Ancient History

Do you know who I saw today while browsing the CMT.com site? THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND! What is UP with DMB on CMT?
Last week I happened to catch a episode of "CMT Crossroads" where country main-stays are paired with personalities of other genres. Sometimes this is pretty cool (Hank Williams Jr. & Kid Rock) and other times its disatrous (James Taylor & the Dixie Chicks). Last week I caught Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris. Firstly, Emmylou is a goddess and is a peer to very few. Some would say the same about Dave, but I personally think some of his peers have already passed him by creatively (John Mayer perhaps?).
Seeing Dave and Emmylou perform "Long Black Veil," made famous firstly by Johnny Cash I believe, was thrilling. A lot of people have done this song poorly, but Dave added his style to it and made it fresh. Good for him. He also had Trey Anastacio (sp?) from Phish on stage with him, so double good for him. I don't like Phish or Trey very much, but hell, I'm all about exposing different music to previously deaf ears.
But how come DMB is now a listed artist on CMT.com? You can even subscribe to get updates about his band, right alongside Big & Rich and Darryl Worely.

I haven't any explanation. The big news on CMT.com was that Julia Roberts' first acting gig since having twins was in DMB's video for "Dreamgirl." I'll admit that I tried to watch the video but there must've been too much traffic from all the die-hard country fans clicking on the link saying "What is up with Dave Matthews on Country Music Television!?!"
But good for CMT for branching out. I'm not a fan of shows like "Barely Famous: The Warren Bros." (Although I was a huge fan of their song "Guilty" back when even FEWER people knew who they were) or the other "reality" shows. So 'boo' for taking to reality tv, but "big ups" for pushing the boundaries of what's considered country. Is CMT owned by MTV? If so I'm not looking forward to watching "Nashville: the REAL Music Row" ruin the face of all that we love about country and erradicating music videos all together.
And good for Emmylou for teaming up with Dave. I'm sure she's a real fan and loves what Dave does. Personally, if I had to pick whose records I would listen to for the rest of my life, it would be Emmylou hands down. I should say that I still thoroughly enjoy "Before These Crowded Streets."
So, if you're looking for some retribution for CMT.com, I found it shortly thereafter. This guy Chet Flippo (who I'm sure doesn't listen to DMB) writes a column every week called "Nashville Skyline." This guy talks about everything from Nashville trends to June Carter Cash to the recent Payola scandel at SonyBMG (which is a whole nother blog itself). Check him out, but don't forget about ol' Dr. Sickness when you realize his supremecy.
I titled this blog "Ancient History." Thats b/c the last time I got to actually sit down and listen to some music I stumbled upon this song by Johnny Cash. I don't know who wrote it b/c its on a hits package that Columbia neglected to provide any publishing or songwriting credit for (again, What is UP with THAT?!). But Damn! What a great song! So look that up. Speaking of the Cash man, I saw Third Eye Blind do a version of "Cry, Cry, Cry" today that was incredible. I'll take the original anyday, but it sounds like a f-n 3eb song! "Soon your sugar daddies will all be gone. . ." That is totally a line Stephan Jenkins could've written, ala "If I could bottle my hopes in a store bought scent, they'd be nutmeg peach and they'd pay the rent" from their album Blue. The song title escapes me.So recommended listening this time around is thrice: Johnny Cash, any of the old hits packages (Sun records, early Columbia)

Dave Matthews Band-"Before These Crowded Streets"

Third Eye Blind-"Blue" There weren't any hits on this, and the version of "Slow Motion" with the lyrics was left off the album, so I guess you have to find a way to steal that one. Its their greatest song in my opinioin. The record is a good one, not great like their first one, but that's still a good thing.That's all for now. Spread the sickness friends!
DS

Janis, Johnny, Jennings & Jerry Lee

Yesterday was a good day for record shopping. For a relatively low price (around $30) I got 3 records and a CD.I always head straight for the Vinyl at Cat's Back Records in Nitro, WV. Only the good stuff is over-priced, like the $25 copy of The Band's Last Waltz. But I'd pay that.So before I knew it I found a copy of Pearl by Janis Joplin for $5. Then I found a Sun Records compilation of the recordings Johnny Cash did there in the very beginning of his career. It's a reissue, but great songs that I don't have on my other Cash comps like "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "Get Rhythm," which was no doubt the first Cash song I ever heard.Then Craig, the owner, came up with a freshly cleaned version of Jerry Lee Lewis' Sun Recordings, from the same series of "Golden Hits."I enjoy talking with Craig. I usually spend as much time chatting with him as I do browsing the music. So when I turned around to see him, there it was; A brand-new CD copy of Honky Tonk Heroes by Waylon Jennings. I've been searching this album on ebay for a few weeks, but never found a price worth paying. The best part was turning around to have it stare me in the face from the very end of the row."You knew I was looking for this didn't you?" I asked Craig.
"Well, no, its just one of those cosmic things that happens. It was on the end of the row, right?"
Wow. Another divine intervention throughmusic.Now, back to Honky Tonk Heroes. This is the album that is credited to starting the "Outlaw" movement in 1970's Nashville. Waylon fought to record with his own band, not the typical studio guys, and Willie Nelson credits this record for making it possible to make The Red Headed Stranger. My main interest, though, lies in the songwriting. Ten of the 11 songs on the album were written by Billy Joe Shaver, whom I'll hopefully be interviewing this Friday (8/19). Billy Joe's songs had been recorded previously, but not by anyone as popular as Waylon, who Billy Joe convinced to do an entire album of his songs.The story behind their meeting, and Waylon's eventual agreement, is hilarious and can be found in Billy Joe's autobiography Honky Tonk Heroe. Waylon basically flipped out when he heard Billy Joe singing backstage, and in a inebriated state (most likely coke I would speculate) told Billy Joe he wanted to do a whole album of the songs. Waylon, of coures, doesn't remember this happening and pretty much forgets about it. That is until Billy Joe quite forcefully jogs his memory, nearly getting himself killed in the process, and convinces him to live up to his promise.What would it have been like to be at those sessions?!? There's a reason a lot of Billy Joe's songs have the word "me" in them. He's the definition of an autobiographical songwriter. There's no doubt that he's lived every word he's writing and singing, and thats why Dan Rather didn't argue when Billy Joe said he'd written about 3-400 songs and that "They're all good."So I listened to side-two of the Cash record last night, but I haven't gotten to Jerry Lee and Janis yet. But when I do, I might just do a review for my blog. Afterall, no one's telling me what to review here. So if I want to review an album that is 30 years old, I will.
And finally: This past weekend another Cash song smacked me in the face as phenominal. I don't know if he wrote it because there's zero publishing info on the record I was listening to, but the song is called "Ancient History." What a great song!Spread the sickness ya'll.
DS

Doctoral Thesis

I want this to be a music review blog, so I should start by convincing you that I can provide an opinion on music.
Music is in everyone's heart and soul. Some people don't realize it and some don't even recognize its existence. But it's there.
I adopted the name Dr. Sickness from a mentor/boss/rock historian/friend while DJing at my college radio station. It just sounded funny enough to work. The truth is it turned out to be way more philosophical than I even realized.
"Sickness" came to be synonymous with my passion for music. It became my adventure, my goal, to spread this "sickness" to everyone that needed to hear it. I won't place my musical tastes above or below anyone else's. After all, that's why we have so many kinds of music-There are so many kinds of people to hear it.
But it seemed that not enough of my peers had ever heard James Taylor, or Ray Charles, or Thelonious Monk. And there's always new music under the radar that, in a perfect world, would be mainstream. Just like I always wished that Days of the New would've started an acoustic rock movement, but instead they (Travis Meeks) was left in dust of the grunge-rap/rock transition of rock radio. Maybe his voice was too "Vedder-ish" and I can understand people that don't like Vedder voices. There's just too damn many of them.
So my radio show, and now my blog, was called "The Vaccine." It's an infection you don't mind injectin'. My job as administrator of the Vaccine was to help the good music stay alive, even if only one pair of ears at a time. My hope was that every time someone heard the Beach Boys they wouldn't hear "old folks" music, but some graceful and complex vocal harmonies that was more than just surf music. And when I follow that up with Mahalia Jackson I hoped listeners would feel the gospel. Not the gospel of Christ or of the church, but the gospel of the soul-One thing we ALL have. And maybe they'd realize that Destiny's Child isn't "all that" and, while they're talented, they haven't really brought anything new to the table. They owe a lot to Mahlia Jackson, the Ronnettes, and the Supremes.
I majored in music, so I know what diatonic harmony means, I know what dissonance is, I know what melissmas are, and even an appogiatura (though I couldn't spell it right if I tried). Listening to classical music with a good teacher helps you realize that, as the saying goes, there isn't anything new under the sun. Beethoven invented punk rock.
At the time of this writing I'm an intern at Mountain Stage, the longest running live performance radio show of its kind. Larry Groce, the show's host and the guy who wrote the song "Junk-Food Junkie," really has an impeccable ear for music. He's the reason people are on the show. He saw Norah Jones potential LONG before she had eight grammy awards, and Mountain Stage gave people like Sarah McLaughlin and the Barenaked Ladies their first national exposure here in the States.
So working with Larry has given me a bar to reach for. He knows more about music, and more specifically the musicians that make music, than anyone I know. He performed "Junk-Food Junkie" on American Bandstand and Prairie Home Companion and the Tonight Show. It's part of the reason the people here are so kind to the guest artists- Because Larry wants them to be treated the way he wasn't.
So I hope to start posting (at least) weekly reviews here. Sometimes, if I'm inspired or aggravated enough I'll do a general commentary. I'll do my best to tell why I like something or why I hate something.
I'm also a contributor to FolkWax.com, a weekly e-zine on Americana/Folk/Roots music that comes in your e-mail inbox. Subscribe to that if you're into that kind of music. Since I'll be writing about those kinds of music for FolkWax, I'll probably put different kinds of reviews on here. Stuff like local music, rock or funk, anything that sparks me that isn't folk will likely find a home here on my blog.
In December of 2004 I got my first record player and started what will likely be a life-long commitment to finding great vinyl albums. I'll close this blog with some of my absolute favorite 33 1/3 records.

Ray Charles-Live in Concert.
*This one isn't readily available on CD, but I think some of the tracks got mixed into some of his "Greatest Hits Live" stuff, or maybe on the Rhino Box Set. Regardless, from start to finish, this is one of the finest albums ever recorded, live or studio. Genius? You got it. The man starts "I Got A Woman" with a passage from Bach's Fur Elsie. THAT'S genius.

Joni Mitchell- Court & Spark
* Truly a great poetic songwriter. Some might cringe at the sound of her voice but if there's passion in it, I'm listening. And she has pure, unadulterated passion in those notes. "Down to You" is one of the most finely orchestrated songs ever, and had to have been pretty spiffy for the time period. Joni is a true folk hero-incorporating the French horn as much as the guitar almost.

Roy Orbison-Greatest Hits
* Everyone knows "Pretty Woman," but it isn't on this album. This one was probably released as "Pretty Woman" became a hit to capitalize on his new found popularity by serving up some of his older, less successful, back catalog. "Candy Man" is a true rock & roll gem, while "Crying" is the most powerful love ballad ever. The first time I heard this was from the computer of my good friend Chris Perkins. When I got the vinyl I played the song for him and he said "I can only listen to this song once a month." It's THAT sad. I wouldn't recommend repeated listening when you're feeling down and out. But everyone alive should get at least one listen. Orbison could sing better than anyone, and he wasn't afraid to show it off. If anyone is trying to be a singer, they should hear this so they know that they'll never be THIS good.