Thunderbolt

In 1988, bassist Rob Wasserman released his second solo album , Duets . It's a great album full of duets (hence the title) performed by Wasserman and various artists. Each song features Wasserman and a guest performing all instruments and/or vocals. I happened catch a performance of Wasserman and Aaron Neville doing their version of "Stardust" on the David Sanborn show, Sunday Night , and was inspired to seek out the album. This same version of "Stardust" appears on the Rain Man soundtrack, for those of you interested. Duets remains one of the most listened to albums in my collection. Besides the Neville track, there are great songs with Ricki Lee Jones, Bobby McFerrin (which I used in my college film, The Brass Ring - don't tell them) and Cheryl Bentyne of the Manhattan Transfer. However, the one song I return to almost monthly is "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)," a pop standard written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer and made po...

Lou Reed died today, at the age of 71. I can't claim to be the world's biggest Reed fan, but several of his works are favorites. Transformer and New York receive regular plays on my iPod, while the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane," and Reed's moderate hit single, "I Love You, Suzanne," are songs I can't go very long without listening to. In 2009, I wrote about a memorable night in North Olmsted, driving around and listening "Walk on the Wild Side." I do believe this was the first time I heard this song and it was my introduction to Transformer, one of the best albums of the 70s. We huddled outside the North Olmsted recreation center waiting for the rest of the spirit band to arrive.  On this cold December night, we were supposed to be energizing high school hockey fans, but when not enough kids showed up, we were presented with a three-hour window to spend the rest of the night.  Our foursome included Dan, a junior, cool, laid back ...

My buddy, Jeff Marsick, and I have been recording a podcast devoted to American Horror Story: Coven . The podcast is produced by Southgate Media Group and we've done three so far. The third one has just gone live on the SMG webpage. You can download the first two eps on iTunes or from the SMG webpage. The theme music is by the band Expiate, which was the group my brother-in-law, Seann, was in before his death. It makes me feel good to be able to use the song "No Doubt" as our theme music. Check out the podcast. I can't promise any brilliant insight, but I think you may be entertained. This week I was starting to get a cold, so I was a little loopy in the head. Here's the link: http://www.southgatemediagroup.com/disturbed-an-american-horror-story-fan-podcast/ Aloha

I can't say that the list of Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame nominees this year are a bad bunch. Some people (i.e. critics) may scoff at the inclusion of KISS, but whether you like the band or not they did alter the landscape of  rock music. I'm thrilled to see the Replacements and Peter Gabriel get nominated. The 'Mats helped establish what we call indie rock and Gabriel is one of the founding fathers of alternative music. Also, he opened the eyes of young people who otherwise may not have taken interest to the plight of black South Africans living under the thumb of apartheid. Gabriel's moving anthem, "Biko," remains a cornerstone in the movement to end apartheid. Although it's not going to happen (again), Chic deserves to get in. They were more than just a disco band. Listen to their songs and you'll be amazed and how groundbreaking they were. Now, will someone explain why Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble were not nominated? If you check out thi...

Julie cooked her homemade meatballs tonight. Oh my God, they are the best meatballs you will ever taste. Don't tell her dad, whose recipe she is working from, but Julie makes them better. Budd, Karyn and their family came over for dinner and they introduced us to their their new dog. It felt like old times, those nights ten or fifteen years ago when we'd get together on a whim. These days, with high school children, everything is planned. You can't just pop in on a Sunday night anymore. Nevertheless, it was wonderful just to have a casual night together. Last night I saw Gravity , the new film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It was incredible. I've never seen Bullock better, and Cuaron is a director whose career I will follow for the rest of my life. He is one of those rare directors who can mine human emotion out of spectacle and populous material. As I drove Sophie to church this morning, I began describing the plot of Gravity. ...

The Kindle version of Basement Songs is being offered at the discount price of $2.99. If you have a Kindle and you've been hesitating to buy the book, now's your chance! Thanks!

I was out of the country for a week and fell behind on my writing. That and the typical crap that happens when you're trying to be a dad and husband. But here I am, back behind the typewriter and feeling somewhat refreshed. I did do a few reviews. Patty Griffin's Silver Bell came out this week. This is the official release of her third solo record that was supposed to come out in 2000. You can read about Silver Bell and what I thought about it here: http://popdose.com/goin-country-patty-griffins-silver-bell-finally-gets-a-proper-release/ Also, I saw one hell of a great movie. A DIY teenage comedy called Gimme the Loot . I LOVE this movie. Check out my review here: http://popdose.com/dvd-review-gimme-the-loot/ That's all I have for now. Korea? Oh yeah, I'll talk about that in a bit. Aloha.