Stingray Music highlights LXXIII

Standout tunes heard yesterday through U-verse:

The Asian Flavour

• Beside Me-Davichi (Emotive vocals fit for an adult contemporary format.)

Classic R&B And Soul

• He Was Really Saying Something-The Velvelettes (With such an accessible hook and Motown-style harmonies, it's puzzling that this wasn't a hit.)

Folk Roots

• Tomorrow-Rachael Sage (A thoughtful, plaintive reminder that you're not as isolated as you might think; tastefully sung acoustic folk, with appropriately quiet vocals.) 

Hungarian Pop & Rock

• Egyetlen maganyom-Blahalouisiana (Catchy power pop vocals and appealing keyboard accompaniment from a group that has a way with a hook.  I'd be curious to hear The Cardigans cover this.)

Jazz Masters

• Don't Explain-Dexter Gordon (A warm ballad, ideal for late nights; Gordon shines on tenor sax, and Sonny Clark's piano playing underscores Gordon's melody perfectly.)  

Revival--'60s & '70s

• Move On Up-Curtis Mayfield (Some of the best sustained synergy between uptempo vocals, horns, and percussion I've heard; hang in there for the full nine minutes.) 

Soul Storm

• What You Don't Do-Lianne La Havas (The keyboard part brings Sly & The Family Stone's "Hot Fun In The Summertime" to mind and complements La Havas's vocals.)

"Was that Paul Mauriat or Henry Mancini?!"

Throughout much of the '80s, our former easy listening station, KEZK, back announced song titles but not artists.  I wonder if anyone ever called the station and ranted, "Hey, what gives?  I'm trying to build my easy listening record collection, and you never tell me if a song is by 101 Strings or The Hollyridge Strings!  Who performed that last song?!"

I hope no one at the station had to contend with such irate callers, but I know it takes all kinds...

"Your epitome of tension theme, sponsored by..."

When the outcome of a baseball game will determine whether a team advances to the World Series, I always hope at least one player will be clever and twisted enough to request Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy Of Gold" from the movie "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" as his walk-up music.

If that theme doesn't ratchet up the stakes, I'm not sure what would.

Situation-song title synchronicity

You want to listen to a song.  Your cat, however, demands that you turn on the kitchen faucet so she can drink tap water.  Do you start the CD or attend to your cat first?  When this happened yesterday, I gave my cat, Sylvia, her drink of water first.  Then, I started listening to a song.

Neil Finn's "She Will Have Her Way" had never sounded so appropriately titled.

Not your average premium

During a pledge drive this morning, I heard a radio station offer a t-shirt that "conveys your commitment to fact-based journalism."  Society can always use that type of responsible news coverage.  Besides, that t-shirt must be a cut above a typical premium.  After all, a lot of shirts only convey, "I listen to this radio station," "I'm a fan of this sports team," or simply, "Blue."

Proving one's esoteric music recall

A high school journalism class exchange from 1986:

Mr. H. (singing:) "Just walking in the rain..."
Me (saying the next lyric:) "Getting soaking wet..."  That's Johnnie Ray's "Just Walking In The Rain."  I know that song.
Mr. H.: How do you know that song?
Me: I remember...
Mr. H.: ...You remember those days, huh?
Me: No, I've heard it on oldies stations.  That refrain is memorable.

Having been on both sides of the "How do you know this before-your-time song?" scenario, I appreciate being asked how I know a song and, as long as I don't sound too schoolmarmish, asking other people where they've heard songs I wouldn't think they'd know.  It's fun to share knowledge that doesn't have much of an outlet otherwise.

The courteous move

At one of the commercial stations where I enjoyed working, the full-time overnight shift was open.  Although I would have liked to have done that shift, it didn't pay enough for me to live.  Thus, I thought it pragmatic to stay with my current full-time job and continue working part-time at the radio station.  I wrote to a friend about my dilemma.  She replied, "For your sake, I hope you're offered the full-time radio job.  Then, you can have the closure of turning it down.  You have an interesting way of looking at the world, you know that?"

Yes, I knew.  The program director did offer me the full-time job, and I turned it down.  That was considerate of him--and predictable of me.

Context? LI

Heard today on a college radio station: "There's an exclamation point (in this album title), so I'm sure I'm supposed to say that more enthusiastically, but roll with it..."

Yet another reason I miss being on the air at a college station: Being able to back announce music irreverently....

Context? L

Heard Tuesday during an FM dial scan: "After the Second Coming, Satan will be bound for a thousand years."

Good.  We already have enough to worry about with climate change.  We don't need the devil running loose, as well.

"What to teach? What to teach?"

I'm guessing Mr. O. was a last-minute sub for our grade school vocal music class.  It isn't usually a good sign when a teacher says, "Hmmm...What can I teach you?"  Mr. O., however, looked at the piano and said, "I know what I can teach you," and gave the class an impromptu lesson on chords.  At the end of class, he said, "So, when Mrs. S. comes back and asks what you learned, you'll be able to say, 'Mrs. S., I learned that a C major chord has three notes, C, E, and G.  Also, Mrs. S., I know that a D major chord has three notes, D, F-sharp, and A..."

Granted, no student actually talks that way, outside of an educational short film from the '50s.  Still, I remember that improvised music lesson more than 35 years later, so I guess it was effective.

Your store, your sensibility

One way that rank has its privileges: In a music store newsletter from the '90s, the store owner listed a staff member's top 10 recommended current releases.  In parentheses after one of the albums, the owner wrote, "He doesn't really like it, but his boss does!"

Persistent earworm alert CXXVII

It's ironic to be kept awake by your inability to get the "NyQuil, to help you get your Zs" jingle out of your mind...That's the situation in which I find myself, however.

Settling for the alternate

About 20 years ago, I sent the sales manager at my job a radio commercial script I'd written.  I'd cast myself in the role of Drew, figuring it was a natural fit.  The sales manager emailed me, joking, "I'd rather have Drew Barrymore in the role of Drew, but I guess if she's unavailable, you could."

So, I was the second choice.  That's OK, though, as long as you get the gig.

Three cheers for honesty

What do you do when you don't remember what music you're about to play?  You can steer into the skid, as I heard one DJ do recently.  He admitted on the air, "I have more (music) cued up.  Once it starts playing, I'll remember what it is."

Unlikely subject matter with a Celtic bounce

While listening to Altan's version of "Dulaman" today, I started swaying my cat, Sylvia, back and forth in time to the music.  It takes talent to make lyrics about collecting seaweed sound so sway-inducing.  Here's hoping everyone who enjoys St. Patrick's Day got to hear this song as part of their celebration.

Sing better, sit up front?

Having started fourth grade at a different school, I wasn't sure what to expect from vocal music class. Unlike public school, where class was held in a music classroom, the nun who taught vocal music at private school wheeled a cart of supplies from classroom to classroom.  On the first day of class, she told me, "You're new to the school, so I'd like you to sit up front.  Children who are new usually aren't used to singing at different schools."

I'm still not sure how this increased visibility was supposed to help my limited singing range, but I gave "Rattlin' Bog" my all, at least. when we sang it.  Our class didn't sing it with quite the rapid-fire accelerated pace of The Irish Descendants, but it was the closest we ever came to sounding uninhibited.  For that reason, "Rattlin' Bog" sing-alongs are among the few positive memories I have of that class--and the school itself.

In other words...

A listener called the request line at a station where I worked and asked, "Who does the hiring and firing of the DJs there?"  That's getting to the heart of the matter, I suppose.  To be more genteel, however, I would have asked, "Who's the program director?"

A familiar-sounding Celtic melody

While Johann Pachelbel's instantly recognizable Canon in D major stands up perfectly well on its own, the title track from Seamus Egan's "When Juniper Sleeps" release would make a fine prelude to it.  The similarities struck me today as I listened.  In case you're seeking accessible, contemplative music for St. Patrick's Day played on guitar and tin whistle, any track from Egan's album should draw you in.

Getting into radio

One of the radio-related questions I've been asked most often: How does one get into radio, if you want to be on the air and get paid for it?

My answer: Get on the air at a noncommercial station however you can and learn how to sound relaxed and natural there.  If you can get into a college or post-college broadcasting program, do that.  Make sure it allows you to be on the air, however.  You can only learn how to be on the air by being on the air.  Use those references to get a paying job.

"What about an internship?" some people ask.  "Unless it allows you to be on the air, I'd advise against it," I respond.  Some people will say, "But you're in the building, then."  My response: "Yes, but so is the security guard.  The goal is to be on the air and for people to hear you."

An offbeat parallel

A high school memory: A student in a history class saw the first few bars of a piece I'd started composing.  I told him I was having trouble finishing it.

"I hear you," he replied. "Run-D.M.C. took a while before they released their last album, too."

I must admit, I'd never looked at it that way.

Persistent earworm alert CXXVI

I'm not sure what triggered it, but the instrumental version of Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock" has been on my mind for several hours.  It's a fast, turbulent techno instrumental, fit for underscoring a science documentary parody; when I first heard this rendition, I pictured impatient people wondering why their plants aren't growing faster.  Like Tom Browne's "Rockin' Radio," I couldn't have imagined this being released in any other decade outside of the '80s.

Not belaboring the time (Reconsidered)

Contrary to what I wrote Monday, it's a good idea for radio announcers to stress what time it is for a day or two after Daylight Saving Time begins.  Inevitably, some people will forget to set one or more clocks ahead, and even some people who have set their clocks ahead might still think it's an hour earlier than it is.

Generally, it shouldn't be necessary to belabor a radio time check, but that's perhaps the one exception.

Rain: Contrasting perspectives II

If you program or play music on the radio, how do you acknowledge rain or other hazardous weather?  One school of thought says to confront it directly with "In The Rain" by The Dramatics or "I Can't Stand The Rain" by Ann Peebles.  After driving through a seeming monsoon this morning, however, I thought, "Maybe it's better to take a more positive approach and play a Beatles favorite, 'Here Comes The Sun,' instead."

During a recent icy, bitterly cold day, I heard a Classical announcer take the power-of-positive-thinking approach by playing the Spring concerto from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons."  I appreciated being reminded that the icy, frosty weather was just temporary, and I imagine other listeners did, as well.

A good way to say, "We're up-to-date..."

It's a fairly obvious way to market a forward-thinking radio station, but I've only heard one radio station use these exact words: During the late '80s, I remember hearing an R&B station in Chicago promote itself as "keepin' it fresh, never stale."  I thought at the time, "That's smart, promoting current music while keeping the slogan casual.  It's a good way to welcome listeners while promoting the essence of the format."

FM dial scan highlights CXII

Six standouts from the past week:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Mixed Messages-The Bangles (Most of the band's '80s hits didn't do much for me.  This track, however, from the group's 2003 comeback album, "Doll Revolution," is the catchiest tune of theirs I've heard.  Fine lead and harmony vocals coalesce in this strong piece of power pop that reminds me of The Who's "Pure And Easy," Rick Springfield's "Affair Of The Heart," and "A Little Bird Told Me So" by Brian Stevens And The Flip.)
• Lies-The Knickerbockers (How do you craft a catchy garage band tune with a heavy early Beatles influence and an infectious hook about being heartbroken?  Like this...) 

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Sunshine States-Lisa Hilton (This uptempo Cuban-styled piano melody with echoes of Vince Guaraldi got my attention in the middle of the night and made me want to hear a lot more of this artist's work.)
• Blue Rondo A La Turk (Round, Round, Round)-Al Jarreau (This is probably Dave Brubeck's second most recognizable melody, after "Take Five."  Jarreau sings it with dramatic aplomb.)
• Friendly Pressure-Maysa (Possibly the most beguiling groove I've heard about not getting too relaxed.)

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. KNOU-HD2

• Leo Brouwer: Guitar Concerto No. 4, "Concerto de Toronto" (Ricardo Cobo, guitar) (The ear-catching Brazilian flavor of this concerto makes me wish more recordings of it existed.)
  

Persistent earworm alert CXXV

Guitar licks don't get much crunchier than the opening riff of Dressy Bessy's "This May Hurt (A Little.)"  I remember waiting at a Taco Bell drive-through the first time I heard it on KDHX and wanting to make the car sway in time.  Now, that memory from 2003 is back, along with the ear-catching guitar opening.  If sitcoms still had minute-long opening credit sequences, this could easily be a quirkier one's theme.

Persistent earworm alert CXXIV

An announcer's mention of "Dem Bones" during a promo for tomorrow's "1A" show on NPR triggered a memory from grade school.  The vocal music teacher, Mrs. S., put an unusual twist on one of our sing-alongs.  She picked a student to play a simple xylophone accompaniment and lead the singing as the rest of the class sang along.  For decades, at random moments, the lyrics, "Oh, the bones,  Oh, the bones,  Oh, the jumpin' bones," and the song's unexpected ending, "Oh, didn't it rain," have sprung to my mind.  I also remember Mrs. S. telling the xylophonist, "Keep it up, Steve," which prompted Steve to play and sing louder.

Some people sing "Alice's Restaurant" to decompress during tense times; the default setting in my mind, however, goes to "Oh, the bones, Oh, the bones, Oh, the jumpin' bones..."

Not belaboring the time

One minor victory of which I'm proud: After giving the time on the air, I've never said, "If you need to be somewhere by (a specific time), you've got (this number of minutes) to make it there on time."  I've always trusted that listeners could make the necessary mental leap.

"Room to move," indeed...

A sports desk staffer called me at my previous job, asking how many box scores would be sent to the newspaper that evening.  This let him reserve sufficient space in the paper.  As he put it, "This will give me 'room to move,' as John Mayall said."  This sparked accolades from me on Mayall's "Room To Move" and the guitar work, harmonica playing, and vocals on some of his other best songs.  The staffer responded in kind.

About five minutes later, I answered his question about box scores.  I would have answered it right away, but how often do you get to praise Mayall's music while working at a non-musical job?

The most predictable format

In recent days, I've been eating my meals with the same short wave radio station playing in the background.  Say what you will about the station's monotony, but there's something comfortably predictable in a station with an all-time format.  I hear the ticking of a clock, followed by a voice saying, "At the tone, 13 hours, 52 minutes, coordinated universal time."  A beep then sounds, without fail, when the announced time strikes.

I've heard that some radical listeners have attempted to throw a spanner in the works by sneaking incorrect times and wind chimes into the mix.  That won't do, of course.  People, alas, usually want to hear the hits--and that's especially true with an all-time format.  If ever there were a station in which the format has to be followed to the letter...

Only in college LXIII

Upon receiving the teacher's evaluation sheet of my demonstration speech, I was pleased to see my primer on how to play the bass received an A.  The only negative comment on the form was next to the category, 'Explained reason for demonstration.'  The teacher wrote, "Needed to be more clear about this...Why should we want to learn to play the bass?"  I thought I'd provided sufficient justification during my speech.  I told the class, "When you learn to play the bass, you have a greater understanding of how music is put together.  So often, people pay most of their attention to a tune's melody.  When you play the bass, however, you'll have a greater understanding of what's supporting the melody and keeping the rhythm going."

Oh, well...An A is still an A.  Besides, does there really need to be a reason when it's a class assignment?  Wasn't "because it's yummy" a sufficient reason for another student to show how pound cake is made?