#200 Over & Done – Ryan Shaw (2007)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0QTR5dNTr0

 

Yes, this 3-year blog project, which I originally thought I would both start and end in 2016, is finally Over And Done. (No, it’s not a coincidence I saved this song for the end.) I’ve said plenty about Ryan Shaw elsewhere, so I won’t repeat it here. Suffice it to say that, if there really are parallel universes, this song was almost certainly a big hit in at least 90% of them.

 

Stay tuned – I plan to start my next musical effort next month, and (somewhat) confidently expect to finish it by the end of 2019. Happy New Year to all!

#199 The White Collar Holler – Stan Rogers (1979)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsDkmVo2fg4

 

As far as I know, neither well-known Canadian folkie Stan Rogers nor his lesser-known colleague Nigel Russell (who wrote the song) ever spent a day wearing a white collar, much less working in IT. Nevertheless, this ode to office-based professionals really hits the spot, so much so that I made a point of playing it for the attendees at my Westat retirement party.

Which 2020 Candidates Won 2018?

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/12/24/democratic-2020-presidential-candidates-won-2018-223552

 

If you can stand it … a really early take on the Democratic side of things, by Bill Scher of Politico.

#198 Queen Of My Soul – Average White Band (1976)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVYbDhyoc8Q

 

Music, sweet music

You're the queen of my soul

 

Certainly a sentiment near and dear to my own heart.

 

AWB notched only two big hits: the #1 near-instrumental “Pick Up The Pieces” and the #10 follow-up “Cut The Cake”. (“Queen Of My Soul” topped out at #40.) Despite their modest commercial success, however, they maintain a loyal following, put on a great live show, and are well worth checking out, even if you find “Cut The Cake” to be really annoying.

#197 Giving Up On Love – Jerry Butler (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDmdc6WNHCk

 

Jerry Butler is one of my all-time favorite singers, and the only reason he hasn’t appeared on this list earlier is that I couldn’t make up my mind about which of his many classics to go with. I can’t put it much better than the words that “pghpookie” posted to accompany this video:

 

“Soft, cool soul from the 'Iceman' Jerry Butler. Released in 1964, and included on the 'Need To Belong' album, this is one of Jerry's most overlooked ballads. It's short, sweet, and to the point. It's also beautiful. What a great interpreter of songs and one of our finest balladeers.”

#196 Where Or When – Dion & The Belmonts (1960)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfTZRpCUXc0

 

Doo-wop groups often recorded versions of songs from my parents’ day (often referred to as the “Great American Songbook”). Some of these were, shall we say, radically re-invented – see, for instance, the deconstruction of the Rodgers and Hart classic “Blue Moon” by the Marcels. Dion and crew, however, do a lovely, beautifully-harmonized rendition of this ballad, also written by Rodgers and Hart.

 

#195 My Ever-Changing Moods – The Style Council (1984)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQPPQZ95xTk

 

Shortly after disbanding The Jam, Paul Weller founded the Style Council, which had much more of a blue-eyed soul vibe while continuing with socially-conscious lyrics in much of its material. Like its predecessor, the band racked up numerous hits in England, but it also managed to have some modest success in the U.S., getting as high as #29 with this one and reaching #76 with follow-up release “You’re The Best Thing”.

#194 That’s Entertainment – The Jam (1981)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-H0uIH5HHQ

 

British “mod revival/punk rock” band The Jam was huge at home, but got limited airplay in the States and failed to dent the Hot 100 even once. At some point when the BMG Music Club still existed, I picked up their greatest-hits collection, based on two of their songs I had heard and liked: this one, and “A Town Called Malice”, which was featured prominently in the movie version of Billy Elliot. Quite frankly, none of the 17 other British hits on the CD did much for me, but these two still hold up. Both are catchy, but the largely acoustic “That’s Entertainment” has more coherent (as well as more intelligible) lyrics.

#193 Sideways Walkin’ Dog – Zachary Smith & The Dixie Power Trio (2007)

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

 

Zachary Smith & The Dixie Power Trio is a wonderful Virginia-based band that, sadly, doesn’t get up to the Rockville area nearly as often as it used to. While probably best known for their zydeco (the album that this track starts off is entitled Zydeco Dog), their music also includes a mix of “Cajun, New Orleans jazz, funk, street parade, and rock”. “Sideways Walkin’ Dog” is 5:43 worth of funk-flavored jazz, and has been picked up as a favorite of a number of high school jazz bands.

Best Music of 2018

[Updated to reflect listener poll results.]

All in all, quite a good year for recorded music (at least IMHO).

 

Songs (AAA division) 

1. Life To Fix – The Record Company (#48 WXPN Top 50, #83 WTMD Top 89)
2. New Love – The National Reserve
3. Homesick – The Marcus King Band (#26 WXPN, #85 WTMD)
4. I Dreamt We Spoke Again – Death Cab For Cutie
5. Sure Feels Good Anyway – Amy Ray
6. I Don’t Wanna Be Without You – James Hunter Six
7. Severed – Decemberists (#25 WXPN)
8. It Was You – Norah Jones
9. Live In The Moment – Portugal. The Man
10. High Horse – Kacey Musgraves (#2 WXPN)
11. Bad Bad News – Leon Bridges (#5 WXPN, #4 WTMD)
12. Before The Next Teardrop Falls – Al Green
13. Not Many Miles To Go – Rosanne Cash
14. You Worry Me – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (#30 WXPN)
15. I’d Rather Go Blind – Grace Potter
16. Feed The Fire – Dawes (#37 WXPN)

Songs (other) 

1. Pray For Me – The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar
2. One Kiss – Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
3. No Roots – Alice Merton
4. New Rules – Dua Lipa
5. Nice For What – Drake
6. How Long – Charlie Puth
7. Finesse – Bruno Mars & Cardi B
8. Growing Pains – Alessia Cara
9. Attention – Charlie Puth
10. Boo’d Up – Ella Mai 

Albums 

1. Whatever It Takes – The James Hunter Six
2. Passwords – Dawes
3. She Remembers Everything – Rosanne Cash (#7 mvyradio Top 25)
4. Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
5. Thank You For Today – Death Cab For Cutie (#18)
6. Motel La Grange – The National Reserve
7. All Of This Life – The Record Company
8. 13 Rivers – Richard Thompson
9. Tearing At The Seams – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (#4)

Comic of the Day #9 – December 7, 2018

https://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2018/12/07

The Seldom Scene w/ Maybe April -- Weinberg Center for the Arts (Frederick MD), 11/9/2018

Row E, Seats 114-115 (center section on the left aisle)

 

The Seldom Scene displayed their usual virtuoso musicianship and vocal harmonies in a 75-minute set Friday evening before a large, appreciative crowd. As usual, the band’s repertoire ranged far and wide, including blues (“Rollin’ and Tumblin’”), gospel (the stunning vocals of “I’ll Be No Stranger There”), and even Rat Pack (“The Small Exception Of Me”, popularized by Dean Martin). They also covered songs made famous by James Taylor (“Sweet Baby James”), John Fogerty (“Big Train (from Memphis)”), and Arlo Guthrie (Steve Goodman’s “City Of New Orleans”). Other standouts included “Through The Bottom Of The Glass”, “California Cottonfields”, and the haunting “Blue Ridge”. Overall, the show was great enough that I forgave them for not getting to “Wait A Minute”, my personal favorite.

 

Americana-inspired country trio Maybe April did a nice job in their 40-minute opening set, despite the absence of one member of the trio. (“Oliver” did a fine job as a fill-in “frontwoman”, taking the lead instrumental role on all of the material.) Even reduced to two parts rather than three, their vocal harmonies sounded fine, and the material was surprisingly strong, notably on the opening “Blush”, “California”, and the closing “Isabel”.

Comic of the Day #8 – October 30, 2018

http://zitscomics.com/comics/october-30-2018/

The immigration conversation we need to have — and soon

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-immigration-conversation-we-need-to-have--and-soon/2018/10/23/3921ea36-d709-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html?utm_term=.d13bbe170102

Remembering John Wicks

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/remembering-john-wicks-a-uk-pop-genius-who-once-called-virginia-home/2018/10/13/9fa93652-cd80-11e8-a3e6-44daa3d35ede_story.html?utm_term=.87c0d2223fb9

 

Great column by the Post’s John Kelly about the recently-deceased lead singer of the Records, with shout-outs to WHFS, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the power-pop classic “Starry Eyes” (which he co-wrote).

If legalized gambling is the future, our sports are really in trouble

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/if-legalized-gambling-is-the-future-our-sports-are-really-in-trouble/2018/10/05/61c4755e-c727-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.912de9bff65b

 

Thoughtful column by the always-insightful Tom Boswell.

September 26, 2018 – Nats 9, Marlins 3 (7 innings) – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/victor-robles-posts-four-hits-to-beat-marlins/c-296171248

 

Attendance: 28,680

Duration: 2:45

Weather: 84 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: SW 11 MPH

Umpires: HP: Whitson. 1B: Miller. 2B: Hernandez. 3B: Porter.

 

Section 318, Row F, Seats 14-16 – about halfway down the first-base line, back row

 

Final home game of the season – the good, the bad, and the mixed. Looking forward, and looking back.

 

Since Tanner Roark was with his family awaiting the birth of their third child, recent call-up Kyle McGowin got his first opportunity to start a major-league game. After retiring the first 11 Miami batters and holding the Marlins scoreless through 4 innings, he was forced to leave the game with a blister, unable to get the 5 innings of work that would have made him the winning pitcher.

 

Top prospect Victor Robles provided hope for the future with a monster offensive game, going 4 for 5 with a double, homer, and 5 RBI. Fellow rookies Juan Soto, Spencer Kieboom, and Adrian Sanchez joined Robles to account for all but one of the team’s 12 hits, while Robles and Kieboom combined for all 8 of the runs batted in. The Nats got all the runs they needed with 5 in the 2^nd off Wei-Yin Chen, and broke the game wide open with 4 more in the 5^th off Brett Graves.

 

The game’s ending was also fitting, as the threatened thunderstorms appeared with a vengeance just as the 7^th inning ended.

 

And Bryce Harper, in possibly his final home game as a National, went 0-4, striking out twice. He would have led off the 8^th inning with the chance for a more positive finale, but the game never resumed.

Amy Klobuchar’s big Brett Kavanaugh moment earned rave reviews. But is it what Democrats demand for 2020?

(I’m a big fan.)

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/29/amy-klobuchars-big-brett-kavanaugh-moment-earned-rave-reviews-is-it-what-democrats-demand/?utm_term=.108aca44237c

September 21, 2018 – Mets 4, Nats 2 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/nationals-loss-ends-nl-east-title-chase/c-295556846

 

Attendance: 37,895

Duration: 2:57

Weather: 75 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: S 13 MPH

Umpires: HP: Holbrook. 1B: Segal. 2B: Wolf. 3B: Reyburn.

 

Section 321, Row E, Seats 8-9 – last 300-level section down the right field line, next-to-last row from the top

 

Jacob deGrom vs. Joe Ross = predictable outcome

 

Game notes – the visitors took a quick lead when Jay Bruce singled in Amed Rosario, who had reached second when Victor Robles misjudged his leadoff fly to center … Nats tied things up in the bottom of the 2^nd as Rendon drew a leadoff walk, advanced to third on a Soto single, and scored on Zim’s sac fly … the Mets answered right back with 3 in the top of the 3^rd as Ross gave up 4 doubles and a single, with one run being unearned due to Rendon’s error … Ross exited after 6 without allowing further damage, while deGrom in all likelihood locked up the Cy Young with 7 innings of 1-run, 3-hit ball while fanning 8 … Washington drew closer in the bottom of the 9^th when Turner led off with a double and scored on Rendon’s one-out single, but New York closer Robert Gsellman retired Soto and Zimmerman to end the game

 

Other – the concession lines continue to be ridiculously long and slow, a situation not helped by keeping several stands closed despite the large crowd, and by the staff’s tendency to ignore fans waiting in the “express” eCash-only lines

September 14, 2018 – Royals 8, Twins 4 – Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City)

https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/salvador-perez-hits-walk-off-grand-slam/c-294683384

 

Attendance: 18,389

Duration: 3:15

Weather: 86 degrees, Clear

Wind: SSE 4 MPH

Umpires: HP: Cederstrom. 1B: May. 2B: Blaser. 3B: Scheurwater.

 

Section 311, Row G, Seat 14 – “Lexus Infield” section, second level, under the upper deck overhang, looking down the first base line

 

Game notes – Minnesota starter Jose Berrios struggled early, giving up a run in each of the first two innings, but collected himself to blank the Royals over the next 4 frames … Jorge Lopez, who took a perfect game into the 9^th inning in his previous start, scattered 5 hits over the first 4 innings, but ran into trouble in the 5^th after colliding with Hunter Dozier on a leadoff chopper, subsequently giving up RBI hits by Joe Mauer, Jake Cave, and Robbie Grossman before leaving with a left rib contusion … the Twins managed another run in the 7^th, but Adelberto Mondesi answered with a homer in the bottom of the inning … the 8^th saw former Phillie Ben Lively toss a scoreless top, while the Royals just missed tying the game when Ryan O’Hearn was thrown out trying to score from first with two outs on Jorge Bonifacio’s double … with one out in the 9^th, a double by Rosell Herrera followed by singles by Whit Merrifield and Mondesi tied the game and put the winning run on third … after the Twins intentionally walked Alex Gordon and deployed a 5-man infield, Salvador Perez fell behind 0-2, then worked the count full and blasted a hanging slider over the wall in CF to end the game

 

Other – picked up on a BBQ sandwich ($9.25) and Dunkin’ Donut Munchkins ($5.75) for a snack afterwards … spoke to one of the parking lot attendants right after I parked, which helped me have a somewhat easier time getting out of the lot post-game … still, the location markers in the lots (at least Lot A) are few and far between, making finding your car after dark a challenge

 

Viewed as a club-type section, the “Lexus Infield” area was disappointing. The concourse was covered but not enclosed, with air-conditioning only in the small team store and the George Brett Lounge (which requires a special ticket). There were a few out-of-the-ordinary food items in the bar area at the end, but otherwise not much in the way of food variety, and there were almost no tables. On the good side, the area was not very crowded, and concession lines were short.

September 13, 2018 – Royals 6, Twins 4 – Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City)

https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/heath-fillmyer-posts-longest-start-vs-twins/c-294559756

 

Attendance: 18,745

Duration: 3:12

Weather: 81 degrees, Clear

Wind: SSW 11 MPH

Umpires: HP: Scheurwater. 1B: Cederstrom. 2B: May. 3B: Blaser

 

Section 133, Row E, Seat 7 – halfway down the first base line, 5 rows behind the home team dugout; not a “premium” seat, and a bargain at $50.00 (all seats were significantly cheaper than for the Friday game)

 

Game notes – Heath Fillmyer turned in a great outing for KC, giving up a 2-run homer to Jake Cave in the 2^nd but allowing only 2 more baserunners through the 7^th inning … Twins “opener” Gabriel Moya and Stephen Gonsalves held the Royals without a hit through the first 5 innings … the home team did waste a great scoring chance in the 4^th after the first two batters walked and advanced on a wild pitch … Kansas City did get a run without benefit of a hit an inning later, when Whit Merrifield walked with 2 outs and scored all the way from first on an error by Minnesota shortstop Jorge Polanco … the Royals finally broke out in the 6^th, when a Hunter Dozier double and back-to-back homers by Salvador Perez and Jorge Bonifacio sent Alan Busenitz to an early shower without retiring a batter, after which the home team tacked on one more run … Fillmyer departed in the 8^th with 1 down and runners on the corners … Brian Flynn allowed 2 straight singles to score a run and leave the bases loaded, after which Brandon Maurer allowed a sac fly before Jerry Vasto recorded the final out … Merrifield manufactured an insurance run in the bottom of the frame, as he drew a walk, advanced to 3^rd on a stolen base / overthrow of 2^nd, and scored on a grounder despite the drawn-in infield … KC closer Wily Peralta pitched a clean top of the 9^th, fanning pinch-hitter Joe Mauer to end the game

 

Other – the main and auxiliary video screens were good at providing batter statistics and pitch speed/type/counts, but they didn’t have (or I couldn’t find) a place to post scoring decisions or inform the fans about pitchers warming up in the bullpen … got a good grilled chicken sandwich for $8.00 and a generous bag of popcorn for $5.25 … shortly after parking I realized I had left my phone in the car and took at least 10 minutes to find it (the car, not the phone) … having made careful notes, I had no trouble locating my vehicle after the game, but getting out of the stadium complex was a free-for-all, and I then sat for 20 minutes without moving on I-70, due to an accident on a stretch that was down to a single lane because of road work

September 11, 2018 – Cardinals 11, Pirates 5 – Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/marcell-ozuna-backs-miles-mikolas-in-victory/c-294259286

 

Attendance: 37,187

Duration: 3:23

Weather: 67 degrees, Clear

Wind: N 0 MPH

Umpires: HP: Nelson. 1B: Fletcher. 2B: Diaz. 3B: Gonzalez.

 

Section 254, Row 4, Seat 11 – Infield Redbird Club, 200 level, about halfway down the third-base line

 

Game notes – Miles Mikolas fanned an unusually high (for him) 7 batters in his 7 innings of work for St. Louis, allowing just a single run on 5 hits and 1 walk … the Cards plated 2 in the first on a two-run double by Marcell Ozuna, but didn’t manage another baserunner for the next 4 frames … they finally scored another 2 runs in the 6^th on a wild pitch by Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams and a sac fly by Paul DeJong, and widened their lead on another wild pitch an inning later … the home team broke it open with 6 in the bottom of the 8^th, ruining the major-league debut of Nick Burdi, who gave up a 3-run moonshot to Tyler O’Neill … the Pittsburgh offense finally came to life at the end, scoring 4 off Luke Weaver before Tuesday night’s winning pitcher John Brebbia was summoned to record the final out

 

Other – the “Infield Redbird Club” seemed more spacious and less crowded than the comparable area at Nationals Park, and they also had reasonably-priced pizza slices ($5.75 for cheese, pepperoni, or veggie)

Shuffle #112 (September 12, 2018)

Billy’s Blues – Laura Nyro

A Face In The Crowd – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Award Tour – A Tribe Called Quest

Don’t Be Cruel – Elvis Presley

I Found A Love – Ryan Shaw

Cups – Anna Kendrick

It’s Not For Me To Say – Johnny Mathis

Jet – Paul McCartney

Rock With You – Michael Jackson

Little Red Corvette -- Prince

September 10, 2018 – Cardinals 8, Pirates 7 – Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/matt-adams-clutch-hr-powers-cards-past-pirates/c-294095566

 

Attendance: 33,566

Duration: 2:55

Weather: 67 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: SSW 4 MPH

Umpires: HP: Gonzalez. 1B: Nelson. 2B: Fletcher. 3B: Diaz.

 

Section 147, Row 7, Seat 9 – Home Field Box, just to the right of home plate, seventh row behind several rows of premium seating

 

Game notes – long-time St. Louis stalwart Adam Wainwright got an extended standing ovation when he strolled in from the bullpen, returning from a 4-month stint on the DL, and breezed through the 1^st inning … he then allowed a solo homer in the 2^nd and 3 more runs in the 3^rd, but recovered to retire the final 8 batters he faced … Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams was perfect through the first 3 frames, but the Cards tied things up in the 4^th on 4 hits and a sac fly … the Pirates retook the lead in the 6^th, scoring one run each off St. Louis relievers Chasen Shreve and Dominic Leone … the home team struck for another 4-run inning in the bottom of the 8^th, with the big blow being a 3-run HR by Matt Adams … recently-announced closer Carlos Martinez did allow a run in the top of the 9^th, but the Cardinals survived when shortstop Paul DeJong threw out Francisco Cervelli on a grounder deep in the hole, on a play close enough that it was reviewed (and upheld) while the post-game victory fireworks were going off

 

Other – perfect short-sleeve weather throughout the evening, with no humidity and almost no wind … the hot dogs ($5.00) and chocolate éclair ice cream bars ($3.25) are both considerably cheaper than those in DC; other concession items not so much … in a cute touch, they played several seconds of “Who Are You” just before announcing the Pirates’ starting lineup … I wound up sitting next to perhaps the only person in the stands wearing the jersey of winning pitcher John Brebbia (said he liked the beard)

Tax Bezos. Help workers. But not like this.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tax-bezos-help-workers-but-not-like-this/2018/09/06/9ebd64ae-b20d-11e8-aed9-001309990777_story.html?utm_term=.6694e3afb2f0

 

Why good intentions aren’t enough – the “sloppily designed” Stop BEZOS Act is likely to hurt rather than help low-income working families.

Shuffle #111 (September 8, 2018)

All Is Mine – The Association

Let The Good Times Roll – Eva Cassidy & Chuck Brown

The Drinking Gourd – Joe & Eddie

I’m A Man – Chicago

Six Man Band – The Association

10 Rocks – Shelby Lynne

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2

The Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra

68 Guns – The Alarm

September 2, 2018 – Brewers 9, Nats 4 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/jefry-rodriguez-nats-fall-in-finale-to-crew/c-293019034

Attendance: 33,032

Duration: 3:22

Weather: 88 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: S 7 MPH

Umpires: HP: Hoberg. 1B: Knight. 2B: Whitson. 3B: Carlson. 

Game notes – Nats starter Jefry Rodriguez walked the first two batters of the game, both of whom scored on Mike Moustakas’s single … Nats narrowed the deficit an inning later on Difo’s homer, and took the lead with 3 in the in the 3^rd, on singles by Soto and Reynolds after loading the bases … the Brewers basically put the game away by scoring 7 runs with 2 out in the 5^th inning, starting when Rodriguez yielded a 3-run homer to Keon Broxton … things went from bad to worse when Tim Collins relieved Rodriguez with 2 on, walked the next batter on 4 pitches, then served up a grand slam to Christian Yelich … Washington pitchers tied a team record for a 9-inning game by walking 11 (7 by Rodriguez) … Austen Williams made his major league debut and provided 2 scoreless innings in relief of Collins 

Note – After the game, Davey said that several relievers were unavailable, which led him to keep Rodriguez (whose 100 pitches included 50 balls and 50 strikes) in the game even after the Broxton homer. There’s really no excuse for a major league team to be short of pitchers in September with the 25-man roster limit no longer in effect, but the team’s decision to delay calling up additional bullpen help (beyond Williams) is on management (and ownership?), not on Martinez.

Shuffle #110 (September 2, 2018)

He Thinks He’ll Keep Her – Mary Chapin Carpenter

Save Your Heart For Me – Gary Lewis & The Playboys

Annie Get Your Gun – Squeeze

Amsterdam – Guster

You’ll Never Get To Heaven – Dionne Warwick

Short People – Randy Newman

Runaway – Iain Matthews

The Same Love That Made Me Laugh – Queen Latifah

Some Bridges Need Burning – Keisa Brown

Shuffle #109 (September 1, 2018)

How She Threw It All Away – The Style Council

Angie – The Rolling Stones

Sara – Fleetwood Mac

Son’s Gonna Rise – Citizen Cope

Chapel In The Moonlight – The Bachelors

Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces – The Jayhawks

Rolling In The Deep – Adele

Crosseyed And Painless – Talking Heads

Do I Love You? – The Ronettes

#192 We'll Sing In The Sunshine – Gale Garnett (1964)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZeRVUUxV_k

 

We'll sing in the sunshine

Then I'll be on my way

 

Gale Garnett both wrote and recorded this classic, which won the 1964 Grammy for Best Folk Recording. Just a year after Little Peggy March topped the charts with “I Will Follow Him”, this one stands with Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” as an early anthem of female empowerment. (More importantly, they're both great songs.)

#191 Hole In The Wall – The Packers (1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeBy12LN4Y4

 

This is one of those instrumentals that stuck in my head ever since I first heard it. The overall sound is very similar to the live version of “The In-Crowd” by the Ramsey Lewis Trio earlier that same year. Although the Packers were apparently an actual band that recorded two albums, it’s worth noting that this one was co-written by three of the members of Booker T. & The MG’s, two of whom also play on the recording.

#190 I Wanna Be With You – The Raspberries (1973)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mFUYm5QFUE

 

I originally planned to start this entry by remarking that this song should surely be in the “Power Pop Hall of Fame”, should such a thing exist. Oddly enough, such a thing DOES exist, albeit only online. Like its more famous counterpart, it contains artists (22 if I counted correctly) rather than songs, but the Raspberries are in fact there, along with other personal favorites such as the Smithereens and Teenage Fanclub. (No Marshall Crenshaw, unfortunately.) The Raspberries didn’t stay around very long, although Eric Carmen went on to a successful solo career, but "Go All the Way", "Let's Pretend", and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” are also more than worth hearing. It’s really the guitar riff that kicks off the song and is repeated thereafter that, for me, elevates “I Wanna Be with You” above the rest.

 

#189 Ain't It Fun – Paramore (2014)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izx9ADLjgbM

 

Hayley Williams and Paramore have certainly come a long way from “Misery Business” to this one, although the song’s lyrics aren’t exactly as upbeat as the positive title and bouncy music would suggest. I definitely agree with one critic’s suggestion that this recording is a perfect accompaniment for high school graduation ceremonies. I also think that the line “Don’t go crying to your mama” would be a great chant for the student sections at college basketball games to direct at visiting team coaches whining about personal foul calls.

#188 Cry Like A Baby – The Box Tops (1968)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRvP89EoDo

 

The Box Tops are best-known for their debut single “The Letter”, which hit #1 in 1967. (Although I like the concise 1:58 original, I prefer Joe Cocker’s raucous and much longer 1970 remake.) Although the band’s material was not always the greatest, “Cry Like A Baby” is a blue-eyed soul classic, co-written by Spooner Oldham (who also played keyboards on the recording) and the great Dan Penn, whose body of work also includes another one of my all-time favorites. Singer Alex Chilton, who went on to become an indie-rock cult favorite after the Box Tops disbanded and inspired a musical tribute by the Replacements, throws in a sly reference near the end to “You Left The Water Running”, another great (but little-known) tune co-written by Penn.

August 22, 2018 – Nats 8, Phillies 7 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/ryan-zimmerman-hits-2-run-walk-off-homer/c-291475236

 

Attendance: 31,855

Duration: 3:45

Weather: 80 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: NNW 9 MPH

Umpires: HP: Gary Cederstrom. 1B: Eric Cooper. 2B: Ramon De Jesus. 3B: Stu Scheurwater.

 

Game notes – Strasburg struggled in his return from the DL, giving up 2 doubles and a Maikel Franco HR in the first after fanning the first two batters, a Justin Bour homer in the third, and an RBI single by Roman Quinn in the fourth before being lifted … Nats answered back each time, with a run in the first, 3 to tie in the third (on RBI hits by Harper, Soto, and Wieters), and 1 more in the fourth … after Phillies starter Zach Eflin gave up 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings, the Philadelphia bullpen held the home team scoreless until the eighth … Philadelphia took a 7-5 lead with a run in the sixth off Wander Suero and a solo HR by Cesar Hernandez an inning later … Washington narrowed the deficit to a single run in the bottom of the eighth when Wilmer Difo (replacing the traded Daniel Murphy) led off with a triple off Pat Neshek and scored on a sac fly by Andrew Stevenson (recalled Tuesday to replace the traded Matt Adams) … after Seranthony Dominguez retired Harper and Rendon in the bottom of the ninth, Soto dumped a double into RF and Ryan Zimmerman supplied the 11^th walk-off homer of his career, after review reversed the initial call of a double

 

Other – we started heading out after Rendon’s at-bat in the ninth to be sure of not missing the final Metro train of the evening

August 19, 2018 – Marlins 12, Nats 1 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/gio-gonzalez-rocked-in-nats-loss-vs-marlins/c-291032340

 

Attendance: 31,435

Duration: 2:40

Weather: 86 degrees, Partly cloudy

Wind: NNW 7 MPH

Umpires: HP: Will Little. 1B: Kerwin Danley. 2B: Ben May. 3B: Ted Barrett.

 

Boswell: After latest horror show, season feels officially dead

 

Game notes – Gio again dug a deep hole, allowing 3 runs in the 3^rd (two resulting from walks) and 3 more in the 5^th before being lifted … Greg Holland relieved Gio and allowed his two inherited runners to score … Tommy Milone absorbed the final 4 innings, allowing 3 Miami round-trippers … Harper contributed to the debacle by failing to reach 2 catchable balls in the 3^rd, and dropping one for an error in the 7^th … Turner booted an easy grounder in the 8^th, at which point we decided to leave … Nats “offense” consisted of doubles by Wieters and Eaton in the bottom of the 3^rd … Miami villain Jose Urena pitched a two-hit complete game, retiring the final 16 Nats after walking Soto for the second time in the 4^th

 

Other – our early departure from Rockville paid off, as we got one of the final remaining parking spaces along Half Street SW

August 17, 2018 – Nats 8, Marlins 2 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/bryce-harper-collects-500th-rbi-in-win/c-290787052

 

Attendance: 37,106

Duration: 3:03

Weather: 80 degrees, Overcast

Wind: SSW 7 MPH

Umpires: HP: Ben May. 1B: Ted Barrett. 2B: Will Little. 3B: Kerwin Danley.

 

Section 320, Row E, Seats 3-5 – next-to-last 300-level section down the right field line, next-to-last row from the top

 

Game notes – Scherzer got his 16^th win of the season, blanking Miami through 6 innings on 5 hits and 1 walk while fanning 7 … he also contributed at the plate, scoring from second on a Harper single in the 3^rd, doubling an inning later and scoring on Eaton’s double … Zim and Wieters hit solo homers in the 3^rd and 5^th respectively, and Bryce manufactured a run in the 4^th, hustling out a double, reaching third on a wild pitch, and scoring on Rendon’s sac fly … Trevor Gott gave up 2 runs in the top of the 7^th before Grace came in to end the inning … Nats got those 2 runs back plus 1 in the bottom of the frame, featuring 5 Nats singles and 2 Marlins errors

 

Other – a light rain fell through parts of the game, although the threatened thunderstorms never materialized

Aretha Franklin

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/aretha-franklin-musics-queen-of-soul-dies-at-76/2018/08/16/c35de4b8-9e9f-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html?utm_term=.c35350cb1f4c

 

It seems somehow appropriate that the news of Aretha’s death broke during WXPN’s weekly-in-the-summer “Throwback Thursday”, which today has been devoted to music by women. Fittingly enough, it's now morphing into a longer tribute to The Queen Of Soul.

 

I saw her live twice, once at Wolf Trap many years ago, and in November of 2012 at DAR Constitution Hall (attended by, among others, Michelle Obama and Eric Holder). Both shows were great, although relatively short. Her recorded legacy, of course, is amazing.

 

Favorite songs:

Ain’t No Way

Angel

Freeway Of Love

Respect

Chain Of Fools

Day Dreaming

Rock Steady

Until You Come Back To Me

I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)

I Say A Little Prayer

Who’s Zoomin’ Who

Something He Can Feel

Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves

 (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Since You’ve Been Gone

 

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band – Wolf Trap, 8/10/2018

Row L, Seat 25 (leftmost “center section” seat)

 

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

 

This is certainly true of Lyle Lovett & His Large Band. You can count on impeccable musicianship in a wide variety of styles. (The Wolf Trap program blurb listed “country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues”.) Most of the players remain the same; some have been with him for over 20 years. The basic structure of the lengthy, intermission-free set (about 2 ½ hours) is pretty standard: an instrumental intro (typically “Blues Walk”) that allows all of the band members to stretch out before Lyle takes the stage, a mostly upbeat sequence featuring the full band, a more acoustic/introspective mini-set in the middle that includes headlining takes by fiddler Luke Bulla and guitarist Keith Sewell, and a rousing final sequence (ending this night, as is often the case, with “Church”), and an encore or two. Classics such as “If I Had A Boat”, “Here I Am”, and “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas)” find their way into almost every show.

 

The changes, of course, are what makes the experience so rewarding over the years. When compared to the previous time I saw them two summers ago, “Penguins” found its way to the beginning of the show, right after Lyle came on, while Francine Reed’s “Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues” moved to near the end. A couple of non-Lyle songs that he had contributed to movies, “Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good To You” and “Straighten Up And Fly Right”, appeared. And Lyle and Francine broke out some dance steps on both “Gee Baby” and “Penguins”. I don’t recall hearing “Choke My Chicken” before either live or recorded, and I don’t think I’d heard him do “Cute As A Bug” or “San Antonio Girl” live before. Those two are both from the stellar My Baby Don’t Tolerate album; an extended version of the title cut was one of the evening’s highlights.

 

My new favorite coming out of the show is “This Old Porch”, which he co-wrote with fellow Texan (and Texas A&M student) Robert Earl Keen. There’s a great article about it in an old issue of Texas Monthly, and the video is outstanding.

Shuffle #108 (August 9, 2018)

Going Mobile – The Who

Big Train (From Memphis) – John Fogerty

For Her Love – Marshall Crenshaw

Need To Belong – Jerry Butler

Why Walk When You Can Fly – Mary Chapin Carpenter

Workin’ On A Groovy Thing – The 5^th Dimension

Marie Marie – The Blasters

Judy’s Turn To Cry – Lesley Gore

Take Me To The River – Talking Heads

Don’t Worry Baby – Los Lobos

August 5, 2018 – Nats 2, Reds 1 – Nationals Park

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/tanner-roark-goes-7-nats-win-series-vs-red/c-289018082

 

Attendance: 33,486

Duration: 2:39

Weather: 90 degrees, Partly Cloudy

Wind: 5 MPH, L to R

Umpires: HP: Jeff Nelson. 1B: Chad Whitson. 2B: Manny Gonzalez. 3B: Andy Fletcher.

 

Game notes – the Nats scored their only runs early, on a second-inning HR by Matt Wieters and a two-out RBI double by Harper an inning later … Tanner Roark had another strong outing, lasting 7 innings after surviving a 4^th inning that started with 4 straight singles … Madson and Herrera finished things off by retiring all 6 batters they faced

 

Other – the actual crowd appeared to be significantly smaller than the announced attendance on an extremely hot, humid afternoon … our old go-to parking area was fenced off due to impending demolition/construction, so apparently we will need to find somewhere else

2018 XPoNential Music Festival, July 27-29, Wiggins Park (Camden NJ)

Friday wound up being unattractive due to parking and weather issues. The “neutral” (i.e. not from the always-optimistic WXPN folks) weather forecasts from Weather.com and KYW called for a strong probability of storms mid-evening. The frequently-changing info from the XPNFest web site indicated that only one lot south of the Ben Franklin Bridge would be available prior to 6pm. The RiverLine light rail, which I used before, was not particularly useful, since the last train left the XPNFest neighborhood around 9:30. So Plan A was to get to Camden around 2:30 and (hopefully) park. As it turned out, after circling around several times I was completely unable to find the promised “Lot 6”, and decided to just catch the Wiggins Park performances on the radio. As it turned out, the skies opened up between 7:00 and 7:30, forcing the cancellation of the planned Lone Bellow set. They also wound up closing the XPNFest section of the RiverLine due to flooding, and one couple I talked to while waiting in line Sunday said they wound up parking in a chop shop Friday. In other words, no regrets.

 

Saturday was hot and humid, but with only a slight chance of rain, so I got there before the gates opened, had no problem parking and stayed for the duration of the Wiggins Park sets. Sunday was better weather-wise, with mid-80s temperatures and nominally low humidity, but it was still really hot in the sun. The crowd seemed like one of the largest I’ve run into, making it difficult to catch the Marina Stage performances if you were set up by the main stage. I found myself running out of gas several hours in, and decided to leave around 5:15.

 

Two sets were particularly noteworthy, both on Saturday.

 

I wasn’t especially familiar with Mondo Cozmo, but they took the River Stage midway through the afternoon and absolutely crushed it, winning ovations not only from the up-front standees (a crowd which ultimately extended almost halfway back the main walkway) but also from those of us sitting on the lawn. Frontman (and Bucks County native) Joshua Ostrander got things off on the right foot by sporting a blue Joel Embiid jersey, with the band’s opening “Come With Me” bringing to mind U2 in their prime. Other highlights included “Shine”, “Automatic”, “Tonight Tonight”, and a special, family-friendly edited version of the title track from their latest EP.

 

A few hours later, Margo Price ended the Wiggins Park portion of Saturday’s festivities on a high note. While I suppose she can properly be classified as “country” – her lyrics definitely fit the mold, and a couple of her songs did feature pedal steel – her top-notch band nevertheless rocked as hard as anyone else who took the stage during the festival. (This includes Price herself, who in addition to her work on rhythm guitar took her place behind the drum kit on two numbers.) Their set featured mostly original material, most notably “A Little Pain”, but they also changed things up by throwing in three well-chosen covers: “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, “Casey Jones”, and the closing “Proud Mary”.

 

Quick notes on some of the other performances are below. More detailed recaps are available from WXPN’s “The Key”; some include setlists and/or links to the audio of the performances.

 

The National Reserve (Friday) – on my target list, reminded me of the Bodeans, bought the last available copy of their CD from the merch booth on Saturday

 

Katie Frank (Saturday) – reminded me of Paramore, but definitely old Paramore, not the “Ain’t It Fun” lighter sound

 

Hurry (Saturday) – excellent sense of humor, brought to mind Fountains of Wayne

 

&More (Saturday) – promising local hip-hop duo, who get bonus points for building their final song “War” on a sample from “The World Is A Ghetto”

 

Natalie Prass (Saturday) – had a real neo-soul vibe, which for some reason I wasn’t expecting

 

Lo Moon (Sunday) – Broken Bells, anyone?

 

Hiss Golden Messenger (Sunday) – possibly the chattiest set of the weekend, but in a good way

Shuffle #107 (July 29, 2018)

It Takes Two – Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock

Down On The Corner – Creedence Clearwater Revival

We’re Rolling On (Part 1) – The Impressions

Good Timin’ – The Beach Boys

Dead And Gone – Gypsy

Get A Job – The Silhouettes

Feel Good Inc – Gorillaz

The Reflex – Duran Duran

Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel

Shuffle #106 (July 28, 2018)

Iuka – The Secret Sisters

10 Rocks – Shelby Lynne

Drown In My Own Tears – Eva Cassidy & Chuck Brown

I Was In The House When The House Burned Down – Warren Zevon

Not For Me – Marshall Crenshaw

Valerie – Richard Thompson

Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones

Nights On Broadway – The Bee Gees

Closer To Fine – Indigo Girls