D.C. Radio’s Last Rock Overturned – washingtonpost.com

Legendary Classic Rock DJ Cerphe Signs Off as WTGB Switches Formats – washingtonpost.com

No more Zeppelin. No more Skynyrd or Tom Petty or Rolling Stones. And not a whole lot more Don Cerphe Colwell, either.

Classic rock and the DJ who brought that music to local radio audiences long before the rock was considered “classic” are both fading from the airwaves. Beginning Monday, Colwell’s station, WTGB (94.7 FM, “The Globe”), will switch to playing contemporary pop tunes. With the demise of the region’s only classic rock outlet, the music that helped transform FM radio into a cultural force in the 1970s will become just another baby boomer memory.

Just 2 years ago I blogged about the new format for 94.7 to “The Globe” featuring classic rock. Lots of goals for a greener more community based station. As I suspected, it didn’t last.

Radio in DC sucks.

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Tags: music, radio, Washington DC, rock, pop, culture, life

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Valentine’s Day with the Replacements

Well you wish upon a star that turns into a plane
And I guess that’s right on par
Who’s left to blame?

If you were a pill
I’d take a handful at my will
And I’d knock you back with something sweet and strong
Plenty of times you wake up in February make-up
Like the moon and the morning star you’re gone

Tonight makes love to all your kind
Tomorrow’s makin’ Valentines

Hey you pop up in this old place
So sick and so refined
Are you strung out on some face?
Well I know it ain’t mine

If you were a pill, I’d take a handful at my will,
And I’d knock you back with something sweet and strong
Trouble keeping your head up when you’re hungry and you’re fed up
Like a moon and a lone star you’re gone

Tonight makes love to all your kind
Tomorrow’s makin’ Valentines

If you were a pill, I’d take a handful at my will,
And I’d knock you back with something sweet as wine
Yesterday was theirs to say, this is their world and their time
Well if tonight belongs to you, tomorrow’s mine

Tonight makes love to all your kind
Tomorrow’s makin’ Valentines

Valentine, The Replacements, Pleased To Meet Me (1987)

Most people who know me know that I am a die-hard Paul Westerberg fan. I love the Replacements, too, but I became a fan after they broke up and heard Westerberg’s solo stuff first so I consider myself a Westerberg fan. The photo is from a 2002 concert at the 9:30 Club in DC – probably the best concert I ever witnessed. Just Paul and guitars – magnificent!

This song is from one of the best albums the Replacements ever recorded. Buy this album – you won’t regret it.

technorati tags:music, Valentine, Westerberg, Replacements, rock, pop

 

Nice NPR interview with Brandi Carlile

NPR : Brandi Carlile Goes Straight for the Gut

Yes, another Story of the Day Poscast from NPR. Good interview and some audio snippets, too.

Brandi is headlining the “VH1 You Oughta Know Tour” and will be back in DC on September 28 at the 930 Club. Question is whether I will be able to go. The other question is who will be the supporting acts. Hmmm.

technorati tags:music, touring, VH1, NPR, interview, podcast

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My brief review of “Petal Pusher”

I finished reading the book on Friday. I tried to read it slowly to really savor it but once I hit Part 2 (about 1/3 of the way into the book) I couldn’t put it down and finished it that day. I highly recommend the book to anyone but I think that women who grew up about the same time (born 1959-1966) will truly appreciate it. Lindeen deals with so many issues (personal confusion, parental divorce, chronic illness, love and music) in a wonderfully truthful and humorous manner. She alternates between self-deprecation and self-appreciation very well and seems like a person who would be great to know over the years. The book is very personal (sometimes in a truly graphic manner) but there is a sense of privacy – you know that a line has been drawn and she’s only going to tell so much. I like that. She completely de-glamorizes the music industry (writing, practicing, touring and publishing) and yet still loves music.

I hope she has another book inside her. I suspect that since she’s so great with her memoir, she would be great at fiction. I can just imagine the stories she could tell.

technorati tags:books, Lindeen, Westerberg, Replacements, Zuzu’s, Petals

 

Sgt. Pepper’s 40th Anniversary!

Rolling Stone: Rock Daily » Blog Archive » Happy 40th Sgt. Pepper’s: Digging Through the RS Vaults

One of the best rock albums ever recorded. Lots of sites have commeorated the date but this one has a nice audio interview with Sir Paul about the weekend it was released and the general vibe of the time. Definitely worth checking out.

technorati tags:Beatles, music, 1960s, album, anniversary

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Jeff Buckley died 10 years ago. Sigh.

Jeff Buckley Tribute – hotshotdigital.com

It’s hard to believe this brilliant talent stopped 10 years ago – far too soon. If you don’t know about him, read his entry in Wikipedia. He had such a beautiful and distinctive voice. I recommend listening to his debut album, Grace, to hear his musical range. Jeff’s version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is the definitive one for me.

Check out the official site for more information.

technorati tags:music, death, Buckley, drowned, singer/songwriter

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Spinal Tap Film for Live Earth Concert

Live Earth: The Concerts for a Climate in Crisis

I love the original mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap”. In promotion of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7, Rob Reiner has created a 15-minute film which reunites the original band members and you can view it online:

Video: Watch the new “Spinal Tap” film here

Enjoy!

technorati tags:mockumentary, Reiner, Spinal, Tap, metal, SOS

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Laurie Lindeen – Rockermom!

See this face? This is a very cool woman named Laurie Lindeen. She’s writer and the former front woman of the band ZuZu’s Petals.

See the book? It’s hers. I plan to buy it and read it. Why? Because I read the excerpt and it made me laugh.

How do I know about her? She’s the spouse of Paul Westerberg and he’s one of my favorite musicians (and a very cool guy, too).

technorati tags:books, Lindeen, Westerberg, Replacements, Zuzu’s, Petals

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New rock radio station in D.C.

94.7 The Globe – World Class Rock – Go Green in Your Home

In recent years, several D.C. -area rock stations have changed format (some mid-day) and others have been taken over by the Clear Channel type groups to offer some of the most over-played and anemic rock in history.

The Globe promises a return to real DJ’s and musical diversity along with a “green” slant. I must admit that the artists and song selections are wide-ranging – well, for this area. I’m still hearing some of the mainstream groups but the lesser-known (and often better) artists are played as well. There doesn’t seem to be a playlist with the same songs being played over and over ad nauseum. However, I only started listening a few days ago.

Here’s their Mission Statement:

1. THE GLOBE We All share and have a vested interest in The Globe.
2. MUSIC MATTERS Music is our priority. That’s why we’re here.
3. THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY As a Local Radio Station, we’ll support our community…because we live here too.
4. REAL DEEJAYS, REAL PEOPLE Our DeeJays know The Music and have a say in what they play.
5. LISTEN TO THE LISTENERS This is your radio station. You will co-create it and author its evolution.
6. MUSIC DIVERSITY Do you know anyone who likes just one kind of music? Neither do we.
7. BE ADVENTUROUS We’ll be open minded about new ideas, innovation and New Music.
8. DEEPER TRACKS As we all know, there are songs worth playing that are not just the Hit Singles.
9. LESS REPETITION Without repeating, belaboring, or saying this over and over and over again…well, enough said.
10. WE WON’T INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE The Globe will have commercials (got bills of our own to pay) but we will try to keep them to a minimum and present them in a way that respects our listeners and our advertisers.
11. LET’S HAVE FUN None of this is a joke, but seriously…let’s have some fun.
12. WE’RE NOT TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD Oh wait…see #1.

I really hope they live up these goals. It’s a wait-n-see game now.

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