While we all weren't looking, somehow we fell right into the unofficial start of the summer. Didn't feel like it, did it? That's what weeks and weeks of chilly weather (we had 27 degrees and a dusting of snow just two weeks ago), plus most of us "non-essentials" are still sheltering at home.
I was trying to figure out what to say this week, and frankly, I just couldn't come up with anything. What's more to say aside from, yes, musicians are very much affected and can't do live gigs; only those via Zoom, Facebook or Instagram, and bands like the Rolling Stones, Twenty One Pilots and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day forcing themselves into recording at home about the pandemic.
But it's not like I had anything to say. In fact, during all this, I friended (or was friended) by three aspiring New Jersey singer-songwriters, who now have songs in my Top 30, and except for one, I had never heard of before the pandemic, but thanks to technology via social media, I have some fresh-faced artists to follow.
I was going to comment about the way this virus is being combated and how our elected officials or handing (or mishandling) the situation. Heck, there's even blow-ups between people from my hometown as to what is happening. For example, do we just stay home and believe our officials and social distance and wear masks, or is all of this a political farce of a situation where there is a ninety-nine percent survival rate and only older people and those with health issues are susceptible, and those who follow along are nothing more than "sheep"? Heck, I've seen both items next to each other in my News Feed recently. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Well, yours truly got out twice this past week to go geocaching...once with a friend who lives in my section of town, the other solo. Of course, we social distanced and were well away from anyone else. But still, I cannot believe that this is Memorial Day weekend. Normally, I would join friends in Roscoe, NY for the annual camping trip, where camaraderie, campfires, music would dominate the weekend. In fact, I had blogged on it several times in the past as music played a key part.
Perhaps because today is, in fact, a rainy Saturday that even if the coast was clear pandemic-wise, the weather would still cripple our activities. Maybe that's a blessing in disguise; one doesn't have to feel bad if the world is out there having fun and you're stuck at home. Most of the beaches on the Jersey Shore are open, with of course, restrictions---no swimming, social distancing on the beach, etc---which would have no doubt caused a problem with the masses, not only enhanced by the start of the unofficial summer, but finally, as Bruce Springsteen once eloquently put it, "sprung from cages".
So finally, albeit briefly, I had an idea come to my head, but since I've already spent six paragraphs rambling, I'll get to the point. Since 2020 is a bust thus far, it was time for me to look back at prior years. I had made photo and video montages of my years in review. I did 2010 last fall and just uploaded it to YouTube. I just completed 2011 (a long one, so I had to split it into two parts). I have started working on 2012, and plan to tweak my previously-completed 2018 and 2019.
Of course, these videos wouldn't be complete without a music background, in particular the music that I listened to that year, with a splash of oldies thrown in if the subject warranted it. For example, the band English Creek Road, formed during my high school years with fellow classmates which was popular around town back then, had reunited for a gig at Frenchy's, the dive bar in Roselle Park that I frequent. I didn't take a video of the band, but I dubbed in "Vehicle" a 1970 hit by The Ides of March, as that is was a staple of the group. Most of the songs selected were then-current songs that I listened to around the time of the events. Pretty cool, right? Nice and easy? Not so fast.
There's this thing called "copyright", which pretty much says that if you use work that somebody else created and owns, you pretty much can't use it. When I loaded videos directly to Facebook, many were "rejected" for that reason. Sometimes you got lucky in that it could not be used outside of the United States, in that case, the piece would be "muted out" of the video if you were abroad. Well, I would say much of my "audience" is in this country, so no problem. Still, it's a pain in the butt to work hard on this video (it takes a week or do to do) only to have it rejected.
I do get it. I wouldn't want my copyrighted work, which no doubt took quite awhile for the artist to write, arrange, record, produce and release, only to have it "stolen". We've seen what happened during the whole Napster thing twenty years ago (was it really that long ago?)
Well, I am not in it for the money. Sadly, Facebook makes it difficult to determine what songs were violating copyrights, since I use so many of them. But I just do it to relive the memories of a particular year and the music enhances it.
But while Facebook doesn't really give you any specifics, YouTube does. After having one of my videos rejected by FB, I loaded it onto YouTube. Well, not only does that platform let you keep the song on it, for the most part, it does let you know if you did violate anything. It will block a video is a song is absolutely not to be used, but more often will give somewhat of a warning message: "This video can't be monetized". In other words, you can keep the song in the video, but the artist will collect royalties each time the video is played, via ads that may run before or during the video.
While people might complain about ads interrupting a clip, that is fine with me. I get to keep the song in my video, while the artist gets compensated for this original work. That seems to be the best of both worlds! And again, I don't need to have it "monetized". I'm just in it for gravy.
PLAYLIST: It's still a very crazy situation at the top of my SNS 100 current playlist this week....it looks like a race with all winners. The top 15, in fact, at other times, could have topped my list in other weeks. But, The Outcrops, which just a year ago were out there at Hackettstown's Mayfest street festival (remember those?), still top my list with "Lost Days". But close behind are Gary Clark Jr (3-2), Caroline Rose (2-3 but still gaining points), and The Rolling Stones (7-4). Any of these songs could grab the brass ring next week, but I think the Stones might have the edge. People are still talking about the song, and it's the only one that is getting substantial airplay among the top four. The Outcrops is a local band, while Clark's album got some airplay last year. Rose's got some a few weeks ago, but I don't see it on any current chart. Still, much of what I list is what my personal tastes are and the national charts are only a guide to what is actually out there.
 |
| New Jersey's Donna Missal is trying hard to break through. She has the Top Debut this week, along with a song on my Top 20, as well as another playlist entry this week. |
As for my adds this week, the Top Debut goes to Donna Missal, with the just-released "Let You Let Me Down". If it seems like she is releasing a lot of music in rapid succession, you're probably correct. My hiatus had caused me to add "Get Well" which was released as a stand-alone single late last year. But since then, she has released "You Burned Me", "Hurt By You" and now "Let You Let Me Down". "You Burned Me" is actually on Mediabase's Triple-A chart and moving up. "Hurt By You" is still advancing in my Top 20. Unfortunately, she still hasn't hit a Billboard chart yet. Normally, I'll wait awhile before adding any follow-up's but I absolutely love the new song, which, while retaining the Triple-A and even Hot AC vibe, also harken back to her bluesy stance of her "Keep Lying" blog hit. Between all of these songs---and I may yet add "You Burned Me" if it keeps rising on Mediabase's chart, this artist from New Jersey is bound to hit the big time.
In the same situation is Winnetka Bowling League. The Matthew Koma led band, holds steady here at #5 with "CVS", a song which, while not making Billboard's chart, has hit top five on SiriusXM's Alt-18 and was on the Mediabase chart as well. A couple weeks back they released a new single, "Kangaroo". A much more rocking effort than the past couple of efforts, approaching "Kombucha", The band now has four songs on my playlist this week. While I am still taking time to like Matt Maeson's "Go Easy", I also add "Hallucinogenics", which is in the same vein. The same thing with Caamp, as "By and By" follows their top 20 "Peach Fuzz". Dayglow, Beabedoobee and Incubus are also added this week.
GOING FORWARD: I had reinstituted my blog two months ago in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, largely due to the fact that I had the time on my hands. With schools shut down, I am officially forced into retirement. And while the subject matters, as indicated in the first couple paragraph were all about the virus, it's gotten to the point of burnout. I mean, how many times can you talk about it, and at this point, we're all squirming to get back into action of sorts. While the music I've listened to is indeed top notch, the grind in coming up with a topic each week is tedious. While I do intend on updating my playlist each week, most likely it will not come with any write-up, unless of course there is significant news in the music word or an issue salient to me. While not a hiatus per se, I still intend on listening to new music probably through the end of the year. I would, however, love to do an article on each of the three friends I alluded to earlier: Christina Alessi, C Lynne Smith, and Elise Farnsworth, similar to what I did with Tom Corea, and hopefully I'll be able to at some point, as no doubt they'd have an interesting story as to why they chose music. I'll add another favorite of friends, Avi Wisnia probably next week and will keep up the new music coming and continue to mine discoveries of local artists. Once again, I'll be tracking my "song of the summer", and August will be the tenth anniversary of this blog. But for now with the warmer weather, I'd rather roam around outside than behind my PC in my office room.
Hang in there, stay safe, and rock on!!!!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
May 17, 2020
|
This
Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Peace of Mind
(4 weeks at #1)
|
9
|
|
2
|
3
|
8
|
|
|
3
|
2
|
7
|
|
|
4
|
7
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
5
|
7
|
|
|
6
|
9
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
11
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
8
|
11
|
|
|
9
|
10
|
8
|
|
|
10
|
12
|
6
|
|
|
11
|
14
|
6
|
|
|
12
|
4
|
9
|
|
|
13
|
16
|
5
|
|
|
14
|
6
|
27
|
|
|
15
|
17
|
7
|
|
|
16
|
19
|
8
|
|
|
17
|
21
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
Album: I Can Feel You Forgetting Me
|
5
|
|
18
|
15
|
12
|
|
|
19
|
20
|
7
|
|
|
20
|
13
|
11
|
|
|
21
|
18
|
16
|
|
|
22
|
25
|
4
|
|
|
23
|
24
|
7
|
|
|
24
|
27
|
7
|
|
|
25
|
30
|
4
|
|
|
26
|
26
|
11
|
|
|
27
|
49
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
Album: Turn Her Up
|
3
|
|
28
|
32
|
6
|
|
|
29
|
44
|
5
|
|
|
30
|
29
|
12
|
|
|
31
|
22
|
13
|
|
|
32
|
37
|
5
|
|
|
33
|
36
|
6
|
|
|
34
|
42
|
8
|
|
|
35
|
45
|
4
|
|
|
36
|
23
|
8
|
|
|
37
|
46
|
5
|
|
|
38
|
47
|
5
|
|
|
39
|
48
|
4
|
|
|
40
|
28
|
17
|
|
|
41
|
41
|
8
|
|
|
42
|
43
|
9
|
|
|
43
|
39
|
20
|
|
|
44
|
51
|
6
|
|
|
45
|
34
|
17
|
|
|
46
|
59
|
3
|
|
|
47
|
31
|
15
|
|
|
48
|
33
|
17
|
|
|
49
|
35
|
15
|
|
|
50
|
69
|
2
|
|
|
51
|
38
|
14
|
|
|
52
|
63
|
3
|
|
|
53
|
71
|
2
|
|
|
54
|
60
|
5
|
|
|
55
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
(Single Only)
|
1
|
|
56
|
55
|
9
|
|
|
57
|
40
|
13
|
|
|
58
|
61
|
5
|
|
|
59
|
74
|
2
|
|
|
60
|
83
|
2
|
|
|
61
|
56
|
35
|
|
|
62
|
65
|
4
|
|
|
63
|
57
|
11
|
|
|
64
|
62
|
18
|
|
|
65
|
66
|
6
|
|
|
66
|
50
|
16
|
|
|
67
|
67
|
4
|
|
|
68
|
53
|
23
|
|
|
69
|
58
|
17
|
|
|
70
|
72
|
2
|
|
|
71
|
52
|
13
|
|
|
72
|
86
|
2
|
|
|
73
|
88
|
2
|
|
|
74
|
54
|
16
|
|
|
75
|
73
|
3
|
|
|
76
|
78
|
3
|
|
|
77
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
78
|
80
|
3
|
|
|
79
|
77
|
3
|
|
|
80
|
64
|
9
|
|
|
81
|
76
|
4
|
|
|
82
|
79
|
5
|
|
|
83
|
75
|
4
|
|
|
84
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
85
|
68
|
22
|
|
|
86
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
87
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
88
|
84
|
12
|
|
|
89
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
90
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
91
|
90
|
3
|
|
|
92
|
----
|
1
|
|
|
93
|
82
|
9
|
|
|
94
|
93
|
2
|
|
|
95
|
97
|
7
|
|
|
96
|
70
|
20
|
|
|
97
|
81
|
15
|
|
|
98
|
87
|
16
|
|
|
99
|
89
|
28
|
|
|
100
|
96
|
9
|
|
|
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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