Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The review of “Sound Poems” by The Word-Music Continuum began in San Francisco’s China Basin at McCovey Cove. It was carried by a reviewer into a building at Pier 48. The planned route along the Embarcadero was not used.
The above-mentioned reviewer emerged from the building joined by two other reviewers. Both of [...]

[Read more →]

According to www.allmusic.com, there are currently seventy-two recordings of the Gene McDaniels composition “Compared to What” listed at its website. The song, primarily associated with Les McCann and his many versions of it (his live one with Eddie Harris that opens the 1969 Atlantic Records album “Swiss Movement” is a personal favorite), has been [...]

[Read more →]

And the number one with a bullet (OK, it rhymes with “bullet”) topic in Vallejo this week: yes, folks, once again it’s bankruptcy. With a capital “B” and that rhymes with “P” and that stands for “PLEASE FILE.”
Bankruptcy in California has a long history that goes back to the early days of its admittance [...]

[Read more →]

A quick glance at the songlist on the back cover of “Welcome to Electricrazyland” by The Craig Easley ‘Xperiment might allow a potential listener to expect a recording of Jimi Hendrix-inspired rock music.
Titles like “…and the gods went crazy,” “Welcome to ElectriCrazyland,” and “Voodoo Rider” more than hint at Hendrix songs like “…and the gods [...]

[Read more →]

OK, how about some free music now that you’ve dipped into the music budget to pay for a Valentine’s Day gift and card? And by “free” I mean “free and legal downloads of music from a computer website that agrees to remove any music per artist request or demand.”
One of my favorite websites with [...]

[Read more →]

It was not by design that the CD reviews for January 2008 have all featured recordings by members of The Band. I never know from week to week what I am going to choose as a subject. The past three weeks’ reviews of the music of Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Robbie Robertson [...]

[Read more →]

“I ain’t no cowboy/I just look like one.”
– Robbie Robertson, “Between Trains”
Dear Britney,
I have been thinking about you a lot lately. I can’t help it. Every time I go to the store I see your face on the front cover of tabloids and celebrity worship magazines accompanied by a headline that describes your [...]

[Read more →]

Ed Muskie cried while defending his wife during a media encounter in 1972; his tears cost him the New Hampshire primary. Hillary Clinton cried thirty-six years later, during an ongoing campaign defense of why she would be a good President because, among other things, she was the wife of one; her tears have been [...]

[Read more →]

“And the sun don’t shine any more/And the rains fall down on my door.”
– The Band, “It Makes No Difference,” written by Robbie Robertson
First weekend of 2008 in Vallejo. Rain. Lots of it. Two power outages.
The first outage occurred around ten a.m. as I was getting ready to download a 1988 Rick [...]

[Read more →]

I know something about good songs. One was recorded about me in 1963. Maybe you’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve heard of me. My friends call me Jack. Back then I was known as Little Jackie. Back then millions of people were interested in my frolicking in the autumn mist [...]

[Read more →]

Gart Williams probably never played a single note of music. Unlike Bruce Berry in Neil Young’s “Tonight’s The Night,” there were no moments to “sing a song in a shaky voice that was real as the day was long.” Too busy working for an unappreciative employer whose single motivation tool was to sternly [...]

[Read more →]

He can still do it. Wendy & Lisa, and Sheila E. perform on the disc, as well. The new release from Prince and the New Power Generation is called Planet Earth. A mix of pop, rock, funk, and a ballad, the CD was like having a Déjà Vu moment from Prince recordings circa 1985. You [...]

[Read more →]

Taiko drummer Shoji Kameda’s skill with the big Japanese drum and his love of performance is quite evident. Not only does Kameda appear with his band On Ensemble, but in addition he performs with LA-based Hiroshima (currently on tour and recently at Yoshi’s Jack London Square). A California native from Mt. Shasta, Mr. Kameda trained [...]

[Read more →]

I’m dating myself by discussing Duke by Genesis. Originally released in 1980, Duke marked a shift in the Genesis sound scheme, followed by commercially successful releases like Abacab, Genesis, and The Invisible Touch. In a way, Duke was a break out album for Phil Collins as the disc included his first solo songwriting efforts as [...]

[Read more →]

The musical signature of Rickie Lee Jones is that slurred style of singing she uses. On her latest CD, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, Ms. Jones and her band take the listener on a lyrical and spiritual journey. 
The background of The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard is notable. The idea was launched by Lee Cantelon. He [...]

[Read more →]