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Thursday at Club Bohemia March 22, 2019
Thursday 3/21/19 Club Bohemia Linda Marks with Woody Carpinella, Kenny Selcer with Roberta Lamb, Tysk Tysk Task Bill Dwyer
Event Page HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/435155400557436/
Kenny Selcer, a legend on the Boston scene, live at
CLUB BOHEMIA on Thursday
Ken Selcer and White Line Fever doing Workin' Man Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p0ZNDhk2A8
Merle Haggard Working Man Blues
Kenny Selcer I SIMPLIFY review by JV
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2017/71722/review-kenny-selcer-i-simplify
Review: Kenny Selcer – I Simplify
The four and a half minute “Evelyn” is a standout and has Selcer on mandolin and most instruments, a la Emmit Rhodes and Paul McCartney, Rob Rudin helping out with some of the drum programming. For the Americana Pop that the song is, there’s a flavor of blues in the singing and lyric.
The title track at 5:39 is the longest, an epic with the rhythmic beats accented, a heavy reggae boost with Selcer choosing many light guitar licks and backing vocals to boost the vibe. Mixed by Matt Hayes at Wellspring Sound in 2016 with the studio owner, Eric Kilburn, handling the mastering, the love and care put into this project is clear, as exhibited in the Celtic instrumental “Kenny’s Tune,” a truly inventive mix of sounds that is compelling bringing to mind when voiceless pop songs would rule the airwaves, Paul Mauriat’s “Love is Blue,” the timeless “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” by Sounds Orchestral, the airy, catchy, splendid sounds before Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” developed the hard rock instrumental as a hit record. Final track “Stay Awhile” features Stompers/Fox Pass bassist Steve Gilligan, with keyboards from Chris Billias and Mike Migliozzi on drums. The use of a band brings another flavor to a mostly self-performed album though players Roland Ochsenbein on piano, conga/percussionist Manolo Mairena and bassist Andy Solberg add their talents throughout, this is mostly a self-performed project with Kenny Selcer bringing to life some of his BMI administered catalog featuring music and words that span fifteen years, from 2001 to 2016.
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com, Gatehouse Media, Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, and a variety of other media outlets. Joe also produces and hosts Visual Radio, a seventeen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed Jodie Foster, director/screenwriter David Koepp, Michael Moore, John Cena, comics/actors Margaret Cho, Gilbert Gottfried, Gallagher, musicians Mark Farner and Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad, Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, political commentator Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
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Music Review: Ken Selcer Don’t Forget About Me
Ken Selcer’s Don’t Forget About Me resonates with the freshness of a summer breeze, the sparkle of a cold spring well, and the deepening hues of tomorrow’s perfect sunset. Like the beauties of nature, its sounds will gently beckon the listener back again and again.
The singer, songwriter, and guitarist plays folk, rock, country, and blues to create his own unique amalgam of roots music on this 15 track album. Selcer’s third CD, Don’t Forget About Me spotlights 13 original compositions, two of which are reprised with differing arrangements.
Selcer kicks off the disc with the title “Don’t Forget About Me,” a country-rock number flowing with the musical spirit of Dylan or The Grateful Dead. Recalling the Nashville side of the folk-rock genre, “Goin’ Home Now” hums with the back-porch goodtime attitude of The Lovin’ Spoonful. Selcer sharpens the electric guitar riffs on such numbers as “With You” and “Even To A Shining Star,” while “Save Yourself” unveils vocal harmonies and Selcer’s speedy-fingered acoustic guitar licks that would make early Poco proud.
The album’s centerpieces are “Colors” and “I Would Be With You,” each delivered in two separate versions. A classic singer-songwriter ballad, “Colors” features Selcer’s expressive singing and splendid guitar picking. One recording weaves its beautiful acoustic textures; the other is animated by its bass/guitar/drums interplay. Selcer unexpectedly closes his CD with an accordion and voice “I Would Be With You” demo, emphasizing the song’s exceptional songwriting craft and touching melody. The album’s electric version conjures memories of George Harrison collaborating with Badfinger on some haunting Beatlesque notion. Along with his standout composing, arranging, and producing, Selcer’s brilliant guitar playing finds special inspiration in Harrison’s singular style on “I Would Be With You.”
Like the traditional folk troubadours, Selcer sings and plays “In An Instant,” “Fallen Down,” and “Massachusetts Morning,” whose introspective sentiments connect to its geographical title. Selcer complements his obvious musical gifts with reflective lyrics; he can also be whimsical, as in the wordplay to the rootsy “Outstanding”: “I’m outstanding in the rain.”
Tastefully accompanied by bassist Andy Solberg, drummer Mike Migliozzi, keyboardist Chris Billias, along with mandolinist Jimmy Ryan and harp player Hatrack Gallagher, Kenny Selcer has put together an album of memorable tunes and sensational picking. (www.kenselcer.com)
Special thanks to guest contributor Joseph Tortelli for this review
Host Joe Viglione is BACK on the air with VISUAL RADIO
Thanks to WCAT Wakefield and our director Paul Norman
Hear the audio of Visual Radio on Mixcloud
More Boston area interviews than probably any program in the world
Vikram Agarwal of American Gravity
https://www.mixcloud.com/joe-viglione/vikram-agarwal-of-american-gravity-on-visual-radio-with-host-joe-viglione-the-pop-explosion-is-back/
VIKRAM AGARWAL ON VISUAL RADIO
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"Miracle God"
Joseph "Spanner" Bonner
Club Bohemia Song of the Day
With exquisite, lush production to match Joseph "Spanner" Bonner's silky, soulful voice, "Miracle God" cascades in with the same tempo as UB40's rendition of "I Got You Babe," the closing number from the film In Her Shoes that kind of wrapped up the Cameron Diaz roller coaster ride.
"Miracle God" is Gospel meets reggae and it is an irresistible melody and performance. It is accessible in a way that should open doors for the Jamaican singer.
American pop music has yet to find the reverence necessary for a song about the Most High to have what it takes for a mass audience to appreciate it. Ken Snyder's "Rise and Be Healed" was a sweeping Gospel / Pop number made famous by the late Vicki Jamison-Peterson, televangelist. And the late Dan Peek of the band America went to Christian music after leaving that trio. His 1979 Christian classic,"All Things Are Possible," led to a Grammy Award nomination. It was on Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion records produced by Chris Christian, but it failed to crossover, it just didn't have that magic touch, almost but not quite. Indeed, it is Gospel music that most humans on the planet can easily gravitate towards - uplifting music of joy - specifically when it comes to popularity - The Edwin Hawkins Singers and their exquisite "Oh, Happy Day" - written in the 18th Century! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tSyzTIJ82g It traveled through the centuries to become a standard by which other songs in praise to the Lord are held to; that few can come close to.
Spanner Banner - Joseph "Spanner" Bonner's "Miracle God" breaks through the pack. It is spiritual music with integrity, it comes directly from the heart and is a solid pop tune without the "cringe factor" that has made some rock artists lose their audiences while in search of the right religious song. Andy Pratt is a case in point, his "Christian music" cost him his fan base, his fifth album with "Cross on the Hill" just felt awkward, insincere, and not as thrilling as the self-titled Andy Pratt album on Columbia with his powerful hit "Avenging Annie."
It's a comparison that has to be made. I love this amazing song, "Miracle God," by Joseph "Spanner" Bonner, it has that UB40 hit vibe, wonderful instrumentation, and you can just feel the intensity of the singer's expression. It's a great message that can reach out to the masses in a huge and lasting way. "Miracle God" my not be the next "Oh Happy Day," but it comes close. A song that needs to be heard around the world. A+.
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Joseph Bonner's Miracle God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoXZX73--go
Story on Spanner Banner
https://urbanislandz.com/2013/09/27/reggae-star-spanner-banner-stands-strong/
UB40
I GOT YOU BABE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVNagUGDGdg
The late Dan Peek died at 60 years young in 2011 from a strange ailment.
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
All Things Are Possible was originally released on the Christian label Lamb & Lion Records, after Dan Peek left the safety of hit group America to become a religious artist. Here's the problem with this sweet and well-constructed album of pop songs -- it seems to lack sincerity in its aim for the mass market. Peek appears with open shirt on the front and back covers, a light blue scarf around his neck over the deep-blue mountainous terrain. The imagery looks better suited to the television program Queer as Folk than a Christian album. Musically it is top-notch; "Hometown" could have fit nicely on The Beverly Hillbillies, with its banjo and hoedown snap. MCA's Songbird and Firewind Records imprints reissued this album sometime after the original Lamb & Lion release, and the music has merit. "You're My Savior" sounds just like America, it is just that the lyrics are a bit sappy. One can only wonder what God almighty thinks of some of these sappy tunes written in his honor! Wouldn't these artists glorify Him by utilizing their talents to come up with entertaining records that have thought-provoking lyrics -- lyrics that change the world for the better? "I Have to Say Goodbye" works because the God stuff is toned down. It doesn't feel like his relationship to the Lord is that of a student handing the teacher an apple to get a better grade. Producer Chris Christian was being touted as a big deal in the '70s and early '80s, but he never crossed over -- the redundant name is a bit cloying. There is a tremendous track here, the rose among the thorns, and that is the title song, "All Things Are Possible." Co-written by Peek and Christian, it is a moving, sweeping, captivating pop tune. It is serious, it is magical, it should have been the biggest Christian rock crossover hit. Indeed, one might even venture the opinion that Peek failed the Lord by not staying in the band America and performing this tune with them. The melody and positive-thinking sentiment could have sent the tune to number one and ushered in tons of imitation Christian singer/songwriters. You know what? There is a God -- perhaps that is the last thing the Almighty would want to happen to pop music! Still, songs like "Divine Lady" on a record with such an overtly sexual album cover seem a bit crass. He should have stayed in America. https://www.allmusic.com/album/all-things-are-possible-mw0000589049
MOTT THE HOOPLE
APRIL 9TH ORPHEUM THEATER
ROLL AWAY THE STONE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-5ifOYVXs
David Bowie and Lou Reed ALL THE YOUNG DUDES
with the Spiders from Mars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rajof9Qigos
David Bowie RARE STUFF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yvw0U-bRXw
England Dan & John Ford Coley
Some Things Don't Come Easy
Review by JV
https://www.allmusic.com/album/some-things-dont-come-easy-mw0000206688
llMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
If Dowdy Ferry Road was their bleak moment in song, Some Things Don't Come Easy is the calm before the storm, a port prior to the schizophrenia that was Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive. Wandering songs like "Who's Lonely Now" are indicative of this album, and it is only one of two titles the singers pen together. They look alike on the smiling, happy airbrushed front cover, but you can almost see sadness in their eyes on the photos on the back. It must have been an intense period as they came up with yet another Top Ten hit, their fifth of six. "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" was written by Jeffrie Comanor and is far and away the best song on the album. This duo knew how to interpret; they were fantastic at it. The hit single is defined, the production is compact, and the loose ends that make up all the other songs on Some Things Don't Come Easy pale in comparison. The song's hook and instrumentation are so radio-friendly that the 45 could be put on repeat and after the 30th spin not bore like many of the tracks here. Sure, there is more outside material. Dave Loggins' "Lovin' Somebody on a Rainy Night," as well as Bob Gundry and Jeff Comanor's "Beyond the Tears," are adequate, but they really needed material beyond their genre, and needed it desperately at this point in time. Adequate just doesn't cut it when you are in the middle of a string of hit singles. Gundry co-wrote "Hold Me" and "Calling for You Again" with John Ford Coley, but they are songs in a rut. A Beatles tune or "She's a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones would have been left of center enough to work without disrupting the flow. The problem here is, there's too much flow, but England Dan and John Ford Coley seem to be treading water as everything rushes by them. "If the World Ran Out of Love Tonight," written by four songwriters other than the singers, is passable, and Dan Seals' title track is second to the hit as an album highlight, but "You Can't Dance" goes nowhere and sounds labored. Perhaps it was time to have some additional producers augment Kyle Lehning's fine work on the hits, or maybe, as stated in another review on this group, it was time to team up with Seals & Crofts to go after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Some things don't come easy, this album is proof of that.
Tanya Tucker
TANYA TUCKER - The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 25 years of hit recordings on Raven Records, Australia
Review by Joe Viglione
Over 150 minutes of music from Tanya Tucker appears on this exquisite double disc from Australia's Raven Records, The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 opens with her terrific "Delta Dawn" and closes with "Little Things" while vocal performances and/or duets with Vince Gill, Paul Davis and Paul Overstreet, Beth Nielsen Chapman, T. Graham Brown and Delbert McClinton are found in between. Though Raven Records has established itself with a diverse catalog ranging from The Velvet Underground to Ronnie Spector, Joe Perry Project, Captain & Tenille and so many others, their country catalog contains releases from Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Hoyt Axton, Gram Parsons and more, so this beautiful double CD set is no fluke or one-off. Tucker's pop leanings come through loud and clear, and liner notes author Keith Glass makes a keen observation regarding "this powerful recording" of "Delta Dawn" getting passed over by Top 40 radio for "the less atmospheric Helen Reddy recording that reached number one..."Indeed, only "Lizzie And The Rainman"} reached the Top 40, and that just barely in the middle of 1975. This compilation is proof of how this artist's bright and bouncy pop could very well have livened up '70's and '80's hit radio but was strangely relegated to the genre Tanya is most associated with. There's a reproduction of her appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and that famous pose of the singer holding sticks of dynamite in the sixteen page booklet, but it's the well crafted music which is a revelation for those who never listened to country radio and have this compilation as their introduction to Tucker. "Don't Believe My Heart Can Stand Another You" is a standout on disc one, "(Without You) What Do I Do With Me?" the same on disc two, both surrounded by a boatload of great songs. It's staggering to think she had 10 Country #1 hits and 21 Top 5's, so Raven accurately touts this as the "ultimage multi-label double CD hits collection." With licensing more popular in the new millennium - major labels being more willing to share their music and imprints like www.ravenrecords.com.au interested in going that extra mile to satisfy the fans - a project like The Upper 48 Hits 1972-1997 becomes all the more vital in putting a career into perspective. Surprisingly accessible music for people not familiar with Tanya Tucker's work.
DEENA MILLER
A THOUSAND WORDS
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
On page 12 of the lyric booklet is a photo of Deena Miller with her dad, record producer Jimmy Miller, and a song written for him, "Come Through My Voice," which is beautiful, as is every track on her long-awaited debut, A Thousand Words. Deena is responsible for bringing the Fine Malibus to the attention of her famous dad, who produced demos for Island Records of that band, which featured guitarist Steve Stevens. Although she has recorded her own material over the years, listeners have former A&M A&R man Hernando Courtright and his wife, former Epic A&R Doreen Reilly Courtright to thank for releasing this excellent collection on their Fore Reel imprint. It is not hyperbole to say that this is quite simply an amazing record from start to finish. The Robert Gordon/Deena Miller co-write "A Million Voices" is the first track on a CD entitled A Thousand Words, and it sounds very much like the updated Jefferson Starship, a folky anthem that would fit well on the Starship's Deep Space/Virgin Sky disc. "Broken Angel" segues nicely; its hook and smart middle eight play like a modern day Joni Mitchell. Deena controls the lyrics with her powerful and pretty voice, but it is the production work that is really impressive. Her dad was signed to Colgems/CBS at 19 years of age as a vocalist before he went on to produce George Clinton, Traffic, and the Rolling Stones. That his daughter has created such an incredible set of sounds on her own says something about carrying the tradition forward. "Sin," with its poppy folk guitars and determined chorus, is a hit. It has elements of k.d. lang's "Constant Craving," but takes off on its own tangent, the backing vocals supplementing the hopeless motivation of the lyric. "I Like" is an updated "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, and it is one of the few songs where the singer talks about herself. A psychologist might have a field day with the dad references; the eerie "Bloodline" states plainly, "Maybe my father was a Lord/Then royal blood would flow through me." It does, and this song has musical passages that are clever. Deena draws from many different pop elements, and each of these songs sets moods. With close to an hour's worth of music, it is a debut that would have fit on four sides of vinyl. "You Pulled the Trigger" continues the descent; jazz flavors the finality of it all. There are great lyrics anyone in a broken love affair can relate to: "You turned like an enemy/You took the best of me." The 16-page lyric book with beautiful photos is essential to the project, to get the full impact of her thoughts. "The Unwelcome" is downright frightening -- "one gender shy," the girl is not the "blessed son" -- and being unwelcome she tells her father to burn the cradle. This is a dense and complex recording, but it is stunningly beautiful in its complexity. Deena Miller has the voice, the charm, the expression, and the heritage. She tells her ancestors to "come through my voice," and this Miller production is, indeed, a great vehicle for them to do that with.
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Deena Miller on It's About Eve
https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-for-the-cure-its-about-eve-mw0000452895
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
Joan Jett opens the Music for the Cure: It's About Eve compilation with a terrific rendition of the Beatles' "The Word." Density, drive, and experimental sounds lift this all-girl version (27 backing vocalists!) to a special place. This one song is worth the price of admission, but there's a lot more on the other 13 tracks. Deena Miller, daughter of Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, is part of the chorus/choir on "The Word" and follows that tune with the title track from her long-awaited debut CD, A Thousand Words. Australian Liz Larizza's Wellville band has tunes that are often heard on prime-time TV. "How Does It Feel" is a cosmic elegant melody stretched over the band's firm rhythm. There's so much to this anthology that it simply cannot be absorbed in one sitting, but the 12-page booklet/liner notes go far in explaining a bit about each act, and the mission of this project. Executive producer Hernando Courtright has had years in A&R as well as management, and owns some of the better "ears" in this industry. The song selection is top-notch, heightening breast cancer awareness while simultaneously celebrating "the many female artists who are enthusiastically promoting their music with the release of their own CDs." Heidi Petrikat's title track to her disc, Desperate Lord, seems like a frustrated plea to an unfelt (or perhaps unfeeling) deity, a kind of questioning that goes with the attempt to eradicate a disruptive disease. Lava Baby's "If I Did Not Have You" is a bit harder rocking than the track that precedes it, but there is no problem with the flow on the album. The production team achieved a balance that makes for almost an hour's worth of music that is strong from start to finish. Andrea Maybaum, Sister Someone, Nancy Magarill, Julia Greenberg, Emily Curtis, and Elisa Peimer are hardly household names, but each song here is very special and worthy of radio play. The performances all make for a good discovery system, and it is that sense of exploration, aided by the photos and liner notes, that gives this impressive project the edge over other compilations. The 1970s and early '80s were not easy times for female rockers, and Jett leading this pack is almost the passing of the torch. Folksinger Debra Davis (not to be confused with blues singer Debbie Davies or actress Debbie Davis) gives a glimpse of her artistry with the percussive/acoustic "Angels in the Attic" from her CD of the same name. It has lots to offer, her voice clear and in command over the intriguing production work. Edie Carey and Ina May Wool have higher profiles than many of the artists here, and they round out this commendable package that deserves support. All of the net proceeds are "going to charities that benefit research and outreach programs."
http://www.southboundbeat.com/MD/DeenaMiller.html
Jeff Tuohy
| Jeff Tuohy - Cocoon |  |  |  |
| Written by Joe Viglione | ||||||||
| Sunday, 30 August 2009 12:59https://open.spotify.com/album/5tImnGGtKN8dAm0kLVsyF4 | ||||||||
 
The solitary smooth stone against a dark, soft background is a nice reflection of the music inside Cocoon, Jeff Tuohy's follow-up to Breaking Down The Silence, his fine 2005 outing. The four years in between releases was well worth it as the funky/jazz/pop on this second CD is mature, innovative and compelling. What isn't very compelling is the ink used for the liner notes, virtually impossible to read against a black background inside the eco-friendly slick packaging, but I guess that's why God let man create the world wide web.
Second track "Monogamy" has nifty sounds drifting in and out of the modern-day Gino Vannelli-styled musings, very well produced by Tuohy and Danny Bernini...it sounds like a man caught up in temptations when he sings "I gotta let it rip a little"..."lose my grip, then I slip...". Tuohy is a musician who speaks volumes through the layered production and the well thought out placement of sounds. "Real Love" (not The Beatles title of the same name) comes back at you with pure pop, a complete turnaround from the heavily jazzed first two tracks, opening number "44 Linden" in the same vein as "Monogamy"...and track two or track three may have made for a better opening song, "Real Love" very inviting with its descending guitarlines, a beautiful counterpoint to the vocals which nick a few riffs from 1999's "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals (certainly a sound worth recycling) or, dare I say it, Reunion's 1974 single, "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)"...but in subtle ways, just as it is hard to place the guitar riff from "Monogamy" disguised enough to sound more "innovative" (as stated above) than recycled...and then Tuohy hits you with a Country influenced "Driving Her Away", his warm and friendly voice gliding nicely into each genre he decides to touch upon.
\http://mbm2ndbatch.blogspot.com/2010/01/3rd-batch.html
1:34 pm March 20, 2019
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