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I Believe....
I believe that Bank of America's methodical swallowing of other banks is good for our country. So what if 6000 people will lose their jobs in the merger; the bank's name has the word "America" in it. Trust them.
I believe Spielberg's War Of The Worlds will be true to the H.G. Wells original novel.
I believe that once "do not email" registries, as reported here, are in place and I sign up, all emails about my p3Nis size, my staying power, my need for new soft-warez, and my need for a new mortgage will cease.
I believe that Bob Geldof's Live 8 shows will change the world as we know it, since the 8 richest countries can afford to send 50 billion bucks in pocket change to aid African nations.
I believe that the film industry is in a slump because of all of that illegal downloading. Why else would so many seats remain unfilled with all of those quality films in release? I hear that Deuce Bigelow 2 is coming soon to a theater near you!
I believe that Curt Schilling will be back in time for the 2005 World Series. (I believe..I believe...I BELIEVE!)
I believe that my Governor, Mitt Romney, is working tirelessly for Massachusetts because he cares about us and not because he's got his eyes on Dubya's job in 2008.Of course, I believed in Santa Claus for a very long time.
Artist Of The Day
Jon Pousette-Dart Band
Next Tuesday, the remaster of Pousette-Dart Band's Never Enough is finally available in the US, although the review from PDB producer Paul Carr isn't glowing (see it here.) Still, it's comforting to know that people want to hear Jon and his band, and that they are out there playing live shows and recording. If you've never heard of them, Jon's band is a country-rock type, along the lines of The Eagles, and they toured extensively in the 70's with such acts as The Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, James Taylor, Peter Frampton, Yes, the J.Geils Band, Eddie Money, Journey and Billy Joel. Read more about The PDB here.
Sound clips are available on Jon's site (click here), but would I leave you with only an appetizer and no main course?
Click here* to download Amnesia, from The Best Of The Pousette-Dart Band (My alltime favorite PDB song. Believe me, I'm sick but not insane. )
Click here* to download County Line, from The Best Of The Pousette-Dart Band.
Click here* to download The Real Thing, from an out-of-print release, It's About Time.
*downloads available for 7 days only.
Random Thoughts
The headline here states, "Tom Cruise says he believes in aliens." In the body of the rather short piece, though, when asked if he believed in aliens his reply was, "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?" Naturally, the headline leads you to believe that there's more to the story than just one remark. Of course, since he believes in Scientology, he has to believe in aliens! May Xenu be with you! (and a thanks to Cav for bringing these Scientology facts to my attention in her post, Dear Mr. Tom Cruise.)
Dylan is really selling out to Da Man this time, inking a deal to offer his Dylan: Live At the Gaslight 1962 at friggin' Starbucks. Do they still sell coffee there, or has it become a music shop?
AMC Entertainment is so sure you'll love Cinderella Man that they're offering a money-back guarantee! Ahem. Can I get my money back for The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, please? This could start a revolution, no?
Steel Train
 Steel Train performing at The Avalon in NYC, October 2004. Photo courtesy their web site.
Care to listen? They have free downloads at their web site:
Click here to download Blown Away.
Click here to download I Want You Back. (Jackson 5 cover, very fun!)
Click here to download Helplessly Hoping (CSNY cover)
Take Me Back Tuesday
 1. Name your three favourite songs by your favourite artist.
I think we've established that John Hiatt is my favorite artist, right? Here are the songs:
Memphis In The Meantime - Click here* to download.
Buffalo River Home
Have A Little Faith In Me
2. Name your three favourite albums by the same artist.
Slow Turning
Bring The Family
Stolen Moments
3. Name three duet partners you'd like to see your favourite artist perform with.
Emmylou Harris
Bonnie Raitt
Graham Parker
*download available for 7 days only
What's New This Week
 Not a whole lot, but here's a smattering of sonic amusement for you:
Taj Mahal - Take A Giant Step: The Best of Taj Mahal
Erin McKeown - We Will Become Like Birds - Sample it here.
Band Of Bees - Free The Bees - Sample it here. There's a 60's retro sound going on and I like it!
Bruce Cockburn - reissues
Dick Dale/The Ventures/Jan & Dean - Surfing with Dick Dale, The Ventures, and Jan & Dean
Devo - Oh No! It's Devo
Donovan - The Very Best of Donovan - Would you like a Sunshine Superman or a Hurdy Gurdy Man?
Brian Eno - reissues
Fairport Convention - Lasting Spirit: The Collection
Fountains Of Wayne - Out-Of-State Plates - I love this band!
Shannon McNally - Geronimo - You can preview at iTunes.
Joan Osborne - One Of Us - A compilation.
String Cheese Incident - One Step Closer
 Last Girl On Earth revealed in today's post that she likes to dance around her apartment naked. I think she needs some proper tuneage to dance to!
Top 10 Songs For Last Girl's Naked DancingDance Naked - John MellencampDancing With Myself - Billy IdolDancing Barefoot - U2Safety Dance - Men Without HatsDancing Queen - AbbaCome Dancing - The Kinks Dancing Fool - Frank ZappaBuck Naked - David ByrneShake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & HerbShake Your Booty - KC & The Sunshine BandFeel free to add your own. We want Last Girl to cause a quake in NYC!
Finally, A Ribbon I Can Live With
  Shamelessly lifted from Ultrablog, who shamelessly lifted it from another blogger, Shelly. You can design your own here.
The Master Of Disaster
Last night, Significant Other and I shared our sixth John Hiatt experience together at the lovely Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA. (He indulges my Johnny obsession, and I love him for it!)
John and The North Mississippi Allstars: Luther Dickinson, Cody Dickinson, and Chris Chew.
I'd heard a couple of North Mississippi Allstars songs before, but that did not prepare me for the ass-kickin' bluesy rockin' sound they provided as John's backing band. They fooled me, too, with their laid-back, albeit perfectly played, opening set of country-blues, as well as with their rockin-on-the-porch sound on John's new release, Master Of Disaster. But when these three guys had John fronting them, they delivered an energetic, blues-rocking set, worthy of comparison to The Nashville Queens or The Guilty Dogs, and given a little more experience, will be as polished as The Goners. And I had to shake my head a couple of times when I looked down at the stage. Luther Dickinson looks a little like Sonny Landreth when he's hunched over playing his guitar.
Luther Dickinson, looking a bit like Sonny Landreth?
The set consisted of older audience favorites, such as Paper Thin, Memphis In the Meantime, and Slow Turning, mixed in with some fine new tunes from Master Of Disaster (Cold River, Master of Disaster, Ain't Never Goin' Back.) Although the sound mix was not optimal (up in the balcony, I could not hear the John's whispers in the quieter moments, nor clearly hear all of his ramblings in between songs), the overall experience was superb. This was the best Hiatt show I've been to! 
John Hiatt at the Calvin Theater.
It's Friday again already? YEAH!
Top 5 Songs of Summer or Songs that Remind You of Summer
- Miserlou - Dick Dale & His Del-tones - Tarrentino loved it so much, he used it in Pulp Fiction. Click here* to download.
- Green Onions - Booker T. & The M.G.'s
- Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
- Life Is A Highway - Tom Cochrane - Click here* to download.
- School's Out - Alice Cooper - Click here* to download.
*downloads available for 7 days only
Michael Tolcher
 Click here to visit his site, where you can download 3 songs:
Mission Responsible - Click here to download.
Bad Habits - Click here to download.
No One Above - Click here to download.
Michael, a preacher's kid from Lovejoy, GA, and was a track star at Georgia Tech before he was injured and had to make other plans.
Random Thoughts
I was watching AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes special on CBS last night, but our cable lost the signal to both ABC and CBS right after the #8 quote was revealed. I was really ticked, but at least I could find the entire list here. There's a glaring omission, if you ask me. Do you know which line is in all 6 of the Star Wars movies, uttered by several characters? (And does this expose my secret geekiness? ) I have a bad feeling about this! How could this not be in the Top 100?
...
I bought a 4-pack of Perrier to soothe my soda withdrawl. (Stopped drinking it 10 days ago, and am down to one cup of coffee per day, too.) According to the label, this Perrier is Now Portable! since it's packaged in plastic bottles. Was the glass bottle just that hard to carry around, rendering it un-portable?
...
The House has approved the Flag-Burning Amendment. Although I would never burn our flag and don't advocate such an action, I do believe that this is just one more way the Gum'mit can get its eyes and ears into everything we do as a citizenry. Since Sept. 11, they have used The Terrorists and Terrorism to their advantage, scaring the bejesus out of us and tramping on our civil rights in the name of our own safety. I'm skeptical about the rationale here.
On The Record
So Many Ways To Be WickedLone Justice - Lone Justice
Released: 1985
Purchased: 1985
Album Rating: 2 1/2 Stars then; 3 1/2 Stars now
Cover Art: 2 1/2 Stars
Tidbits: Charted on both the Billboard 200 (#56) and the Billboard Top Country Albums (#62) in 1985. The single Ways To Be Wicked charted at #29 on the Modern Rock Tracks and #71 on the Hot 100. Band consisted of vocalist Maria McKee, guitarist Ryan Hedgecock, bassist Marvin Etzioni, and drummer Don Heffington. Produced by Jimmy Iovine (who had nothing else to do in the 80's?) Benmont Tench plays keys.
My early exposure to my dad's country music (Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, etc.) left me a bit underwhelmed. Sure, Cash's albums were gritty, spiced with a smattering of anger, but the rest were filled with honky-tonkin' twang that just didn't do it for me. I never bought a country album, until I bought this "rock" album by Lone Justice.
I heard Ways To Be Wicked on the radio in Columbus, Ohio, and I had to hear the rest of the album. I was reeled in by Maria McKee's powerful, yet angelic voice, and that Petty/Campbell lyric: You know so many ways to be wicked, but you don't know one little thing about love. (Heartbreaker Benmont Tench is also part of the mix here, contributing his signature piano and organ sound.) Ah yes, this is a Petty song, produced by Jimmy Iovine, but sung by a female. Yep, they reeled me in, then switched the bait.
Although East Of Eden, Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling,) and Ways To Be Wicked are fairly straight-ahead rock songs, the remaining tunes have so much twang to them that I felt like I needed a cowboy hat and some boots with spurs. I just wasn't prepared for this. I needed a few years to fully appreciate the album.
So did everyone else, apparently. The second album, Shelter, found the band retooling their sound to fit the 80's mold, thereby losing their flavor and their appeal. Maria went on to a solo career, and that was that. We were given a glimpse of greatness with Ways To Be Wicked, but we never had a chance to see how much the band could do.
A funny thing happened to me, though, sometime in the 90's. I picked up this Lone Justice album and took it for a spin on my under-used turntable. Voila. Like Gram Parsons, were these folks just ahead of their time? The alt.country genre was shooting ahead, guns drawn. The Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo were all the rage. I realized that, indeed, I did like this old Lone Justice album after all. It really does hold up when you throw it in a mix with Wilco, The Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, Golden Smog, Blue Mountain, The Old 97's, Whiskeytown, and Son Volt. I forgot to mention the cover art! Boring, grainy photos of the band is art? Ok, I'll cut them some slack, since it was the first record. It's fairly blah, but at least it doesn't scream "I'm an 80's album. Look at our hair!" 2 1/2 Stars out of 5.Downloads*: (click song title to download)Ways To Be WickedEast Of Eden Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling) [live]
*available for 7 days only
Music Memoirs is in an 80's mood......
List 3 artists/bands from this decade:
Crowded House - Click here* to download an mp3 of Weather With You.
The Replacements
Huey Lewis & The News
List 3 one hit wonders from this decade:
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (one of the catchiest pop songs of all time!)
The Vapors - Turning Japanese (You do know what the title means, right? Wankers.)
Tommy Tutone - Jenny (867-5309)- Click here* to download.
List 3 movie soundtracks from this decade:
Ladyhawke
Dirty Dancing
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
*downloads available for 7 days only
As Long As You Love Them
I was re-stickering the new Backstreet Boys cd today (called Never Gone,) swapping the $15.99 stickers for the new price, $16.99. Now I ask you, if people didn't buy the cd for 16 bucks, why would they pay 17 bucks now? Is it that good?
What's New This Week
It's SUMMER! WAA HOOO!! Here are the first new cd releases for the Summer of 05!
New Grass Revival - Grass Roots: Best of New Grass Revival
Laura Cantrell - Humming By the Flowered Vine
Eliza Carthy - Rough Music
Townes Van Zandt - Texas Troubadour
Pearl Django - Chasing Shadows - Click here to visit the site and listen to clips.
Aerosmith - Chronicles
The Beatles - As It Happened: Classic Interviews
Tracy Bonham - Blink The Brightest - I'm putting this one in the cart!
John Hiatt - Master of Disaster - BINGO! (I'm going to see him on Friday night. Looking forward to that.)
Billy Corgan - Future Embrace
Dropkick Murphys - Warrior's Code
Dylan - some reissues
Ellen Foley - Night Out - The female half of Paradise By The Dashboard Light put out a classic album in 79. This is the rerelease.
Andrew Gold - reissues
Peter Green - reissues
John Mellencamp - Chronicles
Graham Parker - Art Vandalay Tapes, Vol. 2
Pink Floyd - reissues
The Redwalls - De Nova
Michelle Shocked - Don't Ask Don't Tell; Got No Strings; Mexican Standoff; Threesome
Mark Knopfler - Live From Shangri-La
Styx - Chronicles
Rod Stewart - Chronicles
Look here for details. If you buy Tracy's new cd (out tomorrow) for 9 bucks at Newbury Comics, they'll give you a ticket to see her at the Paradise FREE! Check it out!
Ahhh, it was a busy one for once....
Your Dad Did - John Hiatt - In honor of Father's day.
Oh Daddy - Fleetwood Mac - I called my Dad in PA to wish him a Happy Father's Day. Smile.
My Generation - The Who - I gave my hubby a DVD of The Who: Live At the Isle Of Wight Festival, 1970 for Father's Day.
Sunshine of Your Love - Cream - I also gave him a Cream DVD.
I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night - The Electric Prunes - He also received a cd called Hippie: Music From the 60's Generation. (Not that he's from that generation. Wink.)
...I'm halfway to 10...wonder if I can eek this out......
That's Amore - Dean Martin - We went out for Italian food last night with my husband's #1 daughter, the lovely "K, " but, alas the moon wasn't in our eyes like a big pizza pie. (More like Lobster Fra Diavolo, but nothing rhymes with that!)
Movin' Out - Billy Joel - The lovely K was moving into her own apartment, and we helped.
Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith - Well, we did find our way home, but not until 3 a.m. What we couldn't find was the U-Haul contractor, so that we could turn in the truck. (It was dark and the sign was about the same size as a toaster oven. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. )
Death Or Glory - Social Distortion - I bought The Lords of Dogtown soundtrack cd. No, I have no interest in the film, but the soundtrack is loaded with awesome 70's music! Click HERE* to download an mp3.
Turn To Stone - Joe Walsh - Also on Lords of Dogtown. It's also the way my upper arms feel today after the moving on Saturday. Click HERE* to download an mp3. *downloads available for 7 days only.
Happy Father's Day
No, these guys are not the brightest bulbs in the box, or even a close second or third to Ward Cleaver, but I love 'em warts and all. (Just the way I love my own dad.)
Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there!
I Can Break My Own Rule, Can't I?
I'm going to break my own rule not to use those precocious things kids say in my blog. Well, actually, I'd like to share the poem my son wrote for his class Author's Night, held last night. Mrs. F trained them well, and we were all rewarded with the gifts of our children's creative words. It was an emotional night, too, since this class has been together for 2 years. (The teacher loops. Read about that here, if you like.) Mrs. F handed out the scrapbooks we made for each child, spanning both years in the class. All of the kids were running around getting autographs from each other, so you can imagine the chaos. We ended the evening by presenting this awesome teacher with a huge scrapbook for herself! Each family sent in photos of their child, the families, a self-portrait, and a letter from the parents. Needless to say, we saw many tears and shared many hugs last night. It's all good.
These poems also served as a game for the families in attendance. Each child's poem had a subject we had to guess after the poem was read by the author.
Could it be a tornado black rock mountain full of yellow-red soup?
It seems like it's burning red-hot!
I wonder if Vulcan, the God of Fire lives in one of them?
Are they dangerous to us?
Maybe it could be the entrance to the lost continent of Atlantis.
I wish it were a swimming pool filled up with lemon yellow and ruby red Kool Aid. Would you care to guess what it is? 
The Young Authors and their fantastic teacher.
Top Five Musical Dads and A Song by EachThere are lots of musical dads. I'm choosing ones that I've heard are actually good parents as well.
Sweet baby Ben and his dad, James, performing together. - James Taylor - Sweet Baby James - I've said before that I used to sing this as a lullaby to my little guy. James and Carly's kids are both musicians, so they did teach their children well!
- Paul McCartney - Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) - Paul and Linda schlepped their kids all over the world with them and refused to let nannies raise them. Awesome.
- Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant - Arlo's daughter, Sarah, and her husband are carving out a musical career now. Like grandfather, like father, like daughter.
- Joe Perry - Dream On - The Aerosmith guitarist rocks as a dad.
- John Hiatt - Circle Back - Just hearing him sing about driving his daughter far off to college brings a tear to my eye.
Hit Me Baby One More Time. Yes, Please Hit Them.
Oh yes. I've gone to the Dark Side. I've actually watched an episode of Hit Me Baby One More Time. I witnessed the old dudes who used to be Cameo, once again strutting onstage in a red codspiece, asking me, "Mama, come on baby, tell me what's The Word, ah a-word up." Now where's my t-shirt, announcing to the world that I survived?
Sure, Wang Chung can still have fun tonight and wang chung tonight, Sophie B. Hawkins still wishes she were our lover, Cameo still wants to know what's the word, Howard Jones still believes no one is to blame, and Irene Cara is still adamant that we can take our passion and make it happen. When the acts performed their own hits, magic happened. (Oh no, wait, magic happens in Bewitched. This was more like watching my grass grow.) When these out-to-pasture acts hit the stage, they hammed it up for the audience and milked it like a farmer at 4 a.m. So this is what happens when you try too hard! Irene Cara's performance of her monster hit, What A Feeling, fell flat when she went low like Stevie Nicks does when she can't hit the note. Simon Cowell would have had something exquisitely snarky to say to Irene after her performance, that's for sure.
All bets were off when these people performed the hits of today.
Wang Chung chose Nelly's Hot In Here. Even with the young black woman backing them up, my heat meter barely touched the "lukewarm" level. Two middle-aged white British guys, aside from Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, just don't cause my temperature level to rise.
When Sophie B. Hawkins hit the stage to perform Five For Fighting's 100 Years, she was dressed in Hollywood glam. That should have been the red flag. Warning: Diva-ish Overdoing It Ahead. That song is just not meant for the Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover treatment, which is how she chose to present it. Just plain awful. (And she attempted to milk the audience for applause. ICK!)
In an obvious attempt to play the sentimental card, Cameo picked future one-hit-wonders Bowling For Soup's 1985 as their modern hit performance. It was the musical equivalent of vanilla pudding: sweet, but plain. They were in the running for my choice, but there were still 2 acts to pass my judgement.
Next up, Howard Jones. I liked his 80's songs and hair the best, so he had a shot. Dido's White Flag was his choice. Since that song isn't vocally demanding, Howard pulled it off. Maybe it's all that inner peace he's found as a practicing Buddhist. I don't know. But it sounded good to me.
Irene Cara, however, pulled a fast one and brought her band, Hot Caramel, out to help her perform Anastacia's I'm Outta Love. It was a good performance, but Irene BARELY sang. Her two bandmates performed most of the soaring vocals while she coasted in the background.
And guess what? Irene won the night's competition.
Didn't seem right to me, since she had the weakest performance of her hit, and brought in ringers to perform the modern-day hit. Howard Jones got gypped.
Oh well, it was for charity, so Irene's chosen group will receive 20 grand in her name. Good for them!
Will I watch this again? Hell yeah. I LOVE seeing the aging process strutted before me while I munch on some Orville Reddenbacher's. I'm holding out for Night Ranger or Mister Mister.
Please hit us, baby, one more time.
Kelly Manweiler Another talented singer/songwriter from Canada? What's in the water up there?
Click here to visit her site. Music downloads are available here. I recommend It's Gonna Rain Today.
Check out this story in the Excite News highlights.Why, why, WHY would we need to watch something like this? I'd be more interested in something like "Let's Make A Deal" with Jackson being the only contestant, and two underage boys and a grown woman (for the "dud" prize) behind doors #1, #2, and #3. Think the TV insiders would go for that?
Music Memoirs presents a tough challenge today....
She is 32 flavors, and then some. 1. Name three songs with postive self image messages. Do I need more caffeine? I can't think of any off the top of my head! I'm opening iTunes....32 Flavors - Ani DiFrancoLearn To Live With What You Are - Ben FoldsBeautiful - Carole King - Click here* to download. 2. Name three artists who promote positive self image. Definitely not Britney or Jessica. I can't think of any boy artists who promote positive self-image. Don't all guys do that anyway? I mean, even Meat Loaf thought he was hot stuff. Queen LatifahCarole KingNorah Jones3. Name three songs that make you feel good about yourself.
In My Life - The Beatles
One of Us - Joan Osborne
Bright As Yellow - The Innocence Mission - Click here* to download.
*downloads available for 7 days onlyAND don't forget to go here to request a cover song for the next installment of Radio Nat.
I don't often point you to posts on other blogs. (You have enough to do already, right?) I will take exception to my self-imposed rule occasionally, and today I have found reason to link to The Impulsive Buy's review of Veet Aloe Vera Rasera Bladeless Kit for the photo of his legs alone. Oh, and read the review, by all means. Hilarious.
What's New This Week
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Janis Joplin cd. Rory Gallagher - Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory GallagherJohn Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Road DogsRy Cooder - Chavez RavineStewart Copeland - OrchestralliIan Dury - New Boots & Panties!! (Deluxe)Brian Eno - Another Day On EarthFoo Fighters - In Your HonorThea Gilmore - Burning Dorothy - Her site is here.Janis Joplin - Pearl (2 disc Legacy Edition) - BINGO!!The Pernice Brothers - Discover a Lovelier You - preview hereSeven Nations - Thanks For WaitingMichelle Shocked - several reissuesGreg Summerlin - The Young Meteors - preview here
Lorrie Matheson Click here to visit his site and use the NMC Audio Player to listen to tunes from a couple of his cds. I recommend Gun Metal Gray and Bruises and Change from his A Dime At A Time cd.
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