((( Don’t forget: each My5 title is a link. Click on, NoCo! )))
1. The Colorado Sound Presents: Swallow Hill Live – What started in June as a “toe in the water” to bring some form of live music back, has developed into a daily stream of sounds from Colorado and national artists! It helps raise funds for the artist and Swallow Hill too!
2. Record Store Day times 3! – The annual Spring Record Store Day was going to be in April again. Now it’s August 29, September 26 and October24! Our website has a link to the store nearest you and a way to win special RSD vinyl. Just click above!
3. The Colorado Sound Presents: FoCoMX Drive And Jive – Another way to enjoy live (and in-person) music is on Tuesdays at the Holiday Drive In! Click above to check out the lineup, then pile in the car/van/jalopy and come enjoy live music again!
4. More Time = More Cleaning – With no shows, no movies and minimal social hangs, I’m digging deeper into the ephemera I’ve carted around for decades. Lightening the load after going down Memory Lane, I’ve uncovered newspaper articles about the Bird-led Celtics and the Bob Dylan/Tom Petty tour!
5. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band – When the BIFF Drive In showed this film last month, I was reminded of how wonderful it is, along with the joy of getting to sit and interview Robbie last March. A must for fans of The Band!
Since 2017, I’ve hosted a music history show on the Colorado Sound called Music 101. (On the air 10am Sundays and 8pm Wednesday; click here to listen on demand at exchange.prx.org) Here are my Top 5 favorite episodes.
1. CBGB’s – This episode explored the legendary NYC music club and some of the bands that got their start on the CBGB’s stage, including The Ramones, Blondie, Television, Talking Heads, and more.
2. More Cowbell! – Taking a cue from the famous Saturday Night Live skit with Will Farrell, Jimmy Fallon and Christopher Walken, this episode explores the use of cowbell in rock music. (Yes, it includes “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”)
3. The Elephant 6 Collective – From Louisiana to Colorado, Georgia and beyond, four childhood friends formed a loose but significant musical collective. There are more than 50 musical acts associated with Elephant 6, including The Apples In Stereo, The Olivia Tremor Control, and Neutral Milk Hotel. This episode explores not just Elephant 6, but their influences and those they have influenced.
4. Produced By Elvis Costello – As Elvis Costello started releasing his own songs on Stiff Records, he also started producing albums, including releases by The Specials, Squeeze and many more bands through the 1980’s.
5. Detroit Rock City – The city of Detroit has a rich rock music history. Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, and the MC5 hail from Detroit, and it’s where Glenn Frey and Suzi Quatro got their start too. This episode explores the city’s early rock history, from the mid-1960’s until the early 1970’s.
1. Atlas Obscura Website – AO’s tagline is: “discover 20,041 curious places” and it delivers! Explore hidden gems around the world like Tikaboo Peak (US), Bolwoningen (Netherlands), Gereja Ayam – the Chicken Church (Indonesia), and Walden 7 – an amazing apartment complex in an abandoned cement factory (Spain). Click above!
2. Resurgence of the Drive In! – From the traditional drive-ins to the float-ins on water, drive-through live theater (an act at every stop), pop-ups at airports, Red Rocks and more, it’s good to get back out! Check out the link above for a nation-wide comprehensive list of Drive-Ins!
3. Sylvan Esso: Free Love – Frontwoman Amelia Meath describes their 3rd album as “a record about being increasingly terrified of the world around you and looking inward, so that you can find your way back to that place.” Thanks for spreading the love, Amelia!
4. The Stooges: Live at Goose Lake: August 8th 1970 – Third Man Records released this never-before-heard recording of the band’s last show with the original lineup. The soundboard recording was discovered in a Michigan basement and lovingly restored by Vance Powell.
5. Cameo.com – Ever wanted skateboard legend Tony Hawk to record your voicemail? How about a “happy bar mitzvah” message from competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi, or a sweet wedding message from Wu Tang’s RZA? It’s all possible thanks to the crazy cameo.com!
1. September Top 20 Question: Your Favorite One Hit Wonder –We all have embarrassing guilty pleasure songs. (Hues Corporation’s “Rock the Boat”? Looking Glass and their ear-worm “Brandy?”) Give us yours at ColoradoSound.org (click above) – we’ll play #20 to #1 on September 25 to start our One Hit Wonder Weekend!
2. Jerry Joseph: The Beautiful Madness – Joseph surrounds himself with talented friends like Dave Schools and Vic Chesnutt. This time around, Jerry pulls in Patterson Hood (Drive By Truckers) to produce. He in turn brought the rest of the Truckers to play on this collection of songs, making you think and sing at the same time.
3. Mavericks: “Recuerdos” – Blending country, tex-mex & rockabilly since 1989, Mavericks have Grammys and Top 10 records, playing thousands of sold-out shows, but they’ve never recorded an entire album in Spanish ‘til now. Hear the joy in every song as they croon through Recuerdos and belt out upbeat Tejano songs like “Poder Vivir.”
4. Bobby Rush: “Shake It For Me” – This Grammy winning bluesman is 86 and ain’t slowing down. He was in the studio with Howlin’ Wolf when he recorded the original; 50 years later his own soulful version blends perfectly with the saucy lyrics.
5. Your Moment of Twang – As host of Torch and Twang (on air 7am Sundays) I have the pleasure of spinning the finest Americana songs for you. Now, enjoy Your Moment of Twang Monday to Friday around 9:45pm when I share a great Americana song: an old favorite or maybe something new!
