Radio KBwD is on the air (the covers edition)

Lou Reed passed away last Saturday. He was 71 years old.


His passing and this being the first Saturday of the month kind of makes the following a bit of a no-brainer.



Written by Reed while he was with the Velvet Underground this version of "Sweet Jane" appears on Rock'n'Roll Animal and which also contains the highly awesome guitar intro by guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner.








The song has been covered by countless artists and bands but the following has always been our favorite as it has a decidedly different vibe from what you just heard.



Off their excellent Trinity Sessions album, here's The Cowboy Junkies and their version of Reed's classic:

Your mid-week martini-worthy photo image

.

.

A combination of capturing New York City in this mid-70s montage and a great song has always made this one of our favorite movie opening credits.


Ladies and gentlemen, from the Sidney Lumet classic "Dog Day Afternoon", it's Elton John performing "Amoreena"










.

Why are "The Feds" in the rock'n'roll business...?

...we've heard their stuff and it blows.



Consider this our contribution to Reason.com's Nanny of the Month feature:


Young Pacific Northwestern Asian-American lads being denied the ability to trademark their band name.


From the Daily Caller:

A six-member, Portland, Ore. band composed entirely of Asian-Americans has been fighting the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) for over four years in an effort to trademark the band’s name — “The Slants.”

When the band first applied for the trademark in 2009, the PTO refused on the grounds that the name was offensive to Asians, citing two crowd-sourced reference sites — Wikipedia and the ever-colorful Urban Dictionary — in the denial.

The PTO cites some ancient "lewd and lascivious" legislation as grounds for denial but when you also cite Urban Dictionary, you've pretty much lost us.


Exit question(s) for our legal beagles out there: In this context what's in a trademark? And given this, is there anything preventing "The Slants" from just slapping that name on their bass drum, their van and performing gigs under that name?



If this music video is any indication, then, no.






Consider ourselves troopers in Slants Army!

Radio KBwD is on the air (the covers edition)

Happy Oktoberfest, everybody!



Let's get to it, shall we?









First up is the Grateful Dead from 1972 performing "I Know You Rider":












Followed by bluegrass legends The Seldom Scene back in 1979.



This one's for you 'Dawg!










.

Radio KBwD is on the air

We found the following on the jukebox at Toronado recently and realized we hadn't heard it since owning a tape cassette of Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy years ago.





Ladies and Gentlemen, from England, it's The Who performing "A Legal Matter".

Radio KBwD is on the air

We've been waiting, literally, for years for that which you will soon bear witness.


A chance rummaging through the CD bin at Sam's Club years ago turned up Exposed Roots: the Best of Alt.Country and just like that, out went 91X and in went The Gourds, Southern Culture on the Skids, Seldom Scene, Calexico, Los Straightjackets and these folks.


Ladies and Gentlemen, just posted on Youtube this past February and from Louisville, KY, it's Freakwater performing "Picture in my Mind."



(massive hook warning at 2:40)






"Whiskey is not evil when it's sitting on the shelf"



.

Your mid-week martini-worthy photo image

.














Better known for their mega-hit "Whiter Shade of Pale", we much prefer this tune. Ladies and Gentlemen, from Great Britain, it's Procol Harum performing "Conquistador".

Radio KBwD is on the air

.



We've featured these guys a few times before as not only do they make great music they also put on extraordinary live performances, our first witnessing thereof being back in 2001. Hipsters love them for their moodier pieces but we've always digged them for their kick-ass mariachi/Spaghetti Western-fueled numbers.



Ladies and gentlemen, from the dusty, sun-scorched recesses of your desert south-west psyche, here's Calexico performing "Minas de Cobre".






.

Radio KBwD is on the air: the covers edition

.


Let's get right to it, shall we?



First up, the Allman Brothers performing their classic "Midnight Rider".








And from back in 1989, here's Allison Krauss and Union Station with their bluegrass-infused take on the same song.

Radio KBwD is on the air

.



Who's up for some latin-flavored ska? You are? Sweet. Come on down.




From Fresno, California, it's Let's Go Bowling performing one of their favorites, "Esta Noche".








.

Your mid-week, martini-worthy photo image

.

Happy hump day, everybody!


Remember these crazy kids?
















From some un-named music/variety show circa 1965, here's Sonny and Cher performing the first song they recorded together, "Baby, Don't Go", a true pop gem.







.

Radio KBwD is on the air

This past weekend, we happened to be on the road quite a bit and as football is not in season, we've been getting more and more into our Pandora as we bomb around San Diego and Orange County.



We had been aware of these guys for a few years but did not fully grasp how excellent they were until we built our bluegrass station around them.


Ladies and Gentlemen, from Bethesda, Maryland it's the legendary Seldom Scene performing "Old Train"









.

Your mid-week, martini-worthy graphic image

.







It's Ash Wednesday, so it's adieu to the previous 40 days of reveling as we now enter Lent.


But before we do, one last look back and who better to do it than with one of New Orleans' favorite sons.


Ladies and Gentlemen, from the Crescent City, it's the Doctor... Doctor John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. performing "Such a Night" with The Band from The Last Waltz".



.





.

Radio KBwD is on the air

.



We stumbled across these guys quite by accident while noodling around on Youtube this past week. They've toured with ZZ Top and the Zac Brown Brown so if you like Lynryd Skynyrd, The Black Crowes and/or Toby Keith, you'll probably dig this band*.



Ladies and Gentlemen, from Atlanta, GA, it's Blackberry Smoke performing "Ain't Much Left of Me".


.






* They have faithful reader and commenter Road Dawg's seal of approval.

.

Radio KBwD is on the air: covers edition

.


Cannot believe we've never matched up this song before as it's a classic tune done by two rock legends from two different eras.

Let's call it a Boomer vs. Gen X throwdown (which, because of the quality of music, should not influence your vote)


.




Ladies and Gentlemen, from North London, England, it's The Kinks performing "Where Have All the Good Times Gone".




(dig the vocal harmony in the chorus)






And now, from Pasadena, California, it's Van Halen doing their turn on the same song.





.

Radio KBwD is on the air

.



We think we may have spun this tune before but we aren't too sure. Regardless, it remains one of our favorite rock'n'roll Christmas carols, so we hope you will enjoy its renewal as well.


Ladies and Gentlemen, from across the pond, it's Sir Elton John performing "Step into Christmas".

Your Mid-week, Martini-worthy photo image

.


It's gotta be, right?



.

Legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck passed away today in Norwalk, Conn. He would have turned 92 on Thursday.





Here's Brubeck along with Paul Desmond on alto sax and Eugene Wright on bass in Germany in 1966 performing the first jazz single to ever sell a million copies, "Take Five":







R.I.P., Mr. Brubeck

Radio KBwD is on the air: the covers edition

.

We're going to mix this up a bit. Normally we do the original versus a later cover but since we are not too familiar with Chuck Berry's original of the song we'll go with the two takes that we are.


.




First up: Johnny Rivers and his cover of Berry's "Memphis" that charted back in 1964:





.



And just over 20 years later, George Thorogood put his own touch on the classic in 1985:

... Information, please!...

.

Radio KBwD is on the air

.

Is it an uniquely American folk tradition to anthropomorphize, sorry… give human traits to bodies of water? Johnny Cash’s Big River springs to mind in that of the male form and the following suggests that of the female form.

Someday, when we make our months-long cultural road trip through the American South, which is the only region of the country that would hold the answer, we’ll get back to you.




Ladies and Gentlemen, in pretty much a no-brainer, from Wall Lake, Iowa, it’s Andy Williams from his self-titled variety show back in 1970 performing “Moon River”.


.




".. my huckleberry friend..."





Exit question No. 1: When did wholesome family-oriented shows try to get their hippy groove on by having some of the younger audience members sit cross-legged on the floor down in front?



Exit question No. 2 (and an entirely hypothetical one at that): Similar has been done before, but if we sent a rocket ship out into space and inside it we had 25 songs that best represented the American culture to the E.T.s out there, would “Moon River” make the cut? Remember, all genres would be considered: rock, punk, R&B, blues, soul, Cajun/Zydeco, gospel, jazz show tunes, standards, country and western and any other variant or mash-up of the aforementioned. It would be a crowded field, right?


.

Radio KBwD is on the air

.

One of our favorite songs of all-time finally popped up on Youtube a few months back and we just located it this past week. The band is the Untouchables, a mod/ska/soul outfit from Los Angeles and this is their Ode to Joy.

Remember that walking-on-air, pulse-quickening feeling you had over the brunette in your sophomore geometry class back in high school where life was one massive hook after another? These dudes bottled it in the form of this song.

If this doesn't get you going, please check your pulse and your heart.





The Untouchables what it do with "Tropical Bird".






.