turned out to be one of my best musical bargains, featuring the title track and a few other Matthews originals, along with some well-chosen covers, such as Robert Palmer’s “Gimme An Inch”. “Dancing Shoes” and “Shake It” were both written by one Terence Boylan, a fact that intrigued me enough to almost buy Boylan’s album featuring his versions when I ran across it in a Fairfax warehouse. A couple years ago I finally did get a Boylan compilation CD, which had some other good material but was marred by severe overproduction, most likely due to the number of well-known session musicians that were featured.

Ari Hest w/ Ken Yates – AMP, 9/24/2017

Great “VIP” seats, at the rear of a table in the front row, near the center

 

Although Ari Hest featured strong singing and guitar work (excepting his three-song detour to the piano mid-set) throughout his 70-minute show, he saved most of the best for the end, finishing the main set with “I’ve Got You”, and then encoring with “Heart Of A Lion” from his recent album Natural and a nice cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years”. My other favorite was “The Weight” (a Hest original, not the Band tune), which appears most recently on his Grammy-nominated Silver Skies Blue duet album with Judy Collins.

 

Ken Yates, a Canadian singer-songwriter who’s played a number of house concerts in this area, provided a 40-minute opening set whose most memorable songs included “Huntsville”, “Keep Your Head Down”, and “Roll Me On Home.”

Why college football is more fun than the NFL

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/09/21/its-two-different-games-why-college-football-is-more-fun-than-the-nfl/?utm_term=.af9e9ff0f342

September 17, 2017 – Nats 7, Dodgers 1 – Nationals Park

http://m.nationals.mlb.com/news/article/254756660/ryan-zimmerman-stephen-strasburg-spark-nats/?topicId=27118414

 

Attendance: 29,155

Game Time: 3:22

Weather: 78 degrees, clear

Wind: 4 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Hunter Wendelstedt, First Base - Adrian Johnson, Second Base - Gabe Morales, Third Base - Gary Cederstrom

 

Notes – ESPN Sunday night game, so first for us in a while to start well after sundown … Strasburg finally gave up a run in the top of the 2^nd, ending his 35-inning streak of scoreless innings, but otherwise blanked the Dodgers through 6, despite allowing 3 stolen bases … he also contributed at the plate, running up Hyun-Jin Ryu’s pitch count with 2 outs in the 5^th with a 9-pitch at-bat ending in a walk, forcing LA manager Dave Roberts to lift his starter after he then walked Trea Turner … Nats offense, quiet while losing 4 out of 5 games since last Sunday’s clincher, finally woke up the next inning, when Zim hit a 3-run homer after a Rendon walk and a Murphy single … added one insurance run in the 7^th, and 3 more the next inning on a solo HR by Zim and a 2-run shot by Adam Lind, who set the Nats career record for pinch-hit homers with his 4^th

How Silicon Valley is erasing your individuality

Why some of us refuse to get Facebook accounts or Amazon Echo devices …

"Facebook has nurtured two hive minds, each residing in an informational ecosystem that yields head-nodding agreement and penalizes dissenting views. This is the phenomenon that the entrepreneur and author Eli Pariser famously termed the “Filter Bubble” — how Facebook mines our data to keep giving us the news and information we crave, creating a feedback loop that pushes us deeper and deeper into our own amen corners." https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-silicon-valley-is-erasing-your-individuality/2017/09/08/a100010a-937c-11e7-aace-04b862b2b3f3_story.html?utm_term=.0400e12e33ea

Betsy DeVos could change sexual assault policy for the better

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/betsy-devos-could-change-sexual-assault-policy-for-the-better/2017/09/08/893adc04-94ce-11e7-89fa-bb822a46da5b_story.html?utm_term=.0b0c52f502d1

September 10, 2017 – Nats 3, Phillies 2 – Nationals Park

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/253530188/nationals-clinch-national-league-east/

 

Attendance: 32,627

Game Time: 2:16

Weather: 69 degrees, partly cloudy

Wind: 5 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Sean Barber, First Base - Tripp Gibson, Second Base - Jeff Kellogg, Third Base - Will Little

 

Nationals notes – Stephen Strasburg extended his scoreless streak to 34 innings, allowing only 3 baserunners through 8 innings, none of whom reached second … offense broke through in the sixth, on a leadoff triple by Turner and doubles by Adrian Sanchez and Victor Robles … Turner homered in the eighth for the final run

 

Phillies notes – Maikel Franco’s singles in the fifth and eighth were the only hits off Strasburg … Ben Lively pitched the entire game, matching goose eggs with Strasburg through the first 5 … Phils rallied for 2 runs in the ninth off Ryan Madson, on singles by Crawford, Herrera, and Nick Williams

 

Other – shortest game of the year in Nats Park brought the team to the brink of clinching the NL East, pending the outcome of Miami’s game in Atlanta, which was tied 5-5 as the Nats completed their victory … Marlins took the lead on Dee Gordon’s second HR of the year and later added 2 more, but the Braves rallied for 3 in the bottom of the 9^th to send the game into extra innings … finally, almost 90 minutes after the game ended in Washington, Lane Adams hit a 2-run walkoff homer for Atlanta in the bottom of the 11^th to clinch the division for the Nats … we were among the hundreds of fans who stayed around to watch the Miami-Atlanta game on the big video screen and join in the celebration

September 9, 2017 – Phillies 5, Nats 4 – Nationals Park

http://m.phillies.mlb.com/news/article/253374882/phils-beat-nats-behind-hoskins-franco-homers/

 

Attendance: 35,694

Game Time: 3:23

Weather: 69 degrees, clear

Wind: 6 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Will Little, First Base - Sean Barber, Second Base - Tripp Gibson, Third Base - Jeff Kellogg

 

Nationals notes – Edwin Jackson struggled, giving up two solo homers in the second, then allowing three singles and two walks in the fourth while recording only one out before being lifted … after coming in and retiring Nick Williams for the second out, Solis walked Rhys Hoskins with the bases loaded to force in the fifth and final run for the visitors … Nats cut their 5-1 deficit to 5-4 on Michael A. Taylor’s 2-run HR in the fourth and RBI single in the sixth

 

Phillies notes – Hoskins and Maikel Franco answered Howie Kendrick’s first-inning homer for the Nats with solo shots of their own in the top of the second … Mark Leiter Jr. pitched well enough to get the win, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings … bullpen kept the Nats off the board for the final 3 innings, with Garcia fanning Murphy, Zimmerman, and Rendon in a 1-2-3 eighth

 

Other – sunny but not especially warm day, which got quite chilly as the evening progressed … went to the Season Plan Holder Appreciation Party at the park Saturday afternoon, a well-organized event featuring question-and-answer sessions (general and kids-only), games, autograph stations, and free snacks

Walter Becker

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/walter-becker-steely-dan-elusive-genius-by-rob-sheffield-w501082

 

Phrases from Bruce Springsteen’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame blurb: “a voice of underdogs and the working class” … “deeply romantic and sentimental” … “His music has enormously appealing qualities—sincerity, earnestness, optimism, realism”

 

Phrases from Steely Dan’s blurb: “wry, nuanced and hyper-literate” … “desiccating wit” … “cutting, urbane and often black-humored lyrics”

 

One made his name touring with a band whose members would later be inducted into the R&R HOF on their own. The other gave up touring a few years into their career, relying on an dazzling array of guest studio musicians for their recordings.

 

What they had in common: no acts spent more time on my turntable when they hit the musical scene during the early 1970s.

 

Favorite songs:

My Old School

Reeling In The Years

Deacon Blues

FM

Do It Again

King Of The World

Don’t Take Me Alive

Dirty Work

Hey Nineteen

Bad Sneakers

Show Biz Kids

Here At The Western World

Only A Fool Would Say That

Kid Charlemagne

Josie

 

True fans can amuse themselves by matching each song above to its opening (answers at https://www.steelydan.com/lyrics.html)

 

“A world become one of salads and sun”

“Agents of the law, luckless pedestrian”

“Down at the Lido they welcome you with sausage and beer”

“Five names that I can hardly stand to hear”

“Hello one and all -- was it you I used to know”

“I remember the thirty-five sweet goodbyes when you put me on the Wolverine up to Annandale”

“In the morning you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water”

“This is the day of the expanding man”

“Times are hard, you're afraid to pay the fee”

“Way back when In sixty-seven, I was the dandy of Gamma Chi”

“We're gonna break out the hats and hooters”

“While the music played you worked by candlelight”

“While the poor people sleepin' with the shade on the light”

“Worry the bottle Mamma, it's grapefruit wine”

“Your everlasting summer you can see it fading fast”

August 29, 2017 – Nats 8, Marlins 3 – Nationals Park

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/251332552/nationals-anthony-rendon-beat-miami-win-80th/

 

Attendance: 25,924

Game Time: 3:11

Weather: 66 degrees, rain

Wind: 14 mph

Umpires: Home Plate - Greg Gibson, First Base - Sam Holbrook, Second Base - D.J. Reyburn, Third Base - Jim Wolf

Seventh-inning stretch song: Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5

 

Game notes – Edwin Jackson had a tough and lengthy first inning, giving up a long tater to Giancarlo Stanton and subsequently walking the bases loaded … managed to escape that jam and only gave up one more run through the 6^th … Nats finally got to nemesis Vance Worley (who had beaten them twice earlier in the month while allowing only one run), scoring in the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th to take a 5-2 lead into the 7^th … biggest blow in the rally was a clutch two-out, two-run single by Murph in the bottom of the 3^rd … Jackson lasted 4 batters into the 7^th, leaving with one run in and the bases loaded, but Perez and Albers combined to retire Yelich, Ozuna, and Realmuto without allowing any further damage … Nats took full advantage of their similar opportunity in the bottom of the inning on a 2-out, 3-run double by Rendon

 

Other – it was raining both when we got on Metro (around 4:00) and when we arrived several minutes before the gates opened just after 5 … the new Skittles tarp was on, and it kept raining while we waited for a seat at the facility formerly known as the Red Porch Restaurant, as well as when we were dining … they announced a delayed start (7:30) while we were eating, and it had pretty much stopped raining when we went back outside shortly before 7 … did get some light-to-moderate rain in the first inning, but nothing after that … actual attendance was significantly under the number of tickets sold, given the weather, so plenty of Harper Starting Lineup Action Figures remain available