It's a Long Way to Go, But It's a Start (SNS week of 7/19/2020)

Still a bit behind here, but I would like to address the current situation with COVID-19 and how much slowly live performances are coming back.    While the number of cases has, in some state, decreased, others have experienced a resurgence, and some states have limited entry from affected states whose numbers are on the rise.     The good news is that New Jersey, and to an extent, Pennsylvania has, at least permitted outdoor areas, and in rare cases, indoor ones as well.

Two of my blog's favorite indie artists, C. Lynne Smith, and Shannon Marsyada, were able to perform live, acoustically, for the first time in months.    Shannon performed in Sheppton,PA,  at the Montfort Hotel Lounge and Cabana Bar, in what appeared to be a tent, presumably outside the facility.   Glad to see Shannon back out there and performing.    C. Lynne also performed live for , at the West Cape May farmer's market on July 21; one month earlier she played her original material in Wildwood's Westside Saloon.

Congrats to Shannon and C. Lynne for getting the music back out there!    And looking forward one of these days to traveling the two hours (either south or west) to catch them perform!!

Anyway, briefly, what I was listening to last week:  Pepper again, leads the live for the fifth week in a row with "Change".   The reggae song is such an update romp and chases away the negativity every time I hear it.   Sadly, it's not on any national playlists or local stations as well.    If you want to know the reason why I don't listen to the radio that music, you can stop right there.   Ditto with the #2 song, Delacey's "Chapel", which moves up to #2 and is closely behind Pepper.    Again, no airplay at all on this one, even though it was a follow-up to the charted "My Man".   With Donna Missal's "How Does It Feel" moving 15-10, she now has two songs in the top 10, both from her new album Lighter.   

Added this week are the long-awaited (for me, anyway) new My Morning Jacket, "Feel You", more of a surreal, dreamy-pop effort this time around.  The album, Waterfall II, is a sequel of sorts to 2015's Waterfall, and much of the new album are the same sessions that were included on that prior effort; "Big Decisions" from that set made my top 10.  Next is from a longtime fave band, The Jayhawks, with "This Forgotten Town", from their latest album XOXO.  In the style that I've remembered from them (their Hollywood Town Hall album from 1992 is a fave of that decade), a great slice of Americana and Triple-A heaven, as well as its 1995 follow-up, Tomorrow the Green Grass with "Blue" that was in my year-end top 10 for that year.   Saint Motel followed up their blog top 5 "Van Horn" with "A Good Song Never Dies".   They also released another song "Preach" as well, but for now I'm going with the former. 

At some point, I will need to do a blog on the Jersey City music scene, thanks in part to Nicholas Ciavetta, and his "Friggin' Fabulous Productions".    Ciavetta, a member of shore-cum-Jersey City class band Sea of Otters, which recently hit my top 20 with the shore classic "I Tend to Offend" (from the band's 2015 self-titled effort), weekly introduces a local, acoustic show, with the pandemic continuing, introducing many aspiring artists playing from their homes.    No doubt when the pandemic subsides, he'll present live shows as well.  One such regular artist in John Wilkey, who performs regularly.   This week, I add "Giddy" from his 2014 indie-released The Heart Stays on the Sleeve. A nice, straight-ahead rock effort.  With the Otters still on the playlist and last week's add of The Milwaukees, look for more JC artists to be added in the coming weeks. 

The latest from Billie Eilish and Goo Goo Dolls complete the week's new  music.

Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist

July 19, 2020

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Weeks on List
1	1	NUMBER ONE: PEPPER "Change" Album: Local Motion (5 weeks at #1)	13
2	3	Delacey  - Chapel	14
3	2	Donna Missal - Let You Let Me Down	10
4	4	MGMT - In the Afternoon	11
5	9	Real Estate ft Sylvan Esso - Paper Cup	6
6	7	Screen Age - Blue Eyed Addiction	11
7	10	King Tappa - No Drama	9
8	11	Winnetka Bowling League - Kangaroo	10
9	6	The Rolling Stones - Living in a Ghost Town	13
10	15	Donna Missal - How Does It Feel	5
11	12	Eliza and the Delusionals - Pull Apart Heart	9
12	14	MyKey ft. Cavetown -Was It Something I Said?	8
13	16	Foster the People - Lamb's Wool	8
14	5	Neon Trees - Used to Like	14
15	8	Elise Farnsworth - Safety Net	12
16	25	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK: BAKAR "Hell N Back" Album: Will You Be My Yellow?	4
17	18	Colony House - Original Material	8
18	20	Nick Waterhouse - Wreck the Rod	7
19	13	Benee - Glitter	14
20	28	ZZ Ward - Break Her Heart	7
21	27	Avi Wisnia - Sky Blue Sky	9
22	33	AJR - Bang!	14
23	42	Milky Chance and Jack Johnson - Don't Let Me Down	5
24	21	Blake Shelton ft Gwen Stefani - Nobody But You	11
25	32	Ray LaMontagne - Strong Enough	7
26	17	C. Lynne Smith - Real	15
27	19	The Outcrops - Lost Days●	18
28	22	Beabadoobee - She Plays Bass	10
29	26	Avi Buffalo - Skeleton Painting	12
30	24	Haim - The Steps	12
31	29	Kjband - Life Without Complications	11
32	38	Pretenders - The Buzz	5
33	31	Best Coast - Everything Has Changed	15
34	34	Twenty-One Pilots - Level of Concern	13
35	23	Gary Clark Jr - Pearl Cadillac	17
36	40	Halsey - You Should Be Sad	12
37	45	The Regrettes - What Am I Gonna Do Today	4
38	44	Caroline Rose - Do You Think We'll Last Forever	7
39	30	Caroline Rose - Feel The Way I Want	16
40	73	MOVER OF THE WEEK: ELISE FARNSWORTH "In the Morning Light" Album: Turn Her Up	2
41	48	Finneas - Let's Fall in Love For the Night	8
42	46	The Big Takeover - Weight of the World	8
43	35	Tennis - Need Your Love	15
44	39	Tame Impala - Lost in Yesterday	13
45	56	Black Pumas - Colors	6
46	36	Donna Missal - Hurt By You	14
47	57	Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto	4
48	37	Molly Burch - Needy	14
49	55	Weezer - Hero	6
50	52	Norah Jones - I'm Alive	8
51	53	Dayglow - Can I Call You Tonight	10
52	43	Shannon Marsyada - Say It More	15
53	74	Delta Spirit - How About It	2
54	65	Christina Alessi - So In Love With You	3
55	41	Sea of Otters - I Tend to Offend	15
56	51	Tennis - Runner●	21
57	70	Guards - So It Goes	3
58	47	Amber Arcades - Where Did You Go	17
59	62	The Beths - Dying to Believe	5
60	49	Winnetka Bowling League - CVS	16
61	50	Black Pumas - Fire	20
62	64	Major Lazer ft Marcus Mumford - Lay Your Head On Me	9
63	72	The Lumineers - Salt and the Sea	4
64	54	Michael Kiwanuka - Rolling	16
65	66	Wallows - OK	7
66	71	The Jacks - Threw It All Away	14
67	68	Michael Kiwanuka - Hero●	25
68	78	Awolnation - Mayday Fiesta Fever	3
69	83	Mallrat -Groceries	8
70	88	The Milwaukees - No Way Out	2
71	---	TOP DEBUT: MY MORNING JACKET "Feel You" Album: The Waterfall II	1
72	80	The Head and the Heart - Honeybee	3
73	58	The 1975 - Me and You Together Song	12
74	63	Beach Bunny - Dream Boy	15
75	81	The Backseat Lovers - Kilby Girl	2
76	59	The Black Keys - Shine A Little Light	16
77	87	Dreamers - Heat Seeker	2
78	85	Echosmith - Lonely Generation	3
79	---	The Jayhawks - This Forgotten Town	1
80	---	Saint Motel - A Good Song Never Dies	1
81	79	Noah Cyrus ft Leon Bridges - July	7
82	60	Cold War Kids - Who's Gonna Love Me Now	16
83	69	Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now	21
84	---	John Wilkey - Giddy	1
85	61	Cage the Elephant - Black Madonna	17
86	---	Goo Goo Dolls - Fearless	1
87	90	The Killers - My Own Soul's Warning	3
88	67	Fitz and the Tantrums - Living For the Weekend	13
89	94	The 1975 - If You're Too Shy	2
90	92	Mt. Joy - Strangers	3
91	---	Billie Eilish - Ilomilo	1
92	86	Paul Czekaj - Painter of the Sky	18
93	77	Bahamas - Way With Words	4
94	82	Nathaniel Rateliff - Time Stands	5
95	76	John Cragie - Part Wolf	4
96	75	The Griswolds - All My Friends	9
97	84	Katy Perry - Daisies	5
98	91	Christina Alessi - The Truth's Upon us	36
99	98	Billie Joe Armstrong - I Think We're Alone Now	11
100	89	The Killers - Caution	17

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.