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Working Class Hero: Pete Seeger

January 30, 2014

[caption id="attachment_853" align="alignleft" width="300"] Bob Dylan with Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival (1963) two years before going electric at the very same venue[/caption]

It is often said that to understand Bob Dylan, you must first listen to Woody Guthrie. There is, however, a musician that serves as a bridge between the Dust Bowlin' Guthrie and the iconic Dylan. That musician's name is Pete Seeger.

Pete Seeger, who died this week at the ripe age of 94, was an early champion of Dylan. He also hopped trains and shared songs with Guthrie. In essence, Seeger helped connect Dylan to the folk past that he desperately wished to emulate. Seeger, along with Joan Baez, helped introduce the young musician to an audience that went beyond the cafes of Greenwich Village. Seeger also provided a great foil to Dylan. When the darling of the 1960's protest movement decided to go electric at the Newport Folk Festival, Seeger was there to complain about the crushing rock noise masking Dylan's masterful lyrics. Dylan, however, declared that he "ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more!" and the rest is history.

[caption id="attachment_854" align="alignright" width="300"] Pete Seeger entertaining Eleanor Roosevelt (center), honored guest at a racially integrated Valentine's Day party in then-segregated Washington, D.C. (1944)[/caption]

Needless to say, Bob Dylan served as my entry way into the music of Pete Seeger. Once there, I discovered a man who led a full musical life. He sang for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He sang for President Barak Obama. And he sang for a bunch of ordinary folks in between. Seeger's music touched the working class hearts of all who dared to listen. Recorded with the Weavers, his "If I Had a Hammer" is the perfect ode to the American worker and his need for a united political voice. It also inspired many other musicians to explore the needs of the working man. From John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" to Bruce Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad," musicians have followed Seeger's lead when it comes to identifying economic injustice.

If I had a hammer I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening all over this land
I'd hammer out danger, I'd hammer out warning
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell I'd ring it in the morning
I'd ring it in the evening all over this land
I'd ring our danger, I'd ring out warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a song I'd sing it in the morning
I'd sing it in the evening all over this land
I'd sing out danger, I'd sing out warning
I'd sing out love between my sisters and my brothers
All over this land

When I've got a hammer, and I've got a bell
And I've got a song to sing all over this land
It's a hammer of justice, it's a bell of freedom
It's a song about love between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

-If I Had A Hammer (Pete Seeger / Lee Hays)

Seeger's other musical themes touched on everything form civil rights to nuclear disarmament. His tough talk on tough topics was also backed by action. Blacklisted at the height of McCarthyism, Seeger refused to name names. His opposition to authority helped influence many young musicians who would take up the very same posture in the name of Rock n' Roll.

When the Red Scare cooled, Seeger reemerged championing folk music and connecting with the emerging counterculture of the 1960s. He helped make "We Shall Overcome" the anthem of the Civil Rights movement and inspired President Lyndon Johnson to use the phrase when addressing the U.S. Congress on the need for voting rights legislation. While Johnson's speech satisfied many that the establishment was finally on board, Seeger continued to press for change on a variety of issues. Most famously, Seeger criticized LBJ and his Vietnam war policies in songs like "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" and "Where Have all the Flowers Gone." The war became so toxic for the once popular president that he refused to run for a second term in 1968.

"I feel most spiritual when I’m out in the woods. I feel part of nature . . . Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes I’m looking at God. Whenever I’m listening to something I’m listening to God."

Pete Seeger was an activist to the end. In fact, his greatest legacy may have little to do with music. His relentless environmental advocacy led to the cleaning up of the Hudson River. He united with local fisherman to reverse the damage done by countless polluters. Seeger tread new ground by refusing to rely on Washington lobbyists and Congressional glad-handing to get things done. Instead, he took to the river, sailed up and down its banks and created the blueprint for modern grassroots activism. It was a messianic effort that would have made Henry David Thoreau proud.

Pete Seeger was a folk troubadour. He was a working class hero, a contentious objector, and a national treasure. Pete Seeger, above all else, was a great American.

Best Lines: Post Script: Pete Seeger (Alec Wilkinson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl-yszPdRTk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b24Ewk934g

http://youtu.be/uXnJVkEX8O4

Foreverly Everly

January 5, 2014

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| 2:33 pm

In 1986 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted 10 of rock's most influential musicians into its inaugural class: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis Presley and . . . The Everly Brothers.

Phil Everly, the younger brother of the influential Everly music duo, passed away yesterday. The vocal group has had far-reaching influence ranging from other singing duos like Simon and Garfunkel to the harmonizing style of Rock and Roll acts like The Beatles. The Everlys took the clean instrumentation of Nashville and turned it on its head with teenage themes and early rock arrangements. Their music has a timeless quality and their greatness can still be heard to this day. While they produced countless hits like "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye Love" and "All I Have to Do is Dream," they also produced whole albums of brilliant and captivating songs.

I was recently reminded of this brilliance with the surprise re-recording of the Everly classic, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us, by Norah Jones and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. The new album, Foreverly, manages to please the ear at every turn. While Jones has long been known to have multi-genre vocal chops, Armstrong's deviation from the comfort zone of his punk garage-rock scream is a true revelation. He has a natural croon that blends masterfully with Jones's smoky feminine sound. The album's arrangement and instrumentation are different from the Everly's original recording. The record does, however, stay true to the Everly's singing sound. The masterful harmonizing of Jones and Armstrong really sets the record apart from other cover albums. With so much music being overproduced and auto-tuned to death, it is refreshing to hear real singers singing real music, uncompromised. The album serves as a touching coda to The Everly Brothers body of work as yet another generation of musicians discovers their contribution to Rock and Roll.

So if you have time today, give thanks for the songs the Everlys taught us. Their music is for the ages. From one younger brother to another, thanks Phil!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=NaIpXdo4KvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0R_rhdglVBk

2013 Albums of the Year UPDATED

December 17, 2013

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| 11:59 am

After reviewing my 2013 Albums of the Year list, I noticed I forgot to mention my three honorable mentions. While Dylan's Another Self Portrait was a revelation, these three albums also received heavy rotation.

Honorable Mentions:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="526,527,528"]

I picked up the Sarah Jarosz's Build Me Up From Bones and the Tedeschi Trucks Band's Made Up Mind in Blowing Rock, NC on a family tailgating trip to see the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Both records are exquisite. This is Jarosz's third album and she continues to refine her bluegrass femme fatale sound. I've been a fan since her first record release and the wisdom and heartache in her voice resonates throughout her work. While only 22, Jarosz presence is as timeless as the bluegrass tradition itself.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band's Made Up Mind record is also stellar. I saw Derek Trucks when he was thirteen at a local spot in Greensboro, NC. To this day his solo guitar performance of "America the Beautiful" is the best rendition I have ever heard. Derek has now transformed his solo project into a family band that feature his fiery soul singing wife, Susan Tedeschi, on lead vocals. The record will blow you away. It is by far one of the bluesiest, grooviest, earth quaking recordings to break through this year.

Last but not least is the 20th Anniversary release of Nirvana's In Utero. The super deluxe edition comes with 3 CDs and 1 DVD, a remastered version of the album plus 31 bonus tracks, 17 live tracks from their Live and Loud performance at Pier 48 in Seattle (12/13/93) and 11 bonus videos. The packaging does not disappoint either. This is all window dressing, however, for one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Putting it back in the rotation taps you into the loud purity that made Nirvana the tour de force of 90s rock.

Best Lines: Formulate Infinity's 2013 Albums of the Year (Complete List/ Original Post)

Formulate Infinity’s Missed Music List of 2013!

December 14, 2013

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| 3:57 pm

With F.I.'s Favorite Albums of 2013 officially in the books, it's now time to turn our attention to the music that could have been. Relying heavily on Sound Opinion's Best Albums of 2013 Podcast and Album of the Year's Best Albums Aggregator, I have assembled the following list. The review blurbs are from the music sites referenced in parentheses.

The list itself is fairly eclectic and references artists that at one time, or another, received heavy rotation on my iTunes music player. Mazzy Star, Deltron 3030, NIN and Nick Cave have long-held my high regard and it's great to discover new music from such venerable acts. Of these artists, Mazzy Star's new album excites me the most because it's been almost 17 years since their last recording. Their wispy-daydream sound is enchanting and I cannot wait to rock baby boy to sleep as we listen to Hope Sandavol sing under pedal steel stars.

While not on the official list, Beck's Song Reader deserves recognition. He is one of my favorite all-time artists and I totally dig the concept behind his latest album. Only released as sheet music, Beck has invited the world over to share their interpretations on his site, Songreader.net. It's a brilliant mash-up of both old and new technologies. While the available amateur recordings are a blast, I cannot wait to checkout Beck's own interpretations from his official Song Reader Celebration concert.

The other half of the list are albums by artists that managed to stay off my musical radar. It will take a lot for them to supplant 2012's late year discovery, Gary Clark Jr. and his fantastic Blak and Blu album. With Spotify fired up, the early returns on these new acts sound promising. The Savages bring a mean punch and according to the guys at Sound Opinions, have a lead singer whose live presence is the biggest thrill since Kurt Cobain. John Grant is the best singer-song writter on this list and he has received high praise across the music publishing spectrum. Caitlin Rose and Parquet Courts were both shared by my brother, the infamous Uncle B. Rose's work is in the alt-country vein and the Courts offer punky punch pleasure. Low has my interest peaked because their album was produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and if the song Plastic Cup is any indication, they are an inventive band worthy of air play. Last but not least is Darkside. Their Psychic album is strictly for headphone land and I cannot wait to take in its sonic vapor. It promises to defy genres and should serve as a great mental-escape soundscape.

Mazzy Star: Seasons Of Your Day (TinyMixTapes) Seasons of Your Day is album music that is supposed to be played in sequence on a record player with a cup of tea and a good book. As ever, it’s rapturous makeout music. It’s music for unrepentant daydreamers. But the record’s dusty functionality should not be held against it, especially when the people involved have spent so many years carving out such a particular niche. Sandoval and her collaborators may never modify the melancholy torch that they bear, but they keep that fire masterfully for those of us who still have a yen for patient, no-frills sounds that happen to serve as a miracle balm.

Savages: Silence Yourself (PRETTY MUCH AMAZING) Savages’ smart reorganization and shuffling of punk, post-punk, krautrock, and noise music into something brutal, jarringly confrontational, and completely singular is a breath of fresh air and an unignorable statement of power and resistance.

John Grant: Pale Green Ghost (MusicOMH) On the strength of Pale Green Ghosts, John Grant should rightfully be entering his own. It’s a towering achievement, building on what has come before while expanding it in astonishing ways. This is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year and after so many thwarted attempts, the world is finally Grant’s for the taking.

Deltron 3030: Event II (HipHopDX) The album’s intro, narrated impeccably by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, informs us that Event II takes place 10 years after the events of the first album (i.e. in the year 3040). "Event II" is a true spiritual successor to the original Deltron 3030 project, and it's everything fans could have asked for.

Low: The Invisible Way (A.V. Club) Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy produces Low for the first time here, and it can’t be a coincidence that there’s a marked, if stark, country-rock tint to Invisible. It’s as if Low has taken its tried-and-true songwriting formula—a slow buildup into a smoldering climax—and stretched it to the length of an entire album. And an entirely superb one.

Caitlin Rose: The Stand-In (MusicOMH) Those who were endeared by Rose’s debut may be surprised, hopefully pleasantly, by the change in tone and attitude shown on The Stand-In. Nevertheless, it is a delightful record – one that could well see her high-kicking herself into major success. It would be well deserved.

Nine Inch Nails: Hesitation Marks (ALLMUSIC) Hesitation Marks makes it quite clear that Trent Reznor is no longer an angry young man but rather a restless, inventive artist who is at peace with himself, and the result is a record that provides real, lasting nourishment.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Push the Sky Away (CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND) Richly arranged, masterfully sequenced, and full of brooding, Push the Sky Away combines the stately beauty of The Boatman’s Call and No More Shall We Part with the intensity of Grinderman/Lazarus-era Cave while managing to sound like neither.

Parquet Courts: Light Up Gold (The Fly) An album of urgent art-punk verve and rattling brevity, its 15 songs pass in 33 raucous and immediately re-listenable minutes. It’s a pitching and yawing listen, and it’s compelling and punchy in a way that’ll have you bouncing straight out of your chair.

Darkside: Psychic (Spin Magazine) The pair's influences range from Dark Prince-era Miles Davis material to Portishead's Dummy (see "Metatron") to dark disco ("The Only Shrine I've Seen") to even a few licks of Portuguese fado, all of it spare but sensuous — mood music for watching e-cig vapor curl.

Best Lines: Mazzy Star's beautiful, acoustically haunting "California"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GuccUMcsLdQ

Formulate Infinity’s Favorite Albums of 2013!

December 11, 2013

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| 12:43 pm

One of my favorite ways of discovering new music occurs in December. Every music site in the business this week is posting lists for the Best Albums of 2013. While these lists are arbitrary and often cause a great deal of internet consternation, they are a great way to preview new music.

So far the most eclectic list I have previewed has come from NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2013. The music programming at NPR is the best in the business. I cannot wait to listen to the Sound Opinion's 2013 Best Albums Podcast on my way to work. Other lists that caught my attention include Mojo's Top 50 albums and PopMatter's Top 75. These are all great sites because they give music previews for the listener. I am still awaiting Pitchfork's official list. Until then here are their highest rated albums of the year from the fantastic site AlbumoftheYear.org.

No list commentary would be complete without my own lists. Today I will post my favorite albums of the year. Later this week I will post albums from this past year I want to hear and I will also post a list of favorite Christmas albums in the near future. Enjoy!

Album of the Year Goes to Another Self Portrait By Bob Dylan

Besides being a huge Dylan fan, I put this album atop the list because it was the biggest music surprise of the year. Once considered a throw-away album, this reissue blows the listener away with its stripped down and intimate feel. The most prolific artist of modern times continues to provide revelations! This is true on his past music and his new music, including the concert I attend this year in Charlotte. Bob Dylan is music. Bob Dylan is America.

Bonus: Checkout Dylan's Interactive Like A Rolling Stone video and be amazed!

Honorable Mentions:

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Other 2013 Highlights include:

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Queens of the Stone Age's …Like Clockwork was a heavy thrill. The album played perfectly in October even though it was released earlier. Jimi Hendrix's People, Hell and Angels, like the Dylan reissue, was a fantastic release because it was surprising in its completeness despite being recorded so long ago. Arcade Fire's Reflektor was a big departure from the band's more organic sound. The album, however, is a genius masterpiece for its daring mashing of genres. The National's Trouble Will Find Me did not break a lot of new ground but it was still a great listen.

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Jim James's Regions of Light and Sound of God was a quiet delight and I have enjoyed it even more after seeing him perform on Austin City Limits. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs's Mosquito (Deluxe Version) was awesome for its banshee screams and experimental sound rage. Atoms for Peace's AMOK was by far the best supergroup release. Thom Yorke's cry with Flea's bass is a perfect match. Last, but not least is Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt. The band is back with music that rocks. The album, and concert I attended, has put them back on the map. I must also tip my hat to the recording itself. No album has sounded better in my car than this one.

I hope you enjoyed this list of my favorite albums. I will post a list of the 2013 albums I wish I heard later this week. Christmas ideas for all!

Until then enjoy this Another Self Portrait recording of the traditional English ballad "Pretty Saro." Watch this video illustrated with photos from the Farm Security Administration archive at the Library of Congress.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSdVOEKW5YA

Best Lines: Sound Opinion's 2013 Best Albums Podcast