Savage Grace: Still Making Heads Explode

Savage Grace, featuring the only surviving member of the band, Al Jacquez, made what appears to be an annual event at The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI, Friday, July 26, 2013.

This year’s band played a shorter one set version instead of two like last year. I would have preferred the two set arrangement instead of the extra filler bands on the bill. Marc Pasman’s Super Session Band should have been more than enough.

Anyway, the band seemed even more confident and tighter than last year—if that’s possible. Right from the starting notes of “Come on Down” to the last jam with Marc Pasman on stage, they delivered the goods including six songs from one of “The Greatest Albums of All Time!” Al was a ball of energy on stage, and his incredible voice was up to expectations especially on the show stoppers, “Turn Your Head” and “All Along the Watchtower.” Although it might be difficult to fill original guitarist Ron Koss’ shoes, ace guitarist Mark Tomorsky was more than up to the task. One of the shows highlights was the “Oh, Well Medley” that featured blistering guitar lines and earthy vocals by the bassist! Many in the audience had their heads explode by the musical performance, but it was well worth it at any price!

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The Fun Side of Laura Wilde!

Since I have the opportunity to interview Australian guitarist Laura Wilde, I was doing research and ran across a few awesomely cool videos!

The first one is another version using her song, “Sold My Soul,” but this time there’s a lot of concert footage!

Here’s one I found with Laura playing the solo to The Knack’s “My Sharona:”

And here’s my favorite: Laura doing a solid drumming job…until the abrupt ending:

I could go on, but I’ll let you do your own exploring!

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Rob Paravonian’s Pachelbel’s Rant and the Blues Traveler Connection

Pachelbel’s Canon in D is a tremendously popular classical piece, but it reeks of rigidity and solemnity. I have a couple of videos to rip the veil off of that facade.

Up first is Rob Paravonian’s hilarious take which is known as “Pachelbel’s Rant.” It hits on all of the points that contribute to a lifetime of torture from a song:

One of the songs mentioned in Rob’s rant is by Blues Traveler called “Hook “

I personally like this version played on harp:

And as a bonus, I’ve included my favorite Blues Traveler video, “Runaround.” I get a kick out of “The Wizard of Oz” storyline.

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, July 28, 2013

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Top Ten Songs for the Week of July 28, 2013

1. Little Cloud—Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
2. The River Jordan—Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys
3. Tu Mochila Esta Abierta—Dan Sheehan Conspiracy
4. Highway Don’t Care—Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban
5. Send Me Back to Earth—Dylan McDonald & The Avians
6. Baker’s Boy—Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line
7. I Need Your Love—Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding
8. Palmas Sinfonia—Sultans of String
9. Summer Sun—Patrick Davy & The Ghosts
10. Sold My Soul—Laura Wilde
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, July 28, 2013

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Two outstanding live performances keep the top spot locked up and video free. But watch out for Hanson……..
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the Week of July 28, 2013

1. Savage Grace, Live at The Magic Bag, Ferndale Michigan, July 26, 2013
2. Nora Jane Struthers and The Party Line, Live at The Detroit Institute of Arts, July 26, 2013
3. I Need Your Love—Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding
4. All Over the Road—Easton Corbin
5. Get the Girl Back—Hanson
6. Highway Don’t Care—Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, & Keith Urban
7. Jump Right In—Zac Brown Band
8. Radioactive—Imagine Dragons
9. When I See This Bar—Kenny Chesney
10. Love Somebody—Maroon 5 with Adam Levine

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“Q” Bombs: July 28, 2013

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Miley Cyrus catapults to the awful heights of “Q” Bomb dismalism! But beware: Johnny Swim is closing in fast………………………………….
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Worst Videos for the week of July 28, 2013

1. We Can’t Stop—Miley Cyrus
2. Clarity—Zedd with Foxes
3. Heartbeats—Johnny Swim
4. Treasure—Bruno Mars
5. Walk Off the Earth—Red Hands
6. The Other Side—Jason Derulo
7. Goodbye Town—Lady Antebellum
8. Mirrors—Justin Timberlake
9. Hey Girl—Billy Currington
10. Blurred Lines—Robin Thicke and Pharrell

1) “We Can’t Stop”—I’ve absolutely decided Miley Cyrus’ video is creepier than creative. The question now is: How long will it hang around? This one smells like a VH1 winner…………….
2) “Clarity”—I watched Zedd’s video today with the sound off and the images are kind of interesting. Something like you might see on PBS’ Nova. Add the song and it drags everything down………………………
3) “Heartbeats”—Another average song and video from another average new artist………
4) “Treasure”—I keep looking to see if there’a any treasure in Bruno Mars’ new video. So far the answer is, “NO”……………………..
5) “Walk Off the Earth”—Insert #3 description for Red Hands…………………….
6) “The Other Side”—Jason Derulo pumps out another song and video similar to his previous catalog. Yawn……………………….
7) “Goodbye Town”—I’m just not feeling it for Lady Antebellum’s recent videos………
8) “Mirrors”—Justin Timberlake is poised to fall off. I’ll leave him alone this week…..
9) “Hey Girl”—Billy Currington appears to be bubbling around the bottom of CMT’s Hot 20 Videos, and this week he makes another appearance on it. Someone should have drowned this video when they had the chance…………………..
10) “Blurred Lines”—Robin Thicke and Pharrell are hot everywhere…except here……………

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Kiko Loureiro, Laura Wilde, and Sultans of String:Live Performances and a Video introduction!

Having had the pleasure of interviewing Kiko Loureiro in person, I wanted to find a video that captured both his phenomenal guitar prowess and his effervescent personality–two traits that are omnipresent whenever he has a guitar in his hands. Even though this clip is a shortened version of what he would have wanted, I think this live TV performance conveys what it was like to watch Kiko perform in the studio!

I have an interview with Australian rocker Laura Wilde scheduled on next week’s July 31st “Theme Attic” show from 10A-Noon EDT at www.whfr.fm. This is the official video of the title track of her latest album, “Sold My Soul.” I thought it would be a good introduction to her music.

The Sultans of String made a return live performance with me to the WHFR studios. Although this isn’t the official video, it gives you the idea of how much fun they are when they play. Also, this song is on their new album release, “Symphony!”

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, July 21, 2013

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Top Ten Songs for the Week of July 21, 2013

1. Send Me Back to Earth—Dylan McDonald & The Avians
2. Little Cloud—Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
3. Highway Don’t Care—Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban
4. The River Jordan—Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys
5. Cuando Canto–Ozomatli
6. Tu Mochila Esta Abierta—Dan Sheehan Conspiracy
7. Ray of Life—Kiko Loureiro
8. I Need Your Love—Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding
9. Baby Once You’ve Got It—The Frost
10. Palmas Sinfonia—Sultans of String
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, July 21, 2013

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Another “McKhool” live performance keeps “Highway Don’t Care” from retaking the top spot. But that’s OK. Live performances, especially by a band like Sultans of String, beats a good video any time………….
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the Week of July 21, 2013

1. Sultans of String Live in the WHFR Studios, July 17, 2013
2. Highway Don’t Care—Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, & Keith Urban
3. I Need Your Love—Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding
4. Radioactive—Imagine Dragons
5. All Over the Road—Easton Corbin
6. Blowin’ Smoke—Kacey Musgraves
7. Jump Right In—Zac Brown Band
8. Love Somebody—Maroon 5 with Adam Levine
9. Get the Girl Back—Hanson
10. When I See This Bar—Kenny Chesney

1) “Sultans of String Live in the WHFR Studios, July 17, 2013”—Another fun visit with violinist Chris McKhool, and guitarist Kevin Laliberte! Their eclectic and moving instrumentals are challenging and always welcome. The big surprise was their brand new unreleased album, “Symphony,” a musical excursion that adds even more layers to their music!
2) “Highway Don’t Care”—But the highway should care. Unfortunately, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban have run into some amazing musical performances that have kept this really good video from staying on top for several months.
3) “I Need Your Love”—It looks like Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s video and song have caught on with the masses because this one is actually worth it!
4) “Radioactive”—Imagine Dragons warped little sci-fi video continues to entertain…….
5) “All Over the Road”—I think Easton Corbin’s video was also on CMT’s list but I missed it. But I caught it this week and it gives me a reason to keep this hot little video around!
6) “Blowin’ Smoke”—Kacey Musgraves pokes holes in her fellow waitresses dreams even as she leads them to unite in her video! I like the song on either level!
7) “Jump Right In”—Zac Brown Band continue to put effort into most of their videos that matches the quality of their music!
8) “Love Somebody”—I thought this Maroon 5 and Adam Levine video would have done better because of its stylistic presentation. Unfortunately, it has run into strong competition……….
9) “Get the Girl Back”—Hanson continues to put out some catchy dance music that’s in line with their last album release. I like it!
10) “When I See This Bar”—I just saw Kenny Chesney’s video for the first time, and I couldn’t look away. I like the arrangement, and the video is a love letter to Kenny’s home away from home!

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“Q” Bombs: July 21, 2013

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Zedd makes a huge move to take over the loser spot knocking Serena Ryder clean off the list as she “stomped” her way to the door. But watch out Zedd. Miley Cyrus is closing in fast…….
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Worst Videos for the week of July 21, 2013

1. Clarity—Zedd with Foxes
2. We Can’t Stop—Miley Cyrus
3. Heart Attack—Demi Lovato
4. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)—Fall Out Boy
5. Treasure—Bruno Mars
6. Mirrors—Justin Timberlake
7. Goodbye Town—Lady Antebellum
8. Heartbeats—Johnny Swim
9. The Other Side—Jason Derulo
10. Blurred Lines—Robin Thicke and Pharrell

1) “Clarity”—The more I see Zedd’s video, the hazier the meaning gets………….
2) “We Can’t Stop”—Oh, I sure hope Miley Cyrus can stop…and soon. Unfortunately, this was the “leap of the week” on VH1. The video is weird…and creepy…and many other things……………….
3) “Heart Attack”—Demi Lovato should be having some cardiac arrest as her video gets ready to fall off………………..
4) “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)”—Oh,l no, they don’t. Quit fibbin’ Fall Out Boy…………………….
5) “Treasure”—Not awful from Bruno Mars. But definitely NOT a treasure……..
6) “Mirrors”—Justin Timberlake prepares to fall out of VH1’s Top Ten……
7) “Goodbye Town”—Lady Antebellum have produced another lackluster video where a lot of it is shot in front of a moving background. Believe me, I’d say goodbye to this town, too………………
8) “Heartbeats”—Johnny Swim is another musical group picked as a “VH1 You Ought to Know Artist” that I’d really rather not know………..
9) “The Other Side”—I purposely tried to stay away from Jason Derulo who recovered from such a terrible neck injury. But he stayed around too long………
10) “Blurred Lines”—Another appearance on the list for Robin Thicke and Pharrell. The song is OK, but the video is…”unsexy,” although I know that other people may have a different opinion……………
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