Song of the Day 5/17: Cheryl Wheeler, “If It Were Up to Me”
Folksinger Cheryl Wheeler wrote this in 1998, in the aftermath of the Jonesboro, Ark., school shootings. They were shocking at the time because the murderers were just 13 and 11…
Song of the Day 5/15: Spinal Tap, “Rock and Roll Nightmare”
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They're not asking for my two cents, but I think the Rock Hall of Fame is squandering a golden opportunity by not enshrining Spinal Tap. Not only are they known…
Song of the Day 5/14: Big Thief, “Little Things”
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I know El Somnambulo doesn't care for this band all that much, but this was the first thing I heard by them when it came out last year and I…
Song of the Day 5/12: Leonard Cohen, “Everybody Knows”
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I assume everybody knows this Cohen classic, if not from his 1988 album "I'm Your Man," then from its plentiful covers and frequent use in movies and TV soundtracks. But…
Song of the Day 5/10: Steve Miller Band, “Living in the U.S.A.”
For historical context, musicians like Steve Miller were trashing the emptiness of American culture way back in 1968, when Boz Scaggs was still in the band and Miller still delivered…
Song of the Day 5/9: The Judds, “Mama He’s Crazy”
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The Judds ruled country music in the '80s. This song was their second single, the first of a nearly unbroken string of 14 that reached No. 1 on the country…
Song of the Day 5/7: Dave Alvin, “Plastic Rose”
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When Dave Alvin released his second solo album, "Blue Blvd," in 1991, the Washington Post reviewer complimented it by saying the songs were like Raymond Carver stories. Alvin once told…
El Som’s One-Song Concert Sales Pitch: Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs
No, it's not an outlier. You're gonna get a whole evening of N'Awlins party music if you join me at the Arden Gild Hall, Friday, May 13 at 8 pm…
Song of the Day 5/5: Beck, “Loser”
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 is weak even by the institution's abysmal standards. The best-known inductees are Dolly Parton (despite her request not to be…
Song of the Day 5/4: Graham Parker, “You Can’t Be Too Strong”
A lot of critics think this song, whose lyrics provided the title for Graham Parker's 1979 album "Squeezing Out Sparks," is the best he ever wrote. But if you ever…
Song of the Day 5/3: Johnny Cash, “Camptown Races”
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Guest post by Nathan Arizona The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. Somebody will bet on the bay. Doo Dah. The singer in Stephen Foster’s “Camptown Races” did not bet on the…
Song of the Day 5/2: Squeeze, “The Day I Get Home”
"I eat the lines ahead of me." Chris Difford wrote that line more than 30 years ago, before you had to take your shoes off at the airport. From the…
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: April, 2022
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No better way to start out this month than with one of my fave artists of recent times. I love this song: If you like(d) Ought like I do (did):…