Cover Story: Irma Thomas - "I Needed Somebody"

Look past the star-spangled wrapper and you'll hear one of the best voices in soul.

Every time I hear Irma Thomas sing "I Needed Somebody," all I can do is howl "Irrrrmaaaa." It's because I love her so much. And I'm really dramatic. Maybe it’s because it’s a song about how, deep down, everybody needs somebody--even if it's just for a little bump and wiggle. Maybe it’s because she’s got the ability to rip your heart out through your chest with a wail. Or maybe I'm just being dramatic again.

This performance is a cover-tune, but it's not often that a cover is better than the original.

Still, whenever I’m feeling down and Irma sings, "Oh, it gets so lonely sometimes, in this great big ol' lonely town,” it makes me feel a little better.

I heard this song in 2006, almost accidentally, when a friend of mine (who happens to be a studio engineer in Nashville so toot-toot on that horn) and I watched New Orleans Music in Exile, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina's effect on the musicians of New Orleans. Interspersed with interviews with struggling musicians were filmed performances, and Irma was the best of the lot.

We re-wound and re-watched Irma sing this song (not this version, mind you. This Youtube clip was filmed much earilier) close to 10 times that night as we drank too much and turned the volume way up. Then our other roommate came downstairs and told us that it was 3 a.m. and we really needed to chill. Since then, this song has been a go-to whenever I feel like squirting a tear into my vodka--or if I ever need primal-scream therapy, I just sing along.

It wasn't until today that I realized that the original was sung by Ann Peebles.

Quadron Crushes an #EDAS Encore Performance

We had an overwhelming reception for yesterday's Quadron Review but I was hearing a handful of complaints about the poor sound quality of the live recording. For those who are hungering for another taste  this stunning vocal talent, here is a sweetly soulful encore off Vested In Culture's newest baby, Avalanche. 

Quadron - Crush

#EDAS Album Review: Quadron Causes an "Avalanche" on Vested in Culture Records. Don't Miss Seeing Them This Summer!

   

by Matt (@EDAS2Go)

Label: Vested in Culture/Epic
June 4, 2013

Available at Quadron's Official Store

Style: Natural Vocal Blessings,
Nighttime Kisses,
Singing While Sitting on a Piano,
Kinda Like MJ 

Audience: Diva Enablers, Tangoers,
Parched in the Pop Diaspora,
Anyone with a Pulse or Anything Loosely Resembling an Ear 

Better Tracks: Hey Love, Sea Salt, Favorite Star, Crush, Neverland

When I was a kid, everybody in the whole world listened to Michael Jackson and it was awesome. Nowadays a person can't walk into a deli without hearing Rihanna and it's just not the same. Somewhere between then and now, pop lost its way.

Full disclosure, I have always considered myself a voice of the voiceless. I spent my high school years in smoked out indie mosh pits and started listening to strange world music forms in college. I don't think my street cred is on trail here, but I've been to an experimental electronica show in the back of a chinese restaurant for godsakes. While I was music snobbing it up, I felt comfortable leaving the pop music for the populous. Every now and again I would relive the glory days of the genre with the occasional early Beatles, Ray Charles or Motown record, but for the most part I didn't touch the stuff. Then I heard Quadron.

Shortly after I first mentioned them on #EDAS well over a year ago, I exhausted my entire rolodex trying to get into their sold-out VIP performance at Cameo Gallery. The wild goose chase that led me all the way to the upper floors of the Sony Music Headquarters paid off in spades because that night was one of the most moving musical performances I have ever had the privilege to attend.

Lelia Broussard's "Hipster Bitch": Making Fun of Hipsters Before It Was Cool

According to today's New York Post, "42 percent of American voters have an unfavorable opinion" of hipsters, "the bike-riding, vintage-clothes-wearing subculture...(that) soullessly appropriate cultural tropes from the past for their own ironic amusement."

Looks like the suspender-wearing, local-organic-lacto-ovo-pescetarians are taking it on the chin again. 

What gives? Slow news day? Lelia Broussard has been having a laugh at hipsters' expense for years with "Hipster Bitch," a song that (so far as I can tell) was written sometime pre-2007. Remember? Back before the recession hit and Britney opened the MTV Video Music Awards mid-breakdown? Oh, those halcyon days. 

Take a listen. In addition to crafting a near-perfect pop tune (and, to my knowledge, the only person to use “Fuckin’ Williamsburg,” in a song), Broussard has toured extensively with the likes of Ingrid Michaelson and Bess Rogers and competed on NBC’s The Voice last year. (She was booted after belting half of Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” during a sing-off. I thought she nailed it.)

Nevertheless, she’s a killer vocalist and a fine musician who proves that there are women singer/songwriters out there who can do more than ape Ani DiFranco or craft butt-hurt self-indulgent lyrics about bodies of water, tears, horses, pickup trucks and “Gowns shaped like pastries.” 

I’m looking at you, Taylor Swift.   

"Daisy Dukes must be back in style. She walks in, she walks up and owns the bar. Her and my former flame are the picture of lust, eyes lock, their bodies intertwine. They’re so, so inappropriate, baby. I can’t compete, I’ll never win."

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals - Only Love: The Anti-Love Song

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ “Only Love” is not a starry-eyed love song, but with its refrain, “It’s only love, it’s only love,” it sure does sound like one. It’s a ballsy mix: one-half funk-strut hump, one-half I-just-can’t-quit-you-but-I-have-to anti-love song.

“I need to loosen my grip just a little bit/ I feel this love like a stranglehold/ But there's something stopping me from losing it/ There's nothing harder than letting go.”

I’m not going to demean Grace Potter by drawing a line between male and female singer/songwriters—especially the non-weenies that work in rock ‘n’ roll—because your sex organs have nothing to do with your level of bad-assery. Check your misogynist “Chick Rock” labels at the door.

Kitty Pryde hits back with Orion's Belt

NO ONE KNOWS THE BASED DOG

The Rap Taylor Swift played a show last week at The Knit in Wburg. I missed it (dag yo) but I’m sure it registered somewhere on the scale between dope and worth the trip to Brooklyn. 

Check out Kitty’s new 5 song EP, Haha I’m Sorry. It includes the previously posted “Okay Cupid”, the old fashioned love song “Gave Me Scabies,” her cover of the infectious Carly Mae Jensen single “Call Me Maybe” and “Orion’s Belt” featuring Riff Raff. the carnival themed video for the latter can be found below.

Kitty Pryde - Orion's Belt

Pi Day

Today is March 14th, which can also be written as 3/14 or 3.14. This gets nerds all uppity because 3.14 are the first digits of the Mathematical constant Pi or π. Back in my High School days, at New York's finest Science and Math institution, this was more of a holiday to us than Columbus Day or even Festivus.

Today's song is definitely the most sensual recitation of a stream of numbers that I have ever heard. The  video has been spliced it up with scenes from the movie, Pi (some of which was shot on the block where I grew up) which is a pretty interesting film if you ever want to check it out. Just listening to the sounds of the pretty weird & weirdly pretty singer Kate Bush sing pure numbers really shows her dynamite range. Not a bad start if you want to further explore her catalog.

Click to make this Pi(e)

HAPPY

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949129833673362440656643086021394946395224737190702179860943702770539217176293176752384674818467669405132000568127145263560827785771342757789609173637178721468440901224953430146549585371050792279689258923542019956112129021960864034418159813629774771309960518707211349999998372978049951059731732816096318595024459455346908302642522308253344685035261931188171010003137838752886587533208381420617177669147303598253490428755468731159562863882353787593751957781857780532171226806613001927876611195909216420198938095257201065485863278865936153381827968230301952035301852968995773622599413891249721775283479131515574857242454150695950829533116861727855889075098381754637464939319255060400927701671139009848824012858361603563707660104710181942955596198946767837449448255379774726847104047534646208046684259069491293313677028989152104752162056966024058038150193511253382430035587640247496473263914199272604269922796782354781636009341721641219924586315030286182974555706749838505494588586926995690927210797509302955321165344987202755960236480665499119881834797753566369807426542527862551818417574672890977772793800081647060016145249192173217214772350141441973568548161361157352552133475741849468438523323907394143334547762416862518983569485562099219222184272550254256887671790494601653466804988627232791786085784383827967976681454100953883786360950680064225125205117392984896084128488626945604241965285022210661186306744278622039194945047123713786960956364371917287467764657573962413890865832645995813390478027590099465764078951269468398352595709825822620522489407726719478268482601476990902640136394437455305068203496252451749399651431429809190659250937221696461515709858387410597885959772975498930161753928468138268683868942774155991855925245953959431049972524680845987273644695848653836736222626099124608051243884390451244136549762780797715691435997700129616089441694868555848406353422072225828488648158456028506016842739452267467678895252138522549954666727823986456596116354886230577456498035593634568174324112515076069479451096596094025228879710893145669136867228748940560101503308617928680920874760917824938589009714909675985261365549781893129784821682998948722658804857564014270477555132379641451523746234364542858444795265867821051141354735739523113427166102135969536231442952484937187110145765403590279934403742007310578539062198387447808478489683321445713868751943506430218453191048481005370614680674919278191197939952061419663…

DAY!

Kate Bush - Pi (π)

So Help Me

Get your funk on with this great 1969 jam by little known songstress Joyce Jones off the old timey ATCO label. Help me close out the week tomorrow, if you've been following along, you already be able to guess what's in store.

Sidebar: I'm pretty sure this album cover takes place directly outside my office. I'm positive the chick in the Che Shirt gave me a look on my way in this morning.

Joyce Jones - Help Me Make Up My Mind

We Made It!

WE MADE IT!

It's now May 23rd and unless Raptured-Earth looks exactly like regular Earth and Rapture-coffee tastes exactly like regular coffee, the world is not over. Even though the battle was not without it's sacrifices I was able live a normal weekend, complete with Dental Appointment (all clean!), tUnE-yArDs concert, and watching the Mets get smacked around by their more affluent local counterparts. 

As mentioned above, I spent my Saturday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg with a sublime e-ssociate of mine, Megan, who runs the succulent blog Foodie Can't Fail. Megan turned me on to the genre-shattering work of Merrill Garbus a.k.a tUnE-yArDs before she started turning heads with her dope performance at SXSW. From first listen, I likened it to a Ladysmith Black Mambazo era Paul Simon with a female empowering Tracy Chapman aspect, but those folksters  doesn't cover the amount of work Garbus does, layering her own sounds over themselves to fill the concert hall with one-woman wall of sound. With the occasional help of a bassist and a small horn section, her powerful sound was only rivaled by the energy she brought to the stage.  

Pics via Amanda Hatfield & BrooklynVegan

Check out more pics of the wild show here, as well as the opening band, Buke & Gass, who I loved (Sorry I missed most of Afuche). Ladies, in a world of Britney's, Lindsey's and Rebecca Black's, you'd be kidding yourselves not to jump on the bandwagon and feel the electricity of this self-proclaimed "New Kind of Woman." Guys, this chick ROCKS and if you like anything from Sublime to Sonic Youth to Afrobeat or any other horn  driven World Music, you will thoroughly enjoy the smashing sounds of tUnE-gArBs. If you are either or none of the above, I sincerely suggest you see her live, if you can't, Buy the album and throw it on your most portable Victrola and enjoy the summer.   

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

BONUS SONG: tUnE-yArDs - Killa

Splash

Song #289: The Breeders - Cannonball

Watch Yo Step

Song #219: St. Vincent - Save Me From What I Want

Heat Wave

Two record breaking days in a row here in the city. Two consecutive triple-digit days and maybe more on the way. We are officially in the middle of a Heat Wave.


Song #214: Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Heat Wave

Mo Fro

A perfectly hot long weekend ends with a perfectly hot afro.


Song #212: Susan Cadogan - Hurt So Good

A Blog from My Mom on Mother's Day

As the only female in our house while your host, Matthew and his little brother  David were growing up (even the turtle was a boy), I felt it my sacred duty as their mother to teach my sons about “the fairer sex."

Men always think we’re impossible to understand, too confusing and unpredictable. I’ll let you in on a little secret – we’re much simpler than you think. And, if you’re honest, you probably want the same things we do. Since this is “Every Day Another Song,” let me explain in music.

• We want you to love us for who we really are and to tell us that we’re wonderful, beautiful, smart, capable, and always desirable (don’t you want that, too?) 

• We want mutual respect and support – a real partner and cheerleader.

• We want us to want the same things – have the same dreams and goals in life.

• We want fun and romance. Remember those birthdays, anniversaries, “just because.” days, and a slow dance every so often.

And, while I don’t believe love is enough to sustain a long-term relationship all on its own, it surely is the basis of one – and, after all, we could all use a guardian angel.

So, guys, on this Mother’s Day and always, I…

 .

Love and kisses,
Mom

Song #155: A TON... Including but not limited to: Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are, Ethel Merman - Coming Up Roses, Ella Fitzgerald - Isn't It Romantic, Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly - True Love and Dean Martin - I Wish You Love 

Nina Simone Lives @ 92Y Tribeca

Tomorrow night (Wednesday April, 28), one of my absolute favorite New York venues, 92Y Tribeca, is hosting a rare screening of what sounds like an amazing film about Nina Simone. Apparently The Rise and Fall of Nina Simone: Montreaux, 1976 full showcases what I explained before as her extremely volatile yet delicate personality. 

Here is the entry from 92Y Tribeca's website:

Long before Lady Gaga erased the line between pop music and performance art and decades before Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse left crowds shaking their heads in laughter or concern, there was the legendary Nina Simone. On July 3rd 1976, Simone stepped onto the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival after a two-year hiatus in Africa. Belligerent, beguiling and admittedly "half high", Simone gave the Swiss audience a searingly vulnerable musical set, liberally spiced with bizarre musings, forgotten lyrics, fits of temper and querulous shout-outs to her dear (but sadly, absent) friend, David Bowie.  The filmed performance has become a cult sensation on DVD, but only when re-created with a live (and preferably, drinking) audience can this goldmine of comedy, tragedy and musical brilliance be fully appreciated.

This two-hour showcase is a bipolar evening of music, laughter and indoctrination into the ever-growing cult of Nina, including bonus video clips, games, historical re-enactments and a special tribute performance by Joe's Pub cabaret idol Roslyn Hart (The Shells Show).

The screening and performance combination sounds like its going to be unreal, especially the part about watching it as a member of a live audience. The last screening I went to at the fabulous Downtown Y was a long hidden Jim Henson Documentary on the 1960s. I was even fortunate enough to meet Mrs. Henson. You never know what's going to happen down at 92Y Tribeca.

P.S. The following day they are screening TRON


Song #143: Nina Simone - Do I Move You?

Sometimes I'm Goodie, Goodie.

Last night I stumbled upon some great locals bands at Crash Mansion. One of them played an unbelievable cover of Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" and I've had it in my head the entire day. I probably already listened to it 10 times today. Watching the video is a little freaky not only because of the stunning beauty of the deceased, but because they keep playing scenes of Eddie Murphy in Dr. Doolittle in the background.

Song #132: Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody

One Child Born

You've seen the scene a million times, a beautiful woman, sequined dress maybe, she approaches a Grand Piano with a candelabra on it. As she sits down the crowd lightly applauds, in response she nods gracefully. She positions her fingers as they hover above the keys, and as she presses down, the voice and piano become one, instantly flooding the room with sound, drowning everyone with sweet soulful music. 

Maybe that was a little grandiose, but probably not.

Laura Nyro was one of the pioneers of this so(u)lo,  singer/songwriter/pianist style. As a young girl from Da Bronx, she burst onto the heady folk scene during the 60s with a plethora of tunes that would become hits with her or without her. Before long, she was jockeying for chart position with her own songs, sung by elite artists of the time such as Frank Sinatra, The 5th Dimension, Three Dog Night and (my mom's favorite) Barbara Streisand. Her gentle demeanor mixed with her cathartic musical/poetic explosions gave liberated, hippie-intellectuals some music to really sink their teeth into. Sadly, much like her idol, Nina Simone, a combination of anxiety and some exploitative business deals (including the unfortunate distinction of being Media [Ho]Mogul David Geffen's first ripoff) lead her to step out of the spotlight. In fact she announced her retirement from the Music Business at the tender age of 24, so by her scale, I should already be getting my checks already! She would eventually stage a comeback, opening for Bob Dylan and directing her music to some social causes, including one about Native American Displacement and "Emmie," which is considered by some to be the first pop-Lesbian Love Song.

via: LP Cover Lover

She continued her amazing career while rejecting celebrity until her untimely death in 1997 at the age of 49. Luckily, prolific EDAS Commenter/My "Rock'N'Roll Jewish Mother" (His words, not mine. Personally I think 1 is enough already) Louis Greenstein and his creative partner, Kate Ferber have written a one-woman show about the amazing Ms. Nyro. Working in close association with the Nyro Estate as well as friends and peers who knew her intimately, Louis and Kate have put together One Child Born: The Music of Laura Nyro, which has already sold out Joe's Pub here in New York and is about do the same on Thursday and Friday night (4/8 & 4/9) at the World Live Cafe in Philadelphia, PA. I believe tickets are still available, so click here if you will be in the area, I will be, because I love the music and legacy of this under-appreciated yet quintessential American Songwriter... Also because Louis says I can't have any dessert until I see his show. Expect a full review, no punches pulled after I return from Philly. In the meantime... Listen to Laura.

Song #124: Laura Nyro - Eli's Comin

Home James...

A Day Off 

In The Life of James Beard:

Dark (K)night 2:00 - 4:00 am

Song # 114: The Majestic Arrows - If I Had A Little Love [Rehearsal Cut]
(can't play the song?)

My legs are beat but my feet have slippers on. One more song to unwind to. This ones another Eccentric Soul song, this time on Volume 2: The Bandit Label. It's about the most perfect song. So good in fact that it only appears in this rehearsal form on the album. Just a group of friends, together, enjoying each others company. Genuine love. The song would be sad if not for the hopeless romantic that refuses to not shine through. I like to reflect on that thought as I go back to sleep. Goodnight Moon.

Please Join Us On The Moon

Doppleganger Alert!

I was on the train today and I saw this exact doppleganger...

No?

Song #71: Aretha Franklin - Never Loved A Man

Rocksteady

Not only is it possibly my favorite genre, but Rocksteady is also this RIDICULOUS song by the Queen of Soul, Aretha.

Song #48 - Aretha Franklin - Rocksteady