I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole this weekend and stumbled across this gem. Does music get more electrifying than this? Me thinks not. As a bonus, here’s a rock legend paying honoring two godfathers of R&B, with a special guest in tow. And if you watched the end of the video above, you might […]
Monday Morning Video – Costello and Springsteen Take on Radio
This clip comes from the late, lamented show “Spectacle” that paired Elvis Costello with an impressive array of artists for conversation and song. Bruce Springsteen joined for an episode and the pair offered up this great mash-up of Springsteen’s “Radio Nowhere” and Costello’s “Radio Radio”.
Monday Morning Video – Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”
I’ve been revisiting some soul classics of late. High on my list is favorites is Dobie Gray’s uplifting “Drift Away”. Here’s Gray performing the song back in the 1970’s and a bonus video of Bruce Springsteen dusting it off in 2013.
Monday Morning Video – Jimmy Cliff and Friends
How about we start off the week with a classic. Jimmy Cliff is a towering voice, both as a singer and a songwriter, and “Many Rivers to Cross” is among his finest creations. Don’t believe me? Look at this list of artists who have covered the song: Bruce Springsteen, Annie Lennox, Jimmy Barnes & Crowded […]
Monday Morning Video – A Lesson for the Week
This video, from a 2013 performance in Germany, is making the rounds again. For the young bands out there, this is how it’s done. For everyone else, ain’t this the joy of music? And a bit more from the Bruce Springsteen glory of rock and roll file. ’cause once you get started, it’s hard to […]
Monday Morning Video – Revisiting Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”
Inspired, or more rather provoked, as a populist response to Irving Berlin’s “America the Beautiful,” Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” has become an American institution in its own right. In celebration of Independence Day, here is a video playlist that includes some engaging covers of the Guthrie classic from the likes of the […]
Monday Morning Video – Town Mountain Cover Bruce Springsteen
North Carolina’s Town Mountain give Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” a bluegrass make-over. Sounds mighty fine to me.
Mayer’s Picks – Best Songs of 2014
I posted a best songs list for the first half of 2014 back in July (here). Rather than replicate that list for my full year review, consider this the continuation — the best songs from the second half of the year. An Anthem for the Broken and A Song to Learn and Sing (Until Kingdom […]
Mayer’s Playlist for Sept 2014, Part 1
ALBUMS OF THE MONTH You’ve Got the Wrong Man, by Joe Fletcher Singer-songwriter Joe Fletcher drew inspiration for You’ve Got the Wrong Man from the field recordings of the early 20th century. The process, most notably used by John Lomax during his musical exploration of the Southern US, places particular emphasis on the raw emotion […]