Bananarama Hits New York City's Hard Rock Cafe

One of my favorite guilty pleasures from the 1980's (along with Poison) is the Brit-pop group Bananarama. Somehow I did not get the memo that they were going to be in town last night for a one-night-only gig at the Hard Rock Cafe, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fortunately, my friend and fellow blogger Kenneth In the 212 was there and has the full report (and some great photos like the one above).  

At age 50, the ladies look great and did some of my less-famous favorites, including "Talking Italian" and the awesome "Love In The First Degree." If you don't know that one, but I'm posting the video below. I love this song and especially this video; it has great 80's dance moves and amazing hand gestures too. It's like they are performing in sign language! 

 

Why Pop Music Is Getting Sad

A regular podcast I enjoy is Studio 360 from WNYC, with Kurt Andersen. It's a weekly show about all aspects of the arts from unusual angles. This week's episode had a story about why pop music is getting sad. Literally. Someone did an empirical study of pop songs over the last 40 years and, back in the 1960's, the vast majority of hit songs were in a major key and extremely upbeat tempo around 116 beats per minute.  Nowadays, the majority are in a minor key and the bpm's have dropped to around 100.

As part of the conversation, they dissect the "Barbie Girl" song (remember that one?!) from the 1997 as a key hit in this trend towards minor keys. There is even a discussion of Mozart in relation to all of this which was unexpected as well, along with a lively interview with Alice Cooper who laments the lack of major keys in pop music today. He seems like an unlikely champion of old school hit making but he makes his point strongly and eloquently for a rock star.  All in all a really cool piece of radio journalism that, afterwards, will have you listening to the radio in a different way.

Whitney Houston: An Audio Appreciation

The death of Whitney Houston over the weekend was a shock.  In response, Facebook and Twitter were filled with all kinds of tributes; of words, music and music videos from her nearly 30-year career.  I rewatched her virtuoso performance of the National Anthem durring the 1991 Super Bowl a couple of times.  20 years later, it is still stunningly beautiful. I would go so far as to say no singer has topped her take on the "Star Spangled Banner" since then. Her voice is simply astounding, clear as a bell and remarkable not only its range but sheer force.

Another video I saw posted on FB is even more remarkable and it's actually not a video at all. It is simply the vocal track from Whitney's recording of "How Will I Know", one of her first dance hits from 1986. Without the sound of the production tracks, her voice is left to stand on its own and it is amazing; clear, strong and unsullied by any autotune or excessive electronic manipulation.  This audio clip only reinforces the tragic loss of her unique talent.  

Teacher Who Inspired Rocker, Leonard Skinner Dies

This is becoming a trend here on Hi-Fi Bri.  Another notable obit caught my eye yesterday while scanning the interwebs.  Leonard Skinner, 77, a retired teacher from Jacksonville, Florida died.  If the name sorta sounds familiar its because it was used as the inspiration in the naming of the seminal rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The story goes that Mr. Skinner had an unruly student named Ronnie Van Sant who eventually got suspended from the Robert E. Lee High School where Skinner was the gym teacher.  Van Sant had a band that was originally called "One Percent" but they changed it in honor of (but more likely to mock) their former teacher who was, just guessing here, probably not a fan of that blasted rock'n'roll music.

Anyway, on hearing of the passing of their namesake, band member Gary Rossington had this to say:

"Coach Skinner had such a profound impact on our youth that ultimately led us to naming the band, which you know as Lynyrd Skynyrd, after him. Looking back, I cannot imagine it any other way. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time."

Simon Cowell's "Footprints In The Sand"

If you watched "American Idol" last night, you might have caught the aspiring superstar Jessica Furney auditioning with a song called "Footprints In The Sand".  Unbelievably enough, it is a musical version of that poem about God walking with you on the beach and there's two sets of footprints which become one when you're having a bad day and then you get all like, where the hell were you God, and he goes....I was carrying you.  It's the greatest and cheesiest spiritual punchline of all time.


Anyway, Jessica sang this song pretty well and got her ticket to Hollywood.  But she was crafty: as it turned out, this "Footprints" song was actually co-written by Simon Cowell!  He came up with the idea himself and then worked with two other writers to make it happen.  The song was featured on last season's "X-Factor" where a UK contestant pulled the same trick, courting Simon's favor by singing his number (posted below).  The song went on to become a minor UK hit sung be Leona Lewis. Not sure what the song's fate will be in America...

Megatron Man Meets TRON

I've previously posted about the new Tron movie and it's awesome trailer. Last month, Disney finally revealed the official release date for "Tron Legacy": December 17, 2010. So yeah...there's still some waiting involved. But in the meantime, I found this very cool music video made up solely of footage from the original "Tron". It's very effectively cut to the electro beats of Patrick Cowley's disco dance hit "Megatron Man", a song which I've heard recently on the DJ Will playlist at Vandam. This is a remix so it's a little long but, since they've used all the good CGI-parts of "Tron", it's easier than renting the DVD. :)

Music Videos Waaay Before MTV

Most people date the birth music videos to that infamous August night in 1981 when MTV took to the cablewaves with "Video Killed The Radio Star". However, music videos actually got their start in the late 1950's with something called Scopitones. These were 16mm film clips with magnetic striped sound that played on a large, dimly lit screen planted on top of a jukebox. These early music videos were very popular in France and West Germany then migrated to the US around 1964.

Lately, Scopitones have been randomly popping up in my cultural consciousness. I watched a bunch of them on a BoingBoing.net's in-flight channel on Virgin America. Then a friend emailed this clip below of a handsome lad named Bobby Vee who had some big surfy hits in the early '60s. These proto-music videos are corny and silly with super-low production value but man, can those kids dance!

If you like this Bobby Vee number, there is a whole website dedicated exclusively to Scopitone's with some pretty hilarious clips. I'd recommend Neil Sedaka doing "Calendar Girl". He's a very talented singer/songwriter and a pretty cute guy too but man, this white boy can't dance or even move his hands convincingly to the beat. But it doesn't stop him from trying, God bless him.

The Wait Is Over--GLEE on Fox Tonite!

OK all you Gleeks out there....tonite is the night. After a four months long wait, Fox's awesome musical comedy series GLEE airs it's second episode at 9pm this evening. Yay! Things to look forward to: another pregnancy, musical numbers, more gayness for Kurt, and more musical numbers. Did I mention the show has musical numbers! :)

If you haven't seen it yet, below is a short preview of what to expect...a lil' Kanye via high school. Also, there's a newly released "directors cut" of the pilot episode available on Hulu. I just watched it to catch-up for tonite and there is some fun additional material that was cut out to make it fit in it's TV time slot.

Tomorrow is Record Store Day!

Saturday April 18th is Record Store Day. Yes, Record Stores have become so scare that they now need their own day...kinda like Earth Day for vinyl. At participating stores, you can go in tomorrow and get some good deals on LPs for one day only.

Now I thought you could get pretty good deals on LPs any day because, you know, they are not exactly the most popular way to listen to music these days. One of the greatest record stores in the world (and I can say that because literally people from all over the world shop there--I've seen it!) is right in my neighborhood; Bleecker Bobs, which for some reason is actually on 3rd Street. Anyway, I will probably stop by there tomorrow and see what deals I can get.

Lately, I've been buying old LPs but not for listening, but for decorating. They really make great wall art....so far I have about 6 of my all-time favorites albums of my youth (Grease, Dolly, The Partridge Family) lining the main hallway in my apartment. Urban Outfitters sells these great album frames -- 2 for $20 bucks. Take that plus some cheap LPs and, voila, you have some instant interior decoration. So go to your favorite record store (if it's still there) and pick up some cheap-ass albums this weekend. No deals on turntables though...unless there is a Natinoal Turntable Day? Sorry--Google says "no".

Our Hit Parade

Last night, I went to Joe's Pub to check out the newish variety show, Our Hit Parade. Every month, Kenny Mellman and Neil Medlyn put together a diverse group of downtown denizens who create their own unique interpretations of "the top 10 songs in America" (as Neil kept saying). I say interpretations and not covers because some of the performers didn't even sing. The inventive and adorkably cute Varsity Interpretative Dance Squad (VIDS) created some on-the-spot choreography which the audience was encouraged to participate in. There was Jenn Harris' a spoken-wail reading of the lyrics from Pink's SOBER. And finally, half-naked host Neil Medlyn flinging his thing about to the beat of some disco/pop inanity. No...this was definitely not your mother's Hit Parade.

Oh--and there was some actual singing too. Powerhouse peformanatrix Bridget Everett made Kelly Pickler's syrupy ballad actually sound intense and, most notably, there was a wonderful interpretation of T-Pain's ditty about date rape by the Lady Rizo. She was fantastic! She has her own show coming up this weekend at the Hi-Line Ballroom which I might check out too, Lady Rizo And The Assettes. Doesn't that sound fun?!

The next Hit Parade is May 20th at Joe's Pub. Mark your calendar as this show has some serious bang for your 20 bucks.

Young Girls Talking About Themselves--The Song

A friend who knows my musical taste (or lack thereof) sent me this kicky pop song about girls who talk about themselves on video blogs. It is awesome! I don't know where to find the full song but I want it...now!

I Am A Gay American Idol

For the first time in maybe 5 years, I joined the rest of the country and watched "American Idol" last night. The reason? There is a gay on the show! Alright--I guess that's not exactly news. There have been some gays in the past, like Jim Verranos and Clay Aiken. But now there's Adam Lambert, currently in the final 9, who has been "outed" by pictures of him making out with guys, performing in drag and (here's the clincher) recordings of him in the cast of "Wicked".

So I decided to check him out and see what all the fuss was about. Well the fuss is not so much about being gay as about him blowing the competition out of the water. He looks like a Pete Wentz/Zac Efron mash-up and is clearly the one to beat on the show....and that is saying something given that most of the remaining finalists are all seriously talented, except maybe that blonde girl who did an ill-advised cover of Bob Marley. Not that Adam's song selection was that much better---"Play That Funky Music White Boy"? Really? A bit literal but then again "American Idol" is not exactly known for nuanced performances. However, it didn't really matter because the song could have been "Up With People" and he would have turned it into some crazy, sexy and rockin' shake down of a performance. With his screaming voice and sexy strut, I thought he could be a young Steven Tyler...which was exactly what that new judge said! I like her. :)

Apparently, there is some controversy that Adam has not actually stated publicly he is gay. Yeah...and neither did Little Richard, or Elton John, or George Michael (and then only when he had to). I mean it's, uh, kinda obvious people. The refreshing thing is that there seems to be a sort of "who cares" attitude about his sexuality. Besides, as a friend of mine put it, are the straight contestants declaring their heterosexuality? Good point. I just hope that when he wins he brings his boyfriend on stage and gives him a big nationally televised kiss.

Space Invaders -- The Music Video

I don't know who this band Royksopp is or how to say their name or what this song is even about. All I know is that not only does it have a nice beat that I can dance to, it also features a live action, real world game of Space Invaders. With things blowing up and shit. Why? I have no idea. But it is frakin' awesome. Check it out here!

Jonas Mother

While I was visiting my folks last weekend, my dad told me he has started reading the obituaries. He says you never know who you might see. So I decided to give the local Obits a glance and this picture caught my eye. Now I don't know if this dearly departed lady is an actual relative to the Jonas Brothers. But at least God showed some grace by calling Mother Jonas "to her greater rewards" (as the Jesuits used to say) in 2002 while the boys in the band were still in grade school, thus sparing from seeing her surname sullied in her lifetime by association with Jonas Brothers cheesy brand of quasi-Christian. Disney-fied "rock".

Yes it's true--I am no fan of Jonas Brothers. This puzzles those who've assumed these popstar teens, with their beautiful hair and hyper songs, would be totally up my cultural alley. I mean, I loved the Cassidy Brothers and the Carter Brothers so why not JB? Well, here's the deal; they've been on my Shit List ever since they covered this really awesome Brit-pop single called "That's What I Go To School For" and censored the original lyrics about lusting for your teacher. In the Jonas version, Joey have a crush on a senior! Whaaaaa?!?

So they're, like, totally and seriously forever banished to teen pop star purgatory for that one. In fact, I hope that one day they'll meet Mother Jonas at the pearly gates and she'll scowl at their skinny jeans, so-called purity rings and rocked-out hair and send them straight to hell for ruining her good name. And God Bless her for it!