DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC-(It's like trying to tell a stranger about rock & roll)

My tendency to go off on tangents while writing these blogs is the main reason why they seem to appear with the same frequency as the Hale Bopp comet. There is no doubt that I am saddled with an alphabet soup bowl full of undiagnosed childhood learning disabilities. When I was in school, there was never any discussion about ADD, or ADHD, although I'm pretty certain that my main problem was probably an acute case of DGAS (didn’t give a shit). So I can be writing about the Grateful Dead and next thing I know it has morphed into an article about tracking the elusive Yeti. In any event, this will be my first attempt at streamlining the process, trying to keep things neat, concise, and on point, but always keeping an eye out for potential Abdominal Snowman sightings.

    For me music is and always has been about magical moments, those shiver down my spine, little hairs rising up on the back of my neck moments. As an addict in recovery I spent far too much time chasing that feeling with drugs and alcohol, when in reality it was never farther away than a turntable, radio, or concert venue. When I did finally take those first few wobbly steps down a path of recovery and sobriety, music was a constant and healing companion. As the fog started to lift, I realized that I had turned my back on my one healthy addiction, an addiction that was capable of bringing me the pleasure I spent a lifetime seeking through unhealthy and destructive means.

Every addict knows the feeling, the constant daily chase for the thrill of that initial high, as futile as a dog chasing its tail. Music has a limitless capacity to bring me to that place, and the beauty of it is that I never know when it will happen, the music decides.

   The houselights go down as 20,000 fans  rise up, Bruce Springsteen's voice cutting through the darkness, wondering if any of the 20,000 fans sitting in the Hartford Civic Center this night are alive. Yes we are, and every single nerve ending in my body is on fire before a note has been played. There is not a drug in the world that can produce the adrenaline rush and goose bump inducing chill of that moment.

The above scene has played out at the start of every single one of the over 100 Sprinsgteen shows I have attended, and I can easily fill a whole blog with memories from those shows, or from the hundreds of other shows I have attended while supporting a three concert a week habit. For the sake of this article however I am choosing to stick with the moments that have occurred after November 3, 2003, because music took on a whole new meaning and dimension in my life as a sober man.

    While many of my early concert memories have now become an amalgam of clarity and purple haze, I have a clear and sharp focus from every show I have attended while sober. The angelic voice of Lisa Hannigan, echoing through the Mohegan Sun Arena. Ostensibly  a backup vocalist for Damien Rice, her unique vocal style added  a depth and quality to Damien's music that has been missing since she left to pursue a solo career. To be fair, neither artist has done very well without the other, which I guess is further evidence that romance and the workplace don't mix. In stark contrast, the headliner that night, Fiona Apple countered the almost  whispered  beauty of Lisa's vocals with ear bludgeoning primal scream therapy. Yoko Ono on steroids. Hey, not every moment is magical, and I didn't stick around in hopes that a volunteer would be summoned from the audience to saw her vocal cords in half. Now that would have been magic.

The Webb Sisters, singing Leonard Cohen's musical prayer, “If It Be Your Will, their perfect harmonies echoing to the rafters of the Waterbury Palace Theater, punctuating what had already been an incredible three hours of music from the 74 year old  Leonard. This concert, and  encore performance have taken on greater significance with Leonard's recent passing at the age of 82. Leonard's spoken portion of the prayer/poem reduced the 3500 seat theater to pin drop quiet, the reverent stillness of the crowd enhancing the dynamic power of the Webb Sisters vocal. As the crowd filed out that evening, there was a sense that we all had just received a special gift. I know for me personally, it has been the seminal concert of my life, and I still get those same chills every time I watch this video.

Some of the best moments seem to occur when I least expect it. Driving in my car, radio playing as usual, but I am more focused on the law abiding doofus in front of me. He has obviously decided that 40 mph means 40 mph, failing to realize that I am late for golf. Just as I’m thinking that this person had used up his allotted supply of the Earth's oxygen, a song that had slipped through the fissures in my mind (they were once cracks but have widened considerably  as time marches on) is coming through the speaker. As is often the case, it's a long forgotten Dylan song, and suddenly the Amish guy in the horse and buggy in front of me  isn't as important as Dylan, in his distinctively nasal tone  singing to me  about the "Tight Connection to his Heart".

    Now I am perilously close to rambling again,  failing to live up to my promise of streamlining this process. Once I begin to relive these special musical moments it's  very difficult for me to stop.

It was a thrill to see my good friend Sal Annunziato realize a  dream by  recording a CD of all original material, and in the process receiving a preview of each song as it was recorded. The finished product "Own Trip"  is a testament to his musical influences and  life long love of music. As I described it in a short review, it's modern themes behind a classic rock sound, produced beautifully by Sal and his friend Eric Lichter. It's pretty cool to be driving down the road with the music on full volume, and suddenly your friends voice is coming through the speaker, singing my favorite song from the CD  "Something Better".

  

So I will end where I started, with Bruce Springsteen. My last Springsteen show was May 2014 at Mohegan Sun Arena, and joining the band for this tour  was Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.It was the usual intense and rocking three hour plus show, which of course for Bruce was not unusual.The shows at Mohegan were the last two shows of what had been a long worldwide tour, and despite the energy, to me,  Bruce looked weary, understandably so. After sending what had to be an exhausted band off to bed,  Bruce appeared solo, guitar in hand, for his final encore. For some reason at that moment I was filled with melancholy, the thought  that  after 42 years, this could potentially  be my last Springsteen concert. Through the early E Street Band Shows, the early 90's "Other Band" tour, Seeger Sessions Band (still my favorite tour) , solo concerts, and then back with the reincarnated E Street Band, I had seen at least one show on every tour, usually multiples. There was never a moment after any show where I felt like Bruce didn't leave everything he had out on that stage. Hell, one of the reasons why I thought this might be my last Bruce concert was because at 61, I couldn't hang anymore, the three hour plus shows at my age are exhausting. Bruce is three years older, imagine how he feels.
The show ends with a song that seemed like a summation of his career for his lifelong fans, or maybe a pledge to his new ones. In any event, "I'll Work For Your Love" turned out to be that  never broken promise from a clearly exhausted Bruce. The weary humble bow at the end of another marathon show seemed so poignant to me, a final acknowledgement to my 42 years of loyal fandom. If the rumors are true and Bruce does decide to tour again as a solo artist,  I will be there. As long as I can sit my tired old ass down in a seat, I can listen to him all night long, because for me, no one has produced more magical moments than Springsteen.

Look What They've Done To My Song Ma- The 2017 Grampy Awards

 I am 64 years old now, an age where I often hear people referred to as being a little long in the tooth. The truth of the matter is that in terms of my teeth, they have pretty much remained the same size. My ears and nose however have continued to mutate at an exposure to radium rate, attached to a face that has if anything shrunk a little, not an appealing visual to be sure. As a good friend of mine often says, there is nothing pretty about the aging process. Musically speaking though,  I have attempted to stay young at heart. I have tried to, and most of the time succeeded in keeping up with current trends in music, kept my mind open and my tastes eclectic. I can just as easily enjoy a performance by a young artist like Halsey”New Americana” as I can  listening to the classic artists that formed the soundtrack of my youth. I have tried to guard against the” my generations’ music is the best” mentality. All of this changed last Sunday night when I sat down in front of my television  to watch what is sometimes labeled “music’s greatest night”, (now that’s an alternative  fact that would make KellyAnne Conway proud) aka, The Grammys.

    I sensed trouble immediately when the nominees for the first category "Best New Artist" were announced and not a single  name  was remotely familiar. The award went to "Chance the Rapper” who now will be listed among legendary former winners such as "Crosby, Stills and Nash the Folksingers” and “John Legend The Pianist”. To be fair to Mr. Rapper, this category has produced some dubious winners  in previous years. From 1977 thru 1979 the winners were, Star land Vocal Band, “Afternoon Delight” whose only claim to fame is their one hit extolling the virtues of getting laid for lunch. In 1978 it was Debby Boone darkening every music lovers life with “You Light up My Life which I now realize should have been a contender in a previous blog for worst one hit wonder of all time. In 1979 it was A Taste of Honey, Boogie Oogie Oggieing their way to a Grammy, probably the worst decision in the history of this category given the fact that the list of nominees that year included Elvis Costello, Toto, and The Cars.

I lasted another 45 minutes and then stuck one white flag of surrender into each ear, in effect, giving up the fight and stopping the bleeding at the same time. With this as a backdrop I have decided to announce my own awards, culled from my many hours spent watching You Tube videos.

So I am proud to announce the 2017 winners of the soon to be prestigious music awards for old people "THE GRAMPYS"

I am the sole judge, and the categories will change on a yearly basis, contingent upon what I find humorous or interesting. 

There will be four distinguished honorees each year, or more realistically, this will be the first and last  time  Grampys are  awarded..

Category 1)- BEST PERFORMANCE  FROM  SOMEONE'S LIVING ROOM

Winner- Grace Sewell "Hell of a Girl" Live From Daryl's House.

Grace Sewell, sometimes known as just "Grace" is a 19 year old singer from Brisbane, Australia who had a top ten hit with her cover of the Lesley Gore classic “You Don't Own Me”. She lists her influences as Smokey Robinson, Janis Joplin, Shirley Bassey, and Amy Winehouse and in this clip from Daryl's House you can hear a little piece of all four of those artists. Daryl later explains to her that this song was written 30 years before she was born, yet there is a smoky maturity to her vocal well beyond her years. Daryl is obviously impressed and there are a couple of moments during her vocal when you can see Daryl get those whole body chills that only great musical moments can bring you. If you like Grace, then I strongly recommend  all of the videos from this episode of Live from Daryl's House, all of them are quite good.

 

Category 2) BEST PERFORMANCE INDUCING A MUSICAL ICON TO BREAK KINGLY PROTOCOL.

Winner-First Aid Kit- "America" Live at Polar Music Prize 2012

This may turn out to be a one year "niche" category, unless of course I come upon another video where a head of state is offended after a musical performance.

First Aid Kit are Swedish siblings Klara and Johanna Soderberg, who performed the song "America" in front of Paul Simon at the 2012 Polar Music Prize award ceremony.

The Polar Music Prize, sometimes referred to as Sweden's Nobel Prize for music, is given annually to one contemporary and one classical musician. Former winners include Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Patti Smith.

The ceremony itself seems to be a fairly stuffy event; the King of Sweden is always there in formal attire, looking appropriately  pompous, surrounded by his equally constipated minions. Sitting in the front row in close proximity to the honorees, his presence seems to ensure that a good time will be had by no one. Despite his royal stuffiness though, the music at this event is always quite good.

As you will see in the video, First Aid Kit's performance of Simon & Garfunkel's America is filled with the same beautiful harmonies that mark the original, the blend of female voices instead of male adding a unique twist, further enhanced by the addition of the symphony orchestra.

Paul Simon has always seemed like someone who is not easily impressed but you can see that both he and his wife Edie Brickell are moved by the performance.

At the song's end, Paul Simon rises and gives them a one person standing ovation, an obvious break of royal protocol. No one stands unless the King stands. The look on the King's face is priceless, and he seems to be looking around to see if anyone else is equally insulted. It's  that "who put the spoonful of dog shit under my nose" look that seems to be particular to offended royals.

Note to King: People give standing ovations after great musical performances, if Paul Simon decides to stand up and honor a performance, then get your stuffy uptight royal ass out of the chair.

Category 3) BEST PERFORMANCE BY A GROUP WHO HAD TO BE DRIVEN TO THE GIG BY THEIR PARENTS.

Winner-The Strypes- "What a Shame-David Letterman Show

Although there weren't many choices in this  category, The Strypes win hands down with their rocking hybrid of Beatles meets Green Day. Letterman has always been a fan of hard driving straight ahead rock; The Foo Fighters are his favorite band. Letterman's reaction after the song ends is one of the reasons this video is so enjoyable. You can see how much he appreciated the talent of these four young kids. I love the look of pure joy on his face as he proclaims "how about these guys" to no one in particular. You can  also see that the band didn't quite know what to make of Letterman, which was often the case with the musical acts that appeared on the show. As a side note , it was Letterman, crusty cynicism aside , who initiated the practice of giving a national platform to musicians who hadn't quite broken through yet. Now it's commonplace for late night shows to feature musical acts outside the mainstream, groups who most likely will not be winning a Grammy anytime soon. But they deserve to be heard and maybe even someday, like The Strypes,  win the more prestigious "Grampy".


Category 4) 

BEST COVER OF A 50 YEAR OLD CLASSIC FOLK SONG BY A HEAVY METAL BAND.

Winner-Disturbed- "Sound of Silence"


The  acoustic rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" was originally recorded in 1964 for the duo's first album Wednesday Morning 3AM. . The song eventually reached number one on the Billboard charts two years later  after producer Tom Wilson, without  Paul Simon's knowledge, dubbed in electric music to help make it radio friendly. My personal preference is the original version. While the amplified guitars and drums make the song slightly more dynamic, especially in the final stanza, the pure beauty of the harmonies and the message of the lyrics get a little muted behind the pop feel of the dubbed in instruments. Commercial, success doesn't always translate into artistic success. What's interesting is that while Wednesday Morning 3AM was pretty much a bust commercially, this original acoustic version of the album's signature song has amassed 100  million You Tube hits. At a time when most music is acquired and listened to digitally, that amounts to platinum 100 times over.
Even more remarkable is that 53  years later the heavy metal band Disturbed has had similar success with it's dark and significantly more dramatic version of the song. 190 million hits for the excellent concept video and another 12 million for their live performance of the song on Conan O'Brien. I still prefer the original but I do enjoy the slow dramatic build of the remake, vocalist David Draiman's brooding voice over an solitary quiet piano for the first stanza, then guitar and orchestral strings added for the second and third stanzas. By the finish, it sounds more like The Sound of Silence symphony,  timpani drums adding orchestral power to what is now a searing and  angry vocal by Draiman. It could play out as overkill in the drama department but it works  as both  a video and a live performance, and given the fact that Simon's lyrics still ring true,  seems as relevant today as it did 52 years ago. A clear indication of Simon's songwriting genius..