AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Dandy Warhols

Artist:The Dandy Warhols

Song:Bohemian Like You

Album:The Capitol Years 1995-2007

The alt rock band The Dandy Warhols have been around for over thirty years. They had their greatest commercial success when they were on Capitol Records from 1995-2007. They never had a hit single but the 2000 single Bohemian Like You was their highest charting song and it made a lot of money from other media. The Dandy Warhols currently record for their own label. The Dandy Warhols are from Portland, OR led by lead singer songwriter and guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Taylor-Taylor met guitarist Peter Holmstrom while both were attending Sunset High School in the Portland suburb of Beaverton, OR. After an unsuccessful experiment trying to teach his girlfriend to play bass, Taylor-Taylor taught Zia McCabe to play keyboards. Eric Hedford was the original drummer. But he left over a royalty dispute and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer in 1998. The Dandy Warhols started playing local clubs and released the 1995 album Dandys Rule OK on the local indie label Tim/Kerr. Capitol Records liked the album enough to sign the band. They wanted them to have hit singles. So when they recorded a follow up album, Capitol rejected it because they said it didn't have any hits. Much of the band's music has humor. Even the band name is obviously a gag. But I don't think Capitol was in on the joke. So a new album was recorded and ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down was released in 1997. As usual, Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced. Capitol brought in Elliott Smith's producer Eric Lash to give the album some polish. The album and a couple of singles charted in England. The 2000 single Bohemian Like You is from the album Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia. It was a top twenty hit in England after it was used in an ad for the British phone company Vodafone. It also appeared on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the films Flushed Away and Igby Goes Down. It was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian that Taylor-Taylor earned $1.5M in royalties after Vodaphone used Bohemian Like You. He used that money to buy a quarter of a city block in Portland and build a recording studio. So I guess The Dandy Warhols don't need a hit single. Taylor-Taylor wrote and produced Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia with Dave Sardy formerly of Barkmarket. You can get Bohemian Like You on this comp which is available as a digital download. Taylor-Taylor wrote Bohemian Like You after he saw a woman at a traffic light under his apartment and he started to fantasize about her. The song wrote itself. The Dandy Warhols recorded four albums for Capitol. They started their own label Beat the World with distribution from the British label Caroline. They have switched distributors a couple of times and released their latest album in 2024. They aren't on tour right now. But they have a couple of shows coming up in Sept. Here's the video for Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Junior Wells

Artist:Junior Wells

Song:Come On in This House

Album:Messin' With the Kid 1957-1963

Junior Wells is one of the all time blues harmonica greats. He is best known for his long partnership with guitarist Buddy Guy. He first recorded in 1955. But he didn't become a fan favorite until the mid 60s when he partnered with Guy and toured with The Rolling Stones. He was born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr. Dec. 9, 1934 in Memphis. His cousin Junior Parker and Sonny Boy Williamson II taught Wells to play harmonica. After his mother's divorce, Wells moved to Chicago with her in 1948. Wells hung out with local musicians in bars and at parties. Wells joined The Aces led by guitarists Dave and Louis Myers. But drummer Fred Below had worked with harmonica legend Little Walter so he helped Wells with his harmonica playing. And in 1952, Wells replaced Walter on a Muddy Waters session on Chess. Of course Little Walter was on Chess so they weren't interested in Wells. He first recorded for States Records in 1955. They closed in 1957 and Wells signed with Chief Records. Chief was owned by producer and songwriter Mel London. In those days, Chess was the only game in Chicago. So the rest was left to guys like London. But he signed Earl Hooker who was a really good guitarist and a good partner for Wells. So Chief released about 25 Wells singles from 1957-63 and then Chief closed in 1964. Wells wrote Come On in This House and it was released in 1960. London is credited as producer. Musicians are Earl Hooker on guitar, Lafayette Leake on piano, Dave Meyers on bass guitar, Willie Dixon on acoustic bass and Eugene Lounge on drums. Hooker and Dixon play on most of this album. This budget CD is all original recordings first released by Paula Records in 1991. These recording are now owned by P-Vine Records, a Japanese label that reissues vintage jazz, blues and R&B recordings. Wells released his first album Hoodoo Man Blues on Delmark Records in 1965. Buddy Guy was on that album and that's when Wells' career really started especially when they toured with The Rolling Stones in the 70s. After suffering a heart attack, Wells died on Jan. 15, 1998 at age 63. I may look at Wells' later recordings in the future but here's Junior Wells with Buddy Guy performing Come On in This House at Montreux 1978.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jellyfish

Artist:Jellyfish

Song:Joining a Fan Club

Album:Spilt Milk

Jellyfish was a power pop band that recorded two unsuccessful albums in the early 90s. Since they split up, they have developed a cult following and have been influential on other similar bands. The leaders of Jellyfish were Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning. They met while attending Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA. Sturmer was lead singer and drummer. Manning played keyboards. They wrote all the songs. Sturmer wrote the lyrics. Sturmer and Manning joined Chris Ketner's San Francisco based band Beatnik Beatch. They released a 1988 album on Atlantic. When it went nowhere, Beatnik Beatch split up. Sturmer and Manning planned to start a new band at Atlantic. Manning brought in former The Three O'Clock guitarist Jason Falkner and his brother Chris Manning on bass. Manning promised Falkner that he would contribute to the songwriting. But he didn't tell Sturmer so there was tension over that. An Atlantic exec suggested the band name Jellyfish. When Sturmer couldn't think of anything better, he decided to go with that. The 1990 album Bellybutton was produced by Albhy Galuten who produced The Bee Gees. While they were recording the album, they shopped for a new label and signed with Virgin's Charisma label. Bellybutton was released July 1990. The album was favorably reviewed but it didn't sell. The problem was hair metal was popular at the time. It's hard to buck a trend when Jellyfish sounded like a 60s band. They toured wearing fancy costumes. When reviewers concentrated on that, they stopped wearing them. After the tour, Falkner was unhappy and left the band. Chris Manning left to become a chef. Sturmer and Manning appeared on Ringo Starr's 1992 album Time Takes Time. They also had a songwriting session with Brian Wilson but nothing came from that. Their 1992 album Spilt Milk was again produced by Galuten. Tim Smith was brought in to play bass. They used several guitarists. By the time Spilt Milk was released, grunge had taken over the music business. And critics bemoaned that Jellyfish sounded like the 70s band The Raspberries. Guitarist Eric Dover was brought in to tour. When this album didn't sell, Jellyfish split up. Sturmer and Manning weren't getting along anyway. Spilt Milk is available on CD. Manning formed the bands The Moog Cookbook and Imperial Drag. Sturmer wrote songs for the Japanese duo Puffy. And that led to writing songs for Cartoon Network shows like Teen Titans and these days, he works a lot for Disney. Manning has recorded solo in recent years. His latest album was released in 2023. Attempts to reunite Jellyfish have been unsuccessful as Sturmer won't do it. That's what he said in a 2015 interview. He seems to prefer the studio work that he's doing now. Here's Jellyfish performing Joining a Fan Club in Munich, Germany 1993. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Nouri

Artist:Michael Nouri

Song:King's Dilemma

Album:Victor/Victoria: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Actor Michael Nouri is best known for his many TV roles. He has also appeared in films. But it might surprise some that he has also appeared on Broadway. His most notable Broadway appearance was as King Marchan in the 1995 musical adaptation of the film Victor/Victoria. This appears to be Nouri's only recorded singing appearance. He has appeared in other musicals but none were recorded and most were not on Broadway. It's funny because he started out on Broadway before he got into TV. He was born Dec. 9, 1945 in Washington, DC. His father was an Iraqi immigrant who served in the US Army in WWII and became a writer for Stars and Stripes and The New Yorker. Nouri studied drama at Emerson College in Boston and was trained by famed acting coach Lee Strasberg. After appearing in an off Broadway production of The Crucible, Nouri made his Broadway debut in the 1970 comedy Forty Carats which ran for two years. He also had a small role in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus. Then he appeared in daytime soaps, most notably as Steve Kaslo in Search for Tomorrow. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. His next significant role was as Lucky Luciano in the 1981 miniseries The Gangster Chronicles. Then he played Nick Hurley in the 1983 film Flashdance. That was one of the most successful films of the year. So I think it's fair to say that's where most folks heard of Nouri. His other significant 80s film was the 1987 film The Hidden. He starred in the TV series' Bay City Blues and Downtown. Both shows were cancelled after one season. He was in the sitcom Love & War which ran for three seasons and that's when he appeared in Victor/Victoria. Of course most folks should be familiar with Blake Edwards' 1982 film Victor/Victoria starring his wife Julie Andrews. Edwards wanted to turn it into a Broadway musical. Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse were supposed to write the music. But Mancini died and Frank Wildhorn composed the music with Bricusse. Along with Julie Andrews, the stars were Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri and Rachel York. The show ran for two years so it was successful. The original cast is available on CD. It was also broadcast on TV and released on DVD. Since then Nouri has appeared as a regular on the TV series' The O.C., Damages, NCIS and most recently Yellowstone. And he has appeared on the daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and All My Children. Nouri recently appeared on The Pitt and The Rookie. So with his career winding down, I expect he will continue to make TV guest shots. Here's Michael Nouri performing King's Dilemma on the 1995 TV production of Victor/Victoria.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Echosmith

Artist:Echosmith

Song:Cool Kids

Album:Talking Dreams

Cool Kids was a top twenty hit in 2013. It was the only big hit for the band Echosmith. One of their other songs charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. They only released one album on a major label and now record for their own label. Echosmith is from Chino, CA. They are a family group with Sydney Sierota on lead vocals, Jamie Sierota on guitar and keyboards, Noah Sierota on bass and Graham Sierota on drums. They started out performing covers and released a video of Come Together on YouTube. This got the attention of Warner Bros. Records president Rob Cavallo and he signed Echosmith. An EP was released featuring Come Together and they went out on tour. Meanwhile, their father Jeffrey David, who is also their manager, helped them write original songs. The album Talking Dreams was released and the single Cool Kids reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. All the songs were written by Echosmith and their dad. Mike Elizondo produced the album. He has produced Dr. Dre and Eminem among others. The album was rereleased in 2014 with a new cover. It's available on CD. This is the only album that Echosmith recorded for Warner Bros. The band's official reason was they left Warner Bros. "to escape the creative limitations of a major label and regain full control over their musical direction". The likely real reason was that Cavallo left Warner Bros. as part of a larger management shuffle. It's likely that Echosmith would have been lost in the shuffle anyway. They continued to tour. Jamie Sierota left Echosmith to be a father. Guitarist Josh Murty was hired to play guitar on tour. Echosmith started their own label. But get this. The label is distributed by Warner Music GroupADA which distributes indie labels. So Warners still distributes their albums. But there's no promotion. They have released two albums written and produced by the band and their dad. I guess that's what they wanted. But most bands need promotion. They aren't getting that anymore. Sydney is pregnant so they haven't been touring. And she has released a solo EP. So we'll see if they get anywhere. I have my doubts. Here's the video for Cool Kids by Echosmith. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bebel Gilberto

Artist:Bebel Gilberto

Song:Samba da Bencao

Album:Tanto Tempo

Singer Bebel Gilberto is the daughter of Bossa Nova pioneer Joao Gilberto. She has been recording and performing since the mid 80s. The 2000 album Tanto Tempo is considered to be her breakthrough album as it sold a million copies worldwide. She was born May 12, 1966 in New York City. Her mother is singer Miucha. When her parents split up, Gilberto lived in New York and Miucha moved back to Brazil. Bebel lived mostly in Brazil. She started performing as a child with both parents including a 1977 Carnegie Hall concert with her mom and Stan Getz. She started out in the mid 80s with the Brazilian rock band Barao Vermelho and wrote several songs with their lead singer Cazuzo. Bebel moved to New York in 1991. After she appeared on the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, record companies started sniffing around. Bebel signed with the Belgian label Ziriguiboom in Europe and Six Degrees Records in the US. Tanto Tempo was her 2000 debut album. Bebel wrote most of the songs though Samba da Bencao is a Bossa Nova standard written by Vinicius de Moraes and Baden Powell. The album was produced by Serbian Mitar "Suba" Subotic. He had lived in Brazil since 1990. But tragedy struck when the recording studio caught fire while Subo was working on post production. He was able to save the masters but he died from smoke inhalation. Subo's friend and frequent collaborator Amon Tobin finished the album. The album sold a million copies worldwide including 300,000 in the US. It's available as a budget CD. Bebel recorded three albums for Ziriguiboom and has recorded for Verve among others since then. Her latest album Joao was released in 2023 on the indie label PIAS. It appears to be a tribute to her dad. She is currently touring to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Tempo Tanto. Here's Bebel Gilberto with Masa Shimizu on violin and bass, Jorge Continento on sax and guitar, John Roggie and Sacha Amback on keyboards, Magrus Borges on drums and Marcos Suzano on percussion performing Samba da Bencao in Rio de Janeiro Dec. 2012. This entire concert can be viewed on YouTube.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eden Espinosa

Artist:Eden Espinosa

Song:In the Blasted California Sun

Album:Lempicka: Original Broadway Cast Recording

Eden Espinosa is a Broadway performer best known for playing Elphaba in touring productions of Wicked. She was Tony nominated for playing the female lead in the 2024 musical Lempicka despite the fact the show was not favorably reviewed and it didn't run very long. She was born Feb. 2, 1978 in Anaheim, CA. She is of Mexican descent. Eden began performing as a child and in high school, she played Maria in West Side Story. After graduating from high school, she worked at Disneyland and the Universal Studios theme park. And she toured with The Young Americans. While performing at Disneyland, a casting director spotted her and introduced her to the creators of the musical Brooklyn which was in the planning stages at the time. They suggested she move to New York and she was a standby for Idina Menzel's Elphaba in the 2003 show Wicked. She also filmed the 2006 film Ask the Dust. Eden left Wicked to star in the musical Brooklyn first in Denver then on Broadway. This show ran from Oct. 2004 to June 2005. Afterwards, she returned to Wicked and was in the national tour, Los Angeles and New York until June 2010. So she got a lot of mileage from that. Eden's other big show was Lempicka which was on Broadway in 2024. Lempicka is about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka. The show was created by Carson Kreitzer and Matt Gould. This musical had runs in Williamstown and San Diego before it played Broadway in 2024. Though Eden was nominated for a Best Actress Tony and got positive reviews, Lempicka was slammed by critics and only played for one month. The original cast album is available on CD. Eden has recorded a couple of solo albums and has performed live in New York clubs since 2005. She hasn't done much in the way of films. But she has done TV guest shots. She's been doing a lot of voiceover work and I can see her doing a lot more of that as it can be very lucrative. Here's Eden Espinosa performing In the Blasted California Sun at The Green Room in New York City. This is my first time posting an Instagram video. Like Facebook, I do not go to Instagram unless I need a video clip.