#NewMusicMonday • August, 2022

 

Madison Cunningham doesn't dominate the playlist this week, but I'm already getting geared up for her next album release, Revealer on September, 9th. I have been following Madison for a couple of years now. In January, 2021 she released on YouTube a home recording of the song, Life According To Raechel that knocked the running socks off friend Paul Hobbs and I when it came out. She has now recorded the song for the new album and it's the first song of the playlist, and I hope it hits you like it did us. I finish off the playlist with Madison's recent appearance of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert with four songs from Revealer. 

Tedeschi Trucks Band finished their 24 song epic, I am The Moon this month, with Part III The Fall, and Part IV Farewell. I have included songs from these last two parts and just love how Susan and Derek feature all their band members, a real musical family that harks back to the Leon Russell and Delaney and Bonnie ensembles. You feel the spirit of this band and the love all the members have for one another. The late 60's and early 70's rock 'n' roll DNA lives on with this band with so many new original songs.

Speaking of that DNA, Marcus King is not related to Mountain's Leslie West, but the physical stature coupled with his kickass rock guitar chops reminds me of albums made from vinyl back in the sweet spot time period. King's new album, Young Blood with its southern blues vibe and rock guitar licks provide a nice mix throughout as my more subtle Americana tunes selection tend to dominate this week.

The Watkins Family Hour Vol. II are a big part of the Americana tunes featured in the playlist. Siblings Sara and Sean continue to make great music together since their early days starting with Nickel Creek. The album is sprinkled with guest artists including Madison Cunningham. 

Hopefully, a little something for everyone as so many great young musicians make new music or cover the greats with the time honored tradition of mixing something old and something new.

Enjoy my friends!

Fifty Years of Music • August, 1972

 

I have to admit, I struggled with the playlist this week. When I looked at the albums released in August of 1972, I thought there might have been some great new summertime records just before I became a senior in high school. Instead, I had to carve out a playlist of mostly trusted Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Blues, a couple of live albums from The Band and The Kinks, a bit of Country Michael Nesmith, and several AM soul hits that did make me think of high school. I then added several Top 10 radio hits from August, 1972 just to round it out a bit. Don't worry I didn't add #3 Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) onto the list.

I think this week's a pick and choose playlist even for me. 

Enjoy my friends!

Bob Dylan Covers • Volume I

The Covers Series: 

Interpretation and the "Traditional Folk Song" • The Singer as Interpreter 
Singer-Songwriters Covering Singer-Songwriters • Beatles Covers (Vol. I)
Bob Dylan Covers (Vol. I) • Joni Mitchell Covers (Vol. I)

The Byrds performing Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me

I'm not sleepy and there is no place I'm going to

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me

In the jingle jangle morning I'll come followin' you

–Bob Dylan

Now you would think that I would go into a little depth about Bob Dylan and how many artists have covered his songs for 60 years. I guess he's probably the most covered artist in music history in the sense that he's written 623 songs as of this posting that encompass an amazing scope in the sheer quality and craft of this American treasure. In 2020, Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music for 300 million, and in 2021 sold all of his recorded Music to Sony for 200 million. 

But, as I started putting together this first round of Dylan covers (I stopped at 25), it became quickly apparent that my love for The Byrds was going to dominate this first volume. How could it not?

When Bob Dylan was invited to hear The Byrds record their first album, Mr. Tambourine Man in 1965 that features four Bob Dylan songs, he was impressed and undoubtedly influenced with their electric sound that would have him quickly picking up an electric guitar shortly after. 

The Beatles influence and specifically their use of  Rickenbacker guitars combined with Dylan's songwriting created The Byrds, and the birth of folk rock. For me, Roger McGuinn's "jangly" 12 string Rickenbacker, his lead vocal combined with the band's wonderful harmonies is uniquely magical. The original Byrds line up only lasted from 1964-67, but it greatly influenced rock 'n' roll from that point moving forward and like so many other young people, turned our heads toward Mr. Dylan himself.

Note- I will of course have not included your favorite Dylan cover here. I do read all your blog comments and MMM's Twitter and Facebook, so let me know what they are, as I have already started a Bob Dylan Covers • Volume II playlist for a future post. 

Enjoy my friends!

#BestSongIHeardToday • Volume 14

A 1965 Santa Maria postcard I found on the Internet, and my longstading MMM Facebook & Twitter header.

Your musical taste came from somewhere, born at a time in a city or town that shaped you. 

The popular music that came into your life as a child and teenager is like a date stamp for your generation. For boomers like me, that is most emblematic in one date, Sunday 9pm February 9th, 1964, The Ed Sullivan Show. I think you can guess the band that were the musical guests on that night, The Beatles.

I remember being with our family friends, the Reyburn's that night and being with Steve Reyburn who was my age at 8 years old (both just shy of our 9th birthdays).

Now jump ahead to the summer of 1972. I'm in Steve's car somewhere along Highway 1 heading back to a beach camp location where both of our parents were camping together. Steve has an 8-track tape deck in the dash and of all things on this earth, he puts in a Jackson's Five tape! I nearly fell out of my seat in disbelief (A B C, It's easy as 1 2 3, as simple as Do re mi).

How could two teenagers from basically the same community environment be worlds apart in our musical tastes? Well by 1972, we both had a different set of friends, and obviously one was still married to AM radio, and the other had an album collection.

The older I get, I like to think that my taste spans many genres of music. But as I reflect back to that summer 50 years ago, when it gets down to it, it's really those very specific bands and artists from folk to rock, shared with my friends, that endures today with that beautiful date stamp.

So what brings you here to read this blog? And if I'm so fortunate, why are you taking the time to listen to some or all of the songs in my playlist?

Well, no matter where you came from, one thing's for certain, we have a connection. Maybe the first three songs in this week's playlist are good examples of some of the factors that bond us a little more together from the herd, and bring us a little closer to understanding what's this world's about. At the very least, we have similar tastes in music to help us along our way.

Enjoy my friends,

Summer Tunes 2022

Summer Tunes  2018 & 2019 • 2022 • 2023

I'm listening  to the Norah Jones song, Toes and it just hits me, why haven't I created a summer mix playlist every summer like I've done with my Christmas Mix since 2015? 

Wait a minute, let the old brain clear out the cobwebs, actually I've kind of done that. I went back into the MMM archives and sure enough found that I had built up a playlist over a couple of summers in 2018 and 2019 called, Summer Tunes. I cleaned out the deleted files and cut the playlist down to just under 100 songs. 

Then, I created a new playlist for 2022 as I'm a little late to the party publishing this new summer playlist in August, but I think it's worth the wait. 

I would suggest you have a little OUTDOOR summer barbecue this month with only people in your inner circle because of the BA 5 thing, and play both playlists at your party! 

I have even embedded both playlists right here because you'll have had several drinks at your party, and won't be able to find the other one.

Enjoy my friends! Hope I can remember to make a new playlist next summer? 

Hey, where's my drink!

Dug;s Wurl Famuss Strwbary Banannna Smotieh

1. Find a blendr

   

   Covid Summer Bummer
   2020 Cocktails 
   with the Family

   
   
2. In the frig- find the Strwberry Margrrrrita miX - poor whatevr amoun in
3. find the Frezzzr
4. 50-50 chAnce, there will b a bag of frozn bananassss and maybe strawberries too, cuz in summer all the Costico fruit goes bad unles u freeeez it - Put the frozn frut in - maybe sum ice cUbes 2
5. somewear On the counter their wil be tequila or my fav, Ketel ONE vodca - Pour in wahtever
6. Dn't forget tu put on the lid -
   I hate wehn that happins
7. Turn on teh radio I mean blender
8. you Might hav to TilT it bac and rok it back and fourth to brak up the frozen stouf
9. pur carfully Enjoy!
10. Drink, but do nut drive my friedns- Happi Sumner!

p.s The drunk I mean drink aT the top is MK's grapfrut wodka, not my dreek. 

Summer Tunes 2022

Summer Tunes 2018 & 2019

Summer Tunes 2023