Thanks for helping us hit $50K You can still donate! →
Thanks for helping us hit $50K You can still donate! →
Requests? 773-DJ-SONGS or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Today we celebrate one of the major figures in ‘80s rock, Peter Buck, the lead guitarist of R.E.M.. The rise of R.E.M. is effectively the rise of college radio and indie music gaining a foothold in the mainstream. I first saw R.E.M. in a cafeteria in the student center at Southern Illinois University and it was about seven or eight years later that they were headlining the Rosemont Horizon. And they did it their way. Buck was a figurehead for how could maintain integrity while achieving commercial success. Along the way, Buck and his bandmates tried to help out fellow travelers, giving opening slots to great acts like The dB’s, Minutemen and Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians. Now that R.E.M. is no more, Buck still plays bass for The Baseball Project and does whatever it is he does. He’s just a cool guy. So wish Pete a happy birthday by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
Steven Van Zandt was a Jersey rock ‘n’ roller, who helped found Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. Then, in 1975, his old buddy Bruce Springsteen called, needing help on coming up with a horn arrangement for “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”. Van Zandt, a soul music junkie, did his job there and then helped The Boss come up with the main guitar line for “Born to Run”. After those contributions, it wasn’t too long before Van Zandt joined the E Street Band on tour, where he has become a constant beside Bruce on his full band tours. Steven is not just a sidekick, releasing two fine albums as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul in the ‘80s. Anyone who can write a reggae tune good enough that Steel Pulse covered it (“Solidarity”) has some talent. And beyond that, Steven became an icon as Tony Soprano’s right hand man on The Sopranos and keeps garage rock alive on his syndicated radio program. Just recently, he put together a theatrical show that reunited the great blue eyed soul band The Rascals. Little Steven has been a big man in rock history. Let’s pay tribute to Steven by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
Today let’s celebrate the birthday of Roy Wood, an innovator in the ‘60s and ‘70s with The Move and the original Electric Light Orchestra. Wood came out of Birmingham, playing in a forerunner of The Idle Race, a band later led by Jeff Lynne. Wood then formed The Move, who had a hit with their first single, “Night of Fear”. The Move song “Flowers in the Rain” was the first track played on BBC Radio 1. They also had classics like the psych-pop wonder “Blackberry Way” (their sole UK #1) and the proto-glam rock of “Wild Tiger Woman”. Later, Jeff Lynne joined The Move, which led to classics like Lynne’s “Do Ya” and two songs that later loomed large for Cheap Trick, “California Man” and “Brontosaurus”. Eventually, Lynne, Wood and Bev Bevan formed Electric Light Orchestra, at the time more prog than pop. Wood then left to form Wizzard, a fascinating band that alternated poppy glam singles like “I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday” with arty albums. Roy eventually went solo and resurfaces with odd things like front a nine-woman all-saxophone backing band. In honor or Mr. Wood, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.
Today we wish a happy birthday to a major figure in American indie rock, Calvin Johnson. Johnson is probably best known for his band Beat Happening, one of many bands that he founded, along with K Records. Johnson, his bands and the artists on his label, had a low-fi sound that was twee and rudimentary. It wasn’t just DIY, it was anybody could do it. They were extremely influential. Johnson has worked on other interesting projects, like the dance oriented Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Halo Benders, a collaboration with Doug Martsch of Built To Spill. In honor of Calvin Johnson, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.