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Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Caldonia

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2014| 3 Comments »

Louis Jordan Caldonia Lobby CardThis past week the Library of Congress announced this year’s 25 entries into its National Recording Registry, which is a preserved collection of songs (and other recordings including spoken word) that are considered “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”  It’s always interesting to read through to see what they consider significant and, for the most part, I generally agree.  There are always the obvious choices but it’s the lesser known choices that always interest me most.

Among the musical highlights from this year was the late Jeff Buckley’s luminous and haunting cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, Cathy’s Clown from the Everly Brothers, Fortunate Son from Creedence Clearwater Revival and the entire Joshua Tree album from U2 as well the Isaac Hayes album  , Shaft.

Among non-musical selections were the vast Presidential recordings of LBJ (Nearly 850 hours of them!), recorded interviews with baseball pioneers of the late 19th and early 20th century and The First Family, a hugely popular comedy album from Vaughan Meader  that spoofed President Kennedy and his family.  It was pulled from the shelves after JFK’s assasination.

There are plenty more to check out on this list but the one that caught my eye and made me smile was the song Caldonia from the great Louis Jordan.  Jordan was one of the most successful African-American artists of all time yet his name probably doesn’t mean much to many folks today.  But his swinging sound and showmanship made him a crossover hit in the late 30’s and 40’s and set the table for the coming age of rock and roll.  He was massive influence on the early rockers and many of songs  and moves were covered by them.  Jordan deserves to be well known today and its wonderful that the Library of Congress chose one of his  songs for the registry.  It’s  a move in the right direction.

Here’s a rockin’  1946 version of Caldonia to start your Sunday morning off with a bang.  Have a great day!

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Harvest Moon

Posted in Music, Painting, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , on March 30, 2014| 2 Comments »

GC Myers- Traveler- 2014I don’t know if this painting is exactly right for the title of this post or this song.  But in the early morning light it has a moonish glow in its center, the gray of the shadows muting the brightness of the color at its edges.  For a moment, it looks like it could be a harvest moon.  At least, what I think of as a harvest moon.

The actual title of this 18″ by 48″  painting is Traveler, which is also the title of my June show at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria.  It has been above my fireplace in the studio for a couple of months now and is wearing well with me.  I find myself often looking up at it, letting myself be pulled along that winding path toward that beckoning sun.  Or moon, depending on how I see it at any given moment, such as this morning.

I will write more about this painting and the June show at a later date.  For now, its a dreary, snowy  Sunday morning here and I need some music that will change my mood a bit.  Here’s Neil Young with a version of his always lovely Harvest Moon.

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I Cover the Waterfront

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , , , , , on March 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Song of Searching smSunday morning.  Time for some music to fit the mood of the early day.  It feels kind of bluesy today but in a quiet way, typical for many Sunday mornings.  I immediately go to my default guy, John Lee Hooker and his 1991 collaboration, from his album Mr. Lucky,  with another favorite, Van Morrison.  The song is titled I Cover the Waterfront. While it shares a title, this song is not to be confused with the more well known song from the 30’s, most famously covered by the great Billie Holiday with a version that is also a fave of mine.  I’m sure Holiday’s version influenced Hooker’s song if only in setting the emotional tone and pace.

Both are beautiful in their own ways.  What the hell, I’ll put up both versions.  Hope one of these sets the tone for a cool and easy Sunday for you.

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Black and White

Posted in Music, Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 19, 2014| 3 Comments »

Archie Comics Cover _608It’s always interesting to discover something new — a few interesting facts or the true backstory — about things that have been in plain sight for most of your life.  Take for instance the song Black and White , released in 1972 by the pop band Three Dog Night.  The song went to #1 on the pop charts here and, with its pleasant beat and gentle message of racial equality, has been a staple of oldies radio for decades now.

I never really thought much about the song even though I’ve heard it hundreds of times over the years, even singing along with the lyrics that have been embossed in my synapses with repeated listening.  It came on the radio in our car the other day and Cheri and I couldn’t agree on who had written the song.  Three Dog Night didn’t write many of their own songs, most being penned by other, more notable songwriters– Hoyt Axton, Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Elton John and others.  So whenever we hear one of their songs we try to identify the original songwriter.  But we drew a blank with Black and White.

Looking it up, we were both surprised that it was written in 1954 by songwriters Earl Robinson and David Arkin, a blacklisted teacher and set-designer who was the father of actor Alan Arkin.   This fact  made sense to me because I knew that Alan Arkin was a folksinger in the 1950’s, scoring a hit that went to #4 on the charts with a version of the The Banana Boat Song with his group, the Tarriers.

The song was written to celebrate the Supreme Court decision in the landmark case  Brown v Board of Education which outlawed segregation in public schools and was first recorded in 1956 by Pete Seeger.  In the original version, which Seeger sang, the beginning lyrics are different than the ones that so many of us who know the song through the Three Dog Night version remember– the ink is black/the page is white/ together we learn to read and write.  The original deals directly with the supreme court decision:

Their robes were black, Their heads were white,

The schoolhouse doors were closed so tight,

Nine judges all set down their names,

To end the years and years of shame.

The 1972 version that Three Dog Night recorded was based on one that was recorded a year before, in  1971, by a British group, Greyhound, that had a hit in the UK with it.  The Greyhound hit did not use these original lines anywhere in their version and Three Dog Night merely copied  this.  Though it doesn’t greatly diminish the song, it would be nice to have these lines in the song.  Perhaps by 1971 or 1972 they felt that the 1954 Supreme Court decision was no longer topical or relevant.

So, there you have it: a seemingly innocuous and pleasant song with some real history behind it.

Here’s a 1970 version from the Jamaican band The Maytones.  I believe that Greyhound‘s version of the following year came from this one.

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Big Strong Man

Posted in Music, Video, tagged , , , , on March 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

celtic-shamrock-hiI thought that for a bit of Sunday morning music this week, I would stick with something that sort of fits with  tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day observance.  I say observance because while we often loudly celebrate it here with a little too much Guinness and more than enough Kelly green clothing, it is a more somber and religious holiday in Ireland.  But that being said, I thought I would play a song that is more in the spirit of  a raucous celebration.

This is Big Strong Man from the Irish band , The Wolfe Tones.  They have been around for about 50 years and are primarily known for their repertoire of rebel songs.  I am somewhat ambivalent about using them as I have a long-time friend who lives in County Armagh in Northern Ireland who has often described to me over the years the fatigue and the toll that this multi-generational conflict has taken on the people there.  But this is a great and fun song that doesn’t take  any political stand.

Have a great Sunday!

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Train Kept A Rollin’

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Painting, tagged , , on March 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

GC Myers - Train Kept A Rollin smEvery so often I try to break things up with my work, go a bit away from my typical subject matter.  Usually these are pieces that are mainly for myself, pieces that give me a different sort of satisfaction.  They’re not always my best work but just the process of painting them and the pleasure they give personally give me makes them some of my favorite pieces.  Such is the case with the painting shown here, a smallish 4 1/2″  by 6″ work on paper that I finished yesterday in the studio.

I have done a number of guitar pieces through the years.  While I think it has to do with my love for guitar music, I think it has as much to do with the shape of the instrument and the manner in which it is held, almost in a loving embrace.  As I have noted here in the past, the guitar has been a frequent subject of artists through the ages for just this reason.  So yesterday, while trying to clear my artistic palette a bit, started my day set on painting a small guitar painting,  I had no idea how it would proceed or even the feel that it would hold.  I just started with the idea of a guitar.

rockin-billyIt wasn’t until  late in the game that it broke free and became a dancing piece, mainly because I came to a point where I wanted to have the entire figure, feet included, in the frame.  Without this , it would be too stiff, too formal, and the manner in which the guitar was painted was anything but that.  It’s cartoonish, more like a cardboard prop, especially in the way it was being held.  But in order to get the feet in frame I would have to have them askew, in motion.

He suddenly became another Rockin’ Billy, like the oil crayon piece here on the left that I did  for myself many years ago. and featured here several years back. At this point, my memory of this piece kicked in and I even modeled the feet in the same fashion.  I also kicked up the colors a little more to create a little higher contrast, making it more stylized.  It reminds me of  a cartoon or a stained glass window.

As I said, it’s not my typical work and probably won’t leave the studio.  But I find great enjoyment in this type of work, finding purpose and direction in them that propels me ahead in my other work.  I think that makes these pieces memorable for me, makes them stick with me.  Plus, it gives me a chance to play a song from Johnny Burnette, one of the early Rockabilly kings, probably a little less remembered than some  others.  Here’s a song and frantic video that would make my Rockin’ Billy dance, called Train Kept A Rollin’.

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Other Cool Birds

Posted in Biographical, Music, Neat Stuff, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2014| 6 Comments »

GC Myers- The Mind Ponders“If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.”

– Coco Chanel

************

There is a new website, Other Cool Birds, out there in the inter-tubes that has all forms of artwork– visual, musical, performance and literary–that features a bird as its central theme.  It is a unique labor of love from multi-talented writer Lafayette Wattles, who also maintains an eponymous and entertaining website devoted to his own writings.  There is also a character always hovering around Lafayette named Dave DeGolyer who I first came in contact with a year or two back when he interviewed me for another website.  Lafayette took parts of my interview and has put it to good use as he has graciously selected me to be the first Featured Artist on the Other Cool Birds site, an honor for which I am highly appreciative.

I urge you to visit this site and the Lafayette Wattles site.  Both are entertaining and informative, plus if you are (or aren’t) an artist, writer, photographer, dancer or musician of any sort, Lafayette is always looking for another cool bird to include in his gallery.  Let your wings show!

I’ve gotten accustomed to having some music on Sunday mornings so here’s one of my favorites from the bluegrass kings, Flatt & Scruggs.  I just finished watching the film  Bonnie and Clyde after waking way too early and the strains of their Foggy Mountain Breakdown had me digging for a version of a Bob Dylan song they covered years ago, Down In the Flood.     I probably have a soft spot for Flatt & Scruggs because of their appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies but this is a great version and shows off the versatility and willingness to venture outside their own neighborhood.

Hey, have a great Sunday!

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Happy Trails

Posted in Music, Painting, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2014| 3 Comments »

GC Myers- Happy Trails smI finished this painting, a 10″ by 20″ canvas,  over the weekend.  Every piece has a different feel in process.  Some are struggles, not wanting to show me a way through to the finish.  Every decision and move must be really scrutinized.  Some show me a way but leave me uneasy about my choices until near the end.  And some, like this painting, open wide and invite me in, the process feeling almost effortless.

This painting felt right from the moment it went on the easel.  The composition fell together easily and the colors meshed immediately which left me feeling as though I was simply along for the ride.  Not painting but rather just observing it coming together.  It’s an interesting feeling and one that is highly desirable, at least for me, as the resulting work usually feels naturally free and easy.

And for me this piece has this feel.  It flows easily and the warmth of its colors and the rising elevation of it gives me a sense of joy, as though it represents a desired destination, an endpoint to a long journey.  You always hope that your journey will end well and this piece is symbolic of that hope.  I call it Happy Trails.

Some of you of a certain age will probably immediately associate this with the theme song  of  film and television cowboy Roy Rogers , written by his wife, cowgirl Dale Evans.  Those of you of a slightly younger age will probably think of the song that Van Halen with David Lee Roth used to end its shows.  And those of an even younger age will probably just think that its a catchy title.  I fall into the first group, having watched reruns of the Roy Rogers Show on Saturday mornings as a kid, mainly because we only had a couple of channels.  Plus, I did like Trigger and Roy’s sidekick, Gabby Hayes.  And the theme song which ended every show.

It’s a catchy and pleasantly warm song.  Its feel and title fit this painting well.  Here’s a lovely version that I found online from a gentleman on a ukulele named Patrick Hildebrand Sr. from the Amazing Music Store in Pacific Palisades, California.  The uke’s warm tones and his pleasant voice fit this song well.

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Mr. Excitement

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 23, 2014| 4 Comments »

Jackie Wilson Baby Workout LP CoverI flipped on the radio the other day and heard George Benson doing a remake of the song Baby Workout, the 1963 hit from the late, great R & B singer Jackie Wilson.  It wasn’t a bad version but it only made me really want to hear the original once more.  That’s usually how it goes when I hear somebody cover a Jackie Wilson song.  They usually pale to the real thing and Jackie Wilson was the real thing though he is often forgotten these days.  But that is somewhat  understandable considering he died thirty years ago, in 1984, after suffering through the after-effects of a stroke nine years before.

He just faded from the public’s consciousness.

And that is the shame because Wilson always seemed to live up to his nickname– Mr. Excitement.  His powerful stage moves and soaring voice drove his fans into a frenzy and influenced generations of performers.  Michael Jackson owed much of his stagecraft to Wilson, acknowledging it in his acceptance speech for his 1987 Grammy for Thriller.   You cans eeit also in some of Bruno Mars’ stagework. Wilson’s charismatic performances also garnered him hit after hit.  Reet Petite.  Lonely Teardrops.   The classic Your Love (Keeps Lifting Me Higher).  And many more including Baby Workout, which is a personal favorite of mine.

His life had many highs but perhaps more lows:  Arrests, shootings, the early deaths of several of his children, drug abuse, divorces, bankruptcy and, of course, the stroke a that consumed the last nine years of his short life.  But I don’t want to focus on the tragedy of his life or even the relative obscurity to which he has been assigned through the intervening years.  When I hear him sing and watch him perform, he comes alive once again.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

Here’s a version of Baby Workout from the old Shindig show.  You can get a good idea of Wilson’s power if you get by what looks to be the cast of Up With People! gyrating around him in their matching sweaters.  Anyway, enjoy and have a great Sunday.

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Strange Affair ( Kind of Redux)

Posted in Favorite Things, Music, Video, tagged , , , , , on February 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers Strange Affair 2010I had this video, Strange Affair,  on the blog about four years ago and just wanted to share it again.  Good sound for a cold and quiet Sunday morning.  Plus the image that I used to accompany the post (a painting that is, of course, titled  Strange Affair)  is one of those images that both sticks in my mind and meshes well with June Tabor’s beautiful interpretation ( accompanied by one of my favorites, Martin Simpson, on guitar) of the Richard Thompson song.

There’s something stark in both the song and the painting that appeals to my sensibilities.  A sort of joy found in certain moments of melancholy.  There was a moment like that last week when I was walking through the woods to the studio.  It was extremely cold with the sky a flat gray slate and there hardly another sound other than the trudge of my footsteps in the snow.  It seemed like such a bleak and sterile moment but then a single snowflake drifted down, dancing delicately in the air, and I was suddenly filled with a joy that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  It wasn’t happiness.  Just the joy of feeling connected to the world in that moment.

Joyous melancholy.  A paradox.  A strange affair, to be sure.

So, pardon me for showing this image and this video again.  It was four years ago  after all.  Enjoy and have a great Sunday.

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