The Music Court

Half a century ago in the summer of 1965 a 3-note guitar riff quite literally rocked the pants off the world. Keith Richards, who would later on be known as the master of guitar riffs, laid down the rough version of the revered riff in a short hypnogogic acoustic self jam session prior to snoring through the night. We all must thank the prescience of recording the riff or who knows if the fuzz tone rock n’ roll staple would have made its mark on music.

It is odd that “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones is 50 years old this year, and it is always strange going way back in time to see what graced the Billboard Charts back before the moon landing. The song’s sheer awesomeness speaks to its staying power. Everything from the negative concord of a title line to Jagger’s angst-laden vocals to Richards’ repetitive riff to the persistent percussion that drives the song helps create a tremendous song.

The song, which plays off of commercialism and sexual frustration, was ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 2nd best song of all time and has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. It might be the most recognizable song to come out of the 60s, and in many ways it represented a quasi-microcosm of the time period and the youth generation of the time.

All in all, the song’s efficacy comes back to that simple 3-note riff that evokes everything one loves in music, and for that, it is no surprise that 50 years later, “Satisfaction” is still rocking.

On the 2001 LP Useful Music, Josh Joplin opens the track “Gravity” with a sagacious maxim: “I will not be here forever, so I will not waste any time.” And he and his band and then group (inside joke for fans) did not. Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Josh Joplin and his Atlanta crew released five albums of tremendous potency. Each was lined with extraordinary alternative folk/rock tracks, each written with the clever hand of Joplin, whose musical influences (Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan) seeped into each tracks lyric. If I had to describe the group in one fragment it would read: wonderfully skilled lyricist with a group that featured a defined taste for melody and instrumentation. This epithet unfortunately would also read “gone too soon” (12 years now), but, as Joplin sings in his ode to Phil Ochs, “you are not gone,” and, as this post demonstrates, the music of the Josh Joplin Group lives on.

So, why write this post? I don’t know how many Josh Joplin fans there are still. I’m sure many have at least a few tracks sitting on their iTunes track lists – as I do … well, I have more than a few. At least “Camera One,” which made an appearance on the first season of “Scrubs,” is on some playlists. However, Joplin and his group were (and still are in their individual ways – Joplin rarely performs but still recently released some music with Among the Oak & The Ash, a band he formed with singer/songwriter Garrison Starr and does still create solo stuff) way too talented to be reserved to turn of the century alt/rock playlists. I want more people to know about the “wonderful ones” that was the Josh Joplin Group. I will also reserve this one sentence as a minor request for the band to get back together and maybe do a little anniversary tour (the first album was released 20 years ago next year).

So, I need to provide some proof, don’t I. Well, trust me, I have proof of this band’s awesomeness. I’m going to pick two of my favorite songs from the Josh Joplin Group for you to gnaw on. Let’s start with “Better Days”

Much in the vein of Josh Ritter’s “Temptation of Adam,” which was released a decade after this song, Josh Joplin sings a delicate piece expressing his love for his significant other while the world around them was falling apart. The “tragic” nights and “ruins of rage” do not penetrate the couple’s love and although “the end is here,” Josh Joplin passionately professes that he has “never seen better days.” It’s a wonderful paradox that features a melody that perfectly captures the sentiment – soft violin and piano that crescendos when discussing the horror outside the couple’s window, but quiets when expressing the “better days” – however, the most passion of the song is the “I Love You” lyric, which just makes a good deal of sense!

I have to choose “Camera One.” Many of you are probably going, “Oh, this song – this is a really good song.” The song, which cautions Hollywood dreamers, appeared on the re-release of Useful Music in 2001. It is a passionate appeal to the masses, featuring a more radio rock sound – alternative and, true to form, clean and concise. It’s catchy – a driving incipient guitar followed by a build up to a strung-out chorus that bleeds over Joplin’s croon. Great song.

So, there you have it, my passionate appeal to listeners and readers of the Music Court. Listen to the Josh Joplin Group!

There was a rule in the Tannen home that, according to Greg, little brother of Steve who is one of the tag-team duo that is the Weepies, every child had to pick up an instrument and learn it – no drums though.

That’s one way to engender a musically-inclined family, and this penchant for music has sparked the career of both Tannens, who, this past Saturday, depicted these musical talents at Town Hall in NYC in front of what seemed like 1,000 of their closest family and friends. In celebration of the Weepies’ first album in five years, the band teamed up with Greg Tannen, who opened for the married duo – Steve and his wife Deb Talan – to put together a jam-packed, “two days” of music – according to Steve.

Ok, it may have not run for two days, but the band did play around 30 songs, inflecting their sweet married badinage in between tracks, establishing the soothing feel that we were all actually in their living room, minus the crying kids! That is what made the concert so delightful. It was such a warm, personal environment. I almost felt like taking off my shoes and putting my feet up; although, I’m sure the people in front would have not liked that. Throughout the show, Steve and Deb picked out people in the crowd who they knew, and during the changeover from Greg’s opening act to the Weepies I heard numerous people by our seats talk about how they have known Deb and Steve for many years. To top it off, the Tannen parents were in the audience taking in the show. When I put family affair into the title of a post, I do not lie!

The music, though, is what made the show. The Weepies have always warmed the cockles of my heart’s ears. Let that imagery sink in for a second. Their dulcet 2-minute ditties are rich with soft acoustic melodies and effortless harmonies. Talan’s vocals are quirky and original, and they match well with Tannen’s more traditional, soft croon. The new material is a bit of a change of their early stuff, creating more instrument-rich music with some more complex sounds. It’s just nice to hear the Weepies making some more music. All in all, the concert made me smile, and isn’t that what a performance is often supposed to do. It was just enjoyable listening to the tunes, and the family aspect made the show that much more comfortable.

Let’s listen to a little live performance. Here are the Weepies performing “The World Spins Madly On,” which is the song that initially turned me on to the band, at the Oregon Zoo in 2011. Enjoy!

Oh, American Idol, how I will miss you. Oh wait, I have not watched you in several years. Actually, the last American Idol I remember was back when I was an undergrad in college; that just demonstrates the show’s fortitude and perseverance. I post the picture above not out of ignorance but out of nostalgia for a time where Paula Abdul’s ridiculous ramblings about nonsense were persistently chided by the abrasive Simon Cowell. Nostalgia for a time when Randy Jackson’s “dawgs” were held in such high esteem by the show’s wide audience. Nostalgia for the American Idol of old, the show that spawned the superstar talents of Kelly, Carrie, Phil, Jennifer (even though she did not win), and many more.

Ok, I sound like a total fanboy, but let me explain. As much as American Idol, which has just announced that its 15th season on the air will be its lost, has jumped the shark so many times that even Henry Winkler would be disgusted, the show has represented a quintessential model of successful television; it has been tremendously malleable while keeping its initial frame. The show’s point is still the same, to be crowned the top singer and receive the American Idol crown, but the judges and format has changed. Actually, let me emend my statement; Ryan Seacrest has not changed. No one has benefitted more than Seacrest who is conservatively worth $300 million and has turned into the next Dick Clark, which is a title he deserves; I happen to think he is an excellent television host.

That said, after 13 years on the air – yes, the show premiered in 2002 – the show has not garnered much viewership in the last few seasons, and Fox has decided to cut it. The talent-show Ozymandias will finally be buried into the annals of time, and it is about time. Will it be missed? Sure. However, the time is right for it to be brought out to pasture. It was a great run.

So, consider this my haphazard, odd eulogy to a show that, as much as I sometimes hate to admit it, I grew up with. American Idol, in a twisted sort of way, represents family. Seriously. For many years, American Idol was a two (often times 3)-day-a-week tradition. My mother, sister, and I would sit down, mockingly hum the opening, laugh hysterically at the awful performers, provide astute observations of early favorites, chastise those contestants who only got by on looks and had no talent, and cheer – well, my mother would cheer – contestants we found to be fantastic. There was joy in watching the show, some strange sense of familial togetherness all because of American Idol. And, for that, I thank American Idol. You became a pretty boring show, but you had a great run.

Music Court, out.