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Entries categorized as “Friday MP3 Shuffle” 276 results
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Duane Eddy Edition
Today, let’s give birthday wishes to the king of the twang guitar, Duane Eddy. Eddy hooked up with Lee Hazlewood on a series of classic instrumentals in the late ‘50s. In order to get the proper echo for Eddy’s records, Hazlewood purchased a 2000 gallon water tank for Duane to record in. This only added to robust instrumental classics like “Rebel Rouser”, his version of the Peter Gunn theme and “Cannonball”. Eddy amassed 15 Top 40 hits in all, and is one of the most influential guitarists of the pre-Beatles era. He is still active today, and just last year, released an album produced by one of his disciples, Richard Hawley. In honor of Mr. Eddy, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—In Memory of Scott Miller Edition
Monday, a cult figure in power pop passed on. In the early ‘80s, Bay Area musician Scott Miller formed Game Theory. The heady name was a bit of a give away – Miller and crew conjured up some of the brainiest power pop ever created. Taking cues from Big Star’s Radio City, The Beatles, The Raspberries, Brian Eno and other art poppers, Miller managed to marry strong melodies and oddball hooks to dense lyrics that sometimes had a James Joyce influence. Taking a break after Game Theory, he formed The Loud Family which found him further exploring his muse. He was planning the first new Game Theory record in about 25 years when he died this past Monday. While neither of his band’s never made it, Miller was influential – some of his acolytes include Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt, Aimee Mann and Carl Newman of The New Pornographers. In honor of the later Mr. Miller, please get out your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Sarah Cracknell Edition
Sarah Cracknell exudes class and elegance, in a low key manner. Moreover, she is seemingly ageless. The Saint Etienne frontwoman is the perfect fit for the urbane dance and pop music her bandmates Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have put together for over two decades, though they tried out some other singers before realizing how perfect she was. She emphasizes interpretation of lyrics and engagement in the material, exuding warmth and a sophistication that is down-to-earth rather than elitist. Let’s celebrate her birthday in style, by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—In Memory of Roger Ebert Edition
Roger Ebert was the first Pulitzer Prize winning film critic and the reason for that is no mystery. He was simply a wonderful writer. He just happened to write about film (and later, on his blog, many, many other things), with such an expressive voice. Even before he teamed up with Gene Siskel to co-host the influential At The Movies, Ebert was already showing, on a weekly basis, how to make real film criticism accessible to everyone. Thanks to Ebert and Siskel, more indie films got a shot at success, obscure directors and actors became famous, and moviegoers became more aware of things like product placement and letterboxing versus pan and scan.
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Perry Farrell Edition
Jane’s Addiction built an audience organically, offering a fresh take on Led Zeppelin-styled hard rock with a compelling, albeit limited, lead vocalist, Perry Farrell. No one could have suspected that Farrell would become a major music entrepreneur. He started the Lollapalooza package tours back in 1991, and they were an immediate hit, cleverly realizing that he could find bands that by themselves might not fill a shed, but together could draw a crowd of alt-rock fans. After that ran its course, Farrell shrewdly picked up on the fact that stand alone festivals were picking up steam and he brought back his brand and planted a flag on the lakefront here in Chicago. For better or for worse, Lollapalooza, combined with the earlier Pitchfork Festival, makes Chicago the center of cool music in the summer. Let’s pay tribute to Perry on his birthday by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.