Throwback Thursday!!
Graham Nash turned 68 this past Tuesday! Nash is soon to become a two time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He was first inducted in 1997 for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash, and this year he will be inducted for his role as a founding member in The Hollies.
The first video is The Hollies performing “Look Through And Window” on the 1960’s TV show Hullaballoo and the second video is Crosby, Stills & Nash playing Graham’s song “Teach Your Children”.
Enjoy! K.D.
Throwback Thursday!
This week in 1974 Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen” reached number 1 on the charts. Now let’s fast-forward 36 years to January 2010, as the legendary Beatle releases his 15th solo album! Ringo’s “Y Not” hit the stores on January 12th. On the records single “Walk With You” Ringo gets a little help from an old friend and fellow Beatle, Paul McCartney!
Take a listen to “You’re Sixteen” and “Walk With You” and share your thoughts on Ringo’s extensive career!
K.D.
Throwback Thursday!
Happy Birthday Richie Havens!
Richard P. Havens was born January 21, 1941 in Brooklyn, making him 69 today! The legendary folk singer/songwriter began is career in 1965 with the album “The Richie Havens Record” his career is still in full swing, his last album “Nobody Left to Crown” was released in 2008 and he is still touring across the country. Richie’s most popular album was 1967’s “Mixed Bag” featuring songs like “Handsome Johnny” and “High Flyin’ Bird” this album acted as the stepping stone to not only a career spanning five decades but also the invitation to be the opening act at the festival that defined a generation, Woodstock.
Commemorate the career of Richie Havens and folk music in general by sharing your favorite song, performance, lyrics, musician, or anything your heart desires! Already posted is the video of Richie’s performance at Woodstock, enjoy!
Peace & Love!
K.D.
Spoon is with COCO
The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien has been red hot due to the recent contract feud with NBC. The show has had great segments and guests fueled by the NBC/Jay Leno war, including Norm McDonald!. Among other guests that joined Conan last night is Spoon, who played the jaunty “Written In Reverse.” It’s typical stripped down Spoon, but it’s a whole lot rawer than their previous efforts – and that’s a good thing. Check it out below!
- Kevin McCaul
Top 5 of this week!! 1/11-1/15
1. SPOON–Transference
2. VAMPIRE WEEKEND–Contra
3. 7 WORLDS COLLIDE-The Sun Comes Out
4. PASSION PIT-Manners
5. DAWES-North Hills
Eels: Inspiration Necessary
It didn’t take even 6 months for Eels to announce their new album after the release of Hombre Lobo. After teasing the new album on their Web site for only 3 months, Eels presented End Times. Crazy stuff. The album is filled with 14 tracks of goodness self-produced by Mark Oliver Everett (E) himself. The album is themed with E’s divorce, which clearly motivated him to pump out the album in such short amount of time. End Times proves that the length of production time is not proportional to the quality of the record. With much motivation and inspiration, the album has succesfully captured the ills, hopes, downs, and ups of life. Here is the music video of a tune from End Times called “In My Young Days.” The visuals capture the timbre of the album so well – melancholic, depressed, feeling hopeless, yet inspired.
-LP Jeong
Throwback Thursday: Nirvana MTV Unplugged
Vampire Weekend’s latest MTV Unplugged performance immediately brought back to memory perhaps the most famous show of the series, Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York for this Throwback Thursday. The show was recorded November 18th, 1993 and was the first Nirvana record released after Kurt Cobain’s death in the spring of 1994. The show is shrouded by an eerie atmosphere, Cobain was going through drug withdrawal and the set is designed much like a funeral.
The performance was reaired many times on MTV after Cobain’s death, and the album sold 5 million copies in 1997. We’ve chosen their cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold The World.” This performance best shows Cobain, and Nirvana’s, range in songwriting and performance, they could thrash or play affected acoustic music. Plus it was my first exposure of Bowie’s song, and like any good cover song, it expands upon the original and creates a new meaning for the song.
How does Vampire Weekend’s performance compare? Is it a good comeback for the series?
- Kevin McCaul
Local Spotlight: Adam Ezra Group
This past Tuesday WERS teamed up with the Adam Ezra Group for their CD release party at the House of Blues. The group put on a heck of a show inside of The Foundation Room’s carpeted walls as they played tunes from their new album “View From The Root.” The show was a secret members only event, however we’re drawing back the curtain on the show with an exclusive video performance! Visit WERS.org to take a peek of the video and some photos from the event, and remember that we’ll be Welcoming them to the Paradise Rock Club Saturday, January 23rd.
- Kevin McCaul
What Do Vampire Weekend And Nirvana Have In Common?
The Columbia University grads Vampire Weekend’s sophomore album Contra is out today. The guys have given out from MP3 downloads of tracks, released goofy music videos, and hit the late night TV circuit, and now you can finally hear the album for yourself. The new album features maturer lyrics, an enhanced sound palette, some autotune and sampling experimentation (an M.I.A. sample?), and their signature charming pop songs.
What was our favorite promotional stop along the way? It’s gotta be their recent MTV Unplugged Performance. Vampire Weekend nows joins a group of artists that includes R.E.M., Nirvana, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Jay-Z to have played Unplugged performances. MTV’s Unplugged was recently revived this summer with performances from Adele, Silversun Pickups, and Katy Perry. Check out their performance of Contra track “White Sky” below (featuring a nice group of strings!).
- Kevin McCaul
Beatles: Here, There, & Everywhere Listening Party!
For your listening pleasure, here is the Beatles: Here, There & Everywhere! We’ve aired it twice all ready, but due to the amount of requests it is now available to stream online at wers.org. Click here to listen for commentary on the Fab Four from the likes of Brian Wilson, T-Bone Burnett, Cameron Crowe, and more. Plus did I mention Paul Gambaccini narrates? Gather the family around for this radio special! 
- Kevin McCaul
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