Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 7/13: Archie Bell and the Drells, “Tighten Up”
Actor Charlie Robinson, best known for his role on “Night Court,” died Sunday, and many of his obituaries say he began his show-biz career as a singer with Archie Bell and the Drells, best known for their No. 1 hit from 1968. The song started as an instrumental vamp by the Drells’ backing group, the […]
Song of the Day 7/12: Elvis Costello, “Sneaky Feelings”
When Catbite covered this song from Elvis Costello’s debut album at the Arden Shady Grove Music Fest, El Somnambulo cited it as evidence of the Philly ska band’s good taste, and I certainly won’t disagree. “My Aim Is True” has lost some luster in recent years, but when it was released in 1977 it didn’t […]
Song of the Day 7/11: Deep Purple, “Space Truckin’ “
I have to say, I’m totally in favor of launching billionaires into space. I’m less on board with letting them come back. Ritchie Blackmore claims the riff was inspired by the “Batman” theme song. It closed the band’s 1972 “Machine Head” LP and, at an extended 20 minutes or so, the main portion of their […]
CATBITE!!
We had the Arden Shady Grove Music Fest yesterday. Probably the strongest lineup of artists ever. One band, though, is my new fave, and they had the crowd dancing, which is not easy to do at a laid-back music fest. Ladeez and Gentlemen–CATBITE!!: HELLO WE R CATBITE & WE JUST PLAYED OUR FIRST SHOW IN […]
Song of the Day 7/9: Garfunkel and Oates, “Both Sides Can Laugh”
Garfunkel and Oates, the stage personae of Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, carved out an odd niche for themselves. They work as comic actors — both had recurring roles on “The Big Bang Theory” — but their musical act is mostly too racy for TV (their three released LPs are titled, in the best Spinal […]
Song of the Day 7/8: Redbone, “Maggie”
Redbone is now remembered for its biggest hit, 1974’s “Come and Get Your Love,” but the band was not a one-hit wonder. Before turned to soft rock, the all-Native American group, formed by brothers Pat and Candido “Lolly” Vegas, was one of the funkiest bands in Los Angeles. The Vegas brothers started playing together in […]
Arden Concert Gild FINALLY Books Sierra Hull!
Ron Ozer tells me that I first reached out to her agent back in 2017. My short-term memory is such that….wait, what was I just talking about? Regardless, this boundary-pushing musician originally from the bluegrass world is bringing a full band with her to the Arden Gild Hall on Friday, October 22. A sellout is […]
Song of the Day 7/7: Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”
I think Philadelphia ought to adopt as its civic motto Pedicabo Circa et Invenire, which is online-translator-Latin for “Fuck Around and Find Out.” That’s what happened when a bunch of Texas-based white supremacists/fascists tried to stage a flash-mob march in Philadelphia on July 4. “They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too […]
Song of the Day 7/6: The Floaters, “Float On”
This out-of-left-field hit was one of the songs of the summer in 1977, mostly because of its slow-jam groove, not its silly lyrical conceit. I can’t be sure, but this song could have inspired Tim Meadows’ SNL sketches as Leon Phelps, the Ladies’ Man. It hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 and spent six […]
Song of the Day 7/5: Hippo Campus, “Way It Goes”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Indie pop-rock tends to get overshadowed these days, but the dudes abide. In this case in a band called Hippo Campus. They make brisk, melodic, bright and tight songs, leading with guitars and some sublime vocals. “Way It Goes” is a perfect example. In fact, it makes a good song […]
Song of the Day 7/4: Bruce Springsteen, “Independence Day”
No, the song doesn’t have anything to do with the holiday, but it is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most personal songs, the one that most directly addresses the tension with his father that led him to stay behind in New Jersey when the rest of his family decamped for California. It was released on 1980’s […]
Song of the Day 7/3: The Doors, “Break On Through (to the Other Side)”
Fifty years ago today, Jim Morrison’s common-law wife found him dead in the bathtub of their Paris apartment, bringing to a close the singer’s years-long campaign of self-destruction and pretty much ending the career of one of the most popular American bands of the ’60s. Though frequent attempts have been made over the years to […]
Song of the Day 7/2: Chicago Transit Authority, “Poem 58”
For the past 40 years, people have thought of Chicago as an easy-listening band that played lots of mushy ballads, because that’s how they wasted the bulk of their existence — raking in the bucks by pumping out gruel. The public mostly has forgotten that the band, known as the Big Thing when it formed […]
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