Monthly Archives: April 2015

Cage Match: Kent Tekulve v. The Edge

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tekulveAs I walked into BileTones (I guess that is the correct spelling) practice the other day, my mate Tom Nelson handed me a pamphlet that had a pic of Phillies hurler Rick Wise on the cover.

Tom told me he got the little handout–the title of which is Balk–at a Twins game at Metropolitan Stadium back in 2009. The whole little brainchild of Balk was by David Selsky, who along with former Pirates closer Kent Tekulve concocted an hysterically funny collection of baseball cards of bespectacled players.

The names and pics are priceless: Gary Gross, Rick Reuschel, Lee Walls, Carl Sawatski, Chris Knapp, and Craig Kusick (just looking at his beak on a card makes me wonder how he wound up a hitter and not a plumber?).kusick

However, the whole thing made me think of submariner Tekulve, and for some reason I contextualized his skill set with that of the Edge, the guitar player from U2 who I like and who Steve does not.

Let me say this to start: I have never had a friend quite like Steve. For some reason, about half the things we believe in and process could not be more simpatico; however, the remaining 50% could not be more diametrically opposed. Very strange.

Back to the philosophy, Tekulve was not a hard thrower. In fact, to the contrary, he threw underhand and lived on sinkers, location, and delivery deception to build a pretty successful career with a 98-90 record, 2.80 ERA, and 184 saves. But for sure, he did not overpower hitters a la Goose Gossage or Eric Gagne or Aroldis Chapman.

But, he got the job done, satisfactorily, and were he pitching today, Tekulve would be a well thought of Fantasy Baseball closer (1.250 career WHIP).

OK, so to the Edge, where the guitar player does not really approach his craft like Eric Clapton or Mick Ronson or Keef, who are clearly masters of the axe. edge

Edge relies more on sonics and harmonics–though he can play blues licks for sure–and pedals, along with dropping the fifth of the chord very often, to attain this signature chorusy shimmering sound.

Now, I get that Steve doesn’t really consider this playing, but my philosophical question to start the week is what the Edge does any less successful–and thus worthy of our approval–than was how Tekulve nudged his outs via groundballs by frustrated hitters?

Since I do like the Edge (and U2), and can not legally see without my spectacles, I approve swimmingly of both.

But, I guess it is a personal thing.

What do you say?

Song of the Week – Grim Reaper, Detective

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Led Zeppelin has been hot in recent months. The40th anniversary of the release of Physical Graffiti in February seems to be spark that lit the fire. Just about every magazine and blog that covers rock music has featured them recently.

Today’s SotW is from the Zep related band Detective who recorded two albums for their Swan Song label. The Rolling Stone Record Guide (1st edition) said those recordings were “Credible but uneventful late-Seventies hard rock from a band led by ex-Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye.”

The brevity of the review says a lot about the group’s (lack of) critical acceptance when their recordings were on the shelves. They were quickly dismissed as nothing more than a Led Zep wannabe band. But occasionally things (wine, music) improve with the passage of time.

“Grim Reaper” is from Detectives’ self-titled debut.

The muscular drums and the tight pants vocals by Michael Des Barres, could easily pass off this cut as a Led Zep outtake. I like it!

Enjoy… until next week.

BTW, today is Record Store Day. Take a nostalgic trip to your favorite local bricks and mortar record store and see if you can’t find something to add to your collection.

Courtney Barnett, “Avant Gardener”

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We all agree that great rock songs don’t need great lyrics. But sometimes I’m sucked in by a singer/songwriter who is clever and fresh lyrically, even if the music isn’t particularly distinctive or original or rocking.

Courtney Barnett is a bit of a critic’s darling right now, which is how I learned about her. Her lyrics are funny and probing, revealing and cleverly opaque, with enough pop sense to suck one in if one listens enough. Which I did, and now I’m a fan, even though as I listen I can’t help but hear the drone of Lou Reed in her delivery. And hearing that drone, I can’t help but think about the way Reed dressed his songs up in surprising and hard hitting ways, which Barnett doesn’t.

That puts her more in the neighborhood of all those 90s alt-rock bands, who didn’t really alt that much while not really rocking that hard. Bands/artists who lived on the sharpness of their lyrics.

Night Music: Pretenders, “2000 Miles”

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Last week, in my post on Simple Minds (Waterfront) I alluded to this song, which seems to have ties to Jim Kerr’s (Chrissy Hynde’s ex) song.

Waterfront is from the album Sparkles in the Rain, and I mistakenly made the connection to this song, referring to “diamonds, sparkling in the snow.”

Doesn’t matter. This is still a lovely song, showing the softer side of the great Ms. Hynde (I will revisit her with some crunch) in a sort of Christmas song/homage to Pete Farndon and James Honeyman-Scott, the late bass and guitar players for Pretenders.

This is how sentimental should be done.

Night Music: Steve Earle, “Copperhead Road”

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Quite simply, I love Steve Earle.

A great songwriter and performer, with a social conscience and the conviction to speak out, Earle has had his demons, a la Johnny Cash.

Like Cash, Earle had his issues with drugs and the law, including spending time behind bars.

However, like Cash, that seems to have bound the singer to the working class in a way most performers of substance (not talking Toby Keith, here) might simply wish for.

This song, from the album of the same name–which happens to be my favorite of Earle’s catalog–just rocks it with words and attitude and even a sort of contextual prohibition sense of history. Did I say it rocks, too?

Earle has indeed produced a fabulous, and somewhat varied body of work, be it this early sort of alt/country rock, his work with Del McCoury, or his fantastic anti-Middle East war tome, Jerusalem.

It is high time we gave some space to Mr. Earle (and I don’t care what his friends call him!)

Song of the Week – If I’m Unworthy, Blake Mills

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Lately I’ve been listening to Blake Mills’ second album, Heigh Ho (released September 2014), on heavy rotation.

Mills is a hot new guitar slinger, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He’s an “in demand” musician that has worked with a who’s who of popular artists. He’s toured with Jenny Lewis, Fiona Apple, Lucinda Williams and Jackson Browne. He’s recorded with Weezer and Kid Rock. He’s produced albums for Conor Oberst and Alabama Shakes. He’s also worked with Beck, Norah Jones and Band of Horses. And he’s only 28 years old!

Producer Rick Rubin holds him in high regard and was quoted saying “Blake’s musicality is limitless. He happens to be a breathtaking guitar player; but his real talent lies in what he chooses to play and how.”

I might make the same comment but with a slight twist. I think his real talent lies in what he chooses NOT to play.

Take, for instance, today’s SotW – “If I’m Unworthy.”

Mills and his bandmates – Don Was on bass and drummer Jim Keltner – approach this song with a minimalist arrangement. Less is more. It’s all the empty spaces they leave that make the music so compelling. But then, about 2:25 into the song, things get noisier with a fuzzy, reverb drenched guitar solo that builds into a George Harrison sounding slide solo, then abruptly stops.

In an article in Premier Guitar Mills explained “I wanted the basic tacks, those live performances, to have a lot of space in them, so sometimes we would whittle down and simplify, but there weren’t a lot of ‘parts’ to begin with.”

Eric Clapton heard the slide guitar part Mills contributed to Natalie Maines’ cover of The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.”

He searched out the player and when he discovered it was Mills he invited him to play at his annual Crossroads benefit concert. Later, in a Rolling Stone interview with David Fricke, Clapton called Mills “the last guitarist I heard that I thought was phenomenal.”

That’s a pretty high compliment.

Enjoy… until next week.

Lunch Break: Bob Dylan, “Jokerman”

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Last Friday I was making my Passover Cheesecake (see Cheesecake post, in fact), streaming KTKE on the Bluetooth speaker Diane bought me for Valentine’s Day, and Jokerman, from Dylan’s album Infidels, was played.

It is a song I had not thought of for a while, but similarly, it is a song from an album I really dug when it came out, featuring Sly and Robbie holding down the rhythm section, and Mark Knopfler on guitar.

The thing is, Dylan has such a huge and extraordinary body of work that it is easy to simply forget about how many great songs over how many great periods Bobby has produced.

Hearing Jokerman was great in that it is really my favorite vocal period of Dylan’s, voice wise. His singing is so laid back and really sweet, especially on this cut.

I do find it interesting, though as I search through my archives and albums and CDs that as often as not I find myself going back to Bob, who is always so satisfying, irrespective of when and what he did.

Enjoy! Goes great with a cheeseburger and some curly fries, btw!

Bad Music: Stewie Griffin (aka Bryan Adams), “Everything I Do”

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OK, my love for Family Guy is widely known. I know, too much barf, too many farts, and sometimes there are routines and the producers simply cannot let go (Syrup of Ipecac barfing, Peter fighting the chicken, eg), but when they nail it, Family Guy nails it better than anyone. As in up there with Mad Magazine, The National Lampoon, Monty Python, SNL, you name it.

This particular selection is Stewie’s love video for Susie Swanson.

It’s awful (so is the song).

OTOH, these guys so nail sappy crappy MTV songs and videos in animated form, that what can I say?

Judge for yourself (keep the Syrup of Ipecac hand, however).