This weekend 2 Rock Town Hall Facebook page subscribers posted important content that I’ll share here, for non-Facebook users, as the start of an All-Star Jam. This is a welcome use of our Facebook page. If you’d like to stay in touch through those means, by all means Like it, here.
First up is a call from Townsman Tvox for a Rock Town Hall Inquisition of Lenny Kravitz. Before reading the caption on this Moment of Douchebag post, I assumed it was rockdouche Dave Navarro. Were Townsmen Andyr and I alone in thinking Kravitz might turn out to be cool way back when, when he released his first album?
Next up is a link from Townsman cherguevara, to a little piece about a 92-minute collection of every recorded moment of the Grateful Dead tuning up through their 1977 tour. The Slate writer probably had us in mind in his conclusion:
Perhaps someone will do an academic study of these odd, interstitial moments, to add to the growing body of Grateful Dead scholarship.
Thanks for passing along these nuggets! Townspeople are encouraged to jam on their own rock chatter here and on our Facebook page.
Good thing for the kids that he doesn’t play ukulele.
On another topic, start thinking about what non-sports prop bets we want to lay for the Superbowl. Not a ton we can do with a Beyonce/Destiny’s Child halftime show, but worth considering. We have Keys on the national anthem too.
Prince releases his inner bubble-gum in his new single:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOPB68Hn7GQ
But, you know, I liked the 1910 Fruitgum Company and I like this a lot too.
I know that I bought an early Kravitz album — I was on some sort of roadtrip so I think I had it on cassette. Kravitz reminds of the bands Jet or Fastball — they catch my ear, but they don’t stick.
On a related note — The Strokes have a new album coming — here’s a unique way of hyping it up — have your former pop star DAD help!
From NME:
Albert Hammond Jr’s father revealed that the reports were true and the band were in the process of finishing up their fifth studio album.
Asked if the band were recording, Hammond Sr said: “Albert says that the stuff they’re doing is incredible. They’re doing it themselves with their friend, engineer and producer. He just says, ‘Dad, it’s incredible’.”
****
Well — judge for yourself — first single?
http://soundcloud.com/thestrokes/the-strokes-one-way-trigger
Could this be a quote from a young Mr. Mod, an early foreshadowing of RTH?
‘When [he] met a skinny, quick-witted guitarist…one night, they didn’t have to chat long before he realized he’d met a rock ‘n’ roll soul mate.
“The bottom line is that we were obsessed with the same levels of detail. If someone cut their hair, if someone changed their shirt…it was everything the performers were doing thinking, breathing, eating, drinking, and seeing. And there was one other person who understood the significance of all these events in the same way that I did. And that person was Steve.” …the boys still found a way to spend endless hours together listening to records, stripping them down to components, and analyzing what made each part distinctive, from the lead vocal, to the rhythm guitarist’s chord inversions, to the drummer’s contrasting hi-hat patterns. “Steve was the guy you went to – every deep rock fan has one – who you don’t have to explain yourself to. You don’t have to explain why you’re so worked up that on this record the guy used a different guitar than on the last one, and it’s a BETRAYAL OF ALL THAT IS GOOD! All that is RIGHTEOUS in the world! And why did he comb his hair this way, then comb it that way? NO! NO! The wonderful argumentative minutiae of rock ‘n’ roll came alive and on fire when we sat down together, and that continues to this day. If I ever want to revel in the oversignificance of anything that’s going on or we’re trying to do, Steve is my man. He’ll explain it all to me, And the worst part is that even if I disagree, I know exactly what he’s talking about. I can’t dismiss his argument out of hand, because I know exactly where he’s coming from.” ‘
No, not Mr. Mod but the other boss, Bruce Springsteen talking about his youthful days with Miami Steve Van Zandt (from Peter Ames Carlin’s recent biography “Bruce”).
Mr. Mod, you ought to see if you can get those two guys to join RTH; sounds like they’d fit right in.
Is the RTH contingent with Philly roots large enough to justify a mention of Sally Starr riding off into the sunset?
She was a firecracker!
http://media.philly.com/images/526*395/asallystarr_600x450.jpg
Do you have Philly roots, jeangray? Are you local? (You don’t have to tell, of course!) Was she known outside the Philadelphia viewing audience?
To answer your question, al: Yes!
Is anyone left from our Saturday morning tv watching: Wee Willie Weber, Larry Ferrari…?
I’ve actually written Steve (no word back). Someday I should try again.
Yes, that’s the story of me and andyr – or you and geo, perhaps?
I would be so predisposed to LOVE The Boss if only I loved his music (and didn’t squirm in the presence of a great percentage of his fans). Good people.
And let’s not forget Happy The Clown, Gene London, Chief Halftown (I appeared on that once), Pixanne, & Bertie the Bunyip!
(And, no, I didn’t remember them all off the top of my head – although I do remember them all – but they are all listed here in this nice tribute: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20130128_Sally_Starr__iconic_Philly_TV_personality__dies_at_90.html)
No Philly roots here, besides enjoying a fair share of your lovely city’s Musik artists.
I’ve got a thang for pictures of 40’s & 50’s TV & movies stars and just happened to stumble across her pic a while back. I’d never heard of her before that and did a little research. Turns out she was also in one of the Three Stooges last movies. She seems to have had an interesting career.
Bertie the Bunyip — that’s priceless. Thanx, now Ima off on another google search.
A man we can thank for so much in the ways of sound recording has died. Interesting little piece:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/29/170575923/stefan-kudelski-who-made-sound-recording-portable-dies
No offense to our legions of readers in the region, but this is the first time I’ve ever imagined making a trip to the great state of Oklahoma, or at least not flooring it to get to the state where I’m actually heading:
http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/Historical_society_unveils_Leon_Russell_collection.html
WOW, this is going to send me to XTC Nerd Heaven, an hour and 13 minute interview with Dave Gregory! Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBD8NoFYkjE