AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Empire of the Sun

Artist:Empire of the Sun

Song:Walking on a Dream

Album:Walking on a Dream

The electropop duo Empire of the Sun have had success mostly in their native Australia. The 2008 single Walking on a Dream was their only international hit. Electropop fans should enjoy their music. They released an album last year so they are still around. Luke Steele was the lead singer and main songwriter of the band The Sleepy Jackson. Nick Littlemore was the keyboardist for the electropop band Pnau. EMI A&R exec Simon Moor introduced them in 2000. After Littlemore helped write a song on The Sleepy Jackson's 2003 debut album Lovers, Steele worked on Littlemore's 2006 album Teenager. Then Steele did a guest vocal in the 2007 album Pnau. They decided to work together outside the bands. At first it was called Steelemore but when Littlemore's partner at Pnau Peter Mayes joined the project, it became Pnau with vocals. The album was recorded in 2007 and the single Walking on a Dream was released Aug. 2008 on Capitol. The big surprise was when the single reached #10 on the Australian Singles chart and charted internationally including England and the US. The album was certified 3XPlatinum in Australia. Steele and Littlemore wrote all the songs. Mayes is a recording engineer so he handled that end. Much of the success was due to dance club play and that's not always reflected on radio play charts. They were supposed to tour but Littlemore had other commitments. This album is available on CD and is recommended to electropop fans. Since then, Empire of the Sun has released three albums including one last year. They haven't been as successful. Part of the problem is they both work on other projects and it can be hard to find the time to work on Empire of the Sun. Here's the video for Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Guess Who

Artist:The Guess Who

Song:American Woman

Album:Track Record: The Guess Who Collection

The 1970 single American Woman was one of two number one hits for the Canadian band The Guess Who. It's their biggest hit. By the time The Guess Who became internationally famous, they had been around for over a decade. When they first formed in Winnipeg in 1958, singer and guitarist Chad Allan called them Al and the Silvertones. By 1962, they were called Chad Allan and the Reflections. with Randy Bachman on guitar, Jim Kale on bass and Garry Peterson on drums. All three would remain in the band. Bob Ashley was the pianist. They released a few singles that went nowhere. After the group The Reflections scored a 1964 hit single with (Just Like) Romeo and Juliet, Allan changed the band name to Chad Allan and the Expression. And that's when they released the 1965 single Shakin' All Over. That was originally recorded by the British band Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. Shakin' All Over topped the Canadian charts and reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. As a publicity stunt, the band's label Quality Records credited the single to Guess Who? to generate speculation that the record was by a British Invasion band working incognito. The stunt backfired when DJs kept crediting the single to Guess Who and ultimately the band was forced to accept the new name. Pianist Bob Ashley got tired of touring and left in Jan. 1966. He was replaced by Burton Cummings who could also sing. At first, he shared lead vocals with Allan. But Allan soon left the band to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He was not replaced. On the 1966 album It's Time, Bachman wrote most of the songs. The Guess Who were the house band for the CBC TV show Let's Go hosted by Chad Allan. So they were doing OK in Canada. The other key figure in The Guess Who's development was ad executive Jack Richardson. He saw The Guess Who on TV and put together a promotion with Coca-Cola featuring The Guess Who and The Staccatos. When the promotion was a success, Richardson started his own Nimbus 9 label and produced all of The Guess Who's albums. He signed with RCA Records for the 1969 album Wheatfield Soul. These Eyes was a top ten hit. This was followed by the album Canned Wheat and the hit single Laughing. And then they broke through with American Woman. Most of The Guess Who songs were written by Cummings and Bachman. According to Cummings, American Woman was improvised on stage at a concert at the Scarborough curling rink The Broom and Stone. It came out of a jam session. They saw a kid recording it on a cassette and they listened to it so Burton could formally write the lyrics. American Woman topped the charts and is still memorable today. Remember when Lenny Kravitz covered American Woman in 1999. That gave the song to a whole new generation. It's generally perceived to be an anti Vietnam War song. The B side No Sugar Tonight also topped the charts. Randy Bachman left The Guess Who in May 1970. He wasn't getting along with Cummings. Bachman went on to form Brave Belt and then had great success with Bachman Turner Overdrive. He was replaced by Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw. Leskiw became Cummings' songwriting partner. After that The Guess Who was not as successful and they disbanded in 1975. This 2CD budget comp has all their hits. Cummings went on to a successful solo career. Here's The Guess Who performing American Woman 1970. This was before Bachman left. You can spot him hiding in the background.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lilli Cooper

Artist:Lilli Cooper

Song:There Was John

Album:Tootsie: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Some of you probably remember the 1982 film Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman as an out of work actor who dresses as a woman to get work. And he lusts after Jessica Lange. The film was directed by Sydney Pollack who also appears in the film. It was written by Larry Gelbart and Barry Levinson. In 2017, director Scott Ellis decided to turn Tootsie into a Broadway musical. He's probably best known for the 1993 musical She Loves Me. The main difference between the film and the musical is the film was set in the world of daytime soaps and the musical is set on Broadway. The book was written by Robert Horn who won a Tony and the music was written by David Yazbeck. He seems to specialize in musical adaptations of films as he wrote the music for The Full Monty (2000) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2004). Santino Fontana played the lead role of Michael Dorsey. He is best known for playing The Prince in Cinderella. Lilli Cooper played the female lead Julie Nichols. Lilli is black so that's a major switcheroo. She has been on Broadway since she was a teen. She was born Mar. 4, 1990 in New York City. Her dad Chuck Cooper won a Best Actor Tony for the 1997 musical The Life. Lilli graduated from Vassar in 2012 and she was on Broadway before that. She made her debut in the 2006 show Spring Awakening and was an understudy on the 2014 show Wicked. Tootsie is her biggest role to date and she got a Tony nomination. Tootsie ran on Broadway from Apr. 2019 to Jan. 2020 so it did OK. The original cast album was released by Decca and it's available on CD. Most recently Lilli appeared in a 2024 revival of the musical Titanic. And she's a regular on the AppleTV+ series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Here's Lilli Cooper performing There Was John on Club Broadway.com.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Loggins

Artist:Kenny Loggins

Song:Danger Zone

Album:The Essential Kenny Loggins

When most recording artists record for a movie soundtrack, it's usually a one shot deal. But back in the 80s, Kenny Loggins was known as King of the Soundtracks. He had a total of six big hits from films including the 1986 single Danger Zone from the film Top Gun. And the funny part was his own music was nowhere near as successful as the songs from film soundtracks. And that makes all six songs discography orphans. I know other artists have recorded multiple songs for soundtracks, But I dunno about six. I don't think Loggins planned this. It helped that he recorded for Columbia Records and that he was willing to record songs that he didn't write. Remember when Simple Minds leader Jim Kerr was upset when Don't You from the film The Breakfast Club was a hit but he didn't write it. That's what you want to avoid. He refused to perform that song live. Loggins' biggest soundtrack hit was Footloose which topped the charts. But Danger Zone reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer was #1 at the time. Georgio Moroder produced the Top Gun soundtrack and wrote several of the songs including Danger Zone and Oscar winner Take My Breath Away with Tom Whitlock. Moroder made his name with the 1978 film Midnight Express. Whitlock worked for Moroder as a recording engineer. Toto was supposed to record Danger Zone but they couldn't work out a deal with Top Gun producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Then it was offered to Jefferson Starship and Corey Hart. Hart didn't want to record a song that he didn't write. REO Speedwagon turned it down for the same reason. Columbia always wanted a Columbia artist to record Danger Zone. So needless to say, the decision to go with Loggins made them happy. Dann Huff played guitar and Tom Scott played sax. The Top Gun soundtrack was certified 9XPlatinum. You can get Danger Zone on this 2CD budget comp. In fact, every song Loggins ever recorded for a film is on this comp. Here's the video for Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Megan Moroney

Artist:Megan Moroney

Song:Am I Okay?

Album:Am I Okay?

Country music singer songwriter Megan Moroney is off to a good start with hits like Am I Okay?. She also has pop crossover potential because of her country pop sound and her looks. She won Best New Artist awards from ACM, CMA and CMT. She was born Oct. 9, 1997 in Savannah, GA and she grew up in Douglasville. She was a cheerleader and did musical theater in high school. She attended the University of Georgia and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing with a certificate in music business. Megan performed while in college and interned for former Sugarland leader Kristian Bush. After graduating, she moved to Nashville and kept in contact with Bush. He introduced her to several songwriters. She released the single Wonder in 2021 followed by the EP Pistol Made of Roses. This was followed by the 2022 single Tennessee Orange. That song went viral after Megan wore a Tennessee Volunteers t-shirt on social media that fans speculated belonged to Morgan Wallen. Megan was in a brief relationship with him. This led to Megan signing with Arista Nashville and releasing the 2023 album Lucky. Sony soon closed Arista Nashville and moved Megan to Columbia. Tennessee Orange reached #10 on the Country Singles chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. Obviously this success was propelled by the viral success of Tennessee Orange. Can Megan follow it up? The 2024 single Am I Okay? reached #12 on the Country Singles chart and #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was pretty good. Bush produced both albums. Since Sugarland ended, he has released several solo albums. Producing is a sidebar for him. He knew Megan when she was in college. Megan writes all her songs with co-writers. She wrote Am I Okay? with Jessie Jo Dillon and Luke Laird. Megan has written several songs with Jessie Jo. Megan also co-directed the music video. She's working on a new album. The single 6 Months Later was released in June and it reached #9 on the Country Singles chart. The new album is expected in 2026 but Sony may want to rush it out before Christmas. Here's the video for Am I Okay? by Megan Moroney. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cherish the Ladies

Artist:Cherish the Ladies

Song:The Boat to Bofin/The View Across the Valley/Martin Ainsboro's

Album:Country Crossroads: The Nashville Sessions

Celtic music fans should check out this all female Celtic music band Cherish the Ladies. They are also American. That might seem unusual but there are plenty of Irish musicians living in the US. The leader of Cherish the Ladies is Joanie Madden. She plays the tin whistle. The rest of the band membership is fluid. Joanie was born in The Bronx, NY to Irish immigrants. Her father Joe Madden was an All Ireland Champion on the accordion. As a child, she took lessons on the fiddle and piano. But she decided on the tin whistle and she took lessons from neighbor and National Heritage Award Winner Jack Coen. As a teen, she played in her father's band and won the 1983 All Ireland Championship. Then in 1985, Irish born musician Mick Moloney produced an album by a group called Irish Women Musicians in America. He approached Joanie about being in the group but she preferred the name Cherish the Ladies. It was originally supposed to be a concert series. But they signed with the Irish label Green Linnett and released several albums. Musicians like Eileen Ivers, Winnifred Horan and Cathie Ryan were in Cherish the Ladies at first. But Joanie is the only original member. The Boat to Bofin is from the 2011 album Country Crossroads released on Joanie's own label Big Mammy Records. Musicians are Mirella Murray on accordion, Grainne Murphy on fiddle, Mary Coogan on guitar and mandolin  and Kathleen Boyle on piano. Guest vocalists include Vince Gill and Nanci Griffith. Cherish the Ladies released their latest album in 2018. But they still tour. Celtic music fans should check them out. Here's Cherish the Ladies performing The Boat to Bofin/The View Across the Valley/Martin Ainsboro's at the Tron Theater bar in Glasgow Scotland on BBC Alba. The dancer at the end of the video is four time World Champion Irish Dancer Declan McHale.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mike Reed's People Places & Things

Artist:Mike Reed's People Places & Things

Song:Wilbur's Tune

Album:Proliferation

Jazz drummer Mike Reed is a big part of the Chicago jazz scene. His music is Ornette Coleman influenced free jazz with post bop elements. He recorded several albums as leader of the band People Places & Things. He was born May 26, 1974 in Bielefeld, Germany and he grew up in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, IL. After majoring in English and psychology at the University of Dayton, Reed returned to Chicago and started playing in bands led by David Boykin, Rob Mazurek and Josh Berman. Reed and Berman started the Sunday Transmission music series at the Hungry Brain bar in Chicago and the Downtown Music free music series in Millennium Park. Reed is a founding director of the Pitchfork Music Festival and he is on the committee that programs the Chicago Jazz Festival. He is the founding director of the Constellation nightclub. And he bought and reopened the Hungry Brain last year. Reed first recorded as a leader in 2006. He has recorded mostly for the New York based jazz label 482 Music. His first band was called Loose Assembly and then he changed it to People Places and Things for the 2008 album Proliferation. Musicians are Greg Ward on alto sax, Tim Haldeman on tenor sax and Jason Roebke on bass. Wilbur's Tune was written by drummer Wilbur Campbell. He was a sideman with Ira Sullivan among others. Sullivan originally recorded Wilbur's Tune in 1958. Reed also recorded that song on the 2010 album Stories and Negotiations. The same band is on that album with the addition of Ira Sullivan on tenor sax and Jeb Bishop and Julian Priester on trombone. Both albums are available as digital downloads. Reed last recorded with People Places & Things in 2017. He currently leads the band The Separatist Party. They released an album in 2023 on the Finnish label We Jazz. Here's Mike Reed with Greg Ward, Tim Haldeman and Jason Roebke performing Wilbur's Tune in Paris Dec. 11,2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ann Harada

Artist:Ann Harada

Song:Stepsisters' Lament

Album:Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Ann Harada has been a Broadway regular since she played Christmas Eve in the 2000 musical Avenue Q. That's the show with the puppets. She's appeared in several other long running shows including this 2013 revival of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella as one of the stepsisters Charlotte. She was born Feb. 3, 1964 in Honolulu, HI. She was active in theater in high school. After studying at Brown University, she moved to New York City and earned her Actor's Equity card in 1987. Ann's big break came when she earned the role of Christmas Eve in the 2000 musical Avenue Q. Lyricist Amanda Green recommended Ann to Avenue Q writers Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. She's appeared in several productions of the show including in London. She has also appeared in Les Miserables (2006-07), 9 to 5 (2009), Oliver! (2012) and Into the Woods (2022-23). The 2013 production of Cinderella starred Laura Osnes as Cinderella and Santino Fontana as The Prince. The show opened March 2013 and closed January 2015. So it did very well. Ann continues to appear regularly on the New York stage. She hasn't done a lot of film and TV. Though she was a regular on the AppleTV+ musical spoof series Schmigadoon!. Since that show was canceled, it was turned into a stage musical and Ann is appearing in that. Here's Ann Harada performing Stepsisters' Lament on Live! with Kelly and Michael July 24,2013. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Don Francisco

Artist:Don Francisco

Song:Adam, Where Are You?

Album:Early Works

Singer songwriter Don Francisco is a pioneer of what is now called Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). When Francisco started out in the 70s, it was called Jesus Music. The name didn't change to CCM until the 80s. That's when Francisco had his greatest success. He was born Feb. 28, 1946 in Louisville, KY. His father was Christian seminary professor Clyde T. Francisco. Francisco started performing Jesus Music in 1974 and he signed with Benson Records' NewPax label. At the time, Benson was the number two Christian music label behind Word. Francisco spent his entire career with Benson until the company was sold in the mid 90s. Adam, Where Are You? is from the 1977 album Forgiven. This was his second album for NewPax. Francisco wrote all the songs. Adam, Where Are You? seems to be about a loss of faith. The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by veteran CCM producer John W. Thompson and Shane Keister. He played keyboards on the album and is usually a session musician. Other musicians are Buddy Emmons on steel guitar, Buddy Spicher on fiddle, Steve Gibson on guitar, Joe Osborn on bass and Larry London on drums. Francisco won Dove awards in 1980 for songwriter of the year and song of the year for He's Alive. This comp covers Francisco's early NewPax recordings. In recent years, Francisco has recorded for his own label. His Benson recordings are now owned by Sony. He has re-recorded most of his early songs. The comp I recommend has original recordings. I'm not sure if Francisco is still active. His most recent album was a 2017 live album. He isn't touring and he doesn't have a space on his website for tour dates. So he may be retired. But there is no question that Don Francisco was an important figure in the development of CCM. Here's Don Francisco performing Adam, Where Are You? in Northampton, England 1989. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Pretty Things

Artist:The Pretty Things

Song:Rainin' in My Heart

Album:Come See Me: The Very Best of the Pretty Things

In their early days, the British band The Pretty Things were probably too similar to The Rolling Stones to be successful. Later when they switched to psychedelia, personnel changes and record company shuffles killed them. But they are worth a listen. Phil May was the lead singer of The Pretty Things. He named them after the 1955 Bo Diddley song Pretty Thing. May was from Kent, England. He was attending Sidcup Art College in London in 1963 when he formed the band with guitarist Dick Taylor. He had been with The Rolling Stones before they recorded. He was squeezed out when Brian Jones joined the band as there were too many guitarists. Taylor was also from Kent and the two attended the same college. Both were blues fans. Other members were Brian Pendleton on guitar, John Stax on bass and Viv Prince on drums. Prince was known for his antics behind the drums. Fellow art college student Bryan Morrison became the band's manager and he got The Pretty Things a record deal with Fontana Records in 1964. The single Don't Bring Me Down reached #10 and Honey I Need reached #13 on the British Singles chart. They never charted in the US. The Pretty Things recorded three albums for Fontana. Rainin' in My Heart is from the 1965 album Get the Picture?. That was the second album. Rainin' in My Heart is a 1961 Slim Harpo song. Glyn Johns produced with Bobby Graham. May and Taylor wrote a few songs. But they liked to do blues covers. As I said, very similar to The Rolling Stones. Prince's antics behind the drums were getting so bad that he was replaced by Skip Alan. Then the rest of the band left leaving May and Taylor. The replacements were Wally Waller on bass, Jon Povey on bass and Twink on drums. They signed with EMI's Columbia label and Norman Smith produced the 1968 album S.F. Sorrow. This had more of a psychedelic sound. And though it didn't sell at the time, today it is highly regarded as a classic. It was released in the US on Motown's Rare Earth label. At this point, Taylor left The Pretty Things and was replaced by Victor Unitt from The Edgar Broughton Band. For most of the 70s, The Pretty Things recorded for Led Zeppelin's Swan Song label. Jimmy Page was a big fan. May continued the band for decades and Taylor returned in the 80s. They continued until May died on May 15, 2020 at age 75. This SHOUT! Factory comp is probably the most complete Pretty Things comp available. Here's The Pretty Things performing Rainin' in My Heart on the German TV show Beat-Club 1966. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nathan Lane

Artist:Nathan Lane

Song:The King of Broadway

Album:The Producers: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Nathan Lane has been a staple on Broadway for many years. He won a Tony for playing Max Bialystock in the 2001 musical The Producers and he also appeared in the 2005 film version. In 2010, The New York Times hailed Lane as "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade". I don't think he is viewed the same way in films and TV possibly because there is still a stigma about gay men but he does OK. He was born Joseph Lane Feb. 3, 1956 in Jersey City, NJ. His father was a truck driver and aspiring opera singer who died in 1967 due to alcoholism. Lane appeared on stage while in school. He earned a drama scholarship at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. But when he discovered that it wouldn't cover his expenses, he decided to work for a year so he would have enough money. Because there was already a Joseph Lane registered with Actor's Equity, Lane called himself Nathan Lane after Nathan Detroit of Guys and Dolls. Lane moved to New York where after some standup comedy with partner Patrick Stack, he got some off Broadway roles. Lane made his Broadway debut in the 1982 revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter followed by the 1983 musical Merlin starring magician Doug Henning. He continued doing a mix of Broadway and off Broadway. Lane's big breakthrough came when he played Pseudolis in the 1996 revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He won a Tony for that. He then voiced Timon the meerkat in the 1994 Disney film The Lion King and the sequels. This was followed by Mike Nichols' adaptation of La Cage Aux Folles titled The Birdcage. He hosted Saturday Night Live and the Tony Awards broadcast and starred in the NBC sitcom Encore! Encore!. And then he starred as Max Bialystock in the 2001 Broadway musical The Producers. Of course The Producers was a 1967 Mel Brooks comedy about Broadway producers defrauding investors. David Geffen convinced Brooks to turn it into a Broadway musical. When Brooks met with lyricist Jerry Herman (Mame), Herman suggested Brooks write the songs himself. Nathan Lane starred with Matthew Broderick. The show ran from 2001 to 2007. And it won a bunch of Tonys including one for Lane. It was also turned into a 2005 film also starring Lane and Broderick. The featured song The King of Broadway was not in the film. It was shot but edited from the film. The film did not do well but Brooks only made the film to have a permanent record of the show. The original Broadway cast is available as a budget CD. Since then, Lane has worked regularly on stage, in films and on TV. Most recently, he has recurring roles on the Hulu comedy series Only Murders in the Building and the HBO series The Gilded Age. He does plenty of voice work. Here's Nathan Lane performing The King of Broadway. As I said, this was shot for the film but deleted. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Clarence "Frogman" Henry

Artist:Clarence "Frogman" Henry

Song:(I Don't Know Why I Love You) But I Do

Album:But I Do: The Complete Releases 1956-62

The single (I Don't Know Why I Live You) But I Do was a top five hit in 1961. It was the biggest hit for New Orleans R&B singer songwriter Clarence "Frogman" Henry when he recorded for Chess' Argo label. He was born Mar. 19, 1937 in New Orleans. His family moved to the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans in 1947 and Henry lived there his whole life. He learned piano as a child influenced by Fats Domino and especially Roy "Professor Longhair" Byrd. Henry even dressed like Professor Longhair when he performed at talent shows. He played piano for Bobby Mitchell & the Toppers from 1952-55 when he left to join saxophonist Eddie Smith's band. Henry had this croak that he used while performing the song Ain't Got No Home. This got him the nickname Frogman. Henry says he created the croak to scare the girls at school. Chess Records A&R man Paul Gayten heard Henry perform Ain't Got No Home and got him to record it in 1956. It was released on Chess' Argo label and reached #20 on the pop chart and #3 on the R&B chart. The odd thing is Argo only released Henry's music on singles. Henry's biggest hit was the 1961 single (I Don't Know Why I Love You) But I Do. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the R&B Singles. The song was written by Paul Gayten and Robert Guidry AKA singer Bobby Charles. You can get all of Henry's Argo singles on this comp from the British label Acrobat. Henry left Argo in 1964. He didn't record much after that. But he continued to perform mainly in New Orleans. He even opened for The Beatles in 1964. John Lennon must have loved him. Henry married seven times and he had ten children. He was scheduled to perform at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival when he died from complications after surgery on Apr. 7, 2024 at age 87. Here's Clarence "Frogman" Henry performing (I Don't Know Why I Love You) But I Do on a mid 60s TV show. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Raquel Rodriguez

Here's the match video of IYO Sky vs Raquel Rodriguez from last night's episode of RAW. Again before the match, The Kabuki Warriors offered to come to the ring with IYO to neutralize the presence of Roxanne Perez. IYO said no especially after they messed up last week. So of course Roxanne interfered and Raquel dominated much of the match. But IYO is so accustomed to wrestling larger opponents, her comebacks are more credible than you might think. Plus don't forget the fans love her. The finish where she turns Raquel's finisher The Tejana Bomb into a hurricanrana followed by her moonsault for the finish was masterful. Of course Raquel and Roxanne attacked IYO after the match and Rhea Ripley made the save. Backstage, Asuka told Rhea to mind her own business. So this angle is progressing nicely. And don't forget Naomi vacated the WWE Women's Championship last night. So they have to do something about that soon. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Travis Tritt

Artist:Travis Tritt

Song:Take It Easy

Album:Common Thread: The Songs of The Eagles

This is a 1994 Eagles tribute album recorded by country artists. I like to feature albums like this but frequently there is no video clip. In this case, the Travis Tritt single Take It Easy did well enough to qualify as a discography orphan. Usually these are benefit albums. This one raised funds for the Walden Woods Project which is dedicated to the legacy of Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond in Concord, MA. This was founded in 1990 by Eagles co-founder Don Henley to purchase land near Walden Pond. Henley and manager Irving Azoff staged a 1992 Walden Woods Project benefit concert in Los Angeles in May 1992. Several country artists appeared on that concert. A few months later, Henley and Trisha Yearwood performed together on the 1992 CMA Awards broadcast. While at the show, several country artists told Henley how Eagles inspired them. Henley and Azoff asked Giant Records owner James Stroud to put the album together. Giant was distributed by Warner Bros. so there would be no rights issues. The one artist they really wanted for this album was Travis Tritt. He was pretty hot at the time and he was also on Warner Bros. Take It Easy was the lead single and it reached #21 on the Country Singles chart. Tritt agreed to appear in a video on the condition that members of Eagles appear in it too. Henley, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit all appeared in the video. That's why it was shot in a pool room. The shoot went so well that Eagles agreed to reunite for the album Hell Freezes Over followed by a tour. Frey told Rolling Stone that the video reminded him that they were friends first. The album sold really well. It was certified 3XPlatinum. It's available as a budget CD and you can get Take It Easy on a couple of Travis Tritt comps like The Big 10. A total of 13 country artists appeared on this album. So if you're a country music fan and an Eagles fan, You should like this. Here's the video for Take It Easy by Travis Tritt. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Les Crane

Artist:Les Crane

Song:Desiderata

Album:American Pie: Great Tales & Sagas in Song

This 1971 spoken word recording of the poem Desiderata was a surprise top ten hit. Then they had to record an album around it. Never heard of it? If you are familiar with the expression "You are a child of the universe", you likely heard it on this record. The guy who recorded this was radio and TV host Les Crane. He was born Lesley Stein Dec. 3, 1933 in New York City. He graduated from Tulane University as an English major. Then he was a pilot in the US Air Force. In the early 60s, he hosted a very popular talk show on San Francisco radio station KGO. Then he moved to TV and hosted the late night talk show Night Line on ABC's flagship station WABC in New York. The Rolling Stones made their first American TV appearance on that show. The show title was changed to The Les Crane Show. The show went national in 1964 as The New Les Crane Show to compete with The Tonight Show. The talk was more serious than The Tonight Show. The show was innovative at the time. But I don't think audiences were ready for it and ABC cancelled it after 14 weeks and replaced it with Nightlife. Crane was one of several rotating hosts. This too was cancelled. Crane tried acting but he returned to radio in 1968 with a talk show on Los Angeles radio station KLAC. He also hosted a syndicated TV talk show. Then he approached Fred Werner about recording the poem Desiderata. Crane thought it was old and therefore public domain. But it was actually written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann. Werner won a Tony as Best Conductor and Musical Director for the 1964 musical High Spirits. He moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and worked on Bob Fosse's 1972 film Cabaret among other things. On Desiderata, he had Crane read the poem and studio singers Carol Carmichael and her mom Evangeline sing "You are a child of the universe". With overdubbing, they made it sound like a choir. Los Angeles studio musicians Michel Rubini on keyboards, Louie Shelton on guitar, Jim Horn on flute, Joe Porcaro on drums and Emil Richards on percussion played on the album. Desiderata won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album. Desiderata reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Supposedly it was a hit because of the message of peace and love. But I think it was the catchy refrain. In 1972, National Lampoon released a spoof called Deteriorata with the chorus "You are a fluke of the universe". The album Desiderata is available on CD. But I would recommend this various artists Reader's Digest 4CD comp. Crane left TV in the 70s and resurfaced in the software company The Software Toolworks in the 80s. They were known for chess games and Mavis Beacon typing software which Crane developed. The company sold for millions in the 90s. Crane died on July 13, 2008 at age 74. Here's a video for Desiderata by Les Crane. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sean Lennon

Artist:Sean Lennon

Song:Friendly Fire

Album:Friendly Fire

Of course Sean Lennon is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. He's been an active musician since the 90s but I wouldn't say he's well known. Friendly Fire is one of his three solo albums. He has been in successful bands like Claypool Lennon Delerium with Les Claypool of Primus. And he has been busy as a producer and songwriter. He could be famous if he wanted but I don't think he cares. He was born Oct. 9, 1975 in New York City. He was five years old when his dad was murdered in 1980. After attending Columbia University for three semesters, Lennon decided to become a musician. He joined the band Cibo Matto as bassist in 1996. After recording with them, he was offered a record deal with The Beastie Boys owned label Grand Royal with Capitol distribution and he released the 1998 album Into the Sun. At the time, Lennon was dating Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto and she produced the album. He toured and then released a 1999 EP. After Cibo Matto's 1999 album Stereo Type A, they went on hiatus. After Grand Royal closed in 2001, Lennon signed with Capitol and released the 2006 album Friendly Fire. Lennon wrote and produced. He says the songs were inspired by his tumultuous relationship with model Bijou Phillips. There is also a short film that is included with the CD. The album didn't sell. So Lennon formed a new band in 2008 called The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger with girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. They are still together. They recorded three albums for their own label. Then he formed Claypool Lennon Delerium in 2015 with Les Claypool and they released three albums. Lennon also writes and produces for others. He released a new album last year called Asterisms on John Zorn's Tzadik label. It seems to be a jazz album. Sean Lennon could be a celebrity if he wanted. But he doesn't want that. As a solo act, he's probably not interesting enough. I like him better as part of a band. Here's the video for Friendly Fire by Sean Lennon.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Christina Perri

Artist:Christina Perri

Song:Jar of Hearts

Album:Lovestrong

Chances are pretty good that if you were a viewer of the TV show So You Think You Can Dance in 2010, you remember the song Jar of Hearts as it was featured on the show. It became a top twenty hit and Atlantic Records must have thought that Christina Perri was going to be a big star. It's still her only top twenty hit. That tends to happen when songs are featured on those kind of shows. Her other significant hit was from a film. Remember when Daniel Powter's Bad Day was featured on American Idol and it was a big hit? Whatever happened to him? This is the same thing. She was born Aug. 18, 1986 in Bensalem, PA. which is a suburb of Philadelphia. Her older brother Nick Perri played guitar for Shinedown. Christina taught herself to play guitar by watching a video of Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon. After studying communications in college for a year, Christina dropped out to pursue a career in music. She moved to Los Angeles in 2007 to produce music videos for a living. She married and divorced and returned Philadelphia in 2009. That's when she wrote Jar of Hearts. She returned to Los Angeles and worked as a waitress at the Melrose Cafe while recording demos at night. Then Jar of Hearts was performed by Billy Bell and Kathryn McCormick on the June 30, 2010 episode of So You Think You Can Dance. Christina's friend Keltie Knight gave the song to show choreographer Stacey Tookey. Remember Christina did not have a record deal yet. When Jar of Hearts started zooming up the charts, Atlantic Records signed Christina. The song sold 100,000 copies in a month and reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It probably was a bigger hit than that as many of the sales were digital and were not treated the same as physical sales by Billboard. Christina released an EP in Nov. followed by the album Lovestrong in May 2011. The album was certified Platinum. The album was mostly produced by Joe Chiccarelli who has been engineering and producing since the 80s and David Hodges of Evanesence. Hodges helped Christina write the songs. Christina wrote Jar of Hearts with Barrett Yeretsian and Drew Lawrence and Yaretsian produced. It seems to be the only credit for either of them. Christina toured to support the album. Christina's other hit was the single A Thousand Years from the soundtrack of the 2011 film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. It reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 but the album was a big seller. Hughes produced it so I assume it's from the Lovestrong sessions. Christina's 2014 album Head or Heart didn't do nearly as well. The single Human reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album was certified Gold. Since then, Christina has recorded several albums of children's songs and even a Christmas album. She's now on Elektra Records. Was Jar of Hearts a fluke? Probably. Songs from TV shows and films don't necessarily mean the artist is a star. And other than those two songs, Christina hasn't done that well. Now she's married with four kids. I'm sure that keeps her busy. Here's the video for Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kruder & Dorfmeister

Artist:Kruder & Dorfmeister

Song:High Noon

Album:DJ-Kicks

Austrian DJs Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister had success on England's Acid Jazz scene of the 90s. A lot of times they use guest vocalists. But they also create instrumental music that I would describe as ambient electronica. That's what High Noon is. It first appeared on the 1993 EP G-Stoned. The cover of that EP was a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends. When it was played on Acid Jazz creator Gilles Peterson's BBC radio show Worldwide, Kruder & Dorfmeister became famous. Of course they didn't want to be famous. Maybe they should have worn disguises like Daft Punk. They got into doing remixes on their own label. They rereleased High Noon on the 1996 album DJ-Kicks. It's all remixes and that's what they enjoy doing. They haven't recorded as a duo in a long time. But both guys are busy doing remixes, recording under aliases and reissuing old recordings. I recommend them to those who like electronica and trip hop. It's too ambient for me but this kind of music does have a following. Here's the video for High Noon by Kruder & Dorfmeister. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sidestepper

Artist:Sidestepper

Song:Linda Manigua

Album:More Grip

Sidestepper was an attempt by British producer Richard Blair to mix Colombian music with Electronic Dance Music. In 1992, Blair was working as a recording engineer for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. He was working on an album by Colombian singer Toto la Momposina. He went to Colombia for a holiday and to learn more about her music. He stayed for three years and produced albums by Aterciopelados and Carlos Vives. Blair returned to England in 1996 and started DJing as Sidestepper. He released a 1997 album which was an instrumental mix of salsa and Electronic Dance Music. While working with Carlos Vives, Blair met Ivan Benevides of the duo Ivan y Lucia. On a 1997 visit to Colombia, Blair played his album for Benevides. Benevides suggested they could add vocals to Blair's music. They signed with Palm Pictures for the 2000 album More Grip. Palm Pictures was Chris Blackwell's new label after he sold Island to Universal. Sidesteppers released four albums for Palm. More Grip is available on CD. They released the 2016 album Supernatural Love on Real World. They toured at the time which is when this video was recorded. I don't think Sidesteppers is around anymore. But Latin music fans should check them out. Here's Sidestepper performing Linda Manigua at Seattle radio station KEXP July 18, 2017.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Beaches

Artist:The Beaches

Song:Blame Brett

Album:Blame My Ex

The Beaches is an all girl Canadian band who have a following in Canada. But with the 2023 single Blame Brett, they made inroads into the US. So they have potential. They were formed in 2009 and are named after the east Toronto area known as The Beaches. The band was called Done with Dolls at first. They were formed by lead singer and bassist Jordan Miller, her guitarist sister Kylie Miller, guitarist Megan Fitchett and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel. They toured in 2011 opening for Allstar Weekend and performed the theme for the Family Channel sitcom Really Me. Megan was replaced by Leandra Earl in 2013 and they renamed themselves The Beaches as that is where most of the band grew up. They also adopted an alt rock sound. After releasing a couple of EPs, they signed with Universal Canada and released the 2017 album Late Show produced by Emily Haines and James Shaw of Metric. The single T-Shirt topped the Canadian Rock chart and The Beaches won a Breakthrough Group of the Year Juno. After two more EPs, The Beaches signed a new record deal with Sony's AWAL label for the 2023 album Blame My Ex. This album was released in the US. The first single Blame Brett not only topped the Canadian Rock chart but it charted on the US Alt Rock chart. Apparently the song went viral on TikTok. They toured North America including an appearance at Lollapalooza. The band writes all the songs. The main producer is recording engineer Daniel Agee. So that was a big breakthrough for The Beaches. This album is available as a digital download. They have a new album No Hard Feelings coming out in a couple of weeks. They will tour to support it. We'll see how they do. Here's the video for Blame Brett by The Beaches. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Roxanne Perez vs IYO SKY

Here's the match video of Roxanne Perez vs IYO Sky from last night's episode of RAW. Naomi was supposed to defend her WWE Women's Championship against IYO. But Naomi was declared "not cleared to compete" yesterday afternoon. Yes, it seems fishy to me. But it looks like what the WWE has decided to do is turn this into an Asuka heel turn. Backstage before the match, The Kabuki Warriors wanted to go to the ring with IYO to neutralize Raquel Gonzalez. IYO declined. The match was competitive as you would expect between these two. But The Kabuki Warriors came out at the end and held on to Roxanne so IYO could hit her. But Roxanne escaped and won the match with a rollup while holding the tights. I thought the finish was awkward. But if they are going to turn Asuka heel, the match should be fantastic. Later on, Asuka yelled at IYO and stormed off. Kairi didn't know where to go. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Koe Wetzel

Artist:Koe Wetzel f/Jessie Murph

Song:High Road

Album:9 Lives

Singer songwriter Koe Wetzel is a cross between country and rock. He has recorded for Columbia since 2020. But with his latest album 9 Lives, High Road was a top five Country single. So he seems to be getting a handle on what he needs to do to be a country star. He was born Ropyr Madison Koe Wetzel July 14, 1992 in Pittsburg, TX. His mother was a touring country singer and Koe would travel with her and occasionally perform. The name Koe is a reference to David Allan Coe. Wetzel played football at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX. but he decided to be a musician instead and formed Koe Wetzel and Konvicts. He was going for an outlaw country vibe. After self releasing an EP and album, he signed with Red 11 Music in Austin. His two albums on that label did OK. Wetzel knew he would have to sign with a major label to get anywhere. So he signed with Columbia and even called his 2020 album Sellout as he knew he would be criticized for signing with a major label. Wetzel writes all his own songs with co-writers. His first couple of albums did OK. But he didn't have a hit single. He finally broke through with the 2024 album 9 Lives. The single Sweet Dreams reached #10 on the Country Singles chart. Then High Road reached #4 on the Country Singles chart and it crossed over to pop and reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. So now he's getting somewhere. The duet singer is Jessie Murph. Columbia signed her after she posted videos on YouTube and TikTok. High Road is also on her album That Ain't No Man That's the Devil. This is the first time I have heard her and I don't like her voice. Both albums are available as digital downloads. Wetzel works with several songwriters. But the two he works with most frequently are Amy Allen and Gabe Simon. Amy has written several hits for Sabrina Carpenter. Simon is a Nashville based producer and songwriter. It looks like he produced most of this album. Wetzel released a live album in February and he's currently on tour. After that finishes, he should record a new album. Here's the video for High Road by Koe Wetzel featuring Jessie Murph. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rokia Traore

Artist:Rokia Traore

Song:Kele Mandi

Album:Bowmboi

African music fans are going to want to check out singer songwriter and guitarist Rokia Traore. She records for the French label Label Bleu and her albums are released in the US by Nonesuch. She was born Jan. 24, 1975 in Kolokani, Mali. Her father was a diplomat and she would travel with him. And that's when she was exposed to different kinds of music. As part of Malian nobility, there are restriction regarding music. But the Bamanas have a musical tradition though her music is nothing like that. She plays traditional Malian instruments like the balafon, n'goni and kora but she also plays electric guitar. Rokia has recorded for Label Bleu since 1998. She is on Warner's Nonesuch label in the US. Kele Mandi is from the 2003 album Bowmboi. Rokia wrote and arranged everything and played guitar. The producer is Label Bleu house producer Thomas Weill. The Kronos Quartet appears on a couple of tracks. This album is available as digital download. Rokia still records for Label Bleu. He latest album was released in 2021. She is currently on a European tour. A custody dispute over her daughter has kept her bust for the last couple of years. Here's Rokia Traore performing Kele Mandi on Seattle radio station KEXP Nov.19, 2013. There's a music video for this but it's like a National Geographic film so I prefer the live performance. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Newbirth Total Praise Choir

Artist:Newbirth Total Praise Choir

Song:God Is

Album:New Beginning

Until his 2017 death, Bishop Eddie Long was the leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb Country, Georgia. When he started there in 1987, they had 300 members and grew to 25,000. Though there was controversy surrounding Long, I'm going to talk about how most of these megachurches have choirs and big record contracts. That's what this 2006 album is. It is the New Birth church choir with Long's name on the cover. T.D. Jakes does the same thing at his church. So how much input did Long have in the music on the record? Nothing because he's not a musician. When he signed with EMI Gospel in 2004, the idea was to use Long's name and picture to sell the record. He hired Kevin Bond to produce the music. Bond has been producing gospel music and especially choir albums for as long as I can remember. He's worked with a who's who of gospel music since the 80s. He started out with The Hawkins Family and worked with most everyone since then anonymously. For him, the choir is the star and he's always worked that way. New Beginning is available as a budget CD. A new pastor has taken over since Long's death so they aren't making choir records anymore. But there are still choirs making albums like this and I can assure you Kevin Bond is still a go to guy for megachurch choirs. Here's Newbirth Total Praise Choir performing God Is. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Daryl Hall + John Oates

Artist:Daryl Hall + John Oates

Song:Rich Girl

Album:Ultimate Daryl Hall + John Oates

The 1976 single Rich Girl was the first #1 single for the duo commonly known as Hall & Oates. It was their second album for RCA Records. They had a pretty good run until they left RCA in 1984. Hall & Oates first met at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia in 1967. Hall was leading The Temptones and Oates was leading The Masters. They were in a Battle of the Bands. Both were attending Temple University so they became roommates. They started making music together in 1970 and signed with Atlantic Records. They recorded three unsuccessful albums for Atlantic. The one song most remember from that era is She's Gone and it wasn't hit until after they left Atlantic for RCA. They were immediately more successful at RCA when their 1975 single Sara Smile was their first top five hit. It was after that that She's Gone was a top ten hit. What was the difference? At Atlantic, they worked with big name producers like Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren. At RCA, Hall & Oates usually wrote and produced themselves with Christopher Bond who was a member of their band. Both Hall & Oates wrote songs. Sometimes they wrote together and Hall wrote with his wife Sara. But Hall's songs were more successful. If you have been reading about the recent dispute over the Hall & Oates publishing rights, Oates seems to resent Hall's success similar to Creedence Clearwater Revival resenting John Fogerty's success. Bond was not a songwriter. But he played on the albums, was credited as producer and wrote the arrangements. After he left Hall & Oates in 1977, Bond became a studio musician. David Foster took over as producer and after two unsuccessful albums, Hall & Oates returned to self producing and that's when they had a string of hits in the early 80s. After they left RCA for Arista in 1984, Hall & Oates faded and that was the end of their success. This 2CD budget comp is the best one to get as it has music from all three labels. I don't believe Hall & Oates merit a 2CD comp but it's cheap. There's too much Arista filler on it. Hall has had a significant solo career. He scored a top five hit with the 1986 single Dreamtime. Oates has recorded solo unsuccessfully. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. As I mentioned, Hall recently sued Oates over his attempt to sell the Hall & Oates publishing rights to Primary Wave without consulting Hall. Hall doesn't want to sell. Up until this, they would perform together occasionally but not anymore. Here's Daryl Hall + John Oates performing Rich Girl on To of the Pops 1976.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eric Darius

Artist:Eric Darius

Song:If I Ain't Got You

Album:Just Getting Started

Eric Darius is a jazz saxophonist who had success on the smooth jazz charts twenty years ago. These days he records for his own label so he's not as successful. I'm sure he misses that big label promotion budget. But he's still out there playing and that's how you keep going in the smooth jazz market. He was born Dec. 3, 1982 in Livingston, NJ but he grew up in Tampa. His father is Haitian and his mother is Jamaican. His whole family played music and listened to R&B. He was in church at nine years old when he saw someone play a saxophone. He loved the sound so much that his parents bought him a saxophone for his birthday. Then he started performing with Sonny LaRosa and America's Youngest Jazz Band. This band had kids from the ages of five to twelve. They even played the Montreux Jazz Festival. This is when Darius decided to be a musician. As a teen, he started his own band and played Tampa clubs. His father was his manager. He also played in his high school jazz band and released an album at age 17. Darius studied business and music at University of South Florida. While still in college, he signed a record deal with Narada's Higher Octave label. His debut album Night on the Town was released in 2004 and reached #32 on the jazz chart. This cover of Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You is from the 2006 album Just Getting Started on Narada and it reached #18 on the jazz chart. Most of the other songs were written by Darius or the producers Brian Culbertson, Darren Rahn, Euge Groove or Norman Brown. Rahn produced If I Ain't Got You. This album is available as a digital download. Then Darius signed with Blue Note and released the 2008 album Goin' All Out. This was mostly produced by Rahn. That was his only Blue Note album. Since then Darius has recorded for his own label. He still tours and he does a lot of these smooth jazz cruises. Darius has a new single out so I expect a new album soon. Smooth jazz fans should enjoy his music. Try something else if you're looking for something more adventurous. Here's Eric Darius with Melanie Shore on keyboards, Kenji Aihara on guitar, Denson Angulo on bass and Joel Stevenett on drums performing If I Ain't Got You on the Cannonball Stage at The Villa in Sandy, UT. Cannonball is his saxophone sponsor.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Records

Artist:The Records

Song:Teenarama

Album:Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses: The Best of the Records

Though you've probably never heard of them, I think fans of 70s power pop would enjoy the British band The Records. They only had one chart single and then they flopped. But they were critically acclaimed. I have a theory which I will get to shortly. The formation of The Records in 1977 came out of the ashes of The Kursaal Flyers led by drummer Will Birch. They played what was called at the time "pub rock". After three unsuccessful albums, Birch pulled the plug on The Kursaal Flyers and Birch started writing songs with guitarist John Wicks. They planned to form a new band and call it The Records. I think the name is too generic. It needed to be memorable. The other band members were Huw Gower on guitar and Phil Brown on bass. The Records were obviously influenced by 60s pop like The Beatles and favorably compared to bands like Big Star and The Raspberries. But I should point out that Big Star were never commercially successful either. Stiff Records hired The Records to tour and open for Rachel Sweet. They also wrote songs for her debut album. The Records signed with Virgin Records in 1978. Their debut single Starry Eyes topped the British charts. Then they released the album Shades in Bed. Despite critical acclaim, the album didn't sell and did even worse when it was released in the US. They even toured the US. Wick and Birch wrote most of the songs including Starry Eyes and Teenerama. Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced Teenerama. Other songs were produced by Tim Friese-Greene (Talk Talk) and Huw Gower. After three unsuccessful albums The Records split up in 1982. This comp is a good intro to their music. Why were The Records unsuccessful? As I said, I don't think the band name did them any favors. Also, there were a lot of similar bands around in those days. I guess they got lost in the shuffle. But The Records are worth a listen. Birch and Wicks both got into production. Birch produced the band Dr. Feelgood. Wicks moved to the US in 1994 and reformed The Records. He died in 2012. Here's The Records performing Teenerama on The Midnight Special Sept. 28, 1979. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ariel Pink

Artist:Ariel Pink

Song:Another Weekend

Album:Dedicated to Bobby Jameson

Singer songwriter Ariel Pink has been around for over twenty years and he's still on the fringes of the music business. He seems to prefer that to traditional success. So he's happy doing what he wants and he has a cult following. He was born Ariel Marcus Rosenberg June 24, 1978 in Los Angeles. His parents divorced when he was two years old. He got into record collecting as a child. He was influenced by videos that he saw on MTV. He got interested in "death rock" bands like Bauhaus and The Cure. In high school, he called himself a "goth" and stopped listening to new music. He started listening to retro music. When he started recording in 1996 on a cassette recorder, the music was experimental in nature. Then he studied fine arts at the California Institute of the Arts. Pink didn't like that the school focused on marketing rather than technique. He met John Maus and they became best friends and roommates. He recorded an album in 2000 while he was on a drug binge. Pink became a big fan of lo-fi music pioneer R. Stevie Moore and eventually they would collaborate. It looks like the next couple of years were a drug haze. Then he got back into new music when he started working at a record store. Pink gave one of his CDs to the band Animal Collective. They signed him to their Paw Tracks label. The distribution got him a following. He toured some but he decided he wasn't going to release another album until he got a real record deal. That was with the British label 4AD in 2010. The 2010 album Before Today was critically acclaimed and that's when he picked up much of his fanbase. He released three albums for 4AD and then he switched to Mexican Summer for the 2017 album Dedicated to Bobby Jameson. Jameson was an unsuccessful 60s singer songwriter who resurfaced in in 2007 with a blog and a YouTube channel complaining about the predatory practices of music industry sharks. Jameson died in 2015. This resonated so much with Pink that he dedicated the album to Jameson. This album is available as a budget CD. This is his latest album. Pink made a deal with Mexican Summer to release some of his old masters.  When it was reported that Pink attended Donald Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 rally, Mexican Summer dropped him. He is currently working on a new album which will be self released. I have listened to Ariel Pink and I don't care for his voice. I think he was fortunate the music press latched onto him and gave him a fanbase. Now that he isn't on a label with wide distribution, he may have disappeared already. Here's the video for Another Weekend by Ariel Pink. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nicolette

Artist:Nicolette

Song:No Government

Album:Mission: Impossible: From and Inspired by the Motion Picture

Here's an unknown song that appeared in the "soundtrack" for the 1996 film Mission: Impossible. From what I can tell, this is the only North American exposure that Scottish trip hop singer Nicolette Suwoton has ever had. She's had some success in England. And though No Government appears on the Mission: Impossible "soundtrack" album, the song does not appear in the film. Nicolette Suwoton was born in 1964 in Glasgow, Scotland but she has lived mostly in London. Her parents are Nigerian. She is known in England for two songs. One is the 1994 single Sly which was a guest vocal for the popular trip hop group Massive Attack. No Government is the other. She first released it on her 1990 debut album Now Is Early. The album was written and produced by the duo known as Shut Up and Dance (Philip "PJ" Johnson, Carlton "Smiley" Hyman). They have had success on the British charts. A remix of No Government was released on Nicolette's 1995 album Let No-One Live Rent Free in Your Head. That is on Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud label so it was more popular than the original version. It was produced by the duo Plaid (Andy Turner, Ed Handley). This version appeared on the Mission Impossible album. I hesitate to call it a soundtrack because only five of the album songs appear in the film. Soundtracks are usually compiled by someone who works in the record company office anyway. But this one seems like a corporate money grab. A lot of the album songs seem to come out of left field. Nicolette is still around. She's supposed to have a new album coming out but it's been delayed several times. Here's the video for No Government by Nicolette.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Age of Electric

Artist:The Age of Electric

Song:I Don't Mind

Album:Make a Pest a Pet

The Age of Electric had modest success in their native Canada in the mid 90s. They had potential to be successful but they split up before their 1997 album Make a Pest a Pet could be released in the US. The Age of Electric were two sets of brothers from Saskatchewan. Singer and guitarist Todd Kerns and drummer Kurt Dahle conceived the band in 1986. But they were waiting for younger brothers singer and guitarist Ryan Dahle and bassist John Kerns to graduate high school so they could start playing shows. The Dahles are from Regina. The Kerns are from Lanigan. After releasing an album on their own label, they signed with Universal Canada for the 1995 album The Age of Electric. The album did well enough that Mercury Records planed to release the 1997 album Make a Pest a Pet in the US. The album was certified Gold in Canada. The problem was the band wasn't getting along and split up before Mercury could release the album. They had been opening on tour for Our Lady Peace. And they were nominated for a Best New Group Juno. So if they hadn't split up, they might have got somewhere. The Age of Electric wrote and produced themselves so there was potential. The Kerns brothers went on to form the band Static in Stereo in 2001. The Dahle brothers were members of The New Pornographers. The Age of Electric performed a reunion show in Calgary on Aug. 29, 2015. Then they released an expanded remastered 20th anniversary edition of Make a Pest a Pet in 2017 followed by a brief tour. Here's the video for I Don't Mind by The Age of Electric. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-North Point Worship

Artist:North Point Worship

Song:This Is My Song

Album:Our God Will See Us Through

North Point Worship should interest P&W fans especially since the now famous Lauren Daigle started out there. But as I have said in the past, the audience for this kind of music isn't very demanding. They'll eat it up. I hate this song in particular because it almost sounds like they copied it and I know they write and produce everything in house. North Point Community Church was started in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, GA in 1995 by Andy Stanley. Now they have eight locations and in 2018, CBS News named North Point the second largest megachurch in the US. Then they started their high school ministry The InsideOut and the music ministry came out of that in 2012. They started out distributing their own music. But when Lauren Daigle signed with the CCM label Centricity, part of the deal is that North Point Worship got their own deal plus a cut of Lauren's deal. This Is My Song was released as a single in 2022. I wasn't sure if it was only a single or it was released on an album. It's on this live album Our God Will See Us Through and available as a digital download. The guest singer is Mac Powell of Third Day. Heath Balltzglier is the culprit who wrote and produced this song. P&W all sounds the same to me anyway. But this song is even worse as it seems to regurgitate the usual P&W talking points that I hate but the faithful eat it up. At least the video is professionally produced. Here's the video for This Is My Song by North Point Worship.