Warm up the station wagon! It's a Classic Rock bonanza for this one! A couple of Baby Boomers Tune Taggin'? Hardly. Would you believe our guest isn't even 30? Wait'll you meet this guy!
The pleasure was all mine, David! Block off some '25 time for a TT Part 2!
As for vids of me singing karaoke, they don't exist, as far as I know! Not the rock stuff, anyway. There ARE two vids of me singing karaoke that were shot as promo vids for my 2014-2020 period of performing at nursing homes and assisted living facilities! I sung along to a small, home karaoke machine, and had a collection of attendant CD-Gs that had backing tracks and lyrics displayed on a small screen on the machine!
So, I'll DM you one of them....they've already been seen by my paid subbies a couple years ago....pick one: Bobby Darin or Sinatra?
Great to see you finally get the Tune Tag handshake, David! And a nostalgic visit down classic rock lane!
I was thinking that David might pick something from the 2024 Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks album, True. It's quite excellent, way better than I expected. I haven't checked to see if it's the same lineup as Band Geek, but I know that Graziano and Castellano are in both.
And I always love a BOC pick (I had them in my latest TT), though I wasn't clear on the connection from Band Geek -- did they cover "Don't Fear the Reaper"?
I think going from the ubiquitous DFTR to the much more obscure Pavlov’s Dog is my favorite tune tag maneuver of the year! While playing along at home in my head, I followed that up with “Solid As a Rock” by Shakin’ Street.
Nice, Matt! I gotcher Sandy Pearlman producing, and again, we're all over Columbia! I cannot for the life of me remember that Shakin' Street album, and I have no excuse! 1980, I'm still in retail, at the Glendale Music Plus, having just moved from Houston 1/80....domestic Columbia, we should've been selling it, but, not only did I not take home a promo😱, I don't even recall the jacket!!
I noticed they're from France, so that's why I checked to see if it was even a stateside release....I noticed they've got Ross the Boss....is that the same Ross who was in The Dictators (again, CBS...Epic!) about 5 years before?!? That would be my tag, anyway (to your Shakin' Street), as their debut ("Go Girl Crazy"), too, was a Pearlman/Krugman production! https://www.discogs.com/master/125781-The-Dictators-Go-Girl-Crazy
Say, you're due for your Part 2, young man! Your first TT was #10, two Octobers ago! DM me a song, and we'll kick off another one!
That's the very same Ross! And he later was in the Brain Surgeons with BOC drummer Albert Bouchard. Thanks for the TT reminder - I will give it some thought and send you a song...
That's cool about Ross....I had lost track of The Dictators! Wonder if Handsome Dick went into wrestling! I eagerly await your first song.....no deadline/no hurry....holidays'n'all!
Wow! I feel like I’m in a time warp riding in the back of my dad’s van to the park to play frisbee with my uncle who rocked all these bands on his portable radio. WRIF was the station, I believe.
I know....isn't David amazing! I'd call him an old soul, but that would do a disservice to the still-hip "kidness" he still exudes! He's clearly at home with his homies at the concert as he is waxing wisely about Keith and Donna Godchaux (if I sprung a pop quiz on ya, David, I'd expect you to know about them)!! Even I had their '75 album!
As for the station playing in Dad's van, WRIF-101/Detroit woulda been it! https://wrif.com/ 'Twas a 101-FM, KLOL/Houston where I spun wax for about a year in '75 (I was 20....amazing; I must've just learned how to tie my shoes)!
This was awesome. Welcome to the Tune Tag party, David!
Beautiful how you guys defied the so-called generational gap. I’m 8 years older than you, David, and I also enjoyed my share of classic rock education from my dad, who is roughly Brad’s age (two years younger). The penchant for bluesy tunes has stayed with me all these years.
It was beautiful to see the two of you exchange notes, tunes, tags and memories along the way!
The first selection felt like an interesting coincidence; I had just been reminded about a different version of "Stormy Monday" which I hadn't thought about in ages (see my note here: https://substack.com/@earnestnessisunderrated/note/c-78250742)
Have either of you seen any of the "Middle-aged Dad Jam Band Videos"? They've started showing up for me on YT, and their cover of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" is fun (Weird Al sits in with the band): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6R_p4hsfk
Cool....thanks, Nick! Tune Tag has a way, I've been finding, of hitting on occasional musical co-inky-dinks, or as I call them, musical serendipity! It's what music does, thankfully! I just noticed how "seasoned" "Stormy Monday" actually is, having been written in '47 by T-Bone Walker!
It's always fun to see our long-time blues proponents (like Albert King) mixing it up with much younger "students" of the blues, like the long-passed Stevie Ray.
I don't think I've seen the "Dad Jam" videos, but I'll check that one out! Thanks!
Serendipity is a good word* and, yes, Tune Tag seems well-structured to discovering such moments.
That video was the first MADJB video I watched (I admit, because of Weird Al's name), but my favorite is their cover of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBq0sxtxA0
[Edit: that video also has a great comment, "My favorite part is the Tylenol next to the mixer. I feel that on a deep level.")
Hey David! Good job! You guys gave me a little Christmas present today by featuring songs I actually know! Davids dad taught him right. Good bands, focus on guitar, and a bit of the music I still listen to, and play. Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday to both of you rock stars. ⭐️ 🎸 🎄
Ha, thanks so much Paul! My Dad will love to hear this compliment from you too. Hope you get to enjoy some of these tunes alongside the holidays today! Merry Christmas
ALways happy to have Billy Joel included -- I waited patiently for so long for the music world to catch up to his brilliance and I savour every moment of it.
Billy's piano break in "I Go To Extremes" (2:40) is one of my favourite moments in all of his music. That last glissando* (2:50) back down into the lyric never ever fails to give me chills. It's magnificent.
Thanks, Faith! Happy to have you join us, as always! David was an amazing guest, with terrific songs and a wonderful story! I think what you're hearing is Billy simply playing chords descending back into the chorus. He DOES play an ever-so-brief glissando just before the 3:50 mark.
Band Geek's Richie actually demonstrates a couple descending glissandos just after their 3:45 mark....the rapid playing of successive notes (I believe they can be ascending or descending); on a piano, that, of course is done by dragging a thumb or finger quickly across the keys. It IS a terrific tool to add dramatic effect, as Billy does a lot (as he should) in his repertoire!
I'll let the musically-studied correct me below! Musically-speaking, I'm not the book-larnin' sort! Not unlike nasty rumors, I've only picked up what I know from the kids in the street!
Thanks for having me on Brad! Had a ton of fun Tune Tagging with you. Picked up plenty of new songs, bands, and trivia along the way too.
P.S. Would have loved to see some of those Uriah Heep and Deep Purple karaoke performances!
The pleasure was all mine, David! Block off some '25 time for a TT Part 2!
As for vids of me singing karaoke, they don't exist, as far as I know! Not the rock stuff, anyway. There ARE two vids of me singing karaoke that were shot as promo vids for my 2014-2020 period of performing at nursing homes and assisted living facilities! I sung along to a small, home karaoke machine, and had a collection of attendant CD-Gs that had backing tracks and lyrics displayed on a small screen on the machine!
So, I'll DM you one of them....they've already been seen by my paid subbies a couple years ago....pick one: Bobby Darin or Sinatra?
Great to see you finally get the Tune Tag handshake, David! And a nostalgic visit down classic rock lane!
I was thinking that David might pick something from the 2024 Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks album, True. It's quite excellent, way better than I expected. I haven't checked to see if it's the same lineup as Band Geek, but I know that Graziano and Castellano are in both.
And I always love a BOC pick (I had them in my latest TT), though I wasn't clear on the connection from Band Geek -- did they cover "Don't Fear the Reaper"?
Oh - I figured it out. Duh. Castellano joined BOC in the later years as a member. I've even seen him perform with them.
That was a mystery to me, too, Steve, until very late last night, just before I put the article to bed!
I think going from the ubiquitous DFTR to the much more obscure Pavlov’s Dog is my favorite tune tag maneuver of the year! While playing along at home in my head, I followed that up with “Solid As a Rock” by Shakin’ Street.
Nice, Matt! I gotcher Sandy Pearlman producing, and again, we're all over Columbia! I cannot for the life of me remember that Shakin' Street album, and I have no excuse! 1980, I'm still in retail, at the Glendale Music Plus, having just moved from Houston 1/80....domestic Columbia, we should've been selling it, but, not only did I not take home a promo😱, I don't even recall the jacket!!
I noticed they're from France, so that's why I checked to see if it was even a stateside release....I noticed they've got Ross the Boss....is that the same Ross who was in The Dictators (again, CBS...Epic!) about 5 years before?!? That would be my tag, anyway (to your Shakin' Street), as their debut ("Go Girl Crazy"), too, was a Pearlman/Krugman production! https://www.discogs.com/master/125781-The-Dictators-Go-Girl-Crazy
Say, you're due for your Part 2, young man! Your first TT was #10, two Octobers ago! DM me a song, and we'll kick off another one!
That's the very same Ross! And he later was in the Brain Surgeons with BOC drummer Albert Bouchard. Thanks for the TT reminder - I will give it some thought and send you a song...
That's cool about Ross....I had lost track of The Dictators! Wonder if Handsome Dick went into wrestling! I eagerly await your first song.....no deadline/no hurry....holidays'n'all!
Wow! I feel like I’m in a time warp riding in the back of my dad’s van to the park to play frisbee with my uncle who rocked all these bands on his portable radio. WRIF was the station, I believe.
I know....isn't David amazing! I'd call him an old soul, but that would do a disservice to the still-hip "kidness" he still exudes! He's clearly at home with his homies at the concert as he is waxing wisely about Keith and Donna Godchaux (if I sprung a pop quiz on ya, David, I'd expect you to know about them)!! Even I had their '75 album!
As for the station playing in Dad's van, WRIF-101/Detroit woulda been it! https://wrif.com/ 'Twas a 101-FM, KLOL/Houston where I spun wax for about a year in '75 (I was 20....amazing; I must've just learned how to tie my shoes)!
David’s a deadhead, so that alone makes us kin 😄
Weir everywhere!
This was awesome. Welcome to the Tune Tag party, David!
Beautiful how you guys defied the so-called generational gap. I’m 8 years older than you, David, and I also enjoyed my share of classic rock education from my dad, who is roughly Brad’s age (two years younger). The penchant for bluesy tunes has stayed with me all these years.
It was beautiful to see the two of you exchange notes, tunes, tags and memories along the way!
Thanks for the magic!
Appreciate that Andres! Thanks for reading and sharing.
Thanks so much, Andy! David's #MusicStack rise will be fun to be a part of and watch!
That was fun.
The first selection felt like an interesting coincidence; I had just been reminded about a different version of "Stormy Monday" which I hadn't thought about in ages (see my note here: https://substack.com/@earnestnessisunderrated/note/c-78250742)
Have either of you seen any of the "Middle-aged Dad Jam Band Videos"? They've started showing up for me on YT, and their cover of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" is fun (Weird Al sits in with the band): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6R_p4hsfk
Cool....thanks, Nick! Tune Tag has a way, I've been finding, of hitting on occasional musical co-inky-dinks, or as I call them, musical serendipity! It's what music does, thankfully! I just noticed how "seasoned" "Stormy Monday" actually is, having been written in '47 by T-Bone Walker!
It's always fun to see our long-time blues proponents (like Albert King) mixing it up with much younger "students" of the blues, like the long-passed Stevie Ray.
I don't think I've seen the "Dad Jam" videos, but I'll check that one out! Thanks!
Serendipity is a good word* and, yes, Tune Tag seems well-structured to discovering such moments.
That video was the first MADJB video I watched (I admit, because of Weird Al's name), but my favorite is their cover of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBq0sxtxA0
[Edit: that video also has a great comment, "My favorite part is the Tylenol next to the mixer. I feel that on a deep level.")
* It does sometimes make me think of this children's book: https://stephencosgrove.com/bookstore/product/serendipity/
Wow this all awesome. Especially love the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band video. Thanks so much for sharing all of this!
Thanks!
Awesome!
Thanks, Dee! I think we're witnessing the ascent of a rising new star....David and his "If You Get Confused"!
👏👏
Hey David! Good job! You guys gave me a little Christmas present today by featuring songs I actually know! Davids dad taught him right. Good bands, focus on guitar, and a bit of the music I still listen to, and play. Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday to both of you rock stars. ⭐️ 🎸 🎄
Ha, thanks so much Paul! My Dad will love to hear this compliment from you too. Hope you get to enjoy some of these tunes alongside the holidays today! Merry Christmas
Thanks so much, Paul....It's so cool how comfortable and knowledgeable about "our music" David is! Merry Christmas to you, as well, PM and fam!
ALways happy to have Billy Joel included -- I waited patiently for so long for the music world to catch up to his brilliance and I savour every moment of it.
Billy's piano break in "I Go To Extremes" (2:40) is one of my favourite moments in all of his music. That last glissando* (2:50) back down into the lyric never ever fails to give me chills. It's magnificent.
https://open.spotify.com/track/16LYB0chkPiblx33djiNTt?si=35ab221e4a2c4a33
*Is that the word? I suck at technical musical terms.
Thanks, Faith! Happy to have you join us, as always! David was an amazing guest, with terrific songs and a wonderful story! I think what you're hearing is Billy simply playing chords descending back into the chorus. He DOES play an ever-so-brief glissando just before the 3:50 mark.
Band Geek's Richie actually demonstrates a couple descending glissandos just after their 3:45 mark....the rapid playing of successive notes (I believe they can be ascending or descending); on a piano, that, of course is done by dragging a thumb or finger quickly across the keys. It IS a terrific tool to add dramatic effect, as Billy does a lot (as he should) in his repertoire!
I'll let the musically-studied correct me below! Musically-speaking, I'm not the book-larnin' sort! Not unlike nasty rumors, I've only picked up what I know from the kids in the street!
Thanks! I just know it's one of those "gives me chills" moments that reminds of the awesome magick contained in music.