Doing "Fair" songs for the MV Ag Fair . . .
One of the highlights of the Fair on Martha's Vineyard, is the Skillet Toss, which is exactly what it sounds like. Local women compete to see who can throw a frying pan the farthest.
And yes, I have a song for that. He's the Victoria Williams song called "Frying Pan," sung by a guy who's spent many a summer day on the Vineyard.
Hear the song on Youtube.
See the Ag Fair Skillet Toss on Youtube.
Showing posts with label victoria williams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victoria williams. Show all posts
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Camp "Century Plant"
So I'm hosting The Hot Seat tonight, and I'm doing something overly complicated.
Usually for The Hot Seat, you pick a theme and fill the hour with songs on that theme.
Over the course of the year, I keep notes on things that I think are good possible ideas for Hot Seat themes. Here are a couple I have considered.
Songs that spell things out (like R-E-S-P-E-C-T).
Great hidden tracks of albums.
Rock artists that improbably threw rap into one of their songs.
They all sound like interesting ideas to me, but none of these themes were ever made into full shows, because I couldn't find an hour's worth of good songs on the subject.
So tonight, instead of having one theme, I'm doing ALL of them. Four mini-Hot Seats, using each of the three above themes for 15 minutes.
The fourth theme (the last 15 minutes) is the one that I feel like will take me a whole hour to explain. But here goes:
Songs that appeared in movies about bands that were presented in the film as an original song but was actually a previously released tune written by a famous artist.
Huh?
Okay, maybe an example makes it more simple.
Remember that Michael J Fox movie "Light Of Day" where he and Joan Jett had a bar band? And they sang a really catchy rocking tune that they wrote?
You may remember that "Light Of Day" was actually a song written by Bruce Springsteen. He hadn't written it for the film or anything, but he hadn't put it on an album yet, so in the movie, it could seem like an original by the fictional band.
Okay, so songs written for movies don't count. "That Thing You Do"? Doesn't fit this theme.
Or that Gwenyth Paltrow movie where she sings karaoke with Huey Lewis? No, those songs are not being passed off in the film as originals. So that doesn't fly.
A good example of something that works would be the movie "Velvet Goldmine" which is a Rock N Roll story featuring fictionalized versions of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The fictional bands in the movie do songs that are presented as originals, but are actually Roxy Music and Stooges songs.
My favorite example, one that I'll be featuring tonight, comes from a great little indie flick called "Camp." Camp (featuring a very young future Oscar nominee, Anna Kendrick) precedes the TV show "Glee" by several years, and works on the same theme---kids who are awkward and just want to sing. It's set in a summer camp, instead of high school.
Part of the storyline is around the campers getting to meet a famous playwright/musician, who hasn't had success since his debut musical. Near the end of the film, the kids rally around this flagging icon, and sing one of "his" songs. What a pleasant surprise it was to hear the kids launch into a sweet Victoria Williams song called "Century Plant."
As you can see in the video, the music and lyrics are presented as written by a character in the film, but are actually from a song released many years prior.
That's the 4th theme.
Hey, that only took me 374 words to explain it!
Join me tonight at 9pm ET, to hear my half-ass mishmash of a Hot Seat!
Hear the song on Youtube.
Victoria Williams has two songs in tonight's show. "Crazy Mary" has spelling in it. The Hot Seat will feature the Pearl Jam version, but here's Vic singing it, as well has her "Century Plant."
Hear Victoria Williams on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Camp" on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Velvet Goldmine" on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Light Of Day" on Youtube.
Usually for The Hot Seat, you pick a theme and fill the hour with songs on that theme.
Over the course of the year, I keep notes on things that I think are good possible ideas for Hot Seat themes. Here are a couple I have considered.
Songs that spell things out (like R-E-S-P-E-C-T).
Great hidden tracks of albums.
Rock artists that improbably threw rap into one of their songs.
They all sound like interesting ideas to me, but none of these themes were ever made into full shows, because I couldn't find an hour's worth of good songs on the subject.
So tonight, instead of having one theme, I'm doing ALL of them. Four mini-Hot Seats, using each of the three above themes for 15 minutes.
The fourth theme (the last 15 minutes) is the one that I feel like will take me a whole hour to explain. But here goes:
Songs that appeared in movies about bands that were presented in the film as an original song but was actually a previously released tune written by a famous artist.
Huh?
Okay, maybe an example makes it more simple.
Remember that Michael J Fox movie "Light Of Day" where he and Joan Jett had a bar band? And they sang a really catchy rocking tune that they wrote?
You may remember that "Light Of Day" was actually a song written by Bruce Springsteen. He hadn't written it for the film or anything, but he hadn't put it on an album yet, so in the movie, it could seem like an original by the fictional band.
Okay, so songs written for movies don't count. "That Thing You Do"? Doesn't fit this theme.
Or that Gwenyth Paltrow movie where she sings karaoke with Huey Lewis? No, those songs are not being passed off in the film as originals. So that doesn't fly.
A good example of something that works would be the movie "Velvet Goldmine" which is a Rock N Roll story featuring fictionalized versions of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. The fictional bands in the movie do songs that are presented as originals, but are actually Roxy Music and Stooges songs.
My favorite example, one that I'll be featuring tonight, comes from a great little indie flick called "Camp." Camp (featuring a very young future Oscar nominee, Anna Kendrick) precedes the TV show "Glee" by several years, and works on the same theme---kids who are awkward and just want to sing. It's set in a summer camp, instead of high school.
Part of the storyline is around the campers getting to meet a famous playwright/musician, who hasn't had success since his debut musical. Near the end of the film, the kids rally around this flagging icon, and sing one of "his" songs. What a pleasant surprise it was to hear the kids launch into a sweet Victoria Williams song called "Century Plant."
As you can see in the video, the music and lyrics are presented as written by a character in the film, but are actually from a song released many years prior.
That's the 4th theme.
Hey, that only took me 374 words to explain it!
Join me tonight at 9pm ET, to hear my half-ass mishmash of a Hot Seat!
Hear the song on Youtube.
Victoria Williams has two songs in tonight's show. "Crazy Mary" has spelling in it. The Hot Seat will feature the Pearl Jam version, but here's Vic singing it, as well has her "Century Plant."
Hear Victoria Williams on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Camp" on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Velvet Goldmine" on Youtube.
Movie trailer for "Light Of Day" on Youtube.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Victoria Williams "You R Loved"
Here's another Weekend
Post:
After last weekend's weekend posts about bands that seemed to have the talent to break through in the 90s, but didn't quite get there, I went searching for a few more of my favorites.
Victoria Williams was beloved enough by other musicians in the 90s, that when she got sick, a Who's Who of great 90s bands made a fundraiser record of her songs.
Maybe the masses couldn't quite hook into her voice, but damn her songs are good. I mean, you can probably name 10 artists right off the top of your head who's singing voice you'll forgive, because their writing is so strong (I'll get you started . . . Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen . . . ).
Even if you don't love her female-Neil-Young-ish voice, how can you not be charmed by lines like:
Hear the song on Youtube.
Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.
Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show. They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are wonderful to revisit.
Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.
After last weekend's weekend posts about bands that seemed to have the talent to break through in the 90s, but didn't quite get there, I went searching for a few more of my favorites.
Victoria Williams was beloved enough by other musicians in the 90s, that when she got sick, a Who's Who of great 90s bands made a fundraiser record of her songs.
Maybe the masses couldn't quite hook into her voice, but damn her songs are good. I mean, you can probably name 10 artists right off the top of your head who's singing voice you'll forgive, because their writing is so strong (I'll get you started . . . Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen . . . ).
Even if you don't love her female-Neil-Young-ish voice, how can you not be charmed by lines like:
Jesus walked on water/He turned the water into wine,
Go down to the drunkards/Tell them everything is fine.
Hear the song on Youtube.
Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.
Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show. They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are wonderful to revisit.
Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.
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