Baltimoremick.com » Music

WIKKIWIKKIWIKKIWIKKI

JJT — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:19:32 +0000

I stumbled across this via Merlin Mann's blog, kung fu grippe. It was quite a coincidence given someone mentioning this classic tune last night.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I haven't heard that song in forever, but for some reason I loved it when I was a kid.

Revisiting the “Velvet Fog”

JJT — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:53:45 +0000

Now that I have apparently sullied someone's favorite band, I open myself up to ridicule and derision at the hands of others. For some reason, I opted to listen to some classic tunes by the "Velvet Fog," Mel Torme.

Let the hilarity commence...

And This is a Bad Thing?

JJT — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:26:11 +0000

According to the BBC, the Swedish supergroup and the bane of both good music and most heterosexual men, ABBA, will never perform again.

Is that really so bad? I, for one, welcome this as good news.

Some Other Time

JJT — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:46:43 +0000

I recently bought the MP3 version of The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, and I really enjoy "Some Other Time." It's not a terribly melancholy song, but I find it speaks to the current pace of things. Add Tony Bennett's singing to the piano master of Bill Evans, and this album is quite good.

Here are the lyrics to "Some Other Time":

Where has the time all gone to?
Haven't done half the things we want to
Oh, well
We'll catch up some other time
This day was just a token
Too many words are still unspoken
Oh, well
We'll catch up some other time
Just when the fun is starting
Comes the time for parting
But let's be glad for what we had
And what's to come
There's so much more embracing
Still to be done but time is racing
Oh, well
We'll catch up some other time.

Tony Bennett – 22 March 2008

JJT — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 02:58:32 +0000

I saw Tony Bennett for the third time last night, and as usual he put on a pretty good show. My seats at the Meyerhoff were not nearly as good as the ones I had at the Hippodrome, but the man still puts on a good show.

The Mountain Goats

JJT — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:38:25 +0000

In reading the City Paper Best of Baltimore 2007 issue yesterday, I noticed that The Mountain Goats are playing at Sonar tomorrow night. I was introduced to the Mountain Goats by a dear friend, and I must admit that the continued musings of Merlin Mann reinforced how much I like their music.

Unfortunately, I am not in town tomorrow as I am visiting family on the Eastern Shore. Otherwise, I would see them. The songwriting is great, and the music is just perfect. How can you not love a song that has "Hail Satan" as one of the lyrics.

If someone goes, please let me know how good it is.

Adding to the Music Library

JJT — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:17:18 +0000

I splurged--something I do not do often--and purchased two CDs from Sound Garden this weekend.

Mocean Worker - Cinco de MoWo!

This is some interesting jazz by a DJ calling himself Mocean Worker. The same artist is behind the music in the current Lincoln television ads, and I have heard his stuff on 103.1 before. I couldn't find his earlier disc, but Sound Garden had this one. It is some real good stuff, and I can enjoy it in the car.

James Brown - Make it Funky The Big Payback 1971-1975

Appealing to a long-standing wish I have had to get into some more classic funk from the (Late) Hardest Working Man in Show Business, I picked up this two-disc compilation on a whim. If you want to experience some funky JB, this is a pretty good compilation. I still need to figure out what is an essential collection--I have heard his Apollo Theater recordings are good. Nonetheless, this set allows you to enjoy some funk from the man that made P. Funk possible. Hell, I want to just say "HIT ME!"

Concert-Going Faux Pas

JJT — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:20:46 +0000

I went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert last night at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. It was a good show, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't play some of their older stuff. Was it too much to ask for something from Freaky Styley, maybe "Catholic School Girls Rule"? There were a lot of much younger fans than I expected, including the young girl next to me whose loud screaming could be used to make the most hated alarm clock ever.

My only problem with going to concerts in DC is that I wind up getting home so damn late, it throws off my morning routine. No gym this morning, slept in, and got to the office late. Oy.

There was a bit of entertainment at the show last night. Behold the two photos from my cameraphone below.

I don't know whether or not you can make it out in the photos, but the fellow pictured is balding and has a rather long set of dreadlocks. In a sin that is just as bad as having a pony tail while being bald, this gentleman is balding and has groomed the dreads. To quote the guy sitting behind me: "Wow, his dreads are pretty long for a bald guy; I wonder if he started growing them when he had hair." Just give it up, man. It's bad enough to groom the long hair while bald, but even worse to groom the dreads!

Stay classy, bald dread-locked guy!

Is This Wrong?

JJT — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 14:34:15 +0000

Is it wrong for Sexyback to be my latest guilty pleasure? Damn you, Justin Timberlake!

Clapton is God!

JJT — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 21:19:32 +0000

I know it is an old expression, and certainly Eric Clapton is no spring chicken. Nonetheless, I had a great time at the Clapton concert last night at the ~~MCI~~ Verizon Center in Washington DC. He opened with "Pretending," then went right into "I Shot the Sherriff." He wrapped up the evening with "Layla" and "Cocaine." It was a pretty good show, and worth the price. My seats were not that bad considering where they were.

Of my favorite tunes that he performed, I have always been partial to "Old Love." I have no idea why, as I certainly don't have a reason to sing the blues. There is something about the lyrics that I have always liked. To be honest, though, the guitar riffs in that song are awe-inspiring. Just watching Clapton work, even though he gave just as much time to the other artists around him, was pretty darn impressive.
The photos I took that turned out pretty good are here. I also played around with some video captures, and once I get them up on YouTube I will be sure to post the links in this post.

UPDATE: As promised, I uploaded the video clips I shot at the concert, just to give the non-believers a taste of the greatness that is Clapton. Enjoy them below.

Click here to view the embedded video.