Only in college CXVIII

When I checked the office voicemail at KCOU, it was apparent that some students who could hear the station's Springfest '92 concert from their dorms weren't exactly fans.  Although we didn't get a ton of complaints, a handful of students left comments about the volume.

My favorite complaint was this one: "The one day a year I try to study, I can't because of your loud-@&&, crappy-@&& band!"

My unspoken reply: "Sorry if the concert prompted you to move your studying to the library or other campus venues for one day, but seriously, the one day a year you try to study...?" 

The pitfalls of shuffle mode XIV

Talk about a great pairing of high energy with ominous vocals.  Despite its discomforting lyrics about surveillance, I never tire of "Just A Job To Do" by Genesis.  It was only natural, then, that iTunes shuffle mode segued it this morning with...

...Peter, Paul & Mary's version of "This Land Is Your Land."  Who better to sing such inclusive, live-and-let-live lyrics than this noble folk trio?  I've always respected "This Land..." and play it on or before Independence Day every year.  It doesn't, however, mesh well with the gory bounty hunter scenario portrayed in "Just A Job To Do."

That's what I get, though, for leaving my segues up to chance.

Context? CDXXVI

My sixth grade chorus teacher, Mrs. B., once asked the class to write down songs they'd like to hear her play on the piano.  I was surprised when one student requested "Stardust" by Artie Shaw.  Thanks to my interest in jazz from a young age, I'd heard of that song but wasn't familiar with the melody offhand.

"That's an old song," she told the student.  "I'm curious to know how you know it."

I don't remember the student's answer, but a parent's--or more likely, a grandparent's--influence probably led him to request that song.  It was unusual, to say the least, for a sixth grade student in 1982 to request "Stardust."  At the time, I thought, "Requesting 'Stardust' or any Artie Shaw tune at age 11 shows an open mind when it comes to music."

Eleven years later, someone else left a similarly open-minded impression. 

A murky verdict IX

I was impressed last night upon hearing Kurt Elling & The WDR Big Band's cover of Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out."  However, I suspected that my brother's cat, Lily, was somewhat less sold on it:

Slowly but surely, though, Lily started to come around: 

I was glad to see that.  Vocally and instrumentally, Elling & company's reworking of "Steppin' Out" turns it into a solid lounge number.

FM dial scan highlights CCXCVIII

Thursday afternoon standouts:

WSIE 88.7 FM 

• Ca-Lee-So-Lee Morgan (Fun, infectious calypso-style trumpet with excellent piano backing from McCoy Tyner.)
• B'wana She No Home-The Carpenters (If you're expecting "Sing," "Rainy Days And Mondays," or "We've Only Just Begun," you're in for a surprise.  This cover of a Michael Franks tune, complete with jazzy piano and saxophone shows a fun, unexpectedly spicier side of The Carpenters.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• In Your Ocean-Iron & Wine (An honest acknowledgment that while relationships can be rewarding, they're also sometimes exhausting.) 

KWUR 90.3 FM 

• Shaking As It Turns-Lula Wiles (Sadly appropriate lyrics for our current powder keg of a country.  Vocally and instrumentally, this reminds me of Sarah Jarosz.)
• Nothing's Gonna Happen (Demo)-The Staves (Sung with the group's trademark impressive harmony.)

Persistent earworm alert CDXXV

Martin Sexton's "Diner" is possibly the catchiest song about craving a late night meal that one could ever hear.  Once the rhythm enters my mind, it typically stays there for days.  That's the case this week, thanks in part to the return of the quirky medical sitcom, "Scrubs," tonight on ABC.  Since I first watched the original show, I've been impressed by the cast's easy chemistry, the show's graceful ability to pivot from humorous flights of fancy to serious medical situations on a dime, and the fact that "Diner," which isn't a well-known tune to most people, made it into an episode.

I expect that the "Scrubs" reboot will capture everything that made the first run appealing, including not-so-obvious music choices. 

A missed opportunity?

This morning, I Googled, "Did Lyle Lovett ever cover James Taylor's song, 'Traffic Jam?'"

Apparently, he hasn't.  After listening to Taylor's atypical, as-close-as-he-gets-to-scat-vocals track this morning and recalling Lovett's spoken sections of "Here I Am" and rhythmic chanting on "Church," it's not an outlandish possibility.