Blurbex

Atlantic Records partner and famed producer Jerry Wexler, pictured right with Dusty Springfield, helmed many of my most beloved albums. He also provided me with a cherished memory and one of my proudest journalistic accomplishments — two things for which I will always be grateful.

I knew death had been looming for years but when I saw the news online late last night it saddened me greatly. Still does. It’s not like Wexler and I were ever friends but the hours we spent together, which I recall vividly, and the kindness he showed me, made me feel like we had connected in way that rarely occurs during an interview.

Read this post in its entirety, and the Jerry Wexler interview I did in 2003, at TampaCalling.com.

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As unbelievable as it may sound, Paul McCartney has been traveling America’s most iconic stretch of road in a Ford Bronco with girlfriend Nancy Shevell. Over the course of his trip, the cute Beatle has been spotted strolling an Illinois museum, asking for a map from a Missouri convenience store, shopping for antiques and snapping pictures in New Mexico, just like a tourist. Except this tourist wrote “Hey Jude” and “Yesterday.”

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Queen of Grunge: Just close your eyes and try to imagine Chris Cornell singing “Fat-Bottomed Girls.”

Venomous: As if Spider-Man 3 weren’t bad enough.

Does this mean the next Austin Powers won’t be shag-a-delic?

Mighty shield, yeah, sure: But who will wear that ridiculous costume?

The votes are in: Dark Knight is the greatest movie ever!

More to meet the eye: Superbabe Megan Fox ordered to gain weight for Transformers sequel.

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Wanna get Joe Bardi to exclaim “Damn it!”? Do what loyal commenter David Jenkins did on our blog post about the best superhero flicks and mention the “Ninja Rap” song from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze. In case you’ve conveniently forgotten this lost classic, here’s the video:

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With Amy Winehouse apparently out of the running to sing the theme for the upcoming Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, I’ve been giving some thought to who should have that privilege.

Based on some Internet surfing and my own personal preferences, here’s my list of the top 10 candidates for becoming a part of 007 trivia and lore:

In no particular order:

1. Chrissie Hynde (a personal favorite of mine, she performed a track for the 1987 Bond film, The Living Daylights, but it was not the title song (that honor belongs to A-ha)

2. David Bowie (How Bowie hasn’t recorded a Bond theme thus far is a mystery to me; his voice is tailor-made for it)

3. Scissor Sisters (came at the suggestion of a poster on commanderbond.net. After listening to a couple of their tracks, I can hear why).

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Ah, the perks of working at the Loaf: I’m listening to a review copy of Mamma Mia! movie soundtrack that cubicle buddy/Bar Tab-ber/music critic Wade Tatangelo was kind enough to pass on to me, as he knows I’m a big ABBA fan (and, more importantly, had no intention of reviewing himself).

My first impression of the CD is that the arrangements are very faithful to the original versions. No surprise, since Benny Andersson, one of the group’s original members and architects of its sound, also produced this album. (more…)

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Appears U.S. Sugar, aka Big Sugar, has lost its sweet tooth, which could be a very good thing for the Florida environment, particularly the everglades. Then again, how exactly is Florida going to pay Big Sugar $1.75 billion? It’s doubtful anything but crocodile alligator(?) tears will be shed for this bloated behemoth but let’s give U.S. Sugar a playlist anyway. Because, well, I’ve just been waiting too long to unleash my favorite songs about sugar and think this might be the closest I’ll come to a news peg.

Top 10: Songs about sugar

1. “Sugar on My Tongue,” Talking Heads

One of my all-time fave Talking Heads songs. Other than Zeppelin, this is the band I most want to see reunite … and play “Sugar On My Tongue.”

2. “Brown Sugar,” The Rolling Stones

Terrific song but this killer riff/sordid lyric lost its sex/danger appeal — and No. 1 ranking — when it was used to sell kahlua … and Pepsi. Mick, Keef, is nothing sacred?

3. “Sugar, Sugar,” The Archies

Fake band, I know, cheesy, I know, but I love this song.

4. “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl,” Nina Simone

Allison Moorer does a fine cover of this song on her latest album.

5. “Sugar Baby,” Dock Boggs

One of numerous gems from the legendary Harry Smith anthology.

6. “Sugar Baby,” Bob Dylan

No one steals from the public domain quite as effectively as Dylan. Click here to read my rather amateurish review of Dylan’s Love and Theft (the album includes “Sugar Baby”), which dropped on 9/11, while I was in college, writing/editing for the USF Oracle and freelancing for Weekly Planet. Yes, I was taking a polite swipe at the proverbial feeding hand. To this day, my esteemed editor Eric Snider and I differ on the merits of Dylan’s past three albums.

7. “Sugar and Spice,” The Cryan Shame

Good lawd, I love vintage garage rock.

8. “Brown Sugar,” ZZ Top

Not a Stones cover.

9. “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” Red Hot Chili Peppers

Ah, yes, the title track from one of my favorite CDs of junior high (and beyond).

10. “Falling Sugar,” The Palace Guard

Good lawd, I love vintage garage rock.

WHAT DID I MISS?

Cross-posted from Tampa Calling.

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Who: Herman Dune

Seven-word description: Highly emotive and quirky anti-folk from Paris.

Should appeal to fans of: Kimya Dawson, Jonathan Richman, Hamell on Trial
Wait, hasn’t Herman Dune been around for like 10 years? Yes, but this might be the year the Parisian duo finally expands its following Stateside. Herman Dune played a well-received set at SXSW in March, has toured with Juno soundtrack star Kimya Dawson and today released the bouncy, poignant, folky, poppy, excellent 5-song EP 1-2-3/Apple Tree.

Breakout CD: 1-2-3/Apple Tree

Release date/label: June 24/Everloving

Listen/watch official video: “1-2-3/Apple Tree”

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In honor of the late, great George Carlin, today’s Top 10 is dedicated to songs that contain one (or more) of the cusses included in the famed comic’s classic routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.”

Top 10: Songs for George Carlin

1. “My Shit’s Fucked Up,” Warren Zevon

2. “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” Dr. Dre/Ben Folds

3. “Cocksucker Blues,” The Rolling Stones

4. “Fuck Me Pumps,” Amy Winehouse

5. “Little T & A,” The Rolling Stones

6. “Fuck the Police,” N.W.A.

7. “Piss and Vinegar,” Against Me!

8. “Still Don’t Give a Fuck,” Eminem

9. “Funk Shit,” The Prodigy

10. “Sure As Shit,” Kathleen Edwards

Cross-posted from Tampa Calling.

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Phish reunion? Phor real? Anybody give a phuck? (Actually, this is pretty exciting news, especially for a large chunk of Creative Loafing’s editorial department. Let’s just hope this doesn’t inspire a similar move from those jamband hacks String Cheese Incident.)

• Michael Jackson touring? For real? Anybody give a f—? (From MTV.com.)

• New Order finished? For real? Anybody give a f—? (From Pitchfork.com).

• CL Political Editor Wayne Garcia reports “Vicki Santa steps down at WMNF.”

• Blac Soap to open for Flo Rida June 28 at Club 360 in Ybor City. Look for my Blac Soap interview in the CL hitting newsstands June 25.

• Lil Wayne rules. Los Angeles Times explains why.

• U2 remasters first three albums. Do I detect a healthy whiff of irony in the CMJ headline “Oh, Boy!”

• Really, more Ryan Adams songs should be under 2 minutes long (Aquarium Drunkard).

• The Chicago Reader (aka Creative Loafing Chicago) dares to ask “Oh yeah, chicks play guitar too, don’t they?”

• Billboard reports Bruce Springtseen to extend tour, play Hershey, PA, which means it’s time for me to visit my hometown, aka “The Sweetest Place on Earth.”

• I’m totally feeling Sean Daly’s blog post, “Brother, Can You Spare a Song?”

Cross-posted from Tampa Calling.

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I can’t believe I missed this til now, being the devoted Macca fan that I am, but Sir Paul McCartney turned 66 today. On June 14, he played before over 350,000 fans in Independence Square in Kiev. One of the show’s highlights was undoubtedly “Mrs. Vandebilt,” (off Band on the Run) which was the top song requested by fans at a Ukrainian website. It also happens to be one of my favorite songs off the album, particularly for its cheeky refrain “What’s the use of worrying/ What’s the use of hurrying/ What’s the use of anything?” Check out the stellar performance for yourself.

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Creative Loafing’s marketing wing (aka Joran) continues its concert series focused on spotlighting purveyors of original local music. The roster for the Sat., July 5, installment at the State Theatre will feature five acts ranging from punk (Car Bomb Driver) to alt-country (Have Gun, Will Travel) to math rock (Military Junior; pictured). Should be a great evening so don’t get too wasted the night before and be careful with those bottle rockets, which can prove hazardous when you and your buddies are stumbling drunk, firing the missiles at each other, indoors.

Here’s the info with listening links to each band:

Independence Fest

Saturday, July 5
State Theatre
687 Central Ave. St. Petersburg

Doors 8 p.m. / Show 9 p.m. / All Ages

$8 DOS / $5 with Voter ID / $2 Drafts

On-Site Voter Registration

$50 Gas Card Giveaway

Military Junior (9 – 9:30)

Grey Market (9:45 – 10:15)

Have Gun, Will Travel (10:30 – 11)

Mouse Fire (11:15 – 11:45)

Car Bomb Driver (12 – 12:30)

Cross-posted from Tampa Calling.

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Gogol Bordello at State Theatre; photo by Philip Bardi.

The floor was overcrowded with a seething mass of bodies, arms alternately waving and pumping to the vigorous musical spectacle that shook the State Theatre stage last night. The band, NYC’s Gogol Bordello, played the sweaty sold-out show with such amped-up enthusiasm that the audience responded in kind, pushing and moshing and crowd surfing like it was the end of the gypsy punk world. 

With his thick but charming Ukrainian accent, clad in tight and garishly colored trousers, shirtless and with sweat pouring down his pale chest and dripping from his thick handlebar mustache, frontman/Gogol visionary Eugene Hütz encouraged the unruliness, flirting and dancing with the young ladies who surfed onto the stage, good-naturedly tolerating the young men who inevitably followed, and leading everyone through boisterous sing-alongs that lasted throughout the night.  

The multi-ethnic ensemble played a supercharged 80-minute set and 35-minute encore of lively numbers that set ska, punk-metal, rap and even some funkified grooves against brisk gyspy two-step rhythms marked by lively accordion and some of the most fast and furious fiddle-playing I’ve ever seen by a man who was old enough to be the grandfather of most of the people in the room. The spectacle was topped off by the energetic performances of Gogol’s pair of attractive lady entertainers, who alternately sang, danced, and played marching band-style percussion throughout the show. 

Overall, a dynamic, highly enjoyable concert with a surprisingly large turnout for a Monday night, seeming proof that an interesting and multi-layered genre of music is successfully making its way to mainstream (read: young) audiences. 

–Cross-posted from TampaCalling.com.

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Evil Urges
MY MORNING JACKET
Ato Records/Red
Pundits have been trying to define My Morning Jacket since the band first arrived on the scene a decade ago. In the beginning, people filed the reverb-loving rockers under “alt-country” and even “southern rock” thanks to the band’s Bluegrass State homebase. A galvanizing 2004 performance at Bonnaroo and subsequent, more experimental releases, especially 2006’s live album Okonokos, landed My Morning Jacket in the “jam band” bin.

But none of the labels truly did the quintet’s music justice and MMJ’s latest release, Evil Urges, is the quintet’s most gloriously eclectic studio album to date. It’s also the band’s finest, with each stylistic leap serving the song rather than sounding like hubris-driven experimentalism. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than on the title-track that opens the disc, a thick-yet-fluid hybrid of futuristic funk, precision prog and dream pop that serves as a genius update on the free love and tolerance ethos of the 1960s. Frontman Jim James adopts a sexy falsetto to winningly deliver memorable lines like, “It ain’t evil, baby, if ya ain’t hurting anybody.”

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Cross-posted from Tampa Calling.

Who: My Brightest Diamond (aka Shara Worden)

Seven-word description: Diva-voiced singer/songwriter delivers operatic pop.

Should appeal to fans of: Joanna Newsom, Dresden Dolls, Regina Spektor

Isn’t she pals with Sufjan Stevens? Yes, she appeared on his Illinois tour. You might also know Worden from her first two My Brightest Diamond full-lengths, 2006’s Bring Me the Workhorse and last year’s Tear It Down. Both were released on Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty.

Breakout CD: A Thousand Shark’s Teeth

Release date/label: June 17/Asthmatic Kitty

Listen to the track “Inside a Boy.”

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Cross-posted from Tampa Calling:

That’s right. The grunge rockers have reunited (but you already knew that) and are scheduled to perform Fri., Aug., 22 at Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa. Here’s the press release:

WHO: STONE TEMPLE PILOTS

“2008 REUNION TOUR”

WITH: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB

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