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Honoring Jerry Garcia — Singing the Mets?

11 Aug

Jerry Garcia’s trenchant guitar, smooth and accurate, is still a fantastic example today of what great guitar is supposed to sound like. August 9th saw the 15th anniversary of his passing, and, while it is most shocking that we have already been without such a respected musician for so many years, as Spinner.com’s tribute describes, the delicate sound of his electric has not quite left us yet.

Benjy Eisen finishes up his “Jerry Garcia Remembered” article with the line, “Look: Every guitarist dies. But, perhaps with Jerry Garcia more than most, his voice continues to shine a light on the lives of so many of his fans, while his guitar continues to make a sound.”

How true is this? It stays true to the musician that was Jerry Garcia. Firstly, it was quite hard to shut up his guitar. Secondly, it was equally as hard to not like him. Garcia’s personality was infectious and he had the utmost respect for his devoted fan base. Devoted may be an understatement.

The music world most definitely misses Jerry, but, pop on Workingman’s Dead and Jerry Garcia is telling you the story of “Casey Jones,” and his guitar is as audible and wonderful as ever. He may be gone but, like a true good artist, he will never be forgotten.

Check out Spinner’s Article:   http://www.spinner.com/2010/08/04/jerry-garcia-dead-15-year-anniversary/

Julian Casablancas at Citi Field watching the Mets

For your information, Julian Casablancas, vocalist and chief songwriter for The Strokes, is a big New York Mets fans. No wonder he wrote a song called, “I Can’t Win.” Seriously Julian, I feel that way too with the Mets. Anyway, apparently Casablancas wants to combine his love for music with his love for the Metsies.

He tells Rolling Stone magazine, “My next thing is I want to write the new TV theme song for the Mets. I’m totally serious – I have some ideas, I have to see if they like it.”

A Strokes twist to “Meet the Mets?” Stay tuned.

Traveling the Dark Star

24 Jul

“Shall we go, you and I
While we can?
Through the transitive nightfall
of diamonds”

-Robert Hunter from “Dark Star”

Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter claimed that this obscure lyric was the first he ever wrote with San Francisco psychedelic superstars, the Grateful Dead. In my opinion, the “transitive nightfall of diamonds” is the obfuscated world of dreams, both tenebrous and terrifyingly apparent. Today, I entered the dream of Christopher Nolan and experienced his new film, “Inception.” It explored different levels of consciousness in wicked cool dream-like action scenes and it sustained a deep message about loss, memory, and guilt. It was not overly complicated. Heck, it’s as easy as saying, well it’s all dreams.

I am not a movie critic so I will stop with my poor review. But, Nolan’s phantasmagorical film did get me thinking about the anagogic subject of dreams and movies. And, wouldn’t you know it, after a quick online search for some fresh court links I came across some news on a movie about one famous guitarist who entered the unknown close to 15 years ago…well, who knows, maybe he just woke up.

Before the long strange trip began

The long-awaited Jerry Garcia biopic finally has a script and a director. Amir Bar-Lev, director of “The Tillman Story” will take Topper Lilien’s screenplay, which is based on of Robert Greenfield’s book, “Dark Star,” and turn it into a motion picture. The movie will focus on Garcia…before the Dead. Now, the question is…who will play Jerry Garcia?

Link: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118022032.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&ref=vertfilm

Zach Galifianakis (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)

Jerry Garcia

*GULP*

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Relax. I’ll need some information first. Just the basic facts. Where is Gilmour going?

19 Jul

A few days ago I reported that David Gilmour will join Roger Waters for the performance of “Comfortably Numb” at one of Waters’ “The Wall” concert dates  (https://musiccourt.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/david-gilmour-and-roger-waters-will-reunite-at-least-once-more-for-one-song/). Waters and Gilmour, both great showmen, will leave a lot of eager ticket holders and fans obscured by clouds and in the dark on where Gilmour will join Waters on stage (I’m sorry, Pink Floyd puns are so tempting). Will it remain a surprise? Probably. I can’t see Waters revealing this information when it stands to make him even more money than the epic tour already stands to make. But, that does not mean I cannot guess.

Awesome Floyd Wallpaper (www.wallpaperbase.com)

In my mind, Waters and Gilmour will choose from one or two options. Gilmour can surprise the world, and a very pleased New York crowd, and make his grand appearance at either of the Madison Square Garden dates in early October. If this does happen, it most definitely demonstrates Gilmour and Waters’ willingness to play more concerts in the United States area. Now, don’t get your hopes up entirely because I am pretty sure this will not happen and, even if it does, it does not guarantee a combined tour at all. But, a Floyd fan can dream, right?

My guess is that Gilmour joins Waters at the 02 Arena in London on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Yes, the tour reaches far into the new year. The 02 Arena is in a convenient location – it is near Gilmour’s residence – and the date is the last in the straight series of five shows played in London, only a mere hour away from the original Pink Floyd stomping grounds, Cambridge. It just all seems to perfect. But, like most things, we must wait and see. So, for now, please enjoy Floyd playing “Comfortably Numb” at Live 8 while tightly holding your tickets and hoping that maybe, just maybe, you will soon see history:

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Monday Blues and Pink Floyd Ruse

12 Jul

I came across a funny article about blues music this morning over at Porky’s Place (link: http://counterfeminism.info/2010/06/old-black-men-and-their-woes/).

Porky notes that blues music is an old man’s heavy metal. He says that, “When one is young, one is angry about the woeful state of the world, so one listens to the high pitched screechings of angry young men like Axl Rose and Marilyn Manson, but as one makes his way towards forty, one is more inclined to think “Stuff it all, I’ll listen to some dying old men instead.”

Great stuff there Porky. Blues music finds its roots in personal struggle in a harsh world, focusing a lot on failing relationships, cruelty, oppression and longing. I am a big fan of blues music, especially early blues, and I mean early. The blues that perfectly combines a singer’s gravelly voice with the raw, scratchy recording.

Porky includes some blues lyrics and explanations in his article and I am going to add another lyric to the list, one of my person favorite blues verses. “I’m Ready,” written by Willie Dixon in 1954 and first recorded by Muddy Waters in the same year, is both funny and bluesy. Yes, this is possible. Just look at hokum blues.

Joining Muddy Waters on the “I’m Ready” recording was Little Walter on harmonica, Jimmie Rogers on guitar, Willie Dixon, on bass, Otis Spann on drums, and Fred Below on drums. The collective pride of Chess records. Here is my favorite verse:

“I got an axe handle pistol on a graveyard frame
That shoot tombstone bullets, wearin’ balls and chain
I’m drinkin’ TNT, I’m smokin’ dynamite
I hope some screwball start a fight
‘Cause I’m ready, ready as anybody can be
I’m ready for you, I hope you’re ready for me”

On Saturday night, David Gilmour and Roger Waters performed together for the Hoping Foundation Benefit Evening, an organization that stands for hope and optimism for Palestinians in the Next Generation, and they would have secretly gotten away with it if it wasn’t for twitter, cameras and the media.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: David Gilmour (L) and Roger Waters perform at a benefit evening for The Hoping Foundation on July 10, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/CI Getty Images Entertainment)

Yeah, I know, right. What the hell? Why was I not there? The seemingly impromptu performance took place in Kiddington Hall in Oxfordshire.

News of the Waters and Gilmour mini-show, was broken by Fearne Cotton, one of the hosts of the evening, who tweeted about the event in the early hours of Sunday morning.

I found more information from the show on David Gilmour’s blog: http://www.davidgilmourblog.com/

Gilmour and Waters were joined by Guy Pratt on bass and acoustic guitar, Harry Waters on keyboard, Andy Newmark on drums, Chester Kamen on guitar, and Jonjo Grisdale (on keyboards).

They played ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’, a song that was often featured in Pink Floyd sound checks when they were together, followed by ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘Comfortably Numb’, and Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two). The crowd was around 200.

I only hope that Gilmour and Waters had a wonderful time. They did help raise 350,000 pounds for the charity, which definitely helps with the fun. Maybe, we can attract them to Madison Square Garden for a large charity show. It can benefit all of the Floyd fans that would pay thousands of dollars to see Gilmour and Waters to join forces!

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Born in the Internet

5 Jul

Hello everyone. Sorry for the late posting today, but this is the first opportunity I have had to sit down at a computer and write about music. Speaking of computers, the artist formerly known as Prince, shunned the complex interweb, with its fancy links and its crazy Itunes.

“All these computers and digital gadgets are no good,” said Prince. “They just fill your head with numbers, and that can’t be good for you.”

Uh…do you think somebody should tell him that the people making sure that he makes money (i.e. accountants, managers), well, their heads are always filled with numbers and they are probably keeping track of everything on the…internet. Prince, buddy, listen. You are an extraordinarily talented musician, but, the world wide web is not going anywhere. Those who refuse to change with the time often are left in the dust.

Prince goes on to compare the internet to a fad, like “MTV” or Pogs, exclaiming that, “the internet is over,” which sounds more like an apocalyptic message than a musician’s proclamation. Prince here are some lyrics that you may want to study, “Come mothers and fathers, Throughout the land, And don’t criticize, What you can’t understand.”

UPDATE (7/12)

Prince may disregard that the internet is here to stay, but, his listeners certainly disagree. Prince, who agreed to give out his album for free with British newspapers, may be feeling the effects of people receiving the CD and selling it online for 13 euros. Hundreds of copies of the CD have gone on sale on several websites, leading one music fan (me) to laugh hysterically. Oops!

The internet?

Are any of you feeling a hangover from your fourth of July weekend. No, not that kind of hangover; more like a, “I don’t want the barbecues, national pride, days off from work, and did I mention barbecues to ever stop. Well, to keep you in that American mood for just a little while longer here is America’s very own Bruce Springsteen with an acoustic version of “Born in the USA.”

Yes, lyrically, the song deals with the effects of the Vietnam war on Americans and is widely misinterpreted as a patriotic anthem, but, freedom of speech is as American as you can get.

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