Category Archives: Music

Jul 08

Photo-A-Day 2013: Week 23

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The week of June 3-9 saw a good mix of some relaxing evenings at home and some great events around the city, including a fantastic Tom Petty show, playoff hockey and my first glimpse of a Dodger rookie sensation out at the Stadium. Let’s take a look at the images!

3-JUN-2013: Oh, my Maker's Mark. What a lovely shade of brown you are.

3-JUN-2013: Oh, my Maker’s Mark. What a lovely shade of brown you are.

4-JUN-2013: What a great night in Hollywood.

4-JUN-2013: What a great night in Hollywood.

5-JUN-2013: The brightness of the lemons against the pattern of the plate made for an interesting image.

5-JUN-2013: The brightness of the lemons against the pattern of the plate made for an interesting image.

6-JUN-2013: Last season's Cup champs against the eventual '13 champs. Kings vs. Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

6-JUN-2013: Last season’s Cup champs against the eventual ’13 champs. Kings vs. Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

7-JUN-2013: The light of the sunset and the outline of another building reflected in the glass of the 444 Flower building in DTLA.

7-JUN-2013: The light of the sunset and the outline of another building reflected in the glass of the 444 Flower building in DTLA.

8-JUN-2013: It's hard to find a better burger-and-a-beer bar in LA than Hinano Cafe.

8-JUN-2013: It’s hard to find a better burger-and-a-beer bar in LA than Hinano.

9-JUN-2013: My first in-person taste of the phenom. Yasiel Puig would turn this pitch into a 1st inning single.

9-JUN-2013: My first in-person taste of the phenom. Yasiel Puig would turn this pitch into a 1st inning single.

Jul 07

#LOTD2013: May Playlist

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#LOTD2013: MayThanks to the long holiday weekend, I’ve been working on pulling together my Lyric-of-the-Day (#LOTD2013) playlists. Here are May’s Tweets (find the Spotify playlist I’ve created from these lyrics linked at the end of the post or on the clickable image at right), with some brief explanations (in italics) for a number of the lyrics. Remember, if you want to see the lyrics as they pop up daily, just give me a follow on Twitter!

  • “Start again in the month of May/Come on and blow the wires away” #ArcadeFire “Month of May” #LOTD2013 5/1
  • “The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun” #TheKillers “Read My Mind” #LOTD2013 5/2 (Another great Killers show, tonight at the L.A. Sports Arena. And this one’s always fantastic live.)
  • “There was so much space/I cut me a piece/With some fine wine/It brought peace to my mind” #JanesAddiction “Summertime Rolls” #LOTD2013 5/3
  • “I’ve got more rhymes than I’ve got gray hairs/And that’s a lot because I’ve got my share” #BeastieBoys “Sure Shot” #LOTD2013 5/4 #RIPMCA (A salute to Adam Yauch on the one-year anniversary of his passing, far too soon.)
  • “Singing songs of passion/It’s the truth they all look for/One thing they must keep alive” #LosLobos “Will The Wolf Survive?” #LOTD2013 5/5 (One of the best from some of L.A’s favorite Latino sons on Cinco de Mayo.)
  • “We’ll be playing and having fun/And it makes me feel so fine/I can’t control my brain” #Weezer “Island In The Sun” #LOTD2013 5/6
  • “Baby, stop me when I’m passin’ by/See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy” #VanHalen “Ice Cream Man” #LOTD2013 5/7
  • “Happiness will make you wonder/Will I feel OK?/It scares the disenchanted/Far away” #SmashingPumpkins “Hummer” #LOTD2013 5/8
  • “Everybody, get on the beat/We’re gonna show U mothers how 2 scream/People everywhere, loosen up your hair” #Prince “D.M.S.R.” #LOTD2013 5/9
  • “Listen to my gearshift/I’m blastin, outlastin/Kinda like Shaft/You could say I’m shaftin” #LLCoolJ “Mama Said Knock You Out” #LOTD2013 5/10
  • “Look now, look all around, there’s no sign of life/Voices, another sound, can you hear me now?” #DuranDuran “Planet Earth” #LOTD2013 5/11
  • “I’m all 6s and 7s and 9s/Say now baby, I’m the rank outsider/You can be my partner in crime” #RollingStones “Tumbling Dice” #LOTD2013 5/12 (This song could be my #LOTD pretty much any day that I hear it. I love it that much.)
  • “Love myself/Better than you/I know it’s wrong/So what should I do?” #Nirvana “On A Plain” #LOTD2013 5/13
  • “And when I look in my window/So many different people to be/It’s strange, sure it’s strange” #Donovan “Season Of The Witch” #LOTD2013 5/14
  • “Free to fly the crimson sky/The sun won’t melt our wings tonight/Oh now here she comes” #U2 “Even Better Than The Real Thing” #LOTD2013 5/15 (On my 42nd birthday, a song from my favorite band relating to how I feel about someone rather special.)
  • “If I could just be/Everything and everyone to you/This life would just be so easy” #INXS “Not Enough Time” #LOTD2013 5/16
  • “Mr. Wendal, a man, a human in flesh but not by law/I feed you dignity to stand with pride” #ArrestedDevelopment “Mr. Wendal” #LOTD2013 5/17
  • “I like you and I’d like to/Be free, be free, be free, be free/Yeah, I like you and I’d like to/Be free” #Travis “Quite Free” LOTD2013 5/18
  • “I got a new suit of clothes, a pretty red rose/And a woman I can call my friend” #BruceSpringsteen “Better Days” #LOTD2013 5/19
  • “Dance on fire as it intends/Music is your only friend/Until the end/Until the end” #TheDoors “When The Music’s Over” #LOTD2013 5/20 #RIPRay (A salute to Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek on his passing. I grew up with The Doors, thanks to my dad, and Manzarek’s sound will always remain distinct.)
  • “Blindly snap the broken beats/Said it’s cut with a dirty trick/It’s taken all these days to find ya” #Kasabian “Club Foot” #LOTD2013 5/21
  • “I’m your conscious/I am love/All I really need is 2 know that/U believe” #Prince “I Would Die 4 U” #LOTD2013 5/22
  • “Turn the crowd up now/We’ll never back down/Shoot down a skyline/Watch it in primetime” #SwedishHouseMafia “Save The World” #LOTD2013 5/23
  • “Keep your head on tight/Make it thru the night/You gotta make a friend along the way” #BlackCrowes “Movin’ On Down The Line” #LOTD2013 5/24
  • “Have another beer/What’d we do without all these jerks anyway?/Besides all our friends are here” #DonHenley “Sunset Grill” #LOTD2013 5/25
  • “I’ll go away/And I’ll turn around this little game/Cuz I don’t need your praise” #Cracker #FlaminGroovies “Shake Some Action”#LOTD2013 5/26 (Saw a screening of “Clueless” thanks to Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and remembered Cracker’s version of this little gem popping up in it.)
  • “They send you down to war/When you ask them/How much should we give/They only answer more” #CCR “Fortunate Son” #LOTD2013 5/27 #MemorialDay
  • “Drove down the hwy/Til I came to Los Angeles/Town of the angels/Best this country can do” #Mellencamp “Hotdogs & Hamburgers” #LOTD2013 5/28
  • “How long do I have to climb/Up on the side of this mountain of mine?” #Coldplay “Speed Of Sound” #LOTD2013 5/29
  • “No longer overwhelmed & it seems so simple now/Funny when things change so much/It’s all state of mind” #PearlJam “In Hiding” #LOTD2013 5/30
  • “As it was again it will be/Though the course may change sometimes/Rivers always reach the sea” #LedZeppelin “Ten Years Gone” #LOTD2013 5/31 (My wedding was 10 years ago today. Though things have changed and divorce came down the line, it’s not a day I regret in the least.)

Here’s the Spotify playlist if you’d like to listen along: #LOTD2013: May

Jun 18

Tom Petty Concert Recap: Fonda Theater 6/4/13

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Click the image to watch American Girl live from the Fonda Theater on June 4.

Click the image to watch “American Girl” live from the Fonda Theater on June 4.

Two weeks ago tonight brought an opportunity that I was so excited to jump on the moment I heard about it a few days before the ticket on-sale date a few months back: seeing the legendary Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the intimate Fonda Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Tuesday was the second of six sold-out shows for Petty and crew, just a couple weeks after knocking out five sold-out gigs at New York’s Beacon Theater.

Suffice it to say, the show didn’t disappoint, as Petty and his venerable band mates crushed a 22-song set that featured a number of familiar classics, some powerful deep album cuts and a few enjoyable covers thrown in for good measure.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Fonda Theater, Hollywood, June 4, 2013

  • So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star: A nice emotional start, what with this being the band’s leadoff song the very first time I saw them back in the mid-80s. Plus, the Byrds’ cover always has a special resonance in L.A.
  • Love Is A Long Road: A solid, well-worn rocker from “Full Moon Fever,” I’ve always felt this song was one that didn’t perhaps receive all the credit it deserves. A rocking version here tonight.
  • Here Comes My Girl: Special. Its first appearance in the setlist on this tour, I believe. One of my all-time favorite Petty songs and it holds some amazing memories. Great to share it on this night.
  • Baby Please Don’t Go: The great blues classic from Big Joe Williams, played in the vein of the song’s most famous rock version, by Van Morrison and Them. The Heartbreakers — and especially Mike Campbell — really got to stretch it out on this one. Perfect.
  • When A Kid Goes Bad: A deep cut from “The Last DJ” (2002), this is such a great sample of the funky, bluesy side of the band.
  • The Best Of Everything: I’m pretty much always up for anything from the “Southern Accents” record, and this one was fantastic on this night. A kind wish to a lost lover wrapped inside a “what might have been” story, it’s a perfect example of the Petty and the Heartbreakers’ style of balladry.
  • I Just Want To Make Love To You: More bluesy goodness in this excellent cover of the Muddy Waters classic.
  • A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me): It’s interesting that this song shows up in the same setlist as “Love Is A Long Road.” They both fit in that same “underrated rocker” category among Petty’s catalog. People really love the Heartbreakers’ trademark “jangle” — and rightfully so — but the band knows how to play with a damn edge too.
  • Kings Highway: Another big highlight for me. From “Into The Great Wide Open,” this song has long spoken directly to me thanks to where I was as a person when it first entered my consciousness. And now, after a long ride, where it feels I may have (in recent years) finally turned on to this tune’s title road, it’s even a bit more enjoyable.
  • I’d Like To Love You Baby: The band is in love with J.J. Cale covers on this tour, and this one — though a bit down for where it fell in the flow of the show — was another opportunity for the band to show off its musicianship.
  • Tweeter And The Monkey Man: One of the deeper cuts on the first Traveling Wilburys album, this has always been a personal favorite. Penned by Bob Dylan, with a great deal of assistance by Petty, the song is really an homage to the lyrical stylings of Bruce Springsteen. On this night, the real showcase here was Campbell and Petty trading licks on one of the dozens of guitars used during the show — really mesmerizing work by both.
  • Rebels: Another “Southern Accents” favorite, this acoustic version really plays up the power of the lyrics. Fantastic.
  • Two Gunslingers: Continuing the acoustic break, this cut from “Into The Great Wide Open,” while not overly well known, is a Petty favorite and fit well right here.
  • Time To Move On: The first of two cuts tonight from my favorite Petty record, “Wildflowers.” This song has meant so many different things over the years, depending on my station in life. Tonight’s gorgeous version pointed that out rather well.
  • Friend Of The Devil: I’m not quite sure how many bands I’ve seen cover this song, but tonight’s version was right up there among the best. I’m not the world’s biggest Dead fan, but this one has always been a favorite of sorts. The Heartbreakers are very familiar with it, and this version showed off their comfort level.
  • It’s Good To Be King: There’s not really a better way to describe this performance than the Tweet I sent an old friend on the night of the show: Perfect Song? Yes.
  • I Should Have Known It: This cut from the band’s most recent studio album, “Mojo,” rocked just right in this transitional spot. Underrated track, great placement in the setlist.
  • Refugee: Singalong? Ok. Singalong!
  • Runnin’ Down A Dream: The crowd certainly jumped right on into this one as well. For me, it’s been a bit of an up-and-down run for this song, which at times gets a little worn out. But it was hard to argue with it on this night.

******

  • Listen To Her Heart: Right up there with “Here Comes My Girl” earlier in the setlist. It was a special treat to hear this personal favorite dropped — from among many legendary options — into this crucial encore kickoff spot.
  • Carol: The Heartbreakers love this classic Chuck Berry rocker and its playfulness fit right in tonight.
  • American Girl: “We’ll finish up … where we started out.” Oh yeah! All right! Here’s the iPhone video I shot of the performance: American Girl — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (live)

Follow this link to a Spotify playlist I created from live and studio cuts of the evening’s setlist here: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Fonda Theater 6/4/13 Setlist