Persistent earworm alert CCCXIX

Now, this is one earworm I'll always welcome.  Leo Kottke's instrumental, "Regards From Chuck Pink," is part folk, part country, and part march.  The excellent synergy between Kottke's guitar, the piano, and the drums makes the tune work equally well as background or foreground music.  It would also work as accompaniment for introducing band members individually.  If I heard a band play this unexpectedly at a soundcheck, I'd know an outstanding concert was likely to follow.

My yearly January blues are lifting, in large part because of this tune.  Here's hoping it works its magic on anyone else in the same boat.

Context? CCXCVIII

This morning, a radio personality marveled on-air that it was once common for people to call out, "Come in!  The door's open," when they had no idea who was visiting.

I second that host's incredulity.  I'm pretty sure more than 15 years have passed since I last opened the door to a stranger.  I can't say I've had any regrets about that.

A volatile business

A DJ I knew told me that he thought one of the other DJs at his station "sounds alright on the air, but for morning drive, I think (this DJ) is a little lacking in ability."

At the time, neither of us knew that the DJ making this comment would soon become the station's program director--and that the DJ of whom he spoke wouldn't be doing morning drive there much longer.

Beware the perils of regime change--especially in an industry that's built on subjective decisions.

Online radio sampler highlights CCXXIV

Six Thursday morning standout tunes:

KCOU (Columbia, MO)

• Begin Again-Jessie Ware (This is from 2023 but could pass for a late '70s/early '80s dance groove.  The Brazilian-style piano backing underscores the strong vocals effectively.)

KCR (San Diego, CA)

• Cool Blue-The Japanese House (I'm primed to like most indie tunes that have this type of skipping-along, comforting beat underscoring their lyrics.)

KCSM (San Francisco, CA)

• Midnight Sun-Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra (The record label identifies this vibraphone-anchored 1947 instrumental correctly as "sweet bebop.")

WRDV (Warminster, PA)

• Today I Sing The Blues-Sam Cooke (Fit for times when you need to vent about life's unfairness.  It could segue with multiple versions of "Moanin'" or "Everything Happens To Me."  It's ironic to me that I heard the song on a morning show called "Wake Up And Live.")

WXPN (Philadelphia, PA)

• Sunshine On My Shoulders-John Denver (This is one example of why I wish more '70s soft rock was still played on the radio.  What's wrong with with a sincerely written, well-sung tune about appreciating the world around you?  It was also nice to hear the DJ say that a mother requested it for her daughter, in honor of her 18th birthday.  It's heartwarming to know that radio call still touch people that way.)

WZBC (Boston, MA)

• Carbonated-Mount Kimbie (Here's another instance of well-crafted electronica seeping into my consciousness subtly and staying there without overpowering my thoughts.)
  

A beguiling pair of waltzes

Usually, when I've listened to Eddi Reader's "Angels & Electricity" CD, I've listened to the entire disc instead of just a song or two.  While that speaks well of the album's consistency, it somehow prevented me from realizing how movingly she sings "Wings On My Heels."  There's refreshing honesty in the lyrics about allowing a 3/4 time signature to lift your spirits even when you're not the most graceful dancer or talker.  After hearing it this morning, I plan to pair it with Richard Thompson's "Waltzing's For Dreamers" on my next pairs-of-segues mix CD.

Persistent earworm alert CCCXVIII

I've been grappling with the effects of what I suspect is food poisoning for two days.  It's logical, then, that my latest earworm has been "Let's Get This Over With" by They Might Be Giants.  I keep hearing that title sung repeatedly in my mind and thinking about how appropriate it is for illness--and for that mater, January and February, overall.

A function of age XX

Those who didn't grow up before Internet usage was ubiquitous have likely never experienced the suspense of listening to school closings on the radio.  Looking back, it amuses me that I would hold my breath as the KMOX announcer got closer to my school alphabetically.  

After all, I didn't want to miss the announcement of school being closed because of my breathing being too loud and drowning out the announcer.