Saturday, April 18, 2020

Cyber Clubbing and Concert Goings (SNS week of 4/12/2020)


I don't know about you, but our continued "quarantining" and "social distancing" and "sheltering in place" is all becoming a blur.    I'm sure that, like me, you're losing track of what day of the week it is, and heck, what time of the month.    I had reactivated this blog four weeks ago and it seems like I'm either writing a new one every few days, or at least listening to new music (and old stuff too) and refreshing my "currents" playlist every couple days or so.    It seems that way, anyway, even though I'm really doing this once a week.  

If you're a "non essential" worker, chances are that you're spending most of your time at home, and if you do get out, you're wearing a mask, gloves and practicing that "distancing".     And we've gotten used to the fact that any social activities and events or pretty much out of the question.

So, what are we actually doing?   Well, I sort of answered my question in the first paragraph above.  Between posting old music and listening and downloading new music, that's pretty much what I've been doing.    Sunny days, I've braved the chilly weather and brought my iPod and Bluetooth out in my yard and soaked up the sun and/or doing some yard work.    And getting into some dig-deep new music that you could never find these days on terrestrial radio.    And loving the sounds that come with it.

If you've read my prior blogs, or simply scroll down to my current playlist (The Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100", you'll notice that there's an increasing plethora of artists that are "obscure" and "up and coming".  Perhaps, "Aspiring" would be  the better word for them. While I've always been fans of those wanting to be heard, it's increased many-fold over the past few weeks.      That is helped by many of these artists and bands, unable to perform gigs at a local pub or concert venue, being forced to take to social media and perform acoustically in their own home, or alone in a studio.

As a guy in his early....soon to be middle.....sixties, my clubbing days are well behind me.    Being a Jersey boy, I, back in the day, went to many nightclubs back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, and being exposed to local bands that played these clubs, not only at the Jersey shore area but also up north.    We became followers of several of them, and we'd look at the entertainment section of the newspaper, or some local music tabloids like The Aquarian.

Some of the clubs that I frequented back in my heyday were Squires at Far Hills, in Bridgewater; The Lighthouse in Hopatcong; The Royal Manor North in North Brunswick, The Captains Wheel in Edison, and Harper's in Union, just to name a few.     Then, of course, the Shore bars like The Headliner, The Osprey,  Mary's Husband's Pub, The Tropical Pub, The Chatterbox; heck I could go on.  Each of them, aside from deejay music, had provided live music to those party-goers.  Many of those band were essentially cover bands and that was all they would play.   Some, like Twisted Sister, who I had caught at the Final Exam back in 1982, would go on to national success.   And of course, The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, started out in various shore area bands and played in bars, and we know he became a superstar, although I've yet to catch him in concert.

Of course, none of these places exist anymore, only in our minds, as well as a Facebook discussion page devoted to them.   However, that's not to say that today's up-and-coming performers don't have anywhere to play, because they do.   There are still clubs, pubs and restaurants that feature artists, as well as various festivals that go on.   Readers of this blog know very well that I have "discovered" many of them in my travels.   And while some of the acts don't play until after 9 PM and would involve having to go into the city to catch them, many just happen to be where I am, and some, that I had never heard of, I became acquainted with, and eventually a "fan".

But the situation with COVID-19 has caused all that to cease, at least for now, and as I've mentioned in prior blogs, where can these artists play and be heard.   Enter  Social media, to the rescue.    Two weeks ago, I featured online performances by Matthew Koma from Winnetka Bowling League,  Hegazy, Shannon Marsyada, and C. Lynne Smith.   While these are acoustic performances and not full-fledged instrument set-ups, they offer the chance for fans to not only catch their favorite performers, but also to interact with them.  

Of course, these "concerts" from home aren't a new thing and just limited to these aspiring artists.   Chris Martin of Coldplay was the first to do this.  Last month, he was supposed to do a concert with his band, but the gig got canceled.   He came up with the idea of doing an acoustic "show" from his home as he is isolated from the rest of the band.   You can check out his performance here.



Logo for the historic concert featuring performers around the world in their respective homes, to benefit the healthcare worker and others on the front lines, taking place on April 18.



Other big names, like Bono, John Legend, and others have followed suit.   And on Saturday, April 18 (which is today as I am completing this), there will be a "worldwide concert" that will be televised featuring Martin, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Billie Eilish,  and many others performing from their homes.  "One World: Together At Home" will be broadcast over many streaming platforms and broadcast networks.  The cyber-concert will benefit those essential workers, both on the healthcare industry and others on the front lines working and keeping the world turning.   The concert starts at 8 PM Eastern Time.


Getting back to the locals, this week alone, I caught three more performances:   Another by Matthew Koma (who really isn't a 'local' although is good friends with a couple of my friends....I briefly caught a performance of "CVS"), plus Christina Alessi, an artist who I've been following the last couple years or so, from North Jersey, and finally Avi Wisnea, an artist from the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, who was recommended to me from my friends Suzanne Logeman and Diane Carson, who had also introduced me to C. Lynne Smith as well.

Christina Alessi's  "Leave A Light On", and the current "The Truth's Upon Us" have appeared on my playlist in recent years.  She and her band The Toll Collectors have been playing the North Jersey circuit for several years now.  The latter song, in my current top 10, is from her 2018 debut solo, self-titled EP.   I would also like to welcome Christina here as a new Facebook friend!  Both my wife and myself had worked with her brother Phil at a company about ten years ago; Phil was in the band Dark Sacrament which grazed my top 20 back then.   Here is Christina's performance that she streamed this week:

Christina Alessi Acoustic - 4-15-20


Avi Wisnia is an artist new to me.    He is a keyboard player and describes his music as a "cross between John Legend and Sara Bareilles, the latter who I've also likened to another Pennsylvanian, Shannon Marsyada to.....I think they'd be ripe for a duet!    Anyway, yesterday, he streamed the second of his performances.  His music is a mix of Bossa Nova, 50's-style jazz, folk and contemporary pop.     He will be an artist I will be looking into further in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here is his stream from April 16.

Avi Wisnia Home Concert 2 - 4-16-20



THE PLAYLIST:   As my current playlist, dubbed Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 continues to be updated each week, more and more of these aspiring artists are being added, both many of these locals that I've gotten to know as well as national acts that are still considered obscure.  For example, Tennis, the husband-and-wife duo, return to my top spot with "Runner" and have the Top Debut with "Need Your Love".   The duo has been a favorite of mine since 2012, but the latter song is the first in my memory to be on alternative rock station WEQX (Albany/Manchester VT) current playlist.   It is in their usual soulful style and should be another winner.  Their latest album, Swimmer, was released in February.

In the runner-up spot is "Slow Dances" by Winnetka Bowling League, led by the aforementioned Matthew Koma.   As mentioned earlier, he has had several "concerts", the most recent also featured his wife, actress Hilary Duff.  While his band is forced to the sidelines, they keep releasing new product.   Aside from "Slow Dances" at #2, WBL's "CVS" jumps to #17 in its second week, and on April 16, the band announced yet a new single, "Kangaroo".   This seems to be keeping in line with many bands releasing singles every few weeks.  That's fine, I love these guys, keep 'em coming!

But it's the Jersey artists that are garnering my attention.   I talked a little about the Outcrops in the past, another North Jersey band.   Their song, the groovy, easy-going and soulful "Lost Days" jumps to my #7 position this week.  They have a concert scheduled in Clinton in May, which of course still might be canceled.   But two members of this band, Cassidy Rain and Bryan Schroeder, offer an acoustic performance on YouTube, a cover of "Please Be With Me", which originally featured Duane Allman on guitar.   Take a look:

Cassidy Rain and Bryan Schroeder of The Outcrops - 4-10-20


Paul Czekaj of Flanders moves up to the #9 spot with The Painter of the Sky, and while both Czekaj and the Outcrops push Christina Alessi's "The Truth's Upon Us" down to the #10 spot, it's still gaining my attention.  

Shannon Marsyada, while not from Jersey (she hails from Hazelton PA), is taking the quarantine in stride.  She is preparing a new release, most likely a Christmas album, but in the meantime, it was time for another from her fantastic Oceans set.  Last fall, I did a review of her and that CD, and at the time I suggested that "Say It More" might make a good single.  So it was time to add that to my playlist; little did I know at the time, there was a proper video of the song that was posted over a year ago.  Scroll down to my playlist below and click on the song for the video.

Two other Jersey artists are added, both with songs that have been around for a long time.   C. Lynne Smith's 2006 EP, Real, features the title track.   While her Facebook page indicates a new CD that was due in 2019, and hopefully that will still be released, for now I look at her initial work.   If you are a fan of vintage country music, this track is right up your alley.    It does have a contemporary flair to it, and is an awesome mix of country and blues, and this is a perfect ballad.    I am sure we will be hearing more from her soon, but in the meantime, I will enjoy this unique (at least from the other music I'm listening) song and arrangement.  She will be doing another live stream on Facebook on April 18.

The other Jersey band I added has its roots in Asbury Park, circle early 1990s, Sea of Otters.   The band played the clubs down there and even got airplay on the now defunct "Modern Rock at the Jersey Shore" station WHTG-FM.    The band, fronted by FB friend Nicholas Ciavatta, re-formed in the early 2010's, basing themselves in Jersey City.   Their self-titled album was released in 2015 but contained many of their classic material.   From what I understand, the band is still together, but of course, on hiatus these days.    The track I selected was "I Tend to Offend", which has been in their repertoire for quite awhile.    The link I provided was at a performance at Jersey City's "Groove on Grove" festival back in 2011.     It's a straight-ahead blues bar-band rocker that's been sorely missing of late.    A fellow Roselle Park classmate, Trish Szymanski, was briefly a member of the band in the early 2010's and she appears in the video playing tambourine.  

The Psychedelic Furs release their first album in 29 years, "Made of Rain".


LOVE MY WAY: Other songs I added this week are the latest from Best Coast, Beach Bunny (both bands already have their previous songs still on my list, a result of my recent hiatus), and the return of The Psychedelic Furs, the new-wave/alternative band fronted by Richard Butler.   In their prime they had big gems like "Love My Way" and "The Ghost in You", before splitting in 1992.   Butler then formed Love Spit Love which lasted a few years.   The Furs reunited in 2000, but their new song "Don't Believe" is their first new release since the reunion, with the album Made of Rain, due May 1, their first since 1991's World Outside.   The sound of "Don't Believe", while featuring the unmistakable sound of Butler, the sound is more ambient and more of a progressive sound that they were originally noted for.    As they were one of my favorites of the 1980's, it's great to have them back.


The final add this week is "Shangri-La" by EOB, which is the stage name of Ed O'Brien of the band Radiohead.



Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist

April 12, 2020




This Week
Last Week
ARTIST-Title
Weeks on List
1
2
NUMBER ONE:


Album: Swimmer
(2 weeks at #1)
7
2
5
6
3
1
11
4
4
9
5
6
8
6
3
10
7
20
4
8
7
12
9
10
4
10
8
22
11
13
6
12
9
11
13
16
11
14
17
12
15
34
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:


Album: This Land
3
16
18
8
17
38
2
18
11
18
19
12
15
20
22
10
21
15
12
22
14
15
23
19
10
24
27
8
25
26
7
26
40
3
27
45
2
28
21
13
29
31
12
30
61
MOVER OF THE WEEK:



Album: Superstar
2
31
28
30
32
30
11
33
36
7
34
23
12
35
25
17
36
24
13
37
32
14
38
29
14
39
42
6
40
52
3
41
54
3
42
33
13
43
37
23
44
35
10
45
50
4
46
--- 
TOP DEBUT:




Album: Swimmer
1
47
70
2
48
60
2
49
53
4
50
69
2
51
 ---
1
52
57
4
53
39
10
54
43
19
55
44
25
56
74
2
57
49
15
58
59
4
59
48
8
60
73
3
61
41
11
62
64
6
63
75
3
64
63
4
65
76
3
66
51
13
67
46
7
68
56
14
69
79
2
70
 ---
1
71
47
9
72
 ---
1
73
55
15
74
68
6
75
71
29
76
81
3
77
--- 
1
78
65
17
79
58
9
80
72
24
81
66
15
82
77
4
83
 ---
1
84
 --- 
1
85
67
6
86
 ---
1
87
62
13
88
78
3
89
80
28
90
85
40
91
83
29
92
82
23
93
86
7
94
84
9
95
87
12
96
88
19
97
89
12
98
90
18
99
91
23
100
92
36






Songs with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.   ● Songs with 25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲   Songs with 50 or more plays.




























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