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.
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.
posted by Dr. Sickness @ 3:29 PM
1 Comments:
Dr. Sickness...just want you to know, that your passion and the Sickness shall live on back here in good ol Raddy-ford. I carry the Nurse Sickness title quite proudly! =-)
Your visit was awesome..come see us again!! =-)
-- Nurse Sickness
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