Bloggerhythms

It isn’t often (actually, maybe never) that Bloggerhythms’ Wayback Machine has taken us on a ride to the days of the 78 RPM record and to pre-World War Two America but as a casual fan of the old big bands now is the time to stop, get off, and visit with Rowland Bernard Berigan, a jazz trumpet virtuoso of the late 1930S. Berigan's nickname was "Bunny" and he was mostly known for one outstanding song, "I Can't Get Started," written by Ira Gershwin and Vernon Duke, a composition that he turned into a hit record in 1937. The lyrics to "I Can't Get Started" are definitely dated. They reference the Spanish Civil War, FDR, and Greta Garbo but its story still resonates today. It's about a man who lists all of his many nearly impossible accomplishments yet has failed at the one thing he wants most: winning the girl of his dreams. (The great Temptations' hit of the late 60s, "I Can't Get Next To You," has a very similar theme...

Buddy Holly has been on my mind recently due to a co-worker who went to see Buddy , the stage musical currently playing in Philadelphia about the protagonist's life and music. In the early 80s, when records still outsold CDs, my wife gave me a hefty, six LP box called The Complete Buddy Holly , as a present. It was a set I actually asked for, but in the end, for some reason I never played more than a smattering of its tracks. While I’ve always been aware of Holly and his achievements he and his band have always been relegated to the back of my mind while I concentrated on other musical fare. Recently, with his name and fame resurfacing in our town I decided to dig a little deeper into his catalog beyond the hits that we all know. Before Holly most of rock n' roll's inventors were solo performers, not bands. Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were pianists steeped in controversy. Both were excellent but neither had Holly's eclectic composing skills. The biggest...

When I first heard The Explorers Club they sounded just like a Beach Boys tribute band so I decided that I shouldn't bother with them because the originals were always the best in the world at what they did. However, a closer listen will tell you that this talented quintet are what the Wilsons, Love, Jardine, and Johnston could have been all these years if they hadn't allowed their boatload of personal and business problems to get in the way of the music. The Charleston, SC band has just released their second full length CD, Grand Hotel , and it's better than every studio record The Beach Boys released after Holland in 1973. This indie band's music is straight out of their heroes' post-surfing, mid-to-late 60s years. All fifteen tracks are originals co-written by primary lead singer Jason Brewer. It's an album the Hall of Famers should have made, but never did, so The Explorers Club are only a tribute band because of their obvious love of the much old...