A foxy brown bird with heavy, dark streaking on their
whitish underparts. The face is gray-brown and the wings show two
black-and-white wingbars. They have bright-yellow eyes.
An aggressive defender of its nest, this bird is known to strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood. Aggression aside the name of this bird comes from the sound the critter makes when scratching through debris on the ground.
This bird is endowed with one of the most varied repertoire of any bird studied. A single male can sing over 2000 songs.
As an occasional and casual fan of country music I'm having a chuckle over all the valuable bandwidth consumed by the feigned outrage over Jason Aldean's new song. I include outrage from both sides of the divide. Umbrage over the song and outrage in response to Aldean and his defenders perceived victimization.
Is this serious?
If you don't care for the song, don't torture yourself listening to it. And precisely where and how does a song inspire victimization?
Frankly, as far as country songs go this one isn't particularly inspiring and in my view quite formulaic. I was speculating this morning if it was composed by a focus group and not a serious country artist. A song to provoke feigned outrage among a divided populace. Adroitly-playing the victimhood card. My, oh, my. Just like performative politics nowadays.
Imagine that; insulted victims to boost downloads instead of talent and an aspirational message. Nope. That's just too conspiratorial.
Anyway, it's an interesting social experiment to observe people being led about by the nose over a very average piece of music. Alas, country music nowadays is mostly unexceptional. There are standouts, of course; but on a historical scale, most current artists are too dilute to hold a place in history.
Originally a traditional German folk song this tune had
little if anything to do with Christmas - or describe a decorated Christmas
tree. The original lyrics had everything
to do with a fir tree’s evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and
faithfulness.You see, a Tannenbaum is a
fir tree. The folk song eventually
became associated with the celebration of Christmas when Ernst Anschütz added
two additional verses of his own to the traditional verse in 1824. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in
the course of the 19th centuryand with Anschütz’s
changes the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol early in the 20th
century. Merry Christmas.....
A package arrived in the mail a couple of days ago.The return address indicated the sender was
my pal The First Mate.Handling the
envelope suggested an article of clothing inside – my guess was a shirt. That was an easy deduction as I already knew were the mate had been from a recent email.He had made - and
completed - his pilgrimage before me.Inside the package was a T-shirt - and a note which read as follows: Tom, The enclosed shirt is not just your run
of the mill souvenir T-shirt.It is one
of two designs that were actually done by members of the Swampers (I have the
other).Yours was created by David Hood,
the bassist, and the one I have was created by Jimmy Johnson, the guitarist
(may he rest in peace). Wear it with
pride Brother Swill, Pat
click on the shirt for a closer look
If you are unaware of the history - The
Swampers happen to be a group of session musicians from the northern Alabama
town of Muscle Shoals.Originally known
as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section - this collection of musicians affectionately called The Swampers have left an
indelible mark on the American music scene from the 1960s thru the 1980s.They have been associated with more than 500
recordings - including 75 gold and platinum hits. The Swampers' mastery of R+B,
soul and country music often led to disbelief that these studio musicians were
white guys frequently providing back-up for recording black artists. In 1969 the Swampers parted-company
with Rick Hall and FAME Studios and founded their own competing business, the
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. They also copyrighted the name The Muscle Shoals
Rhythm Section. If you have an opportunity watch the documentary - the short trailer serves to provide additional historic reference....
Summer festivals and the concert and performance season is immediately around the corner. As a consequence it's time to publish a friendly reminder of a totally fun group that you need to put on your summer concert list. Ruby James and saxophonist Stephen "Coopy" Cooper formed this Midwest phenomenon in Door County with a chance meet-up that somehow involved the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay.You know, that place born of the Steel Bridge Songfest where musicians come and stay for a long weekend to compose and record music. I’ve seen this group perform their brass-infused brand of soul and funk several times on the peninsula. Sure, you may have to drive an hour (maybe) but they are worth the trip. You can read the entire story behind the story in this pieceby Matt Mueller and published in OnMilwaukee about the same time as I became aware of the group.And if you like their music like I do follow them on Face Book and the band's website here to be sure you don't miss a performance coming close to you. In the meantime there is She Won't Go - WIFEE and the HUZzBAND...
Originally a traditional German folk song this tune had
little if anything to do with Christmas - or describe a decorated Christmas
tree. The original lyrics had everything
to do with a fir tree’s evergreen quality as a symbol of constancy and
faithfulness.You see, a Tannenbaum is a
fir tree. The folk song eventually
became associated with the celebration of Christmas when Ernst Anschütz added
two additional verses of his own to the traditional verse in 1824. The custom of the Christmas tree developed in
the course of the 19th centuryand with Anschütz’s
changes the song came to be seen as a Christmas carol early in the 20th
century.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – palace of pure thought
and Important musical culture - announced the 2019 nominees for induction Tuesday. They are (in alphabetical order) The Cure,
Def Leppard, Devo, Janet Jackson, John Prine, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, MC5,
Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Roxy Music, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Stevie
Nicks, Todd Rundgren and The Zombies. Looking at these names all I can say is that there
is inspiration here for a Friday music playlist. You can learn more about the nominees here.
Following last Sunday's most excellent concert at the Door Community Auditorium it is only fitting that this Friday's live musical selection feature Robert Earl Keen.
Raising a toast to Texas-influenced, pure-bred, country music. The road goes on forever and the party never ends...
Late Saturday afternoon my pal Julie from Sturgeon Bay texted me and asked if we could use a couple of tickets to the Robert Earl Keen concert at the Door Community Auditorium. To which I responded: Heck Yes! So last night we connected with Julie and her good friend from college and husband visiting from Boise, Idaho. It turned out he's in the same line of day job as yours-truly. Grabbed some pub food and craft beers at Bayside Tavern in Fish Creek before the concert.
Click on images to enlarge
Speaking of college friends - Keen and Lyle Lovett knocked-around a bit at Texas A&M back in the day. Keen is still going strong and last evening was no exception. It was a full-tilt and most awesome performance with his road and studio band: Rich Brotherton on guitar, Bill Whitbeck on bass, Tom Van Schaik on drums and Marty Muse on steel guitar.
Clyde Stubblefield – the ‘Funky Drummer’ for James Brown
and countless other artists passed-away yesterday in Madison, WI, at age 73.
Sure, there’s a set of Stubblefield's autographed
drum-sticks in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but I knew I had some backstage
photos of Stubblefield archived somewhere.I did some digging and here’s a small handful.
From the Steel Bridge Songfest in Sturgeon Bay, WI – June
of 2006.Seems like forever-ago.Which it was…
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as
Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur, is a Roman Catholic
church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in
Paris, France. Wikipedia
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