.jpg "Musings::Mid Summers 2007 soundtrack")
The site of last year’s party, during set-up
So mid-summers is coming and i’ll be off to my annual mid-summers party, and I know you will be too. Last year, my girl went as a green fairy and I dressed half-assed as a moth, but really I just wore a mask and told people I was a moth. It didn’t work and I was slightly ridiculed for my lack of fore-thought, or caring as they put it. My lady was pissed as well. So, even though I’m not usually into wearing costumes, this year i’m ready. I thought about going as a minotaur, but that costume is way too bulky, and plus I don’t have long hair anymore and you need long hair to be a minotaur. I ended up with this pretty cool frog suit that I think is going to be a hit. Plus, it is so much better than my past costumes that people are going to be blown away by Mr. Frog.
The neighbor’s pool, pre-induction
I’m putting together my soundtrack for the party. I’ve got a couple of different ones for different moods. This one is the track list for people that have relationship problems or are a little down, which is always a good portion of the folks. My selection of songs will also weed out the cool ladies from the sticks in the mud. The good ones always stick around and sing and drink and if you’re lucky end up spitting in your mouth in the middle of the party. Really, I shouldn’t be giving away all my secrets though. Hey, it’s like Dave Crosby said “Music is love.”
Mid-Summers soundtrack
1. Bob Segar – Still The Same
2. Todd Rundgren – Hello Its Me
3. Steve Perry – Foolish Heart
4. Dr. Hook – When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman
5. Paul Carrack – I Need You
6. Firefall – Strange Way
7. Eric Carmen – All By Myself
8. Carol King – Its Too Late
9. Barry Manilow – Can’t Smile Without You
10. Crystal Gale – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
11. England Dan & John Ford Coley – I’d Really Love To See You Tonight
12. Rod Stewart – You’re In My Heart
13. Paul Simon – Slip Slidin’ Away
14. ELO – Evil Woman
When I’m back in my old town of Charlottesville, Va, the guy I run with is DJ Steve Richmond. Steve is an old buddy of mine and a genuine music fan. Over the last couple of years Steve methodically rose to the top of dj culture in Charlottesville. He waited several years before he unveiled his talents, while he allowed all the scallywags and bottom feeders to either give up or fade away. Then he appeared, as if through a smokey film through a rose lens, and began to weave his magic, showing beautiful Charlottesville how to have an even better time.
Recently, Steve was voted one of the top 20 most influential folks in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is real cool to see someone who deserves this kind of recognition actually getting it. Steve has risen to the top of Charlottesville dj culture for one reason only, because he is good. On any given night that he is performing you may hear New Wave, French House, Dance-Punk, Post-Disco, Elector-Funk, and anything but the Electric fucking Slide or Strokin’. No, no, no, this ain’t your standard wedding DJ or some two bit hackney who lacks any sense of artistry. Steve spins the crowd into a fit, taking them to the nebulous zones, and then returning them with a new purpose. Witness him turn a spot upside down with the sweat and all the lustfull eyes bouncing their bodies around, careening and screaming. This is serious stuff here, and no you probably don’t wan’t to bring your kids.
This is part 2 of what could be an endless series on The Grateful Dead and its legion of historic moments. I am in no way the foremost expert on this stuff, but I am a huge fan and am pretty familiar with both the story and their music.
Actually, the first set was only really good. The greatness that would characterize the next two nights commences in the second set. As soon as Help>Slipknot>Franklin’s starts everything is in full gear and the journey begins. Brent’s keyboards are really tight and spacey sounding, which adds even more to the night’s atmosphere. The Slipknot is intense and spectacular, sounding one part Arabian, two parts tribal, and two parts futuristic. It is by far one of the longest Slipknots they ever played and many believe it is one of the best. Of course, by the time we transition to Franklin’s Tower everyone is super high and this assembly of the world’s worst dancers is on full display with glee and smiles abounding. Then the dust settles with Jerry and his midi setup and Brent and his keyboards combining to give Victim or the Crime one its most bizarre and interesting treatments. Bobby must have been inspired too because his Bobby vocals are in perfect dramatic form giving one of the best performance ever of this usually average Dead tune. Everything seems to be perfectly paced as they keep the fun groove going with the intro chords to Eyes of the World. The magic of the night is not over as the boys break out into The Wheel>Gimme Some Lovin’ into an absolutely magnificent Morning Dew. The night ends with We Bid You Goodnight, and the promise that Monday nights show is going to be the stuff of legend.
Jason Isbell’s record “Sirens of the Ditch” comes out July 7th on New West Records. For longtime fans of his work with the Drive by Truckers, Sirens will be both familiar Isbell style and a departure as well. Brand New Kind Of Actress is a catchy power pop song that gets more and more engaging every time you listen to it. Then the slithering bar song Down In A Hole follows with a count in and mellows out the tone. Next comes the mid tempo straight up rocker Try, with its’ bombastic guitars that slip in and out of the mix. The piano centered Chicago Promenade follows with double tracked v0cals on the chorus, revealing even more of Jason’s pop side, on what is surely one of the best tracks on the record. Dress Blues, a song about a guy he went to high school with, who went in the Marines and didn’t make it back from the war, comes next and is certainly the highpoint of the record. Dress Blues is a picturesque memorial that is so vibrant in its’ brush strokes that one kept help but imagine the service. Grown is a mid-tempo song filled up with acoustic guitar, piano, drums, and bass. Another focal point of Sirens is the Randy Newmanish Hurricanes And Hand Grenades, which is a contemplative tune that sounds like it was written at closing time at the bar while the chairs were being turned upside down, and everyone else had to leave. There is still some magic to deliver as the stunning In A Razor Town mixes interplay between slide, acoustic guitars, and soft spoken vocals. Shotgun Wedding returns to pop with more hooks and loud guitars. The Magician takes us home again with its’ tinges of bluegrass and “beat it on down the road” feel. Sirens closes with the meditative The Devil Is My Running Mate, and leaves questions and the feeling that nothing is known.
