Redfoot/Cool Hand Luke Show on Friday

Please make your way to Westminster Bible Church (824 Lehman Ave) for our next show this Friday, May 2. Cool Hand Luke, an excellent band from Nashville, is headlining this gig. Singer/songwriters Jon Russellburg and Aaron Roche will also play solo sets.

You can get tix from the church website for $5 or pony up $7 at the door. Doors open at 7 pm and music begins at 7.30 pm.

On Season II: Remembering Heston

Basketball season closes the doors tonight with the championship game between Memphis and Kansas. I probably care less than you do, but if you have not been reading my hoops writing, just know that once the teams without all the money and conference advantages are out, I simply do not care who wins. I can still enjoy the high-level hoops, the Final Four, and the crowning of a champion, but I honestly do not care who wins.

Anyway, that means it is not the off-season for this blog, but the ON-season! And, I have to start this on-season with a tribute to Charlton Heston.

You may or may not know that my band, Redfoot, ends most every show with a song I wrote called, "For John Charles Carter" (Heston's given name). It is a tribute to Heston's movies. I wrote it three years ago after seeing a commercial for network television's annual showing of the Cecil B. Demille classic The Ten Commandments. Before the days of VCR's, my family always made time for two annual television events: The Wizard of Oz (usually in October) and The Ten Commandments (usually around Easter). Watching Ten brings back so many good memories of family and the spectacle of DeMille's films. Once my family bought a VCR in the mid-1980s, we taped Ten from television and my brother and I must have watched that film at least 30 times. We loved it and, in retrospect, I think it was because it made a very familiar Bible story very real to us visually.

In addition to Ten, Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite books (by Pierre Boulle--MUST READ!) and favorite movies. Heston's starring role in the 1968 film is part camp, part anti-hero, part social commentary, and I love it. One of the interesting components of Heston is that he somehow was viewed as a "great actor," but he often seemed so over-the-top with his acting that it was comical. Yet, he pulled it off in a strange way and this is nowhere more evident that in Planet of the Apes. Remember: "It's a madhouse! A MADHOUSE!" Good stuff.

The song I wrote references many of his films (Ten, Ben-Hur, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes), and while the song might be taken as poking fun at Heston, I wrote it more with tribute in mind. There might be some sarcasm and subtle jabbing in there regarding his acting style and politics, but his work truly influenced me from my earliest days and I greatly appreciate his work in film.

About A Son

Did the band Nirvana serve as an efficient conduit for your teenage angst? Did you enjoy watching hair metal die a not-so-slow, excruciating death? Did you buy a $150 Lotus guitar, a stomp box, a beat-up crap amp and start plowing through songs from the "Nevermind" album, willingly shredding your vocals chords on a daily basis?

YOU DID?!?!? Well, then you might need to see Kurt Cobain About A Son. It's a new documentary about Cobain and it seems that all of the dialog in the film is his own voice. It's lifted from clips of interviews and recordings largely unheard to this point.

I think I want some water to put out the blow torch of my excitement.

Radiohead for the Cost of Plain Ol' Radio

Radiohead is releasing a new album. And, folks may download it for whatever they wish to pay. The band is letting consumers set their own price.

This sort of idea is right up Freakonomics author Steven Levitt's alley. He blogged about it today.

What does this mean for music? If one of the biggest bands in the world is giving away their music (or, more accurately, just setting out the e-tip jar), what does that mean for record companies, iTunes, etc.? If people can get Radiohead for free or for their own price, will this be an even greater incentive to not pay for "lesser" music?

Riveting stuff. Brandon/Justin/Derek(s), I expect you will have excellent insight/thoughts here. No pressure.

Are You Ready for the Country?

One of my creative outlets is a post-country/folk band called Redfoot. You can hear rough cuts of two songs from our upcoming album here if you are interested.

Lately, I have been combing my memory (and the internet) for old songs that impacted me or songs that my parents/grandparents held dear. This process has yielded some old gems that you might hear occasionally, but really should be songs that are part of your library if you currently do not have access to them. Most of these are from a land far, far away from Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.

Here are a dozen classic country tunes that hold a soft spot in my heart (in no particular order):

"Cool Water." Sons of the Pioneers (1947). The Pioneers possess watertight harmonies and a sound that is truly from another era. This is one of their best selections.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today." George Jones (1980). Simply the saddest song ever written delivered by a singer who can crank up the emotion to an incredible level. Also, it's one of the top country songs of all time according to just about anyone's list.

"Devil Went Down to Georgia." Charlie Daniels Band (1979). Horrendous theology; mighty fine fiddlin'. And, one of great choruses of all time.

Fire on the mountain! Run, boys, run!
Devil's in the house of the risin' sun.
Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough
Granny does your dog bite? No, child, no!

What does this mean? I have no idea. But, it sure does work.

"El Paso." Marty Robbins (1959). Robbins' soaring vocals only add to a great story. My pick for the top cowboy song ever. That wicked Feleena...

"Lucille." Kenny Rogers (1979). I am not a huge fan of The Roaster, but he did have a great run in the early 80's. This is a great tune about heartbreak.

"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" Waylon Jennings (1973). Few left a mark on music like Waylon: played with Buddy Holly, negotiated a "rock 'n roll" contract with much artistic freedom in a Nashville-dominated country world in the early 1970s, and kicked off the Outlaw Country movement. Currently, this is my favorite of his tunes.

"Flowers on the Wall." Statler Brothers (1966). It was a big hit four decades ago, and then was revived by Pulp Fiction in 1994. Sadly, it is known more for the Bruce Wills/Ving Rhames scene in Quentin Tarantino's movie than for what it truly is: a darkly comedic song about a man in total isolation (institutionalized?) after a rough break up.

"Coat of Many Colors." Dolly Parton (1971). I cannot take too much Dolly in one listening session, but she is fine sprinkled in here and there. This song is one of her best.

"Boy Named Sue." Johnny Cash (1969). This Shel Silverstein poem is brilliantly retold by Cash on the San Quentin album.

"Coal Miner's Daughter." Loretta Lynn (1969). Straight from the poor, hillbilly gut and proud of it. Loretta's voice and delivery are so genuine, and this song is basically her three minute biography.

"Your Cheatin' Heart." Hank Williams (1952). It's Hank Williams.

"Sixteen Tons." Tennessee Ernie Ford (1955). "Muscle and blood, skin and bones, a mind that's weak and a back that's strong." There are lots of songs that capture the hopelessness of coal mines, but owing your soul to the company store takes the cake. Johnny Cash's rendition of Merle Travis' "Dark as the Dungeon" is a dandy, too.

These are just a dozen songs I've been thinking about and listening to lately. I just noticed that they were all released in 1980 or earlier. Hmmm...maybe a post-1980 list can happen in the future.