Think Global, Rock Local

i do an annual party that i call, unoriginally, The Shindig. It was made better a few years ago when my musician friends started setting up & playing. The downside is that i need to visit with all my party guests when all i really want to do is watch & listen to the music, because i have such a profound appreciation for each of them.

Some of these friends i have known peripherally over the years, others i met after the great incident of 2008 (aka, the divorce). Those that i met at that time were doing the same open mics as i, although better. One in particular is from a local band that was popular from the mid 80's to the early 90's, when they cashed it in to become pharmacists, chefs and financiers.

i had dismissed them as an REM tribute band, but when they released an EP in 1989, i found myself listening to it over and over again. i then saw them whenever i could, which wasn't much, as it was the wind down to the above mentioned careers. They reunited a few years ago, and i have seen every motherfucking show they've done since then.

Which is a long intro to say this: it disturbs me how many dismiss their local music scene. The big acts that people pay hundreds of dollars to see now were once local- with the exception of a couple that were manufactured in some Florida factory. Peter Townsend once said, "Any night, any band could be the best rock & roll band in the world." That'll Learn Ya proved it on many a night.

This week's grocery store song is "I've Been in Love Before" by the Cutting Crew. It was the second biggest hit they had in the States, the first being "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight," also a strong contender for GSS. What is annoying about this song is the over produced instruments & vocals, which was common in the 80's for mainstream bands. And usually makes for a great song to hear when you're picking out crackers.

I'm Trying to Break Your Heart

i reach for stars, planets, black space, anything that is unreachable when the music is off. For as long as i can remember, it has connected me to something where flesh ends and whatever animates the flesh begins.

Soul? Life force? Spirit?

i am not drunk, nor high, although it might sound it. Instead, i am trying to share why the opening chords to "How Soon Is Now" make me feel as though a good friend suddenly came by, why i can't help but dance to "Just Like Heaven," why The Descendents force me to pump my fits like a teenager, why Cat Stevens was one of my best friends at the age of 7.

This week's Grocery Store Song is "Stay" by Lisa Loeb. From what i hear, she is rather talented, but unfortunately the masses remember her for this sweet, cutesy number that was most likely helped along the charts by appearing in "Reality Bites." It is a very good song, especially the guitar work, which is not easy....i've tried. While a bit pretentious, the video tried to stand out by using minimal edits. Perfect for running your fingers over stacks of bread as you dance down the aisle.

REMember

Many music writers will at some point discuss where they were when they first heard the Beatles. For me, it is the kid who remembers where he or she was when they first heard So. Central Rain.

That was when music became exciting for me. Before those notes & words, I loved music, but never so much as suddenly discovering something that was mine/ours. The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Billy Joel had all been handed down; i was taken by it, but did not believe. REM was borne from something that didn't crave hit singles or stadium sell outs. It borrowed from the past, as all art does, but built it new. They probably didn't care if you liked it, but they believed, and because they believed, so did you.

REM appeared to be the band that launched "college rock,' or"alternative" music. I fell for those labels, as it allowed me to dangle it above those that loved Led Zeppelin and look down my nose at them. Now considerably older, i see that it was quite possible to enjoy Led Zeppelin & REM simultaneously, but i do not regret my past. i needed a flag to fly as i marched forward, serving under many commanders: The Replacements, Husker Du, Fugazi, The Cure.

So, as i mow my lawn, and some kids drive past laughing at the aging guy wearing a T short by some old fart band, i resist the temptation to tell them that i was once in that car. Instead, i hope that they are looking for their own flag.

Grocery Store song

A grocery store song is a song that you hear (wait for it) at the grocery store, that you haven't heard in years and yet recall it. Chances are, it was a one, or two, hit wonder, but nonetheless still a good song.

This week's GSS is "Mary's Prayer" by Danny Wilson. Released in 1988, it is the antitheses of rock, but the music is quite good, reminiscent of soul, and the lyrics are well written and above all, catchy.