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Friday, Sep 24 2021, 7AM
Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning Show with John Richards! Thanks so much for being here!
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Today is the birthday (1942) of Gerry Marsden of Gerry and The Pacemakers. In common with The Beatles they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin.
They had the 1963 UK No.1 single 'How Do You Do It' and the 1965 US No.6 single, 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' and of course the classic "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Released on this day 30-years ago.
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The title was inspired by Bikini Kill vocalist Kathleen Hanna. A friend of Cobain, she sprayed the phrase ‘Kurt smells like teen spirit’ on his wall. She was referring to the deodorant Teen Spirit. However, Cobain didn’t know about this brand and thought it was a great anti-establishment rally cry.
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"A mosquito, my libido..." Read the lyrics as you watch the band perform in the official music video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit": www.youtube.com
Was supposed to be released today 30-years ago, but because of production delays, came out Oct 8th 1991.
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All four members of Soundgarden are credited with writing "Jesus Christ Pose"; Chris Cornell wrote the lyrics. For guitarist Kim Thayil, it’s still a personal favorite. “I still love that song,” he says. “I’m pretty sick of hearing a lot of Soundgarden songs, but not Jesus Christ Pose.”
Read the story about how this "dig at rock star excess helped turn them into rock stars themselves.": bit.ly
Released on this day in 1971...whoa.
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In early 1965, Marc Bolan (later of T Rex fame) was 18 years old and still going by his birth name, Mark Feld. ... This pseudonym wouldn't last long: by August 1965 he had landed on a new surname, Bolan, which was the result of mixing the names Bob and Dylan.
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On 16th Sept 1977, 29-year-old former T. Rex singer Marc Bolan was killed instantly when the car driven by his girlfriend, Gloria Jones, left the road and hit a tree in Barnes, London.: www.thisdayinmusic.com
This classic album was released on this date in 1971. "'Electric Warrior' stands the test of time as THE glam rock album of all time because it was the first to condense the movement into 40 minutes of all killer – no filler. Released a week before Bolan's 24th birthday, it topped the charts before Bowie, Glitter, and Slade...": soundblab.com
Happy birthday to Carrie Akre, born on this date in 1966. This Seattle musician is best known for her work with Seattle underground bands Hammerbox and Goodness. Since Goodness disbanded in 1998, she has contributed vocals to the project band The Rockfords (which included Pearl Jam's Mike McCready on guitar) and released three solo albums.
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"Hammerbox was one of the few Seattle grunge bands fronted by a woman in the early '90s. Led by fiery vocalist Carrie Akre, Hammerbox equaled the untrammeled rage of their Emerald City peers but also inserted new wave energy in their typical Seattle blend of heavy metal and punk." Read a biography of this band: www.allmusic.com
Weezer released "Pinkerton" on this date in 1996. Yes, that's 25 years ago!
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Rivers Cuomo wrote to fans two months before the album's release: “You may be more willing to forgive the lyrics if you see them as passing low points in a larger story. And this album really is a story: the story of the last two years of my life. And as you’re probably well aware, these have been two very weird years.” Learn more: bit.ly
Speaking of anniversaries, David Bowie released "Tonight" on September 24th, 1984.
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"Blue Jean" was launched with a 21-minute short film, 'Jazzin' for Blue Jean.' The film won the 1985 Grammy Award for "Best Video, Short Form", later renamed "Best Music Video."
Video for "Blue Jean": youtu.be
Video for "Jazzin' For Blue Jean": youtu.be
Mark Sandman, frontman of the Boston-based alternative rock band Morphine, was born on this date in 1952. He died on July 3rd, 1999. Read about his legacy here: www.huffpost.com
Released on this day, 30 years ago!
"The rhimes are so rumpin'..." The Hip Hop legends sample from Average White Band, Minnie Riperton, Grover Washington Jr, and Dalton & Dubarri on this track. Check out the music video here: youtu.be
Another September 24th anniversary....Depeche Mode released "Some Great Reward" in the UK in 1984.
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This 1984 track was Depeche Mode's first hit single in the US. The percussion on this song incorporates various culinary implements. Lead singer Dave Gahan explained: "We used to go into studios, and the first thing we'd do, we'd ask where the kitchen was - literally for pots and pans and things that we could throw down the stairs, and record the rhythms they would make crashing around, and then make it into loops.": tinyurl.com
Portland, Maine indie rock trio Weakened Friends dive into the honest truth of being a working musician on their new LP, "Quitter."
Central to the record thematically is the empty threat of quitting music and “getting a real job”. Sonia Sturino wrestles with her relationship with music on the title track, shouting “I love it, but it never really feels okay” over scorching guitars.
You can purchase this fine new album here: weakenedfriends.bandcamp.com
The gentle "Guided by Angels" is the new single from this Australian band's sophomore album, "Comfort to Me," released on September 10th. It was released to very positive reviews: bit.ly
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In the video, Amy Taylor dances around and belts the song in various locales — a field, a storage unit, the ocean — as her bandmates stand cooly by.: www.youtube.com
RIP, Julz Sale, co-founder and singer of Delta 5, whose 1980 indie hit “Mind Your Own Business” saw an unexpected revival when it was used in an Apple ad earlier this year. Her death was announced two days ago.: variety.com
Brooklyn band Geese will release their debut album "Projector" digitally on October 29. (The physical release will be December 3rd.) They wrote and recorded this album when they were still in high school, and were originally just going to drop it last year and head off to college, effectively ending what had been a teenage recording project. Instead, labels started calling, and the rest is history...bit.ly
See the official music video for "Low Era": www.youtube.com
geesebandnyc.bandcamp.com
That's Jacob Lusk of American Idols fame with these marvelous vocals. He's well known in the gospel community. He's joined by two remarkable producers in Ryan Hope (originally from Sunderland) and Ari Balouzian.: www.thelineofbestfit.com
dvr is Dillon van Rensburg, a seventeen-year-old songwriter and producer from North Berwick, Scotland.
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On "lowlife," he enlisted revered producer and songwriter Kenny Beats. Of the song, Dillon cheekily says “Made this like a year ago was originally gonna release it with just me but this young producer called Kenny hmm asking to work on it. I was hesitant but agreed, always good to give smaller producers some exposure 🙏🙏.”: bit.ly
Yard Act are a Leeds-based band that describe themselves as a minimalist rock group. This is the title track from their upcoming debut album: www.yardactors.com
"I Am Kurious Oranj" is The Fall’s eleventh studio album. Released 33 years ago in 1988, it contains some of their most loved songs including “Cab It Up!” “Jerusalem” (which takes its lyrics from a poem by William Blake) and “New Big Prinz” which Pitchfork called “one of the songs that defined The Fall and Mark E. Smith”.
The album was written as the soundtrack to an avant-garde ballet titled “I Am Curious, Orange”, produced by the experimental Michael Clark Company and performed in London with The Fall playing live.: archive.beggars.com
Watch birthday person Carrie Akre (born September 24th, 1966) performing live in the video for "Wicked Eye": www.youtube.com
If there's any chance you can time the Friday song for somewhere between 8:15 and 8:25 and send it out to Mr. Reichert's (RIKE-urt) amazing group of 5th graders this year, I know they would get a kick out of that, if they're able to hear it over the din of air purifiers and voices. (They don't quite understand the whole DJ on a radio station thing nor do they completely believe me when I told them that I can sometimes get a request played.) I will understand though, if that infringes on Henry's schedule in any way--don't want to steal his showtime from him.
Anyway, back to moving desks for them so they can have a new viewpoint.
Have a great weekend,
Andy in PDX
Ahhh....the Friday song. KEXP's Fall Fundraising Drive begins on October 1st. You can donate right now!: www.kexp.org
Manchester, England-based dance-rock band W.H. Lung have released their sophomore album, "Vanities."
The band collectively had this to say about the song: “‘Showstopper’ is about The Fear. It’s the day after the night before when you’ve let it all go or let yourself go large or let yourself get vulnerable, thinking, ‘Ah no what happened last night? What did I say?’ And yet the song does contain testimony of the beauty and transformation that can be found in a very good night out.
Nation of Language will be LIVE on The Morning Show on Thursday, October 14th, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. That performance will be Broadcast Only.
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Nation of Language will play The Crocodile that Thursday night, October 14th.
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Their sophomore album, "A Way Forward," will be out on November 5th. This lead single is, according to the band, "a reflection on that moment when a non-romantic relationship flips into something different. When the air in the room suddenly feels like it changes in an undefinable way. It’s a kind of celebration of that certain joyous panic, and the uncertainty that surfaces right after it.": www.youtube.com
This great Australian band will be at The Tractor Tavern on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022!
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Play this one loud: www.youtube.com
"Novocaine for the Soul" was EELS' first single and their first hit. Released in 1996 from their album Beautiful Freak it ironically became a hit in the UK before than in the USA.
The music video, directed by Mark Romanek was inspired, by Mary Poppins.: www.youtube.com
New project from Kevin Whelan of the Wrens! "Observatory" will be out on December 10th.
Discussing the new single, Whelan said: “This song was inspired by one of my all-time favorite songs, ‘The Winner Takes it All’ by ABBA.: bit.ly
"Mountain Song' was written by Eric Avery and Perry Farrell in 1985. Eric Avery has stated that this was the first thing he and Perry wrote together and pre-dated the Jane’s Addiction band name. This song was a staple of the band’s live set.: janesaddiction.org
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The official video has the band performing at The Scream in 1988: www.youtube.com
One of the more popular songs by The Clash, this one uses a very unusual technique: Spanish lyrics echoing the English words. That's Joe Ely singing the Spanish verses. Ely explained: "I'm singing all the Spanish verses on that, and I even helped translate them. I translated them into Tex-Mex and Strummer kind of knew Castilian Spanish, because he grew up in Spain in his early life. And a Puerto Rican engineer (Eddie Garcia) kind of added a little flavor to it. So it's taking the verse and then repeating it in Spanish."
Bartees Strange will indubitably sing this new song at The Neptune Theatre on Saturday, October 2nd, 2021.
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“This is about the ones that got away,” Bartees Strange said of “Weights” in a press release. “Going back and forth in my head about relationships that could have happened, missing that it didn’t, and finally realizing I gotta let the weight of it all go.”
TV Priest will be at Neumos (with A Place To Bury Strangers) on Friday, February 11th, 2022.
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They say, "Lifesize’ is about the worship of the ‘strong man’ image often present in our political and cultural discourse. One where the patriarchal underpinnings of our society and political structure goes unchallenged. After a particularly gruelling year, when people have looked to leaders for strength, we’ve found instead empty gestures and contempt. (“Talk like a salesman, walks like the Pope.”) We don’t need more macho bravado; society needs empathy and compassion.": tvpriest.bandcamp.com
Nirvana's "Nevermind" turns 30 today.
In this article published this morning, 41 artists reflect on "the album that changed the course of modern music history": www.spin.com
50 years old today! "Electric Warrior" was released on September 24th, 1971.: guitar.com
This Austin band began on the University of Texas campus in 2016. Learn more about these energetic artists: kutx.org
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Watch the official music video for "Seventeen": www.youtube.com
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was a cynical and tongue in cheek retort to the Neil Sedaka song “Love Will Keep Us Together” made famous by Captain and Tennille. The inspiration for the track surely was the fact that Joy Division recorded in the same studio the Sedeka song was recorded in—Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England. The song’s lyrics, in retrospect, were an obvious reference to singer Ian Curtis’ failing marriage.
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Here's the story behind the song: www.loudersound.com
Watch the New Orleans band performing this Joy Division cover live in the KEXP studio in 2019 here: www.youtube.com
Beyoncé's first single from her fourth solo album was this club track, which samples the martial drum beat from dancehall duo Major Lazer's 2009 track, "Pon de Floor."
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The video was filmed in Los Angeles and the Mojave Desert over three days in April 2011, and boasts a cast of over 200 dancers, a menagerie of exotic animals and Beyoncé as the leader of a female army. The dance sequences were choreographed by Beyoncé's long-time friend Frank Gatson with help from Sheryl Murakami and Mozambican kwaito dance duo Tofo Tofo, who also feature in the clip. The Texan singer first came across Tofo Tofo on YouTube, and the Mozambicans had no idea whom Beyoncé was when she reached out to them.: www.youtube.com
Mick Fleetwood recruited The University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band, after he encountered a brass band outside his hotel room in the French fishing village of Barfleur.
“I was in a room in the town square with a horrific hangover, and I was woken by the sound of the local brass band that relentlessly went round and round the square,” he said in 2015. “As the day went on, they got drunker and drunker. But one thing was apparent. Everyone followed the brass band around the town, and I thought, ‘What a good idea!'”
Here's the USC band in the video for "Tusk": www.youtube.com
About "Kerosene" in these notes for "Atomizer": "in small towns, there are few forms of amusement, two prominent ones are easy sex and arson, when the more simple exercises lose their bang, new combinations develop.
any similarity between the rhythm patterns used and led zeppelin drumbeats is entirely appropriate.": www.dementlieu.com
Australian native, London based HAAi (Teneil Throssell) has just shared this gorgeous new single ‘The Sun Made For A Soft Landing’.
With two highly acclaimed projects under her belt and having collaborated with heavy hitters such as The Chemical Brothers, Daniel Avery and Romy & Fraser T Smith, HAAi has already cemented her reputation as one of the most differentiated and exciting new voices in contemporary electronica.
Read more and see the video: bit.ly
The album takes its name from a line in the poem "Geography" by the New York poet Michael Brownstein, whose reading of it is also sampled on the title track.
I just pulled away from dropping my son off at his high school as this awesome breakfast club song started priceless thank you for that. Btw he had his KEXP sweatshirt on. 🤘🏻🤘🏻---Leah
Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff wrote this song specifically for "The Breakfast Club." According to Keith Forsey, Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music was his first choice to record this song, but Ferry turned it down. Forsey was also a big fan of Simple Minds, so he tried to get them to record the song by delivering a cassette demo to the band. Initially, the band didn't want to do it, but were persuaded after they saw a screening of the film with John Hughes.
bit.ly
In the video for this song, frontman Tunde Adebimpe encourages and consoles strangers he meets on the street.
“I just happen to like looking at people and wondering what’s up,” Adebimpe said of the clip’s inspiration. “We got some people together, some of whom we ran into on the street while we were shooting, and did that. We asked if they could quietly (or not) go to brighter or darker places inside themselves [and] let us be there with them for a little while. Everyone’s sifting through something, right?”: www.youtube.com
The Parrots will release their new album "Dos" via Heavenly Recordings on October 22nd, 2021. Along with the news, the duo have shared the video for the latest single, “You Work All Day And Then You Die.”: www.youtube.com