Robert Cray "Deep In My Soul"

I dashed down to the basement.

Now that I have kids, a wife, and you know, stuff, many of the symbols of bachelorhood have been relegated to the basement.

Like the giant tower of CDs.

It was my kid's birthday party.  So the house and backyard were packed with nearly 20 pre-schoolers, plus their parents (many of whom I only really know from drop-off) and various relatives.

And my wife said, "Can you put on some fun music?"

So I dashed down to the basement and came back up with a 1/2 dozen discs that I had quickly picked off the shelf, assessing that they'd be generally acceptable to the crowd.

That was a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, which meant that it was time to give the house a big clean, since we were having family over.

I found the pile of CDs from my son's party, still next to the stereo.  And seeing the names of the spines made me laugh.

Ray Charles
Al Green
Johnny Hoy & The Bluefish
Otis Redding
James Hunter

What appeals to pre-schoolers, grandparents, Dads forced to take their kids to a birthday party on Saturday who are trying to enjoy themselves by drinking a beer, Moms who are enjoying the company of other Moms who understand their struggles better than their spouses and Grandparents who look at their grandkids and remember when they were the hosts of these chaotic preschool parties?

What appeals to all these groups?

Soul Music.

It cuts across all demographic lines, works for all groups, creates the right mood.

Soul Music makes the party.  Even a preschool one.


I mention this, in part, because Robert Cray has a new album called "In My Soul."  It's his tribute to classic soul music.  And for our Friends of mvyradio Drive, we're giving folks a copy of the record if they donate $100 to support our non-commercial station.  Think about making that donation, and getting your own disc of music to make your party just right.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Aloe Blacc "The Man"

While we're mostly singer-songwriter, acoustic instrument and roots based, MVY does love to mix in a little bit of Soul music.  Especially if it connects back to classic mid-to-late 60s artists like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.

What about that next generation of Soul performers like Bill Withers or the Isley Brothers?

That question was asked by my wife, who loves this new song by Aloe Blacc and thinks it recalls the groove of songs like "Be Thankful For What You Got" by William Devaughn.  To her, it sounds like something MVY should have on its playlist (the Old School AND the New School).

I can't picture it, but maybe I'm wrong.  What do you think?


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Otis Redding "Trick Or Treat"

Perhaps not surprisingly, hearing this song (even though it's really a "do you love me?" song) makes me think of Halloween.

A series of images flash through my head, about how much I enjoyed Halloween as a kid---making my costume (okay, Mom making it, with me directing), running around the neighborhood knocking on doors and dividing up and trading candy spread out on the living room floor with my sisters.

One image that really struck me funny, was thinking about my elementary school.  Holidays at Belleville Elementary were great, because somebody's mom made cupcakes and you got to push the desks into a big circle and the whole day was pretty loosey-goosey.

And on Halloween, everyone came in their costumes.

At a certain point in the day, they lined us all up for a "parade of costumes"---the whole school, kindergarten through 4th grade.  And they marched us down to the gym, where we were lead across the stage.

What makes me laugh is that we all did this.  The whole school.  Meaning, we were all parading across the stage, we were all in the show and no one was really settled in the audience.

Everyone's in the show and no one's in the audience.  I guess that's about right, for Halloween.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Otis Redding & Carla Thomas "New Year's Resolution"

The New Year is a full 24 hours-plus old. Have you broken your resolution yet?


Hear the song on Youtube.

Otis Redding "Shake"

I DJ'ed a wedding this weekend.

I feel like a brain surgeon!

What I mean is, people find out that I am a radio DJ and they assume I do weddings.

Then, when I tell them that I don't do weddings, they are usually kind of incredulous. Like, "Why not?"

I get it. Both jobs are called "DJ."

But really, they are two completely different jobs.

The things you are called upon to do, and the skills you need, and the kind of personality you have, are very different.

I mean, it's not the difference between an astronaut and an accountant.

But it's at least the difference between a foot surgeon and a brain surgeon.

No matter how smart or talented your foot doctor is, you probably wouldn't ask him to operate on your frontal lobe.

Now, being a DJ (either kind) isn't exactly brain surgery, but I'm pretty good at one kind, and fairly inept (or at least under-experienced) at the other.

But my friends Craig and Srey got married this weekend, and they needed someone to DJ a short part of the reception, to do the introductions and hit the right musical cues.

I have to tell you, I was terrified.

You know, if I introduce The Allman Brothers and then accidentally play Crowded House on the radio, well, fuck it, it's gone.

But if I accidentally introduce the bride and groom and Sreg and Cray, well, that would suck forever.

But I didn't!

I got through all the names in the wedding party, hit all the music cues I was supposed to, and got the newlyweds off to their first dance, which culminated in "Shake" by Otis Redding.

All without a hitch.

So by virtue of a technicality, I am as smart as a brain surgeon!!!


See Otis Redding sing on TV, on Youtube.