Frank Gutch Jr.: Tom Kell & The Skyboys, Michael Fennelly, Stu Nunnery, “Goin’ Down”, and Just Plain Nuts– erm– Notes…..

I have learned my lesson.  Numerous times over the past few years, I have been caught at my desk, coffee at hand, spewing said coffee in copious amounts thanks to the writings of my colleagues here at DBAWIS, sometimes through the mouth and sometimes through the nose.  It is altogether possible that I have unknowingly spewed through various other orifices of my body as well, but by the time I get through laughing, everything is dry and, therefore, in the distant past, as it were.

Frank Gutch Jr: Sheldon Gomberg: One of the Good Guys, Too Slim: Hot!!!, Charlottesville: WarHen and County Wide… The Phoenix Rises, My Father’s Day, plus Notes (you really should be reading them, you know)…..

I wasted 75 minutes of Sheldon Gomberg‘s time last week.  Do I feel crappy about it?  You bet.  I suppose 75 minutes doesn’t mean that much to many of you but then you probably don’t work as much as Sheldon does.  See, Sheldon is a recording engineer and runs his own studio and after talking with many of that ilk, time is always of the essence.  You’re working when you’re not working— going over the day’s session(s), preparing for tomorrow’s, organizing, always organizing.  What?  You think those albums just appear on your shelves?

Frank Gutch Jr: No Small Children’s New Video!!! * Rock ‘n’ Roll: The Varying Levels of Reality * Mist and Mast at The Wandering Goat * and (of course) Notes!

If you’re talking about music this year, even with the amazingly huge numbers of out of sight (or out of site) songs and albums being released, there is one song which rises to the level of Summer Anthem and that is Might Get Up Slow by three teachers out of L.A. calling themselves No Small Children.  Roll your eyes and say I’m beating a dead horse, if you will, but I know a solid hit when I hear one and this is it!  A few years ago, Sheryl Crow was handed a verbal “Anthem of the Summer” award by a lame media tied closely to a monied music and entertainment industry.

Frank Gutch Jr: Notary Sojac: The Band and the Legend, Plus Notes…..

These guys crack me up.  Even forty years later.  Even after having been separated four decades, these guys are still brothers under the skin, and they are brothers.  They lived as brothers and fought as brothers and even had various “heads of state” treat them as brothers whilst trying to keep them from getting screwed as a band.  You look at the films and read the books of bands back in the late sixties and early seventies, you might think that life was all getting stoned and getting laid and flowers-in-your-hair, but that’s all surface.

Frank Gutch Jr: The Best of the First Half of 2013,

Jesus, is 2013 great or what?  I’m dancing, crying, thinking, sweating, burping and bopping thanks to a handful of musicians who have me freaking out, they’re so good.  I know I said 2012 was good.  And it was!  Hell, it still is, musically.  Musicians put out some of the best music I’d heard last year, but goddamn it, 2013 is smokin’ hot!  Seriously!  And excuse me for a sec whilst I dance the happy dance.  You see, No Small Children‘s anthemic Might Get Up Slow is playing right now and will for a few times more because I need some uppers!  Shee-it, this is good!  In another time, this would be topping the charts and rocking kids out!  Even famed ex-radio disc jockey Robert W. Walker sez “Fuh-reeking great!”  Jeez, I’m sounding like Barnum & Bailey here, but sometimes you have to let loose, you know?

Frank Gutch Jr: Music On Film— Documentaries For The Music Fanatic, Plus Notes…..

Before I dive into this, I have to take a moment to point you towards one of the best “up” songs I have heard in some time:  No Small Children‘s Might Get Up Slow.  If radio had the impact that it did even 20 years ago, this would be blasting out of stereo and car speakers everywhere.  iThings too, if they had them (my brain is so numb, I couldn’t come close to a year those damn things took over our lives— I can hardly remember a kid without one).  The more I hear these ladies, the more I want to hear more.  Turn it up!  Like they said in the old days— Recorded loud to be played LOUD!  Listen to this!!!

Now, back to our regular programming.

Frank Gutch Jr: SWEET RELIEF MUSICIANS FUND— Giving Back While Paying Forward, Some Thumbnail Reviews, Plus Notes That, If Repeated, Can Make You Sound Intelligent, Even If You’re Not…..

This is important.  Please read carefully.

It’s coming!  It’s almost here and you probably don’t even know it.  Like that stealthy Sequestering thing the good ol’ boys slipped into the budget bill without anyone noticing, Sweet Relief is readying their third compilation album— on the sly, as it were.  Don’t know anything about it?  I’m not surprised.  Producer/Engineer (and sometimes musician) Sheldon Gomberg has held the information close to his vest and the people at Sweet Relief (and Vanguard Records) are only on the cusp of letting the dogs out.  But it’s coming.  July 9^th.

Frank Gutch Jr: Sweet Relief III— An Album Recorded For All the Right Reasons, A Look at Record Stores Through Others’ Eyes, and Those Goddamned Notes (Pay Attention! Quiz at Eleven!)…..

Want to know how stupid we are?  Us Americans, anyway?  Pretty damn, as far as I can see, and all it took was sitting down and taking ten minutes to map out one day.  I have had people tell me that if I really want to know what is happening, I should sit down every day and write down everything I did.  Not in detail but with enough to show me what really happened and not just what I thought happened.  When I did, I was stunned.  See, I live on a very limited budget (What?  You think we get paid for all the fun we have here at DBAWIS?) and I thought I was doing pretty well navigating through life.  One days list and I’m not so sure.

JAIMIE VERNON – April DISCoveries and musical musings

After a long month of music legend deaths (which included Pinky Dauvin of Lighthouse and Richie Havens this week) and global tragedy it’s great to finally get back to listening to the new breed of musical innovation.

“KRIS + DEE “Bloom”

I have to admit that I have a music crush on this dynamic duo. They lured me in and hooked me with last year’s debut effort ‘Still Here’ – setting the tone of their thoughtful songs of solitude and introspection. On the sophomore follow-up ‘Bloom’ they explore these themes and more and add musical dynamics with the assistance of resident bass/piano/organ mandolin player Wil McGonegal plus Colin Cripps (Crash Vegas, Junkhouse), Tim Welch (National Velvet), Ron Hawkins (Lowest of the Low) and the seriously skilled drum work of Mauro Sepe and Al Cross.

Nadia Elkharadly: The Why of it All

I’m not sure what it is about being a single, 30-something year old woman, but I’ve never felt more scrutinized in my life than I have been now.  My face, my weight, what I wear, what I do, and don’t even get me started on my romantic life (or lack thereof – that’s probably a column unto itself).  What I do, or, should I say, the many things I do, seems to be something of great interest to many people.  Moreso, the “why” of what I do seems to be of great interest to many people, in both negative and positive ways.