RADIO HANNIBAL

Why No Halloween Parties On October 31 In Cleveland?

So I'm looking for something fun to do tonight on Halloween.  October 31 falls on a Monday this year, not exactly party night of the week here in Cleveland or anywhere else for that matter. 

I get it, most bars want to get the most out of their Halloween party by scheduling it for the closest Saturday.  I DJ'd such a party at Rocky River Brewing Company.  It was packed.  I had a blast and saw many fantastic costumes.  But now I feel like wearing a costume and joining in the revelry without the responsibility of making sure the next song kills. 

Typically on Monday nights I'll go to Pug Mahones in Lakewood and see Jim Tigue's Music Monday showcase.  It runs 6 to 9pm and that early time slot is what I really love, except this week.  I want to be handing out candy to the trick or treaters between 6 and 8pm.  There's no way I'll make tonight's set. 

So I've been scouring the local papers and sites for a good Halloween party that takes place on the actual night.  And I can't find anything.  It would seem to me there are others like me who are looking for a party.  Why doesn't a bar throw two Halloween parties or become the bar known as the place to party on October 31. 

Instead, I'll just keep the portable fire pit burning in my driveway, cranking the Halloween mixes on my portable player and have my own small party.  You're welcome to join me.  That is unless the forecast of rain holds true.  Then I guess I'll have a private party inside. 

 

TVs Greatest Rock And Roll Moments, Part 2

Yesterday I listed some of the great rock and roll moments on TV.  Today I'd like to show some of them and others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On my Facebook comments someone mentioned Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd's performance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.  How about we start with that.

 

 

 

There's certainly others as well.  Some from Saturday Night Live like Neil Young but SNL material is unavailable on You Tube.  Tell us some of your favorites I've overlooked. 

TVs Greatest Rock And Roll Moments

There's a great debate underway on a message board I belong to involving the greatest rock and roll moments on TV.  The obvious come to mind like The Beatles on Ed Sullivan but there's others that I'd forgotten about and a few I had never seen. 

Here's a list of some of them in no particular order:

Michael Jackson moonwalks at Motown 25
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
The Who on Smothers Brothers
The Doors on Ed Sullivan
Nirvana on MTV Unplugged
Queen at Live Aid
Elvis Presley's Comeback Special
Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" on Saturday Night Live

Or how about Sinead O'Connor's performance on Saturday Night Live when she sang Bob Marley's "War" then pulled out a picture of the Pope and tore it up.  At the time people were aghast.  She was protesting the effort by the church to hide and protect priests who'd abused and molested children.  Now that the story is out you'd think people would have a different take on it. 

Tomorrow we'll add some more nominations and some video clips of these historic performances.  Stay tuned. 

Christmas Comes Early On Spotify

New Christmas releases generally come out this time of year but I don't buy them until it's officially Christmas season for fear that I might play them.  But with new holiday albums by Scott Weiland, She & Him, Keb Mo, and Michael Buble already on Spotify the temptation is tormenting me.

I'm a big fan of Christmas music.  I've amassed quite a collection including a myriad of mixes from friends over the years.  After Thanksgiving the majority of music I listen to is Christmas tunes.  So I want to refrain from playing these new releases until then. 

But that's one of the beauties of Spotify, it's immediate gratification.  With a simple click I could be listening to the sweet voice of Zooey Deschanel singing "The Christmas Waltz".  I could resolve my curiosity as to what Scott Weiland's take on "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" sounds like. 

It's torture I tell ya'.  I may give in once the first snow falls. 

Music Pick Of The Day: Tom Waits - Bad As Me

Today marks the release of Tom Waits best album since Mule Variations and maybe even Rain Dogs.  It's called Bad As Me and it's hard to imagine anyone who is as badass as Tom Waits when you give it a listen.

It's chock full of all the avant-noise you've come to expect from a Tom Waits album post Swordfishtrombone.  He also still uses his voice to great effect from manic screaming through a megaphone to creepy falsetto. The band features his long time collaborator Marc Ribot on guitar as well as appearances by Keith Richards and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos. 

With most of the 14 songs clocking in at around three minutes each there's so much variety to enjoy.  These are the best melodies penned by Waits in years.  The songs jump from surf rock to tex-mex to the type of balladry we've come to expect from Waits. 

From first listen it's apparent that this is a special album.  To find this sort of musical creativity from a 62 year old is refreshing and inspiring. 

Artist:  Tom Waits

Album:  Bad As Me

Review:  The Independent

 

A Halloween Music Treat For You

One of my dear friends lives in Chicago these days.  He's an audio engineer by trade and had outgrown the Cleveland market, his hometown, necessitating a move.  He's called Chicago home for over 15 years. 

I miss him, even with his infrequent visits back home.  He has a great way of staying in my life though.  Like me, he's a fan of the mix tape.  Unlike me, he has a professional mixing board at his disposal. 

He also loves Halloween and not only because it's his birthday.  To honor it he often creates a Halloween mix.  I just got this year's model over the weekend and thought I'd share it. 

Peeper Radio Halloween Special 2011

Barry Feinstein, Rock Photographer Dies

One of the great rock photographers of the 1960s and 70's, Barry Feinstein, died yesterday at the age of 80.  Here's the obit from The LA Times, Barry Feinstein dies at 80; rock music photographer.

Feinstein photographed over 500 album covers as well as other iconic images in rock.  As they say, a picture paints a thousand words.  Here's some of his finest.

Rolling Stone Magazine's Tribute To Steve Jobs

My new issue of Rolling Stone magazine arrived a couple of days ago.  I've been a steady subscriber since I went away to prep school in 1974.  I remember my English teacher, Mr. Millar, declare the imminent death of the magazine when they secured it with staples.  Well, it still survives and I still enjoy it very much.  Particularly this new issue featuring a young Steve Jobs on the cover.

The feature story, "The Steve Jobs Nobody Knew, How an insecure hippie kid reinvented himself as a technological visionary and changed the world" is terrific.  It's just the kind of angle I'd expect from Rolling Stone.  

I'm also anxious to read authorized biographer Walter Isaccson's book Steve Jobs which comes out this Monday.  He'd been writing the bio for some years now.  This is no rush to print, slapped together account of Jobs. 

I've been playing my iPod on shuffle on occasion to recall the magic that Steve Jobs brought to my life.  Then I heard Bob Boilin on NPR's All Songs Considered do the same thing to kick off the show after Jobs passing.  It was totally random as the iPod began playing The Beatles "Free As A Bird".  That was just freaky.  Not only a perfect song for someone's passing but the whole Apple thing comes to mind.

New Study Shows Music Means Money For Cleveland

In a front page story in today's Plain Dealer, Music rocks the Cleveland economy, according to a new study from Cleveland's Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, a study reveals that the local music community helps generate significant income for the city and surrounding communities.  Here's a key quote from the article. 

"In terms of its work force, the music industry is not large," said Tom Schorgl, president and chief executive officer of CPAC. "What is large is the economic return on that small work force. If we were to encourage growth in that industry, we would generate more jobs, resulting in more employed people in Cleveland."

The efforts to attract musicians to the city of Cleveland which offers affordable housing and cost of living such as the project in Collinwood has a good chance of reaping benefits for the city. 

As my whole life evolves around music, the idea that we continue to work toward growing the musical community and just as importantly, the patronage of it, is very exciting.  It is not far fetched to one day count Cleveland as a music city the same way Nashville and Austin are known.  It happened to Seattle and Portland and with the Rock Hall here it seems natural. 

Music Pick Of The Day: M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83, a French band fronted by Anthony Gonzalez, has been making gorgeous electronic pop music for a decade now.  Their albums usually rank quite highly on critics end of year lists. 

Today M83 have released their fifth or sixth album (depending on how you look at it).  It's an ambitious double LP that fights hard at maintaining the quality throughout. 

Gonzalez, who calls Los Angeles home these days, creates sunny, lush landscapes in song.  There's a cinematic feel throughout the proceedings whether it's subtle balladry or powerful crescendos creating quite a journey for the listener.  Gonzalez says the album is a tribute to his childhood. 

Artist:  M83

Album:  Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Review:  Filter

Spotify link to full album