Jive Talkin'

CD Review - Sharif

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Sharif - Kisses and Lies

Release Date: 2008

Genre: Alt Country/Roots/Americana/

SonicJive: http://www.sonicjive.com/sharif

Format: CD

Label: Sharif (self-labeled)

Total Time: 56:32

Reviewed: 14-November-2009

Track Listing:

01. Far From You 4:47

02. Dark Side Of The Dawn 4:05

03. Another Wasted Rose 4:11

04. Worth The Fall 4:34

05. By Your Side 3:37

06. Oceans Of Trouble 3:35

07. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight 3:35

08. Deeper In Her Arms 3:54

09. Memories Like A Melody 4:10

10. The Price You Pay 4:30

11. Won't Go Home Without You 3:55

12. Do I Want You Enough 4:06

13. Moment Of Trust 4:28

14. I Won't Need Your Kisses Anymore 3:05

Review:

Simply sublime, Sharif has talent in its truest form - he has a natural gift for captivating the listener without overplaying his hand. On Kisses and Lies, lyrically and thematically, Sharif picks up where Gram Parsons unfortunately left off. This is not to adjudicate that he is a copy or cover act by any means. He is original, special and inspirited, which may be his greatest similarity to Parsons. Sharif remains ensconced in the roots of the alt. country/folk/americana sound yet with a more modern and uptempo motif. Kisses and Lies is filled with the obligatory discourse often associated with this genre; heartbreak, women, alcohol, etc., but Sharif keeps it fresh, succeeding by using a tried and true precept without sounding, well, tried and true.

Kisses and Lies (the third release by Sharif) was written, produced and arranged with an elegant grace and an air of simplicity. For example, on "Worth The Fall", the hushed guitar combined with the gazing vocals of Sharif and the simply crafted lyrics combine to beautiful effect. "Dark Side Of The Dawn", featuring Rhett Miller, offers brilliant harmonies and is so deceptively humble that it feels at once unobtrusively familiar yet assertively original. "Far From You" is wonderfully absorbing and genuine. This is one of those songs that begs the listener to claim ownership, sharing it with others yet defiantly claiming it as one's personal statement. The Hank Williams-inspired "I Won't Need Your Kisses Anymore" is an acoustic treasure, lemon-bitter lyrically with a sweet old-school musical twist. This is a great departure from the rest of the disc. If I could make one suggestion, I would have moved the song up in the track hierarchy, as it deserves to be noticed. On the other hand, if you are listening, it is definitely worth the wait. "Another Wasted Rose" is the crowning point of the disc and is indeed a song that even Parsons himself would be proud to own. It is sadly beautiful and simply spectacular.

This self-produced effort features a veritable all-star backing of A-list musical talent. His backing band includes Tim Bradshaw (John Mayer, David Gray), Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams), Mark Goldenberg (Jackson Browne, Ringo Starr), Stewart Miles (Jason Mraz, Lifehouse, Shawn Colvin) and Brian Jones (Mandy Moore, Liz Phair). Additionally, inspired appearances by Rhett Miller (The Old 97’s) and Robb MacLean (Limbeck) on backing vocals offer added bonus . The fact that the LP is indeed self-produced with this peer group should serve to open a lot of eyes and ears to the talent of Sharif.

Sharif is an astounding talent. His vocals are honest and rootsy. His songwriting is unaffected and honest and lies simply in thought and process, a refreshing interchange to the often over-complicated sound so preeminent in music today. It's rare in musical composition that as a listener one can find a friend, a drinking buddy and a confidante. Sharif provides a steadfast soul and resolute voice with which to ally. Kisses and Lies feels like a late night drive with a most trusted friend, wherein the listener prefers to take the long way home just to enjoy the company.

Michael Canter, www.sonicjive.com

This Day In Music 11/14

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:35:00 +0000

1987 - Sonny & Cher reunite on "Late Nite With David Letterman" on NBC-TV.

1990 - The Who's Pete Townshend confessed his bisexuality to Newsweek.

1991 - Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video premieres on FOX TV.

1992 - John Cascella, keyboardist of John Mellencamp's band, was found dead in his car in Indiana. It is believed that he died of a heart attack.

1995 - Controversial rappers Tha Dogg Pound enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 with "Dogg Food." Rappers rule the week's Top 10 with Cypress Hill's "Cypress Hill III" debuting in third, and Eight Ball and MG debuting at No. 8 with "On Top of the World."

1996 - Michael Jackson marries his former nurse and the mother of his child (it lasts three years).

1997 - Though it's not a sell-out, the Bee Gees' show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas still manages to gross a stunning $1,681,100. Tickets ranging in price from $50-$300 give the Arena its highest gross of the year.

1999 - EMI Music Distribution begins offering retailers a $3 rebate on each unit sold of the latest Garth Brooks album "In... The Life Of Chris Gaines," in order to boost sales. In exchange for the rebate, retailers are asked to lower the price of the Capitol album - which lists for $17.98 on CD - as low as possible.

2000 - As promised, the Offspring give away $1 million of its own money to a lucky fan. Two finalists in the band's online giveaway, where fans who downloaded the song "Original Prankster" were automatically entered, appear on MTV's "Total Request Live" to compete in a trivia contest to determine who will take the prize. 14-year-old Ashley Hitchcock wins, correctly identifying Noodles as the oldest member of the band.

2000 - The trial of Michael Abram began. He had attacked George Harrison and his wife in their home in Britain on December 30, 1999.

2000 - Marilyn Manson's released "Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)." The cover of the album was banned by several retail chains due to the cover art. The banning chains released an alternate cover. The cover depicts Manson on a crucifix.

2004 - Country music crosses over as Toby Keith claims two trophies at the American Music Awards, held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Other country winners include Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson, Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire.

Birthdays:

1944 Scherrie Payne of The Supremes
1948 James Young of Styx
1951 Stephen Bishop
1954 Yanni
1956 Alec John Such of Bon Jovi

Lyric Of The Day:

"Times are hard
You're afraid to pay the fee
So you find yourself somebody
Who can do the job for free
When you need a bit of lovin'
Cause your man is out of town
That's the time you get me runnin'
And you know I'll be around."
-- Steely Dan, Dirty Work

Quote Of The Day:

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side. "
-- Hunter S. Thompson

Steely Dan: Four Decades

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:45:00 +0000

Steely Dan has been more of a conceptual framework for inventive music-making than a typical rock band. Spearheaded by a pair of resourceful musical auteurs – Donald Fagen and Walter Becker - they have done nothing by the books since launching Steely Dan in 1972. The band’s very name is a scatological reference from a novel by Beat Generation anti-hero William Burroughs. Rolling Stone magazine has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the Seventies."

Steely Dan is arguably one of the greatest bands of the 1970s, crafting a wry, nuanced and hyper-literate series of albums - seven in all, released from 1972 to 1980 - that are highly regarded by connoisseurs of pop hooks, jazz harmony and desiccating wit. Though they remain a staple of classic rock radio, Steely Dan has never been a mainstream, hit-making juggernaut. The band only had three certified radio hits (“Do It Again,” “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Hey Nineteen”), and only the LP Aja was certified platinum on first release.

Among their peers of that era, Steely Dan is probably the most publicly hated. Naysayers criticize the chilly sophistry and obsessiveness of Gaucho and the perfectionist jazz-pop modulation of Aja.

Critics also claim that their lyrics are filled with fetish innuendo, crossing sexual boundaries and drug references hidden behind playful melodies that camouflage their lewd and lecherous meanings. Case in point, the song "Everyone's Gone To The Movies";

Kids if you want some fun
Mr. LaPage is your man
He's always laughing, having fun
Showing his films in the den
Come on, come on
Soon you will be eighteen
I think you know what I mean
Don't tell your mama
Your daddy or mama
They'll never know where you been.
-- Everyone's Gone To The Movies

The song's upbeat feel contrasts with the disturbing content of the narrative delivered by Donald Fagen. While no official interpretation of the song exists (since neither Fagen nor Walter Becker has as yet stated the meaning outright), the theme is clear: Mr. LaPage comes on to underage girls by showing them pornographic movies while their parents are away.

"Our songwriting is always a balancing act: Songs can't be too funny, they can't be too obscene, they can't be too nasty, they can't be too pretentious. We have to sort of try and juggle the different elements that we're using in the songs, and I think we've learned how to do that over the years so that the songs will sort of work on a bunch of different levels at once. You can listen to them one way and hear one thing, and you can listen to them one way and hear something different."
-- Walter Becker

Trying to annotate a Steely Dan song is next to impossible. No one knows what goes on in the minds of the creative duo. For the most part, Becker and Fagen treat songwriting like a Nabokovian game, laughing as they scatter ambiguous messages. Their opaque lyrics are filled with cryptic references, bizarre characters, inside jokes, black comedy and bitter cynicism. But the melodies are extremely catchy, and that is why they are truly underrated as one of the great groups of their era.

Beginnings

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker met at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1967. Fagen was passing by a cafe called The Red Balloon when he heard Becker rehearsing the electric guitar. He would later recount the experience during an interview: "I hear this guy practicing, and it sounded very professional and contemporary. It sounded like, you know, like a black person, really." He immediately introduced himself to Becker, and asked him "Do you want to be in a band?"

Bonding over a shared love of Dylan, jazz, and beat literature, they set out to become professional songwriters and soon began playing with local groups. One of these bands, first known as The Bad Rock Group and later as The Leather Canary, included future comedy star Chevy Chase on drums.

After serving as touring musicians with Jay and the Americans and trying their hand as staff songwriters, they left New York and formed Steely Dan in Los Angeles as an outlet for a growing backlog of offbeat, original material that no one else seemed inclined to record.

I remember the thirty-five sweet goodbyes
When you put me on the Wolverine
Up to Annandale
It was still September
When your daddy was quite surprised
To find you with the working girls
In the county jail
I was smoking with the boys upstairs
When I heard about the whole affair
I said oh no
William and Mary won't do
Well I did not think the girl
Could be so cruel
And I'm never going back
To my old school.
-- My Old School

In its March 24, 2006 edition, Entertainment Weekly details a return trip to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York by Donald Fagen, in which he describes a raid by sheriff's deputies in September 1969 where Fagen, Becker, and some 50 other students were arrested. Charges were dropped, but the harassment was the origin of the grudge alluded to in "My Old School." Fagen was reportedly so upset with the school being complicit with the arrests that he refused to attend graduation. The line "It was still September/When your daddy was quite surprised/To find you with the working girls in the county jail" refers to Fagen's girlfriend at the time, Dorothy White, who was arrested with the group.

The same article speculates that a Bard professor's wife, Rikki Ducornet, was the inspiration for "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." Fagen won't admit it — he's always been extremely reluctant to explain his songs — but it's easy to imagine that Ducornet was the inspiration for one of his band's most famous tunes.

We hear you're leaving, that's OK
I thought our little wild time had just begun
I guess you kind of scared yourself, you turn and run
But if you have a change of heart
Rikki don't lose that number....
--Rikki Don't Lose That Number

"I remember we had a great conversation and he did suggest I call him, which never happened," says Ducornet, now a well-regarded novelist and artist. "But I know he thought I was cute. And I was cute," she laughs. "I was very tempted to call him, but I thought it might be a bit risky. I was very enchanted with him and with the music. It was so evident from the get-go that he was wildly talented. Being a young faculty wife and, I believe, pregnant at the time, I behaved myself, let's say. Years later, I walked into a record store and heard his voice and thought, 'That's Fagen. And that's my name!'"

Rikki Ducornet

The Wordsmiths

"Most people are not interested in the kind of harmonies we use or are not interested in using elements that suggest jazz or pop music that dates before rock and roll. I think what we do is quirky enough in a lot of ways that it's only a good idea to be inspired by it in the most general sort of way. It's like Thelonious Monk is another example. Not to compare what we do with Thelonious Monk, but he's an example of somebody that I think has been inspirational to many musicians in a variety of ways, but generally speaking, you don't hear anybody doing anything that sounds like Thelonious Monk for the same reason. It would just be silly."
-- Walter Becker

Beneath the highly polished surface of Steely Dan’s music, astute listeners could hear a visceral love of and identification with the very soul of jazz. Fagen and Becker referenced Duke Ellington, Stan Getz and Horace Silver at least as much as any rock-oriented source material. Even so, there was a certain accessible quality to songs like “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again” and “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” that allowed Steely Dan to connect with rock fans, especially those who were college-aged and educated.

The irony is that many Steely Dan fans are drawn to the melodies rather than the lyrics. And herein lies the greatness of Steely Dan: they wrote complex, mysterious songs disguised as catchy pop tunes. They’re approachable and subversive at the same time.

"When Donald and I independently started to move away from jazz and into the field of pop music, it was basically because it seemed like the door was being thrown open in pop music to a much wider and deeper kind of writing, particularly of lyrics. That was because of Bob Dylan and other more ambitious songwriters of the day, so that was the deal we had with pop music: We could do something a little bit beyond the minimal thing that had been happening for a long time."
-- Walter Becker

Your everlasting summer
You can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something
That you think is gonna last
You wouldn't know a diamond
If you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious
I can't understand
Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gatherin' up the tears
Have you had enough of mine
-- Reelin' In The Years

Historic Podcast #045

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Listener Supported Radio is back at SonicJive.com - I will be hosting a weekly broadcast featuring the latest and greatest songs in the SonicJive.com database. If you are interested in airplay please e-mail your mp3 to info at SonicJive.com -- Stop by to listen at www.sonicjive.com/sonicjivelive and visit this week's Jive Babe Jenna..

Show Set List "13 November 2009"
Historic Show #045
Featured Artist: Bronze Radio Return

01. Light At The End Of The Tunnel
by The Bloodsugars
02. Lo-Fi by Bronze Radio Return
03. serpentile by theendisthebeginning
04. Let It Go by Highway Blonde
05. Putting Out The APB by Ana Popovic
06. Northern Spy by Billy Gewin
07. Jesus, etc. by Wilco
08. Portland, Maine by String Bone
09. Drunken Angel by Lucinda Williams
10. Armies by Anton Mink
11. We're Gonna Make It by The Orange Peels
12. Digital Love by Bronze Radio Return
13. Crime Of Passion by Hunters & Collectors
14. Creatures Of The Night by Pie Boys Flat
15. Sun Comes Out by The Parlotones
16. A Letter by Shauna Burns
17. Make You Crazy (ft. Femi Kuti) by Brett Dennen
18. 23 by Blonde Redhead
19. Stars by Erika Jayne
20. She Said by Lissy Trullie
21. Simple Beauty by The Jane Carrey Band
22. David Duchovny by Bree Sharp
23. Everywhere by Astronauts Of Antiquity
24. Lebanese Blonde by Thievery Corporation
25. Son's Gonna Rise by Citizen Cope
26. Worth Wondering by Bronze Radio Return
27. Empire by Trampled By Turtles
28. The Mexican by Off The Cuff
29. Glow by Felix Jones
30. Late Night Radio by Scott Woods

Meet Jenna........

This Day In Music 11/13

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:43:00 +0000

1960 - Sammy Davis, Jr. marries actress May Britt. At that time interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states, and only in 1967 those law were abolished by US Supreme Court.

1968 - The Beatles' animated movie "Yellow Submarine" premiered in the U.S.

1973 - Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr. was killed in a highway accident near Hernando, MS.

1974 - A person posing as Deep Purple guitar player Ritchie Blackmore smashed up a borrowed Porsche in Iowa City.

1975 - Hank Williams Jr. undergoes four hours of plastic and oral surgery at Nashville's Baptist Hospital to repair damages from a 500-foot fall in an August mountain accident.

1985 - At New York's Whitney Museum, an exhibition opened celebrating Bob Dylan's 25 years in the music industry.

1987 - "I Think We're Alone Now," by Tiffany becomes a number one hit, and Tiffany is the first performer to achieve that status who was born in the 1970's (10/02/71).

1992 - Elton John performed in Mexico for the first time for 90,000 people in Mexico City.

1995 - M.C. Hammer played a benefit in Moscow for Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's political party, Our Home Is Russia.

1997 - Things get ugly for the Spice Girls in Barcelona at the 44th Premios Ondas Awards. The industry crowd boos throughout the cheeky quintet's lip-synched performance of "Spice Up Your Life," after it is announced that the Girls would not perform while photographers were present.

1997 - Ray Charles conducts his first-ever online chat at www.rhino.com. The pop music legend fields questions about his recently released, five-CD boxed set, "Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection."

1998 - "Michael Jackson Month" is declared in Los Angeles.

1998 - Pianist Kenny Kirkland, 43, dies in New York of a heart attack. Kirkland was in the jazz bands of Wynton and Branford Marsalis. In 1985, he joined Sting's band, and in the '90s was in the "Tonight Show" band.

1999 - Donald Mills, the last surviving member of legendary family vocal group the Mills Brothers, dies in Los Angeles due to complications from pneumonia. He is 84.

2000 - Elton John released his live album "One Night Only." It was recorded at Madison Square Garden only 22 days before.

2000 - The Beatles sanction their first official Web site, www.thebeatles.com. The site launches in conjunction with the U.K. release of "1," a compilation of 27 British and U.S. No. 1 tracks.

2000 - Trisha Yearwood donates a Starlight Fun Center to Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital. The mobile entertainment center includes a TV monitor, VCR and Nintendo 64 game unit, and can be rolled up next to a child's bed.

2005 - Paul McCartney wakes up the space shuttle astronauts by singing "Good Day Sunshine" to them live from his concert in Anaheim, California.

2005 - The New York premiere of the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line" at the Beacon Theatre draws Kris Kristofferson, Gretchen Wilson, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes, Van Zant, Brooks & Dunn, Billy Currington, Dierks Bentley, Lonestar and Sara Evans, among others.

Birthdays:

1949 Roger Steen of The Tubes
1951 Bill Gibson of Huey Lewis & The News
1953 Andy "the Clobberer" Ranken of The Pogues
1954 Jeannie Kendall of The Kendalls
1956 Aldo Nova

Lyric Of The Day:

"The green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you, must be out of their mind
Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
Honey you should know
That I could never go on without you."
-- Coldplay, Green Eyes

Quote Of The Day:

"Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing."
-- Quincy Jones

Friday Flashback 1990

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:23:00 +0000

Every Friday, SonicJive.com presents it's four hour podcast featuring all the great music from one year. This week we focus on 1990. You can listen at www.sonicjive.com/fridayflashback

TO HEAR ARCHIVED SHOWS CLICK "POSTS" ON THE PLAYER AND SELECT THE SHOW YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR

Featured Artists The Replacements & Depeche Mode

Purchase MP3's From Amazon.com

1990 Set List - Hour 1

01. Policy Of Truth by Depeche Mode
02. Ball & Chain by Social Distortion
03. Cuts You Up by Peter Murphy
04. Merry Go Round by The Replacements
05. Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
06. The Only One I Know by Charlatans UK
07. Jealous Again by The Black Crowes
08. Book Of Dreams by Suzanne Vega
09. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde
10. Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-lite
11. November Spawned A Monster by Morrissey
12. Loaded by Primal Scream
13. I'm Free by The Soup Dragons ft. Junior Reid
14. The Promise by When In Rome

1990 Set List - Hour 2

01. Attitude by The Replacements
02. I Need Love by Sam Phillips
03. Get A Life by Soul II Soul
04. Hippychick by Soho
05. Tom's Diner by DNA ft Suzanne Vega
06. Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
07. Pure by Lightning Seeds
08. Advice For The Young At Heart by Tears For Fears
09. Right Here Right Now by Jesus Jones
10. Night & Day by U2
11. Hold On by Wilson Phillips
12. Poison by Bell Biv Devoe
13. Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul
14. Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice
15. Everybody Everybody by Black Box

All Shook Down by The Replacements was a critically acclaimed album in 1990

1990 Set List - Hour 3

01. The Power by Snap!
02. Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns by Mother Love Bone.
03. This And That by Michael Penn
04. When It Began by The Replacements
05. Roam by The B-52s
06. World In My Eyes by Depeche Mode
07. Star by Erasure
08. Here's Where The Story Ends by The Sundays
09. Unbelievable by EMF
10. Solace Of You by Living Colour
11. Still Got The Blues by Gary Moore
12. Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
13. Metropolis by The Church

1990 Set List - Hour 4

01. Way Down Now by World Party
02. Crime Of Passion by Hunters & Collectors
03. Head Like Hole by Nine Inch Nails
04. Kool Thing by Sonic Youth
05. Breath by Pearl Jam
06. Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
07. Dyslexic Heart by Paul Westerberg
08. Someone Take The Wheel by The Replacements
09. Been Caught Stealing (Live Version) by Jane's Addiction
10. Love Rears It's Ugly Head by Living Colour
11. Sadness Part I by Enigma
12. Justify My Love by Madonna
13. Real Real Gone by Van Morrison

1990: Billionaire falls for a hooker in 'Pretty Woman'

'Birdhouse In Your Soul' was released in March 1990 as a single from the album Flood. It remains their highest-charting single in both the US & the UK. The song is sung from the point of view of a nightlight.

1990 EVENTS

Time Warner is formed from the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. (January 10)

Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia. (January 13)

In Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting. (January 18)

The first McDonald's in Moscow, Russia opens. (January 31)

Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town, South Africa, after 27 years behind bars. (February 11)

German reunification: An agreement is reached for a two-stage plan to reunite Germany. (February 13)

The USSR agrees to withdraw all 73,500 troops from Czechoslovakia by July, 1991. (February 25)

An SR-71 sets a U.S. transcontinental speed record of 1 hour 8 minutes 17 seconds, on what is publicized as its last official flight. (March 6)

Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and Hispanic American to serve in that position. (March 9)

Lithuania declares independence from the Soviet Union with the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. (March 11)

Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first executive president of the Soviet Union. (March 15)

Twelve paintings, collectively worth from $100 to $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts by 2 thieves posing as police officers. This is the largest art theft in US history. (March 18)

U.S. President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.(March 28)

A massive anti-poll tax demonstration in Trafalgar Square, London, turns into a riot; 471 people are injured, and 341 arrested. (March 31)

The longest prison riot in Britain's history begins at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, and continues for 3 weeks and 3 days, until April 25. (April 1)

Robert Mapplethorpe's "The Perfect Moment" show of nude and homosexual photographs opens at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center, in spite of accusations of indecency by Citizens for Community Values. (April 6)

Jim Henson dies at 1:21 a.m. from organ failure at the age of 53 at New York Hospital. (May 16)

U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production and begin destroying their respective stocks. (June 1)

The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 88 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12; 37 tornadoes occur in Indiana, eclipsing the previous record of 21 during the Super Outbreak of April 1974. (June 2)

U.S. President Bush breaks his 1988 'no new taxes' campaign pledge, accepting tax revenue increases as a necessity to reduce the budget deficit. This will greatly decrease his popularity in subsequent years. (June 28)

A Provisional Irish Republican Army car bomb kills former British politician and former Member of Parliament Ian Gow outside his home in England. (July 30)

Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War. (August 2)

The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to its invasion of Kuwait. (August 6)

Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. (August 19)

The Plainfield Tornado (F5 on the Fujita scale) strikes the towns of Plainfield, Crest Hill, and Joliet, Illinois, killing 29 people (the strongest tornado to date to strike the Chicago Metropolitan Area). (August 28)

President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech in which he threatens the use of force to remove Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait. (September 11)

The Provisional Irish Republican Army tries to assassinate Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Terry at his home near Stafford, England. Hit by at least 9 bullets, the former Governor of Gibraltar survives. (September 19)

Cold War: East Germany and West Germany reunify into a single Germany. (October 3)

Lech Wałęsa and Stanisław Tymiński win the first round of the first presidential elections in Poland. (November 25)

The United Nations Security Council passes UN Security Council Resolution 678, authorizing military intervention in Iraq if that nation does not withdraw its forces from Kuwait and free all foreign hostages by Tuesday, January 15, 1991. (November 29)

Slobodan Milošević becomes President of Serbia. (December 9)

American mob boss John Gotti is arrested. (December 11)

World population: 5,263,593,000 (December 31)

Grammy Award: "Another Day in Paradise," Phil Collins

Grammy Award: Album of the Year: Back on the Block, Quincy Jones (Qwest/Warner Bros.)

Grammy Award: Song of the Year: "From a Distance," Julie Gold, songwriter

Academy Award: Best Picture: Dances With Wolves, Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner, producers (Orion)

Miss America: Debbye Turner (MO)

Our Top Ten Movies Of 1990

01. Die Hard 2
02. Goodfellas
03, Home Alone
04. Pretty Woman
05. Days Of Thunder
06. Pump Up The Volume
07. Arachnophobia
08. The Hunt For Red October
09. Total Recall
10. Ghost

Our Top Ten Albums Of 1990

01. Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
02. The Replacements - All Shook Down
03. Depeche Mode - Violator
04. Sonic Youth - Goo
05. Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
06. World Party - Goodbye Jumbo
07. Living Colour - Time's Up
08. The Black Crowes - Shake Your Moneymaker
09. Uncle Tupelo - No Depression
10. Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

KROQ 106.7 FM Top Ten Songs of 1990

01. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
02. Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode
03. Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
04. Pictures Of You - The Cure
05. Fools Gold - The Stone Roses
06. Epic (What It Is) - Faith No More
07. Only Tongue Can Tell - Trash Can Sinatras
08. Ball And Chain - Social Distortion
09. Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
10. Blue Sky Mine - Midnight Oil

Died In 1990:

January 7 – Bronko Nagurski, football player
## January 25 – Ava Gardner, American actress
April 3 – Sarah Vaughan, American jazz vocalist
April 8 – Ryan White, American AIDS activist
April 15 – Greta Garbo, Swedish actress
May 16 – Sammy Davis Jr., actor, dancer, and singer
May 16 – Jim Henson, puppeteer and filmmaker
May 22 – Rocky Graziano, American boxer
July 26 – Brent Mydland, keyboard player
August 27 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, guitarist
October 14 – Leonard Bernstein, composer and conductor
October 16 – Art Blakey jazz musician
December 15 – Edmund Parker, American Kenpo founder

Next Week: 1974

This Day In Music 11/12

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:26:00 +0000

1931 - The Abbey Road recording studio in London opens.

1946 - Walt Disney's "Song Of South" is released.

1966 - Hollywood's Sunset Strip riots on this date provide the inspiration for Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth".

1970 - The Doors made their last appearance with Jim Morrison in New Orleans.

1979 - Marty Balin's rock opera, "Rock Justice" opens a four-day run at San Francisco's Old Waldorf night club.

1984 - Madonna releases her sophomore album, "Like A Virgin." It becomes the Material Girl's biggest album. The title track spends six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard singles chart and spawns the top 5 singles "Material Girl," "Angel" and "Dress You Up." It also launches an army of lingerie-clad pre-teen Madonna wannabes.

1985 - Marty McFly time-travels to this date in 1955 in the movie "Back To The Future".

1987 - Sly Stone is arrested for nonpayment of child support when he arrives an hour late for his "comeback" concert in LA.

1990 - Ron Wood, of the Rolling Stones, was injured when he was struck by a car near London.

1992 - Billy Ray Cyrus becomes the first country artist to ship 5 million copies of his debut album, with the latest certification of "Some Gave All" .

1993 - Michael Jackson canceled a world tour, saying that he had a dependence on painkillers.

1997 - Rainer Ptacek, the subject of the star-studded Atlantic tribute album "The Inner Flame," dies after a two-year struggle with brain cancer. He is 46. Ptacek is best known for his work with Robert Plant.

1997 - More than $2 million are raised at the Neil Bogart Memorial Fund's 1997 Children's Choice Award dinner honoring Grammy-winning producer/songwriter David Foster. Performers and guests include Az Yet, All-4-One, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman and Cindy Crawford.

1998 - Madonna draws the best female and the best album ("Ray of Light") honors at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards in Milan.

1999 - Kid Rock and Lauryn Hill top the 1999 Billboard Music Video Awards, held at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

1999 - British rock star Gary Glitter, born Paul Francis Gadd, 55, pleads guilty at Bristol Crown Court in England, to 54 counts of taking and possessing indecent photographs of underage children. Glitter is sentenced to four months in jail after admitting to the offenses that took place between January 1997 and November 1997.

2003 - George Strait receives the National Medal of Arts from president George W. Bush and the National Endowment for the Arts in a ceremony at the White House. "Austin City Limits" also becomes the first television program to win the honor.

2004 - Sugarland performs "Baby Girl" during its Grand Ole Opry debut.

Birthdays:

1920 Jo Stafford
1939 Ruby Nash Curtis of Ruby & The Romantics
1943 Brian Hyland
1944 Booker T. Jones of Booker T. & the MG's
1945 Neil Young
1947 Donald Roeser of Blue Oyster Cult
1948 Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate
1955 Leslie McKeown of The Bay City Rollers

Lyric Of The Day:

"Well, we got a party goin' on many spirits strong
Ain't no preacher just a happy to meet ya
Half a bottle 'neath the bed to keep our spirits fed
My hat's off to you, to you and you
And now our brave friends, too, dancing circles through the room
And a broom and a radio and a twistin' out a dos-e-do
Brand new day, the whole world's goin'
Whole room's goin' slow"
--Widespread Panic, Blue Indian

Quote Of The Day:

“Next time you go out for dinner, have a look around the table and if everyone is on your payroll, the chances are you have become a prick.”
-- Bono of U2

UrbanJive Podcast #029

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Listen to the latest R&B, Rap & Hip Hop podcast on SonicJive.com - I will be hosting a weekly broadcast of Urban Jive featuring the latest and greatest songs in the SonicJive.com database. If you are interested in airplay please e-mail your mp3 to info at SonicJive.com.

Stop by to listen at www.sonicjive.com/hiphopcast and visit this week's Fly Girl Mika & friends..

Set List 11/11/2009
NOW A TWO-HOUR SHOW!!!

Featured Artist: Lawanda Michelle

Click image for FREE download

01. Classifieds by Lawanda Michelle
02. Ms. Sexy Hotness by Dondada
03. Sex Shooter by Erika Jayne
04. Put It In Da Air by Papa Reu ft. Rick Ross
05. Sexual Healing by Nitty Gritty ft. Dulaa
06. 2 Step by Fly Gypsy
07. Okie Dokie by K.G.
08. I Am by Mary J. Blige
09. Imma Boss by Young Felony
10. It's About Time by Trigga T.R.I.G.
11. Vibe by Nicki Nichole
12. Speak French by Jamie Foxx ft. Gucci Mane
13. Meiple (Me I Play) by Robin Thicke ft. Jay-Z
14. Worldwide Pimp by Dondada
15. Freak 2Night by Willy Wonk, DJ G-Wiz & Onassis
16. Who's Bumpin' by Digital Underground
17. Let Me Tell Ya by Big Shorty Rte. 40
18. On My 22's by Cincere
19. College Girl by Will Smiff Dogg
20. Wes' Side by Princess Ellis
21. Party Tonite by B-Ezzy
22. Brooklyn by MC Lyte
23. Gotcha Money by Cinnamon Brown ft. Odessah
24. It Ain't Over by Stevie B.
25. Bad Girl by Luxland
26. Love Fantasy by Deadman
27. Ask Why by War Child
28. Fire Burning by Sean Kingston ft. Pitbull
29. Cucala Kuko Alamala by Kuko Alamala ft. Buda
30. VCR Love by J-Hen

This Day In Music 11/11

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Happy Veterans Day!

1938 - Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on network radio.

1963 - Brian Epstein and Ed Sullivan sign a 3 show contract for The Beatles

1968 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear nude on cover of the "2 Virgins" album

1965 - Velvet Underground made its performance debut at a high school dance in Summit, NJ.

1969 - Jim Morrison of the Doors was jailed for "interfering with the flight of an intercontinental aircraft and public drunkenness." The charges were eventually dropped.

1970 - "Plastic Ono Band" was released by John Lennon. The same title was used for the album released by Yoko One on the same day.

1970 - Bob Dylan's book "Tarantula" was published by Bantam Books.

1970 - The Elvis Presley concert film, "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" opens.

1972 - Berry Oakley, of the Allman Brothers, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was 24 years old.

1985 - After 18 years and several name changes, the group Starship scores its first No. 1 hit with "We Built This City," a song originally written by Martin Page for his band Q-Feel.

1989 - Melissa Etheridge and Joe Cocker entertained Germans that were celebrating the newly tumbled Berlin Wall.

1997 - Following in the footsteps of Garth Brooks, Metallica holds a free concert in Philadelphia to celebrate the release of its newest album "Re-Load."

1999 - Singer Brandy was admitted into a hospital in Southern California due to dehydration from overwork.

1999 - Britney Spears is the big winner at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards, held at the Point in Dublin. The teen artist wins best female, best pop, best breakthrough artist and best song for "...Baby One More Time."

Birthdays:

1944 Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods
1945 Chris Dreja of The Yardbirds
1945 Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge
1947 Pat "Dirty" Daugherty of Black Oak Arkansas
1950 Jim Peterik of Survivor & Bud Light Real Men Of Genuis ads
1952 Paul Cowsill of The Cowsills
1953 Andy Partridge of XTC
1956 Ian Craig Marsh of Heaven-17
1970 Derry Brownson of EMF

Lyric Of The Day:

"Some kind of savior singing the blues
A derelict in your duct tape shoes
Your orphan clothes and your long dark hair
Looking like you didn't care"
-- Lucinda Williams, Drunken Angel

Quote Of The Day:

“We live in a connected world now. Some find that frightening. If people are downloading our music, they're listening to it. The internet is like radio for us.”
-- Jeff Tweedy of Wilco

Fire & Rain by James Taylor

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:23:00 +0000

"Fire and Rain" is a folk/rock song written and performed by James Taylor. As a song on his second album, Sweet Baby James, the song engendered widespread attention for him. The album was released in February 1970, with the song being released as a single the following February. "Fire and Rain" quickly rose to number three on the Billboard hot 100 charts.

Taylor wrote this song in three phases: in a London flat while he was signed to the Beatles' Apple label; in a New York hospital as he kicked heroin addiction; and during a stay in a Massachusetts psychiatric facility. "It's like three samplings of what I went through," Taylor said through a label spokesperson.

The first part was indeed about Taylor's friend Suzanne, who died while Taylor was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him and it was only some time later that Taylor found out.

The second part details Taylor's struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.

The third part deals with Taylor coming to grips with fame and fortune and looking back at the road that got him there. It includes a reference to James Taylor and The Flying Machine, a band he briefly worked with before his big break with Paul McCartney, Peter Asher and Apple Records.

Moody and introspective, "Fire and Rain" became something of a prototype for the singer-songwriter genre that would boom in the few years following its release. Its apocalyptic imagery proved provocative to would-be interpreters. The sparse arrangement, centered around Taylor's ringing acoustic guitar figures, also became a signature sound for Taylor and was influential among other performers.

The origin of the song is fodder for rumor and innuendo. Most prominently, it has been falsely rumored that this is about the death of Taylor's girlfriend in a plane crash. The story alleged that Taylor separated from his girlfriend (Suzanne) to go on tour, but when his friends arranged to fly her to see James, she died in a plane crash. The story is not true and in fact, Taylor has clearly and categorically refuted such fanciful interpretations by fans and others.

On the VH1 series Story Tellers, Taylor said that the song was, indeed, about Suzanne Schnerr, a friend of his who died suddenly while he was away from home. The second line of the song references that statement: "Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you".

In that same account, Taylor said he had been in a deep depression after the failure of his new band The Flying Machine to coalesce. The lyric "sweet dreams and Flying Machines in pieces on the ground" refers to the name of his band The Flying Machine rather than a fatal plane crash, as was long rumored.

As he was wondering what to do with himself, he received word of Schnerr's death, and the song explains that her death was a check for his own worries, a way of realizing the transience of life and his need to get back to his old friends. In other interviews, Taylor has also indicated that a battle with drug addiction figured into the song.

"Fire and Rain" is in the 227th position on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Written by: James Taylor
Produced by: Peter Asher
Released: Feb. 1970 on Warner Bros.
Charts: 16 weeks
Top spot: No. 3
Appears on: Sweet Baby James (Warner Bros.)

Lyrics:

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to

I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Won't you look down upon me, Jesus
You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me through another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand
And I won't make it any other way

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain
I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I'd see you, baby, one more time again

Thought I'd see you one more time again
There's just a few things coming my way this time around
Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you fire and rain

This Day In Music 11/10

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:12:00 +0000

A look back in history at the events for November 10th.

1958 - Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls were injured in an auto accident near Marion, AR. Sam Cooke's driver was killed in the accident.

1960 - Gregg Allman received a guitar for his 13th birthday.

1969 - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry received a gold record. The song had been released 20 years earlier.

1975 - The Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior and becomes the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's song.

1978 - The Clash's second album "Give 'Em Enough Rope," was released in England. The album would be their first U.S. release.

1985 - Jerry Lee Lewis undergoes emergency surgery for bleeding ulcers.

1986 - Bruce Springsteen's "Live 1975-1985" box set was released.

1992 - Axl Rose was found guilty of assault and property damage at a 1991 Guns N' Roses concert in Maryland Heights, MO. He was given two years probation and ordered to pay $50,000 to community groups.

1993 - The musical revival of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" opened.

1994 - Singer Carmen McRae dies of a stroke following complications from a respiratory illness in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 72. She had been honored in January as a ``master of jazz'' by the National Endowment for the Arts.

1997 - Guitarist Tommy Tedesco, a legendary studio musician who lent his talents to records by Phil Spector, the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as such TV themes as "Bonanza" and "M*A*S*H," dies at his home in Northridge, Calif. He is 67.

1998 - Alanis Morissette's sophomore effort "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" charges strongly from the gate, although the Canadian superstar's follow-up to the 28 million-selling "Jagged Little Pill" does not go on to pull the record-breaking numbers many predict. The album moves 469,000 copies during its first week of sale.

2000 - Billy Gilman's "One Voice" video is the big winner for the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards, presented at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Universal City, Calif. The clip sweeps all four categories in which it is nominated: best country new artist clip, best contemporary Christian clip, best contemporary Christian new artist clip, and best jazz/AC new artist clip.

2001 - The musical "Lady Diana - A Smile Charms the World" opened in Germany.

2002 - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tom Petty, Lenny Kravitz, Brian Setzer and Elvis Costello all guest on Fox-TV's "The Simpsons" as Homer goes to Rock-N-Roll Fantasy Camp.

2004 - Cat Stevens is given a "Man For Peace" prize by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Rome.

Birthdays:

1941 Kyu Sakamoto
1944 Dave Loggins
1945 Donna Fargo
1948 Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer
1954 Mario Cipollina of Huey Lewis & The News
1957 Chris Joyce of Simply Red
1959 Frank Maudsley of Flock Of Seagulls

Lyric Of The Day:

"Well
if you want to sing out
sing out.
And if you want to be free
be free.
'Cause there's a million things to be.
You know that there are."
-- Cat Stevens, If You Want To Sing Out

Quote Of The Day:

"I said, other people can write songs, let's see if I can. So the first 400 or 500 wound up on the floor somewhere. Then I wrote one called Melissa."
-- Gregg Allman

CD Review - theendisthebeginning

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:04:00 +0000

theendisthebeginning - master machine

Year: November 10, 2009

Genre: Indie/Post-Rock/Alternative/Ambient Rock

SonicJive: http://www.sonicjive.com/theendisthebeginning

Format: CD

Label: The Brown Noise/Chupee Records

Total Time: 20:27

Reviewed: 09-November-2009

Track Listing:

01. handinhand 4:29

02. adrift (lessons in time) 4:22

03. team torment 4:16

04. serpentile 3:27

05. master machine 3:43

Review:

The superb debut EP Master Machine from Southern California-based act theendisthebeginning is a polished and poised effort that is both lucid and driven. The music is exceptional and dwells in complex and brooding atmospheres that is conveyed in delicately layered brushstrokes. Master Machine blends soulful vocals, shuffling rhythms, ricocheting guitars and ornate synths into a measured and beautifully crafted CD.

Serpentile is the strongest track on the CD. Overachieving and anthemic with strong commercial potential, the band shines in all aspects on this single. Reminiscent of early U2, the foundation here is the reveille synth and guitar work of Clint Kaminska and Robert "Armando" Flores. Serpentile surges and erupts from its first notes. The layering is sublime and resonant with texture, a progressive stampede with a trance-like pulse.

Throughout the disc lead vocalist Daniel Pedrosa works well within the detailed song structures, showing a refined technical proficiency often missing from a typical debut release. Indeed, it is almost easy to miss the emotion of the lyrics because Pedrosa is right on at all times and in effortless fashion. On Master Machine and Adrift (Lessons In Time), for instance, he conjures images of early Peter Gabriel. Pedrosa personifies a quiet confidence in his singing, effectively deferring to the instrumentation when necessary yet capable of commanding attention and carrying the song at a moments notice. Vocally and lyrically he creates and defines the ambiance of each track. On handinhand, a progressive gem that uses a double-track vocal technique, Pedrosa plain and simply owns it.

All tracks on Master Machine are undeniably remarkable. The production (as well as the arrangement and mastering) of this disc is incredible. The EP is an ambitious, multi-layered portrait that unfolds over 20+ minutes of inexorable melodies, passionate lyrics and great music. Fans of Broken Social Scene and the earlier works of U2 will enjoy this release immensely. But make no mistake, the band surely set out to create something bold and inventive. In short order, theendisthebeginning has certainly succeeded with Master Machine.

-- Michael Canter, www.sonicjive.com

This Day In Music 11/09

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:15:00 +0000

1957 - "Jailhouse Rock" and "Wake Up Little Susie" are the #1 and #2 songs on Billboard's pop, country and rhythm-and-blues charts simultaneously.

1961 - Brian Epstein sees the Beatles perform for the first time, at the Cavern Club in Liverpool (he later becomes their manager), 1961

1967 - David Crosby left the Byrds. The next year Crosby, Stills, and Nash was formed.

1967 - The first issue of Rolling Stone was published in San Francisco. John Lennon was on the cover.

1971 - Carly Simon attends James Taylor's Carnegie Hall concert and they begin their love affair.

1973 - Cat Stevens made his national TV debut on ABC's "In Concert."

1973 - The album "Piano Man" was released by Billy Joel.

1975 - David Bowie appeared on Cher's CBS TV show.

1985 - The theme from the TV show "Miami Vice" climbs to the No. 1 spot in the Billboard Hot 100. The theme is composed by Czechoslovakian artist Jan Hammer, who composed most of the original music for the television series. Hammer's composition for the '80s pop-culture television giant remains on top for one week. The "Miami Vice" soundtrack LP also goes to No. 1 and stays there for 11 weeks, beating out the previous and long-time (1959) record holder, "The Music from Peter Gunn." Hammer receives a congratulatory phone call from Henry Mancini, composer of "The Music from Peter Gunn," for his accomplishment.

1998 - Singer Billy Preston, his manager Merle Otis Greene and Greene's wife Sandra were indicted on 22 charges of fraud in collecting $1 million in insurance claims.

1998 - Rick James was hospitalized after he suffered a stroke when a blood vessel ruptured in his neck during a show the week before in Denver, CO.

1998 - Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun and Bobby "Blue" Band receive lifetime achievement awards from the Blues Foundation at a ceremony held at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.

1998 - Michael Jackson settled a lawsuit over stories and pictures in the London Daily Mirror that said his face had been disfigured by cosmetic surgery. A lawyer for the publisher said, "The photographs were taken honestly and were not tampered with, but the Mirror has since met with the plaintiff in person and acknowledges that the photographs do not accurately represent the plaintiff's true appearance."

1999 - Following up on 22-year-old vocalist/pianist Fiona Apple's 1996 debut, the oh-so-succinctly titled "Tidal," Clean Slate/Epic releases Apple's "When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts He Thinks Like A King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes To The Fight And He'll Win The Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters The Ring There's Nobody To Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand And Remember That Depth Is The Greatest Of Heights And If You Know Where You Stand, Then You'll Know Where To Land And If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right."

Birthdays:

1905 Tommy Dorsey
1932 Carl Perkins
1941 Tom Fogerty of CCR
1943 Lee Graziano of American Breed
1948 Alan Gratzer of REO Speedwagon
1954 Dennis Stratton of Iron Maiden
1969 Sandy "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa
1969 Brad "Scarface" Jordan of Geto Boys
1970 Susan Tedeschi
1973 Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees
1978 Sisquo

Lyric Of The Day:

"Been walking my mind to an easy time, my back turned towards the sun.
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around.
Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come.
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground."
-- James Taylor, 'Fire & Rain'

Quote Of The Day:

"Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock and roll or Christianity."
-- John Lennon

This Day In Music 11/07

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:24:00 +0000

1951 - Frank Sinatra marries actress Ava Gardner (they divorce six years later.

1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono release their 2nd album 'Wedding Album' in UK.

1984 - Marvin Gay, Sr. is given five years probation for shooting his son, Marvin Gaye.

1986 - Willie Nelson makes a guest appearance as a corrupt policeman on the television series "Miami Vice."

1988 - John Fogerty came out on the winning end of his self-plagiarism lawsuit with Fantasy Records. The suit alleged that Fogerty’s 'The Old Man Down The Road' was copied from his other song, 'Run Through The Jungle.' Fantasy held the publishing and master recording rights to the original CCR catalog.

1991 - Carter Cornelius of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose ('Treat Her Like A Lady') dies of a heart attack.

1991 - Frank Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died two years later, on Saturday, December 4, 1993

1992 - 'End of the Road' by Boyz II Men logs its 13th and final week at No. 1 on The Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The previous longest-running hit of the rock era was Elvis Presley's two-sided `Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog,' which topped the chart for 11 weeks in 1956. The record stands for just three months as Whitney Houston's `I Will Always Love You' logs its 14th week at No. 1 on Feb. 20, 1993. In 1995, Boyz II Men ties Houston's record with `I'll Make Love to You.'

1995 - Alice in Chains released their self-titled album on CD and cassette.

2000 - Jazz drummer Vernel Fournier dies in Jackson, Miss., of complications from a recent stroke. He is 72. A New Orleans native, Founier is know for his delicate brushwork - the art of playing drums with splayed wire bristles, creating a smooth "swishing sound."

2000 - Doug Nelson, the bassist in blues artist Jonny Lang's band dies after being hit by a truck while walking on a rural highway in Minnesota. Nelson, who grew up in St. Cloud, Minn., and had been a member of Lang's band for three years, was 46.

2006 - John Hall, lead singer of Orleans ('Dance With Me') is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York.

2006 - The game "Guitar Hero II" for Playstation 2 was released in North America.

Birthdays:

1922 Al Hirt
1937 Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary
1942 Johnny Rivers
1943 Joni Mitchell
1948 Glenn Frey of The Eagles
1951 Nick Gilder
1964 Liam O'Maonlai of Hothouse Flowers

Lyric Of The Day:

'I’ll learn to work the saxophone
I’ll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whiskey all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues '
-- Steely Dan, Deacon Blues

Quote Of the Day:

'It is not my fault that certain so-called bohemian elements have found in my writings something to hang their peculiar beatnik theories on. '
-- Jack Kerouac

Historic Podcast #044

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:39:00 +0000

Listener Supported Radio is back at SonicJive.com - I will be hosting a weekly broadcast featuring the latest and greatest songs in the SonicJive.com database. If you are interested in airplay please e-mail your mp3 to info at SonicJive.com -- Stop by to listen at www.sonicjive.com/sonicjivelive and visit this week's Jive Babe Jenna..

Show Set List "06 November 2009"
Historic Show #044
Featured Artists: Brother Magnum and Erin Harpe.

01. Broken by Michelle Lewis
02. Spoke Too Loud by Sheila Sondergard
03. She Said by Lissy Trullie
04. Easy by Heston
05. Have A Good Time by Brother Magnum
06. Chauffeur Blues by Erin Harpe
07. One Step At A Time by Mike Zito
08. Me & Mikey by Jane Carrey Band
09. Especially Alone by Avariel
10. Make You Crazy (feat. Femi Kuti) by Brett Dennen
11. Magazine by Joshua James
12. Driving Far by Shauna Burns
13. You Gonna Quit Me Blues by Erin Harpe
14. Love Wrong Blues by Brother Magnum
15. Fake Gold by Tiger City
16. Jenny by Flight Of The Conchords
17. Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis
18. Digital Love by Bronze Radio Return
19. Revival by Entrain
20. Precious Hands by The Big Wu
21. Dynamite by Link
22. Truckstop by Anton Mink
23. Winter '04 by The Seedy Seeds
24. Sunshine by Joy Missile
25. What I Need by Brother Magnum
26. In My Girlish Days by Erin Harpe
27. Oh Death! by Pearl & The Beard
28. Brian Writes Poetry by Lee Rogers
29. Sex On Fire by Kings Of Leon

Friday Flashback 1986

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Every Friday, SonicJive.com presents it's four hour podcast featuring all the great music from one year. This week we focus on 1986. You can listen at www.sonicjive.com/fridayflashback

TO HEAR ARCHIVED SHOWS CLICK "POSTS" ON THE PLAYER AND SELECT THE SHOW YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR

Featured Artists The BoDeans & XTC

Purchase MP3's From Amazon.com

1986 Set List - Hour 1

01. Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel
02. Dear God by XTC
03. Still The Night by The Bodeans
04. Fall On Me by R.E.M.
05. Boys Don't Cry by The Cure
06. Cities In Dust by Siouxsie & The Banshees
07. Blue Hotel by Chris Isaak
08. Right Next Door (Because Of Me) by Robert Cray
09. Sweet Freedom by Michael McDonald
10. Stop To Love by Luther Vandross
11. Same Ole Love by Anita Baker
12. Captain Of Her Heart by Double Side
13. Higher Love by Steve Winwood
14. Girl Can't Help It by Journey

1986 Set List - Hour 2

01. Earn Enough For Us by XTC
02. Rock Me Amadeus by Falco
03. Say You Will by The Bodeans
04. Life's What You Make It by Talk Talk
05. Stripped by Depeche Mode
06. Smoking Gun by Robert Cray
07. Cabo Wabo by Van Halen
08. You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker
09. Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler
10. Take Me Home by Phil Collins
11. Harlem Shuffle by The Rolling Stones
12. Just Another Night by Mick Jagger
13. Kiss The Dirt by INXS

1986: The Pretty In Pink Soundtrack

1986 Set List - Hour 3

01. Left Of Center by Suzanne Vega
02. Cuyahoga by R.E.M.
03. Red Rain by Peter Gabriel
04. The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul by XTC
05. Fadeaway by The Bodeans
06. Close To Me by The Cure
07. Ask by The Smiths
08. Who Needs Love Like That by Erasure
09. West End Girls by The Pet Shop Boys
10. Brand New Lover by Dead Or Alive
11. Heartbreak Beat by The Psychedelic Furs
12. If You Leave by Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark
13. Don't Get Me Wrong by The Pretenders
14. Peter Gunn Theme by Art Of Noise
15. Oh Yeah by Yello

1986 Set List - Hour 4

01. Your Love by The Outfield
02. I Wanna Be A Cowboy by Boys Don't Cry
03. Bad by Big Audio Dynamite
04. She's A Runaway by The Bodeans
05. I Didn't Mean To Turn You On by Robert Palmer
06. It Must Have Been Love by Roxette
07. Mad About You by Belinda Carlisle
08. Feels So Good by Van Halen
09. Living In America by James Brown
10. Missionary Man by The Eurythmics
11. Election Day by Arcadia
12. Something About You by Level 42
13. Sweetest Taboo by Sade
14. Broken Wings by Mr. Mister

Rocky IV: The Rock wins one for Mickey & Apollo
as well as Truth, Justice & The American Way!

'Top Gun' was the largest grossing movie of 1986 and gave Kenny Loggins a number one song with 'Danger Zone'

1986 EVENTS

Space Shuttle Columbia is launched with the first Hispanic-American astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz. (January 12)

The first federal Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., is observed. (January 20)

Super Bowl XX: The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (January 26)

Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing the crew of 7 astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster). (January 28)

President Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby Doc") flees Haiti, ending 28 years of family rule. (February 7)

Halley's Comet reaches its perihelion, the closest point to the Sun, during its second visit to the solar system in the 20th Century. (February 9)
President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines goes into exile in Hawaii after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the first Filipino woman president. (February 25)

United States Navy divers find the largely intact but heavily damaged crew compartment of the Space Shuttle Challenger; the bodies of all seven astronauts are still inside. (March 9)

The West Berlin discothèque, a known hangout for United States soldiers, is bombed, killing 3 and injuring 230; Libya is held responsible. (April 5)

Geraldo Rivera opens Al Capone's secret vault on The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault, discovering only a bottle of moonshine. (April 21)

In Ukraine, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes, creating the world's worst nuclear disaster. 56 are killed directly by the Chernobyl disaster, many more die from cancer in later years. (April 26)

Roger Clemens sets the record for the most strikeouts in a 9-inning MLB game, striking out 20 batters. (April 29)

Hands Across America: At least 5,000,000 people form a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, California, to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness. (May 25)

American college basketball player Len Bias suffers a fatal cardiac arrhythmia from a cocaine overdose less than 48 hours after being selected 2nd overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Draft. (June 19)

In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey. (July 23)

In Edmond, Oklahoma, United States Postal Service employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers before committing suicide. (August 20)

Pan Am Flight 73, with 358 people on board, is hijacked at Karachi International Airport by 4 Abu Nidal terrorists. (September 5)

Desmond Tutu becomes the first black Anglican Church bishop in South Africa.(September 7)

Cliff Burton, bassist for Metallica from 1982–1986, dies on the Damage Inc. tour in Europe after being crushed by Metallica's tour bus. (September 27)

U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs the Goldwater-Nichols Act into law, making official the largest reorganization of the United States Department of Defense since the Air Force was made a separate branch of service in 1947. (October 1)

In New York City WNBC Radio's traffic helicopter crashes into the Hudson River, killing traffic reporter Jane Dornacker, who had a role in the movie "The Right Stuff". (October 22)

World Series: The New York Mets defeat the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. This is the second world series title in the Mets franchise. It is also remembered for Game 6, when Bill Buckner lets an easy ground ball hit by Mookie Wilson roll through his legs, letting the Mets win and pull even with the Red Sox in the series. (October 27)

The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret, in order to secure the release of 7 American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. (November 3)

Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title by defeating Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas. (November 22)

U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese announces that profits from covert weapons sales to Iran were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua. (November 25)

After 35 years on the airwaves and holding the title of longest-running non-news program on network television, NBC airs the final episode of daytime drama Search for Tomorrow. (December 26)

Average per capita income in Japan surpasses that in the USA. (December 30)

Grammy Award: Record of the Year: "Higher Love," Steve Winwood

Grammy Award: Album of the Year: Graceland, Paul Simon (Warner Bros.)

Grammy Award: Song of the Year: "That's What Friends Are For," Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, songwriters

Academy Award: Best Picture: Platoon, Arnold Kopelson, producer (Orion)

Miss America: Susan Akin (MS)

Our Top Ten Movies Of 1986

01. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
02. Top Gun
03, Platoon
04. Pretty In Pink
05. Star Trek: The Voyage Home
06. Back To School
07. Aliens
08. The Golden Child
09. Ruthless People
10. The Fly

Our Top Ten Albums Of 1986

01. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
02. Paul Simon - Graceland
03. Peter Gabriel - So
04. R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant
05. XTC - Skylarking
06. Van Morrison - No Method, No Guru, No Teacher
07. Bruce Springsteen - Live: 1975-1985
08. Robert Cray Band - Strong Persuader
09. Metallica - Master Of Puppets
10. Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring

Born In 1986:

March 3 — Stacie Orrico, American singer
March 28 - Lady Gaga, American singer
May 16 - Megan Fox, American actress
June 11 - Shia LaBeouf, American actor
June 13 - Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, American actresses
July 2 - Lindsay Lohan, American actress and singer
September 18 - ## Keeley Hazell, British model
November 19 - Veronica Scott, American Fashion Designer

Died In 1986:

January 24 – L. Ron Hubbard, American writer and founder of Scientology
January 28 - ## Christa McAuliffe, American astronaut and teacher
March 30 - James Cagney, American actor
May 30 - Perry Ellis, American fashion designer
June 13 - Benny Goodman, American jazz musician
June 19 - Len Bias, American basketball player
August 26 - Ted Knight, American actor
November 29 - Cary Grant, British actor
December 2 - Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor
December 29 - Harold Macmillan, Prime Minister of England

Next Week: 1990

UrbanJive Podcast #028

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Listen to the latest R&B, Rap & Hip Hop podcast on SonicJive.com - I will be hosting a weekly broadcast of Urban Jive featuring the latest and greatest songs in the SonicJive.com database. If you are interested in airplay please e-mail your mp3 to info at SonicJive.com.

Stop by to listen at www.sonicjive.com/hiphopcast and visit this week's Fly Girl Hanina..

Set List 11/04/2009
NOW A TWO-HOUR SHOW!!!

Featured Artist: Nicki Nichole

01. Keep Winnin' by Archie Eversole & Ray Lavender
02. I Loved You Once by I.G. & Li'L D.P.
03. Get To Know You Better by Omar Wilson ft. Angie Stone
04. New York City by Akon
05. It's On by Tha Pope ft. Angel
06. Around We Go by Nicki Nichole
07. In The Zone by Sincere Grant
08. Body Language by Jesse McCartney ft. T-Pain
09. What If I Could by Mike Soul
10. Ms. Sexy Hotness by Dondada
11. Hard by Rihanna ft. Young Jeezy
12. Stay by Lelah Payne
13. Everybody Else by Mike Pain ft. T-Pain
14. Pussy Galore by Big Shorty Rte. 40
15. In A Minute by Biz aka Prince Of Jersey & Q. Parker of 112
16. Party Tonite by B-Ezzy
17. Damela by Bad Boy Da Prince ft. Damela
18. Gucci Girl by Bigg Jigg
19. Sexual Healing by Nitty Gritty
20. Turn Around by BXL
21. Lights Camera Action by Kollosus
22. Ask Why by War Child
23. Bad Girl by Luxland
24. Vibe by Nicky Nichole
25. Writing On The Wall by Therese-Marie
26. Let's Chill by I.G. & Li'L D.P.
27. I Told Myself by Dionyza
28. Wetter by Twista
29. Take You Away by J. Cartel ft. Q. Parker of 112
30. Wonder Woman (1st Lady) by The Dot

This Day In Music 11/04

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:50:00 +0000

1961 - Bob Dylan made his concert hall debut in New York City. The show was seen by 50 people who paid two dollars each at Carnegie Hall.

1967 - "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' was released.

1970 - Bob Dylan recorded the song "George Jackson." Jackson was a black militant what had been killed in a California prison shootout.

1973 - Soft Machine and Pink Floyd hold a benefit concert for Robert Wyatt who had been paralyzed earlier in the year.

1974 - Elton John released his "Greatest Hits" LP.

1977 - "The Last Waltz" premiered in New York City.

1978 - Greg Reeves, sues his former band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for $1 million in unpaid back royalties.

1978 - Boston plays in the city of Boston for the first time, a sold-out show at the Boston Garden.

1978 - The Talking Heads' "Take Me To The River" was released.

1982 - Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, of the Talking Heads, have a baby boy.

1990 - The musical "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" opened.

1991 - Bobby "Blue" Bland, Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Isley Brothers, The Yardbirds, and Sam & Dave are elected to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.

1992 - Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin sign a $39 million publishing contract with Warner-Chappell music.

1995 - Michael Jackson premiered his single "Earth Song" on the German game show "Wanna Bet?".

1996 - Melissa Etheridge and partner Julie Cypher appear on the cover of Newsweek promoting an article on gay parents.

1996 - The king of pop - Michael Jackson - announces that he and a friend, Debbie Rowe, are expecting a child, but denies a tabloid report that the couple had used artificial insemination and that Rowe had been paid to carry the baby.

1998 - Amazon.com formed "Advantage For Music," which allows unsigned artists and independent labels to sell music online.

2002 - The book "Journals" was released. The book, about Kurt Cobain, contained letters and diary entries from the 1980s until 1994.

Birthdays:

1940 Delbert McClinton
1954 Chris Difford of Squeeze
1954 Yanni
1956 Jeff Watson of Night Ranger
1956 James Honeyman-Scott of The Pretenders
1957 Najee
1965 Gregory Scott of Signs Of Life

Lyric Of The Day:

"It's three o'clock in the morning,
and I'm hungry so let's eat.
Climb down three flights to the streetlights,
and the bar-fights, we're just taking in the sights.
I hope tomorrow that I wake up in my own bed."
-- The Barenaked Ladies, Hello City

Quote Of The Day:

"Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry."
-- John Lennon

Bill Graham Love & Music

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Perhaps the only music organizer/promoter to become a celebrity in his own right, Bill Graham (born Wolfgang Grajonza) had a far from auspicious beginning to his life.

Graham was born Wolfgang Grajonca on January 8, 1931, in Berlin and literally walked across Europe to escape the Nazis. He was raised in New York by foster parents and moved to San Francisco in the mid-Fifties to pursue an acting career. Instead, events conspired to thrust him into his calling as a concert impresario and business manager. Several fundraisers for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a political comedy group he managed, were wildly successful due in large part to the Jefferson Airplane. Graham grasped the potential: something electrifying was beginning to happen in San Francisco, and the scene lacked only a focused, business-oriented mind to harness its power.

The events were a huge success and launched Graham into a new career as a music promoter. Several more benefit concerts at The Fillmore Dance Club soon followed, one featuring an early appearance by the The Grateful Dead. A close association between Graham and the Dead would continue for the rest of Graham's lifetime. However, initial attempts by Graham to officially take control of the Fillmore were denied, the authorities going so far as to raid the venue and throw Graham in jail. Such was the resulting public outcry, however, that charges were dropped and the necessary permit was subsequently granted.

Fueled by the success of his benefits, Bill Graham opened The Fillmore East in New York City in 1968, and relocated the original Fillmore (renamed The Fillmore West) to a larger venue on the site of The Carousel Ballroom — a music hall owned by the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead — and re-christened it Fillmore West. Both venues became music centers for the emerging counterculture, frequently showcasing bands such as The Dead, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Santana.

In 1967, Graham expanded into concert promotion full time, working as a publicist for many of the bands that had played at the Fillmore, concentrating on shows at the famed Winterland in San Francisco. Occasionally Graham would still promote shows at the Fillmore. On December 31, 1969, Band of Gypsys – a trio with Hendrix, Cox and drummer Buddy Miles – played Bill Graham’s Fillmore East in New York. Graham called the show “the most brilliant, emotional display of virtuosic electric guitar playing I have ever heard.”

A tireless worker known for his gruff exterior and unsullied idealism, Graham challenged the rock audience by booking bills that mingled jazz, blues and folk artists in with all of the psychedelic rock bands of the day. One might walk into the Fillmore and find Miles Davis sharing a bill with Neil Young or the Staple Singers opening for Steppenwolf. His broad, generous view of music and the public’s ability to appreciate it stands in marked contrast to the genre-casting that would subdivide the rock and roll audience, to its lasting detriment, in the Eighties and beyond. After closing the Fillmores in 1971, Graham continued to run Winterland (site of the Band’s farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,” in 1978), while managing acts like Santana and the Neville Brothers, promoting national tours for Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and others, and helping to organize the Live Aid benefit concert of 1985.

In 1980, Graham began occasionally hosting performances in the original Fillmore building, and by 1988 a branch of the now-monstrous entity Bill Graham Presents was again regularly presenting shows until the club was forced to close as a result of structural damage suffered in the 1989 earthquake. Before restoration plans could come to fruition, however, Graham was killed in an helicopter crash in October of 1991.

Both during his lifetime and afterward, Bill Graham has had no shortage of either detractors or sycophants. A tough (and successful) businessman, it is clear that treating people too gently was not one of his personality defects. It could be argued that both his greatest praise and most severe criticism are a result of the same achievement: providing the means for the underground, independent 60s rock scene to emerge into the mainstream and evolve into a colossal money-making industry -- not that either aspect can be wholly attributed to his actions.

From Rolling Stone Magazine, after Graham's untimely death:

"For three decades Bill Graham ruled live Rock & Roll. It wasn't simply that he was on a first name basis with just about every important rock star, he was one of the few people in the music business who could hold his own with any of them and who, in his own right, was their equal. Graham didn't simply stage thousands of rock concerts, that was business as usual for his skilled organization. He really earned his reputation by putting together extraordinary benefits and rock events on almost a yearly basis.

For thirty years, Graham never stopped raising money for dozens of causes, ranging from AIDS research to the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, Amnesty International to the San Francisco Mime Troupe. Graham never seemed happier than when he was harnessing the tremendous power of rock & roll for the good of a cause. He truly seemed to delight in bringing together the biggest names in pop music to help make the world a better place, while at the same time making himself just a little bit more legendary."

— Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, December,1991

News Sources: www.billgrahamfoundation.org, Rolling Stone Magazine, Rage & Roll: Bill Graham and the Selling of Rock by John Glatt, www.rockhall.com, www.nndb.com

This Day In Music 11/03

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

1957 - Sun Records released "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis.

1957 - "At the Hop" was released by Danny & the Juniors.

1972 - James Taylor and Carly Simon were married. They separated in 1982 and were divorced later.

1977 - During a concert in London, Elton John announced that he was retiring from live performances. He resumed touring on February 3, 1979 in Sweden.

1982 - In Minneapolis, Devo debuts its "video-synchronized" projection screen which displays computer graphics, pre-taped scenes and characters with which the band interacts.

1988 - The U2 concert movie "Rattle And Hum" opened.

1990 - "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice tops the charts and stayed there for a week.

1991 - More than 300,000 people attend a free concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in memory of rock promoter Bill Graham. Among the acts performing are the Grateful Dead; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Joan Baez; Santana; and Journey (which reunited for the event).

1992 - The Grateful Dead announce that for the first time, they will not play a New Year's Eve concert in San Francisco

1992 - "Keep The Faith" by Bon Jovi was released. It was their first album in 5 years.

1995 - An out of court settlement was reached by Hootie and the Blowfish and Bob Dylan concerning the group's unauthorized use of Dylan's lyrics in their song "Only Want To Be With You."

1997 - Billy Preston is sentenced in Santa Monica, California to three years in prison for cocaine possession while on parole.

1998 - Super Tuesday: Music retailers around the U.S. are flooded with a monster shipment of high-profile releases. Among the most anticipated are Alanis Morissette's sophomore set "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," Beck's "Mutations," Celine Dion's "These Are Special Times," U2's "The Best of 1980-1990," and the John Lennon boxed set "Anthology."

2005 - Eric Clapton is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Princess Anne.

Birthdays:

1941 Brian Poole of the Tremeloes
1946 Nick Simper of Deep Purple
1948 Lulu (Marie Lawrie)
1954 Adam Ant

Lyric Of The Day:

"Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth.
Only, I don't know how they got out, dear.
Turn me back into the pet that I was when we met.
I was happier then with no mind-set."
-- The Shins, New Slang

Quote Of The Day:

"People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in 1969. They want you to, because otherwise their youth goes with you. It's very selfish, but it's understandable."
-- Mick Jagger

This Day In Music 11/02

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0000

1920 - KDKA (Pittsburgh) goes on air as 1st commercial radio station.

1962 - The Elvis Presley film Girls! Girls! Girls! premiered.

1963 - Dion stormed out of a taping of the English TV show "Ready Steady Go!" He complained that the go-go dancers were distracting him from his performance.

1966 - Blues great Mississippi John Hurt dies.

1968 - Stevie Wonder released "For Once In My Life."

1974 - George Harrison began his first tour in eight years. He was the first former Beatle to attempt a nationwide solo tour.

1979 – The Who’s film Quadrophenia, which featured Sting, opened in theaters.

1979 - Mick and Bianca Jagger were divorced.

1985 - Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover " reaches the No. 1 spot in The Billboard Hot 100. Winning this spot makes Wonder the first artist to have a single on five different Billboard charts: the Hot 100, Hot Black Singles, Hot Adult Contemporary, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play and Hot Dance/Disco 12-inch Singles.

1990 - Prince's fourth film, Graffiti Bridge, opened. The movie co-starred Tevin Campbell and Mavis Staples.

1991 - Jermaine Jackson releases "Word to the Badd!!" anti Michael song.

1998 - President Clinton gives his first in-depth interview since the White House sex scandal to Black Entertainment Television talk show host and political commentator Tavis Smiley on the network's "BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley."

1998 - Atlantic Records launches an online music video service, Instavid. The channel, located at www.atlantic-records.com, utilizes RealNetworks RealSystem G2 technology to present clips, which are synchronized with links to artist sites and retailer Total E.

2000 - Whitney Houston's lawyers appear on her behalf in a Kona, Hawaii, courtroom to defend her in a marijuana possession case that stems from a January, 2000, incident at Keahole-Kona International Airport in Hawaii. It is decided that the case will be dismissed in three months if Houston stays out of trouble until then.

2003 - Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs ran in the New York City Marathon. He finished in 4 hours, 14 minutes and 54 seconds. He raised $2 million dollars for children.

Birthdays:

1938 Jay Traynor of Jay & The Americans
1944 Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer
1947 Dave Pegg of Jethro Tull
1948 Rich Gooch of Quarterflash
1961 k.d. lang

Lyric Of The Day:

"You can`t depend on anything really, there`s no promises, there`s no point
There`s no good, there`s no bad, in this dirty little joint
No dope-smoking, no beer sold after 12 o`clock
Rosedale, Mississippi, Magic City Juke Joint
Mr. Johnson sings over in a corner by the bar
Sold his soul to the devil so he can play guitar"
-- Lucinda Williams, 2 Cool 2 Be 4-Gotten

Musical Quote Of The Day:

"When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. I was only 6 or 7."
-- Les Paul

This Day In Music 11/01

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:16:00 +0000

1962 - The Beatles returned to the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany for a two-week residency

1963 - The Beatles kicked off their first headlining tour of England at Cheltenham’s Odeon Theatre. They were supported by Peter Jay & the Jaywalkers, The Brook Brothers and The Vernons Girls.

1965 - A Rolling Stones gig in Rochester, New York came to an abrupt halt after seven minutes when three-thousand fans tried to rush the stage.

1968 - George Harrison became the first Beatle to release a solo album with the soundtrack to the psychedelic movie 'Wonderwall'.

1969 - After a seven year absence, Elvis Presley returns to Billboard’s number one single position with “Suspicious Minds"

1969 - Beatles' "Abbey Road," album goes #1 and stays #1 for 11 weeks.

1969 - Faces was signed to Warner Brothers records.

1993 - Atlantic Radio (20 radio stations) becomes American Radio Systems.

1994 - Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" performance hit record stores as MTV Unplugged in New York.

1995 - Florence Greenberg died. The record executive discovered The Shirelles and The Kingsmen, among others. He was 82.

2003 - Bruce Springsteen and Michael J. Fox performed “Light of Day,” the title track of the 1987 movie starring Fox, during a Parkinson's Disease benefit at New Jersey’s Stone Pony.

2006 - Grocery clerk Paul McPike sued Green Day, alleging he wrote their hit “American Idiot” way back in 1992.

Birthdays:

1937 Bill Anderson
1950 Dan Peck of America
1955 Rich Greech of Blind Faith & Traffic
1957 Lyle Lovett
1959 Eddie Macdonald of the Alarm
1961 Magne Furuholmen ogf A-ha
1962 Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
1963 Rick Allen of Def Leppard
1966 Sophie B. Hawkins

Lyric Of The Day:

"I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun
Then dance just like a Casanova"
-- Bruce Springsteen, "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City"

Quote Of The Day:

"... when I saw Jimi Hendrix I knew immediately that this guy was the real thing ... and when he played it was like a rough sketch of what he was going to become ... this guy was our generation, and he wasn't in a suit .. he played a Howlin' Wolf song 'Killing Floor', and then we (The Cream) had to carry on the set. It was pretty hard to follow ... "
-- Eric Clapton

This Day In Music 10/31

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:27:00 +0000

1970 - Former Mamas and Papas singer Michelle Phillips married actor Dennis Hopper, though they would divorce just 8 days later.

1970 - Jim Morrison was sentenced to 6 months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself in Miami, FL.

1981 - 1st live radio drama in 25 years (Halloween Story on NBC)

1986 - The Beastie Boys released the LP "License To Ill."

1995 - Alice in Chains released their self-titled album on vinyl. It would not be released on CD or cassette until November 7 of that year.

1997 - The Senate passes the music industry's "La Cienega" bill by a voice vote. The bill closes a loophole in the 1909 copyright Act that put into peril most pre-1978 music copyrights.

1997 - Authorities confiscated over 200 counterfeit tickets at a Jane's Addiction reunion concert in New York.

1998 - KISS embarked on their Psycho-Circus tour with a Halloween show in Los Angeles. The Smashing Pumpkins were on hand to warm up the crowd.

1999 - Intel cybercasts the 13th annual Bridge School Benefit concert. The show features performances by the Who, Pearl Jam, and Brian Wilson, among others.

2001 - Michael Jackson's album entitled "Invincible" was released.

2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed an act that renamed the Oakwood Postal Station in Los Angeles the Nat King Cole Post Office.

Birthdays:

1939 Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane
1961 Larry Mullen of U2
1963 Johnny Marr of the Smiths
1966 Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys

Historic Podcast #043

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Listener Supported Radio is back at SonicJive.com - I will be hosting a weekly broadcast featuring the latest and greatest songs in the SonicJive.com database. If you are interested in airplay please e-mail your mp3 to info at SonicJive.com -- Stop by to listen at www.sonicjive.com/sonicjivelive and visit this week's Jive Babe Rali..

Show Set List "31 October 2009"
Historic Show #043 - Featured Artist: Rosemary Haskins

01. Spiders Eat The Flies by Ultra Violet Lights
02. Pure Convenience by The Head Set
03. M.B.D.S.R! by D'haene
04. The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
05. Closer To Me by Dar Williams
06. The Swim by Rosemary
07. New Day by Reflect
08. Walk Away by Mr. Completely
09. Apocalypse...For Now by Petty Crux
10. Push The Pill by Our After
11. Brand New Day by Orba Squara
12. If I Were John Cusack by Dr. Pants
13. Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups
14. Angelina by Mark Marshall
15. New Day by Outlaw Nation
16. Headshot by Everything Gone Green
17. Bleed Together by Lovedrug
18. Rainfall by Paris Delane
19. Dirty Movie by Willy Porter
20. Sleeping Boy by Grand Harmonic
21. I Am For You by Waking Ashland
22. Bochum (Light Up My Life) by Six By Seven
23. Thrift Store Chair by Pop Tart Monkeys
24. Heavy Hand by Rosemary
25. Adrenaline by Sister Solace
26. The Battle Of Second Fiddle & Ms Harlot by Big Timber
27. It Ain't The Same Old Cold War Harry by Grant-Lee Phillips
28. Love In Fear by Constantines
29. Your Hand In Mine by Explosions In The Sky

Friday Flashback 1977

noreply@blogger.com (Mike from Jivewired.com) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Every Friday, SonicJive.com presents it's four hour podcast featuring all the great music from one year. This week we focus on 1977. You can listen at www.sonicjive.com/fridayflashback

TO HEAR ARCHIVED SHOWS CLICK "POSTS" ON THE PLAYER AND SELECT THE SHOW YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR

Heart released "Little Queen" after getting out of their record contract with Mushroom Records.

Purchase MP3's From Amazon.com

1977 Set List - Hour 1
01. Barracuda by Heart
02. American Girl by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
03. Show Me The Way by Peter Frampton
04. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
05. Lido Shuffle by Boz Scaggs
06. Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel
07. Give A Little Bit by Supertramp
08. Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac
09. Alison by Elvis Costello
10. The First Cut Is The Deepest by Rod Stewart
11. Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads
12. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

1977 Set List - Hour 2

01. Dreamboat Annie by Heart
02. Pigs (Three Different Ones) by Pink Floyd
03. I Fought The Law by The Clash
04. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker by The Ramones
05. No More Heroes by The Stranglers
06. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll by Ian Drury
07. Dancin' In The Streets by The Grateful Dead
08. The Load Out/Stay by Jackson Browne
09. Aja by Steely Dan
10. Baby Hold On by Eddie Money
11. New Kid In Town by The Eagles
12. Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett

1977: Fleetwood Mac Rumours

1977 Set List - Hour 3
01. Kick It Out by Heart
02. Got To Give It Up Part I by Marvin Gaye
03. Brick House by The Commodores
04. I Feel Love by Donna Summer
05. Star Wars Theme/Cantina Theme by Meco
06. Car Wash by Rose Royce
07. I Just Wanna Be Your Everything by Andy Gibb
08. Don't Give Up On Us by David Soul
09. Crazy On You by Heart
10. Old Days by Chicago
11. Year Of The Cat by Al Stewart
12. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle
13. So Into You by Atlanta Rhythm Section
14. Undercover Angel by Alan O'Day

1977 Set List - Hour 4
01. Mr. Blue Sky by ELO
02. Parallels by Yes
03. Closer To The Heart by Rush
04. Terrapin Station by The Grateful Dead
05. Dogs by Pink Floyd
06. Come Sail Away by Styx

The Ramones

A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing songwriter & vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and background vocalist Cassie Gaines on October 20, 1977.

The space shuttle Enterprise test vehicle goes on its maiden "flight" while sitting on top of a Boeing 747, at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The first Apple II computers go on sale.

1977 EVENTS

Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah (the first execution after the reintroduction of the death penalty in the U.S.). (January 17)

Snow falls in Miami, Florida (despite its ordinarily tropical climate) for the only time in its history. Snowfall has occurred farther south in the United States only on the high mountains of the state of Hawaii. (January 19)

Jimmy Carter succeeds Gerald Ford as the 39th President of the United States. (January 20)

U.S. President Jimmy Carter pardons Vietnam War draft evaders. (January 21)

Record company EMI sacks the controversial United Kingdom punk rock group the Sex Pistols. (January 27)

A collision between KLM and PanAm Boeing 747s at Tenerife, Canary Islands, kills 583 (the worst single aviation accident on record). (March 27)

With intermittent snow throughout, the Toronto Blue Jays play their first-ever game of baseball against the Chicago White Sox. (April 7)

The punk band The Clash's debut album The Clash (album) is released in the UK on CBS Records. (April 8)

Scientists report using bacteria in a lab to make insulin. (May 23)

Star Wars opens in cinemas and subsequently becomes the then-highest grossing film of all time. (May 25)

After campaigning by Anita Bryant and her anti-gay "Save Our Children" crusade, Miami-Dade County, Florida voters overwhelmingly vote to repeal the county's gay rights ordinance. (June 7)

Oracle Corporation is incorporated in Redwood Shores, California as Software Development Laboratories (SDL) by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates. (June 16)

Elvis Presley performs his last-ever concert, in Indianapolis, Indiana's Market Square Arena. (June 26)

The New York City blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours, resulting in looting and other disorder. (July 23)

Led Zeppelin plays their last U.S. concert in Oakland, CA at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. A brawl erupts between Led Zeppelin's crew and promoter Bill Graham's staff, resulting in criminal assault charges for several of Led Zeppelin's entourage including drummer John Bonham. (July 24)

The Tandy Corporation TRS-80 Model I computer is announced at a press conference. (August 3)

U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy.(August 4)

David Berkowitz is captured in Yonkers, New York, after over a year of murders in New York City as the Son Of Sam. (August 10)

The NASA Space Shuttle, named Enterprise, makes its first test free-flight from the back of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). (August 12)

Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies from a drug overdose in his home in Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral. (August 16)

Groucho Marx Dies. (August 19)

Voyager 1 is launched after a brief delay. It is still operational to this day. (September 5)

Steve Biko suffers a massive head injury in police custody in South Africa, later dying. (September 6)

The modern Food Stamp Program begins when the Food Stamp Act of 1977 is enacted. (September 29)

The Porsche 928 debuts at the Geneva Auto Convention. (September 29)

Reggie Jackson blasts 3 home runs to lead the New York Yankees to World Series victory. (October 18)

Three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a charter plane crash outside Gillsburg, Mississippi, 3 days after the release of their fifth studio album Street Survivors. (October 20)

San Francisco elects City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official of any large city in the U.S.. (November 8)

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to officially visit Israel when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, seeking a permanent peace settlement. (November 19)

TCP/IP test succeeds connecting 3 ARPANET nodes (of 111), in what eventually becomes the Internet protocol. (November 22)

The Lockheed's top-secret stealth aircraft project, designated Have Blue, precursor to the U.S. F-117A Nighthawk, makes its first flight. (December 1)

A DC-3 charter plane carrying the University of Evansville basketball team to Nashville, Tenn., crashes in rain and dense fog about 90 seconds after takeoff from Evansville Dress Regional Airport. Twenty-nine people die in the crash, including 14 members of the team and head coach Bob Watson. (December 13)

Grammy Award: Record of the Year: "Hotel California," Eagles

Grammy Award: Album of the Year: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)

Grammy Award: Song of the Year: "Love Theme From A Star Is Born" (Evergreen), Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams, songwriters

Academy Award: Best Picture: Annie Hall, Charles H. Joffe, producer (United Artists)

Miss America: Dorothy Benham (MN)

Born In 1977:

February 2 – Shakira, Colombian musician
February 11 – Randy Moss, American football player
February 24 – Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing champion
March 2 – Chris Martin, British rock musician (Coldplay)
June 8 – Kanye West, American rapper and record producer
July 1 – Liv Tyler, American actress
July 30 – Jaime Pressly, American actress
August 3 – Tom Brady, American football player
September 13 – Fiona Apple, American musician
October 16 – John Mayer, American musician
December 10 – ## Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress
December 30 - Laila Ali, African-American boxer

Died In 1977:

January 29 – Freddie Prinze, American actor and comedian
April 12 – Philip K. Wrigley, owner Chicago Cubs
August 16 – Elvis Presley, American singer and actor
August 19 – Groucho Marx, American actor and comedian
September 12 – Steve Biko, South African activist
September 16 – Marc Bolan, English musician
## October 14 – Bing Crosby, American singer and actor
October 20 – Ronnie Van Zant singer Lynyrd Skynyrd
October 20 – Steve Gaines guitarist Lynyrd Skynyrd
October 20 – Cassie Gaines singer Lynyrd Skynyrd
November 5 – Guy Lombardo, Canadian-American bandleader

Next Week: 1986