Music Archives - Page 2 of 49 - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Jan102015 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

In Concert: Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at Sellersville Theater, 1/9/15

Like most Cherry Poppin' Daddies fans outside the Pacific Northwest region, I first heard the band when their Zoot Suit Riot compilation CD rode the wave of the late '90s swing revival to immense popularity. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I sort of lost tracks of the group a few after when it was clear they weren't about to be constrained by the retro-swing sound that so many new fans expected from them. But with the release of 2013's Black Teeth, White Thoughts, the Daddies' first all-swing record since Zoot Suit Riot, I was firmly back in the camp of Daddies fans again. Maybe that makes me a fairweather fan, but I just know what I like to hear. All this is to say that when the Daddies brought their tour to my area for one of the relatively few times in recent years, and announc...

Jan72015 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Relax With My Weather Channel Classic Local Forecast Spotify Mix

Music

You don't even have to be a weather geek to appreciate the sublime beauty that once was the Weather Channel's local forecast segment. In addition to the classically spartan graphics -- courtesy the vintage WeatherStar I, II, III, and 4000 systems -- the 1980s and '90s brought us viewers perhaps the greatest collection of smooth jazz and New Age music ever. Bands and songs that I would not normally listen to under most circumstances somehow become not just tolerable but enjoyable when paired with those charmingly simple graphics and radar loops. And thanks to the yeoman-like effort put in over at The Weather Channel Classics, the names of many of those songs are readily available. So I decided to take my love of those old forecasts to the next level but compiling a Spotify Weather Cha

Sep142014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Sunday Jazz: RIP Joe Sample (1939-2014)

Music, Sunday Jazz

It's been far too long since my last Sunday Jazz installment, but I'm compelled to post now to mourn the loss of one of my all-time favorite musicians -- the great Joe Sample, who passed away yesterday at age 75. Sample's contributions to the music world are immeasurable, but primarily I will remember him both for his work with the Jazz Crusaders and for some of his great solo music. What once was contemporary jazz is now known (derisively by some) as smooth jazz. Writers far better than I will have much more profound thoughts to share on Sample's music, so I'll just share some of my favorite moments from his long career. First up is a fine Jazz Crusaders side, "Tortoise and the Hare," from the group's 1962 LP Lookin' Ahead. It's a prototypical slice of the particular brand of sou...

Apr182014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Listening Booth — Scorpions, “The Sails of Charon”

Listening Booth, Music

For Friday, here's a slab of vintage 1970s metal and progressive rock all rolled up into one beautiful, German package. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Anyway, this song is on the excellent 1977 Scorpions LP Taken By Force. It was the last Scorps record with the inimitable Uli Jon Roth. This is a promo video and thus features the horribly synced drumming you'd expect to see in such a thing. For those on Spotify, you can check out this track and most of the ones featured in my Listening Booth series by subscribing to this playlist.

Apr102014 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Listening Booth — Kiss New York City Loft Rehearsal, 1973

Listening Booth, Music

Well, today's the big day. After years of waiting, and a whole lot of politics and gossip in the meantime, Kiss is finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And so I felt it only appropriate to publish the first edition of the Listening Booth in more than a year. And this one should be a real treat for devoted members of the Kiss Army. Today's offering is a bootleg from the earliest days of the band, before they even had an album out. Hell, when this was recorded no one outside the immediate New York City area even knew who Kiss was. This recording, my friends, was reportedly made by Gene Simmons while the band played for an audience of no one in their New York City rehearsal loft (located at 10 East 23rd Street). What you will hear on this is a band still gelli...

Jul192013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

GFS Record Club: Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – White Teeth, Black Thoughts

Music

I largely stopped doing music reviews on this site for two reasons -- one, I find that the process of reviewing an album takes a lot of the joy out of just listening to it, and reviewing music doesn't quite fit in with the shifting focus of this site. I make an exception for that today because I got a wonderful surprise and I want to share it with you. You may remember the heady days of the late '90s Swing Revival, when mainstream music became fun once again (even if just for a few years). You may also remember one of the acts from that revival that rose to prominence during the time -- Eugene, Oregon's own Cherry Poppin' Daddies. Their 1997 album Zoot Suit Riot was not only a surprise hit that year, but became one of my favorite releases of the genre. The Daddies strayed from th

Jul142013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Dinner Music #2: Peach Cobbler & Otis Redding

Music

In the Dinner Music series, I present a recipe from a vintage magazine and pair it with some appropriate music. Feel free to make the meal, listen to the tunes, and let me know how it turned out! For this entry I thought I'd lighten things up a bit. It is July after all. So I think some sweet dessert and some equally sweet music is in order. This week's recipe comes from the March 17, 1952 issue of Life magazine, and is for Hunt's Heavenly Peach Cobbler. The Recipe 1 No. 2 1/2 can Hunt's Peach Halves Butter Nutmeg Milk Roll biscuit dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Cut Hunt's Peaches in quarters. Place in greased baking dish with syrup. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Arrange strips of dough lattice fashion on top of peaches. Pinch edges of dough s...

Jun152013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Dinner Music #1: Hunt’s Tomato Sauce Goulash & Franz Liszt

Music

In the Dinner Music series, I present a recipe from a vintage magazine and pair it with some appropriate music. Feel free to make the meal, listen to the tunes, and let me know how it turned out! For no particular reason, I'm kicking off my new Dinner Music series with a goulash recipe from the June 15, 1953 issue of Life magazine. It's from an advertisement for Hunt's Tomato Sauce. For those not familiar with the dish, here's what Wikipedia has to say about it: "Goulash (Hungarian: gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat, noodles and vegetables (especially potato), seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating within the historical Hungarian ethnic area, goulash is also a popular meal in Scandinavia and in Central and Southern Europe." The Recipe 3 tbsp. fat 1 large onion, s

May172013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Here’s a Neat Photo of The Who, Circa Mid-’60s

Music

I came across this photo of the Who that I haven't seen a ton in the past. I'm not a superfan so I'm not certain when this was shot, but I'm guessing it was 1965 or '66. I'd love to know what those kids were thinking watching them pretend to play. At least they could've given Roger Daltrey a microphone.

February 2020
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« May
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29