The Music Court

Who is the next Mick Jagger? I don’t know, but, “American Idol” will attempt to find out next week. The competition’s top 12 will take on the Rolling Stones challenge according to an announcement by “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest. So, prepare for two to three memorable performances of songs like “Satisfaction” and “Wild Horses,” and a whole bunch of bad imitations. I like when “American Idol” attempts to spice the competition up with band tributes and it did work two years ago when “American Idol” contestants took on the Beatles’ immense track list. But, the Stones. I can only wish the contestants good luck. My only suggestion to contestants is to not attempt to imitate Mick Jagger’s carefree swagger. Make the songs your own or face the judges scorn. Trust me. I have only been watching the show for over a third of my life. Wow, that is incredibly sad.

Link: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2010/03/11/american-idol-set-to-tackle-songs-by-the-rolling-stones/

Video:

Pearl Jam is coming to Madison Square Garden. My good friend is jumping for joy. The short spring tour concludes in New York with two shows on May 20 and 21. The tour will support the release of their recent album Backspacer. Die-hard Pearl Jam fans are quite loyal and unwavering in their belief that Pearl Jam is god’s gift. I am not among those who are crazed with this Seattle band. They are not my cup of tea. But, I have heard they put on some pretty awesome shows. They will sell out the Garden so that counts for something.

U.S. Tour Dates:

May 1: New Orleans (New Orleans Jazz Festival)
May 3: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
May 4: St. Louis (Scottrade Center)
May 6: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
May 7: Noblesville, Ind. (Verizon Wireless Music Center)
May 9: Cleveland, Ohio (Quicken Loans Arena)
May 10: Buffalo, N.Y. (HSBC Arena)
May 13: Bristow, Virginia (Jiffy Lube Live)
May 15: Hartford, CT (XL Center)
May 17: Boston (TD Garden)
May 18: TBA
May 20: New York (Madison Square Garden)
May 21: New York (Madison Square Garden)

Link: http://www.billboard.com/news/pearl-jam-unleashes-u-s-concert-dates-1004074568.story#/news/pearl-jam-unleashes-u-s-concert-dates-1004074568.story

Video:

Who else found it absolutely hilarious that the end of the Oscars was so clearly rushed. Tom Hanks practically ran to the microphone to announce the winner of the award for best picture. This was not Hanks being quirky. The show was running out of time. The nightly news and documentation of the after party had to be salvaged. I felt like I was watching Ryan Seacrest attempt to end American Idol on time.

Yeah, kind of like this

But, it was the Oscars. It was the annual award ceremony that means so much to so many. “The Hurt Locker,” a film that profiles Staff Sgt. William James and his dangerous military job of bomb defusing, took home the best picture prize. Hanks didn’t even have time to read the 10 movie nominee list.

But, here at the Music Court, we were only focused on two awards. Who would win best original score and best original song? I had my pre-show favorites written down and, wouldn’t you know it, I was correct on both of my predictions.

Original Score

Winner: “Up” by Michael Giacchino

My Thoughts: Great choice. The nominees for this year’s award were strong but this was the clear choice. Giacchino’s score narrates the animated film. “Up” is a beautiful tale that lives by a touching moral. At times when it seems that all hope is lost, a plump and adventurous child can take you out of your comfort zone and show you what it means to love again. And, the music that takes us on a soaring, balloon assisted journey is proof of this moral. “Married Life,” the third track on the “Up” soundtrack, acts like a good story. There is no dialogue in the scene it is played over. We only get the moving, cartoon image of a couple growing old together. This ends in the wife’s death. The score provides us with a single hook that is played at different speeds throughout the piece. This acts as a powerful narration. The song is inspiring and emotional. It is perfect for this movie and is one of the main reasons why Michael Giacchino won the Oscar for best original score.

Information: http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees/up/3335

“Married Life”:

Best Song

Winner: “The Weary Kind” by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett from the movie “Crazy Heart”

Congrats to Jeff Bridges for finally winning an Oscar (BTW)

My Thoughts:

The obvious choice. The country tune is tender and real. A plucked acoustic guitar acts as a rhythm background to light strings and a heavy bass and drum. Ryan Bingham’s voice screams Springsteen in a tender and genuine way. The song feels like a Springsteen tune. But, Bingham puts his own spin on the song to separate himself from others. The lyric is truthful and the song is warm and cozy like a Zebra Snuggie. Yeah, I couldn’t help myself. I needed to make some odd comparison. But, in all seriousness, the song deserved the honor and I am glad that it won.

Information: http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees/crazy-heart/3343

“The Weary Kind”:

Great New York Times article about the awards ceremony: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/movies/awardsseason/08oscars.html?src=sch&pagewanted=all

Tim Burton’s take on “Alice in Wonderland” is coming out tomorrow and people are ready to experience this 3D spectacle and most likely be freaked out. In preparation for the movies’ release let’s take a look at the impact it has had on music. Obviously, “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane is a play on “Alice in Wonderland.” It also is a psychedelic masterpiece. Did you know that “I am the Warlus” is loosely inspired by Lewis Carroll’s famous novel. The song, which was written during two acid trips – now do you understand why the lyric is so odd – is inspired by the walrus in “The Walrus and the Carpenter” a poem recited by Tweedledee and Tweedledum in ‘Through the Looking-Glass.’ Check out the rest of the list: http://www.spinner.com/2010/03/03/alice-in-wonderland-music/

Happy Birthday Chris Squire, the bassist for the progressive rock band Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album. Here is a video of Yes performing “Roundabout” at Yessongs in 1973

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, or better known as simply Eno, is most likely the top music producer today. His credits? With his style of emphasizing theory over practice, creating generative music (music that is ever-different and changing) and revolutionizing music production, he has seen much success with David Bowie, David Byrne and the Talking Heads, and even Devo. Perhaps his most famous productions were with U2. He produced seven of their albums, including the famous The Joshua Tree. It is pretty safe to conclude that the man knows how to produce successful album.

Recently, he produced Coldplay’s fourth album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends which was a tremendous commercial success selling over 8.1 millions copies worldwide. Eno has confirmed that he will be producing Coldplay’s fifth release which Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin said he wanted to get out by Christmas. I believe this is another good move for both Eno and Coldplay. They work well together and Eno brings out a lot of creativity in the band members. His influence is positive on Coldplay’s music and the new, fresh sound on album #5 is most welcome. I am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

Here’s a track from Viva La Vida:

CD Release for 3/2/10:

Permalight by Rogue Wave

The fourth album from alternative rock favorites Rogue Wave is perhaps Zack Rogue and Pat Spurgeon’s best release yet. With added synthesizers and a similar effervescent and pastoral sound, Rogue Wave is maturing musically and doing it quite well. This is also the first album to feature new bassist Cameron Jasper.

Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Permalight-Rogue-Wave/dp/B0033AX1ZU

We are going to do a little switch around because of business. I hope to bring you a new Top 100 lyricist tomorrow. But, for tonight, as the skies above Binghamton prepare itself for the massive snow dump it is about to take, I bring you a special Wednesday version of Court Links.

Jimi Hendrix being a lefty and all that jazz

In an interesting article written by veteran journalist Tom Jacobs we are introduced to University of Toledo psychologist Stephen Christman who studied the ambidextrous Jimi Hendrix and indicated in his findings that there is a serious connection between his creativity and the interaction between the brain’s right and left hemispheres.

Check out the article: http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/the-brain-that-gave-us-purple-haze-9680/

A big Happy Birthday to the kick-butt rocker George Thorogood. In honor here is some classic “Bad to the Bone”