Happy Hour with Oscar Peterson's Daughter - Pt. 2

Last night, I enjoyed Beegie Adair's most recent Happy Hour episode, featuring the late jazz pianist Oscar Peterson's youngest daughter, Celine Peterson.  Happy Hour with Beegie is always delightful, but this session had me laughing out loud several times; especially thanks to Tidwell's dreams of Metamucil endorsements.

A Look Back: Will Gray EP Packaging

I've blogged a bit about the late singer/songwriter Will Gray before.  But I've never shared the unique packaging in which his 2007 EP, Introducing Will Gray, appeared.  I assume that Gray, himself, was behind the choices, as his previous trio, Scratch Track (née Eclipse), once released a recording in a folded, brown paper sack.  I applaud his creative courage and deem the design package worth noting.

A Look Back: OTR @ 12&P

As I continue to comb through my music collection, I continue to find mementos and keepsakes that I squirreled away over the years.  I believe I have yet to properly document the Over the Rhine show (pictured above) at 12th & Porter in Nashville, Tenn. on Oct. 19, 2003, literally two months after their two-disc opus Ohio was released.

Happy Hour with Oscar Peterson's Daughter - Pt. 1

On Saturday night, I watched Beegie Adair's most recent Happy Hour episode, featuring the late jazz pianist Oscar Peterson's youngest daughter, Celine Peterson.  Happy Hour with Beegie is always a treasure trove of terrific historical, musical and personal stories; this happy hour was no exception.

Exit/In in Danger of Closure

I attended at least seven shows at Exit/In during my tenure in Nashville.  Although I am no fan of standing-room-only venues, I certainly oppose E/I's closure.  Last month, my spouse and I contributed to a GoFundMe campaign to save the historic, 50-year-old concert hall.

A Look Back: Sarah Masen's Self-Released Albums & Artwork

In 2007, singer/songwriter Sarah Masen self released three EPs, Magic That Works, Woman's Work Is Alchemy, and A History of Lights and Shadows.  I still have the mailer in which she sent them to me (above) and, based on the various autographs that I collected over the years, it appears to be addressed by her own hand.  Additionally, I believe -- although with no concrete evidence -- that she designed, not only the mailer, but the EP sleeves herself; perhaps with spray paint, among other mediums (below).

 

A Look Back: Going to High School with Kyle Cook

I went to a small town high school, in the same class as Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty (shown above on the left, in the foreground, in a candid photo the school yearbook advisor gave to me because my sister is in the shot, as well).  At our graduation ceremony, while I sang a "That's What Friends Are For" duet with Kama Eaton, Cook sang Pearl Jam's "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," accompanying himself on acoustic guitar.  The very next year, he joined Matchbox and put out a hit record (pictured below) a mere year later.

A Look Back: Music Memoirs I've Read

I love hearing people's stories; especially if they are music related.  Over the years, I have read the following artists' autobiographies, biographies and memoirs.

• Moonwalk: A Memoir by Michael Jackson
• Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer by Chely Wright
• Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller by Marshall Chapman
• Me by Ricky Martin
• Amy, My Daughter by Mitch Winehouse  
• Society's Child by Janis Ian
• Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield
• Facing the Music: My Story by Jennifer Knapp
• Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut by Rob Sheffield
• Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross
• Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir by Carrie Brownstein
• Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus
• Lynnee Breedlove's One Freak Show by Lynn Breedlove
• Joan Jett by Todd Oldham
• Girl in a Band: A Memoir by Kim Gordon 
• Revenge of the She-Punks:A Feminist Music History from Poly Styrene to Pussy Riot by Vivien Goldman
  

A Look Back: The Time That dc Talk Wrote Me Back

As I've noted before, I was a member of dc Talk's fan club in high school.  I wrote to the "rap, rock and soul" trio at least once and -- if memory serves me -- to the "rock" factor, Kevin Max, twice, on his birthday.  The summer of 1993, the "2 honks & a negro" (or, most likely, their staff) responded in kind.  I've kept their postcard to this day.