Blog Post
Allen Lanier, co-founder of Blue Öyster Cult, has died
by sernabad
Allen Lanier, co-founder of Blue Öyster Cult, died August 14.
Lanier, a multi-talented musician, formed the band, Soft White Underbelly in 1967. It morphed into Blue Öyster Cult in 1971. Except for a two-year absence, Lanier stayed with the band until his retirement in 2006.
In addition to playing keyboard and guitar, he wrote a couple of songs for BOC including In Thee, from the 1998 album, Heaven Forbid.
In addition to his work with BOC, he collaborated with several other rockers. He and Patti Smith co-wrote Elegie from her album, Horses (1975), in which he also played guitar. Smith wrote about their personal and professional relationship in her popular 2010 autobiography, Just Kids. He also played keyboard, uncredited, for The Clash's Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad, which can be heard on The Essential Clash ( 2003).
Lanier, long suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) due to his heavy smoking habit, reunited with Blue Öyster Cult last November for a one-time performance in New York.
Lanier, who was a voracious reader (comparative religions was one of his favorite subjects) was just 67 years old when he died.
Blog Post
LISTEN!! Digital Music News: Mellow Teen Rock, A Messe is a Mass, Djun Djun Anyone?
by darla
YOU can access over 1,000 digital music albums directly through our AADL.org catalog. Stream or download as much as you like, DRM free, on any device you choose. No waiting for a copy. No due dates. Hooray!
FOLK / ROCK
Connor Thuotte: Guitar Driven Alternative Rock
This strictly acoustic singer/songwriter styled work is carried along by story-teller lyrics and soothing vocals. The twelve song album embodies the California surfer vibe while providing uplifting melodies to contrast the calming chord progressions. Sunblind is Connor Thuotte's first album and was recorded when Connor was just sixteen years old.
CLASSICAL / BAROQUE
Craig Hanson: Exquisitely Moving Baroque Organ Music
François Couperin (1668- 1733) was a French composer more commonly known for his harpsichord music, despite his 55 plus years spent as a church organist. The Mass for the Convents is one of only two organ pieces that he wrote and was paired with another organ mass called Messe des Paroisses, or The Mass for the Parishes, both dating between the years 1689 and 1690. The Mass shows Couperin's charm and poetic nature throughout, and is considered one of his great accomplishments, particularly considering his young age at the time of its creation.
WORLD / NEW AGE
To Life: Tribal Landscapes, Rhythmic Dance, Hypnotic Trance.
TASABASABA fuses North African, Middle Eastern, and contemporary grooves to create a unique and compelling trance music genre. "Funky World Global" has been used to describe the sound, although one might want to add 'tribal', 'organic', and 'soulful' to the mix. African djun djuns and aboriginal didjeridoo drive the primal rhythm, made contemporary by this fresh California group. This is the first full-length release from the Bay Area World Music Trio "To Life!".
Blog Post
JJ Cale, revered singer-songwriter, has died
by sernabad
JJ Cale, known as the founder of 'the Tulsa Sound' for his brilliant understated sensitivity on the guitar, coupled with his minimalist lyrics and his passion for the engineering side of the sound studio, has died.
Cale was late in getting his music out there. His first album, Naturally was released in 1972 when he was 33. It contained the song, Crazy Mama which made it to #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart that year. By his own admission, Cale wouldn't have minded the fortune, but eschewed the fame. So it wasn't until Eric Clapton joined forces with Cale on their Emmy-winning album, Road to Escondido (2006) that Cale was reluctantly drawn back into the limelight.
Cale claimed that his genius in the recording studio where he discovered the power of drum machines, was born of necessity. In an interview with Aaron Kayce, Cale told him, "I first started out doing that because of the economics; I didn't have enough money to hire a band. Now that I have enough money to hire a band, I still like that; it's kind of an art form in itself."
Cale's roster of Blues artists who sing his praises is impressive: First and foremost is Eric Clapton who said, "...I was impressed by the subtlety by what wasn't being played." Neil Young also weighed in on Cale: "JJ's the one who played all that s*** first...he's got that thing. I don't know what it is."
On February 23, 2009, Critic Michael Corcoran wrote in the Austin American Statesman "...Cale serves the blues rock like the best $1.99 breakfast you've ever had...Nobody can hit it hard and soft at the same time, and still carry a melody, like this 70-year-old boogie minimalist."
JJ Cale's death, at 74 of a heart attack last Friday, brings to mind his lyrics of Roll On's final cut, "enough is enough, can't do it no more/ Bring down the curtain, close the door."
Blog Post
AADL Talks To Herb David
by oldnews
On April 12, 1962, the Herb David Guitar Studio opened in a basement on South State and one of the great success stories in Ann Arbor and the music business began. AADL talked to Herb David shortly after the closing of his landmark studio on East Liberty, almost 51 years to the day the studio opened. Herb's influence extends beyond the students he taught to love music, the musicians who bought his handmade instruments, the local bands he nurtured and promoted, to the top musicians that visited his studio to talk "shop" and discovered David's wide range of interests in philosophy, cultures and travel. Herb's genuine concern for his community and the power of music to transform lives as well as his great sense of humor shine through in this podcast.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| AADL_Talks_To-Herb_David.mp3 | 18.4 MB |
Blog Post
LISTEN!! Digital Music News: Rub a Dub Dub, Modern Jazz, Does Brad Really Suck?
by darla
YOU can access over 1,000 digital music albums directly through our AADL.org catalog. Stream or download as much as you like, DRM free, on any device you choose. No waiting for a copy. No due dates. Hooray!
ELECTRONICA
Burning Babylon: Super Fine Dub
Give a listen to the superfine dub of Knives To The Treble by Burning Babylon. Hypnotic beats, synthie sound carpets, excellent effects—it's one of those albums you'll find yourself putting on again and again. Subtly funky beats range from the 70s oriented "Roots Fi Cool" to technoid dubs like "Babylon Overdrive" to the heavy mellow groove of "King Dubby". Positive, laid back, deeply cool.
JAZZ / BLUES
Park St Trio: Catchy, Melodic Jazz For All Occasions
Like Goodnight Daylight, the first Park St. Trio album, 3 Plus 5 was recorded to 1-inch tape with no overdubs, no "fixing" of notes, no redos. On this album, what you hear is what they played. In the studio the band did three takes per song and selected their favorite one. True to the art of jazz, they invited a number of guest musicians, five to be exact, to record with them to add excitement, depth and unpredictability to the music. Recorded at Little Red Wagon Studios, and mastered at Headless Buddha Studios, the outcome is a catchy, quality album that establishes Park St. Trio on the Bay Area jazz scene.
ROCK / FUNK
Brad Sucks: Brilliantly Sardonic Indie Rock
Guess Who's a Mess is the third self-recorded and produced release from Brad Sucks. A more uptempo and aggressive outing than I Don't Know What I'm Doing (2003) and Out of It (2008), Guess Who's a Mess mixes funky beats, noisy synths and big guitars with Brad's wry, world-weary vocals about handling people's expectations and learning to be true to yourself.
Blog Post
Opening Night Concert at the Bandshell
by amy
Wednesday, June 19, 2013, marks the opening concert for the Ann Arbor Civic Band summer season! All performances will take place in the West Park bandshell. As you can see from this 1943 photograph of the old bandshell, lounging in the grass before this A2 landmark is a summer tradition that goes back many years. Read about the history of West Park in Oldnews, and catch some of the recent photographs we've posted detailing the construction of the original bandshell in 1938.
Blog Post
LISTEN!! Digital Music News: Dream Pop, Toot Your Flute, Where is Skultuna?
by darla
YOU can access over 1,000 digital music albums directly through our AADL.org catalog. Stream or download as much as you like, DRM free, on any device you choose. No waiting for a copy. No due dates. Hooray!
POP / ROCK
Yongen: Transnational Dream Pop Luxury
Give a listen to the elegant dream pop of Yongen, the project name of songwriting team Chieko and Toshio Kamei. A modern crooner a la Bryan Ferry, Toshio's voice has a refined, architectural quality about it; he arcades serenely through the big, curvaceous melodies of Moonrise, giving the entire album a great neo-debonair sound. Rhythmically this album contains lots of savvy bossa nova and samba references; tailored synths keep the overall tone airy and modern. An exquisite blend of transnational influences and lush sound.
NEW AGE / WORLD / FLUTE
Suzanne Teng: World Flute With a Serene Energy
Enchanted Wind might be global flutist Suzanne Teng's best yet: seven long tracks that showcase her sinuous, slowly unfolding melodies on the alto flute, bass flute, and the rare contrabass flute. The mood here is profoundly quiet and serene; there are no beats at all and the accompaniment on harp, dulcimer, harmonium, and zither is delicate and minimal. The approach shows the full scope of Teng's talent too; stripped of adornment, you really hear how masterful her tone and breath control are, and the music itself is timeless.
ELECTRONICA
Wicked Boy: A Wicked Mix of Ambient/Jungle/Trash Trance
Straight from Skultuna, Sweden, comes the fantastically dark and deeply textured ambient-trash-trance of Wicked Boy, whose influences include Massive Attack, Yello, Prodigy, and Depeche Mode. This album, "The Treatment", is full of gritty beats and smart loops. Listen for the icily femme vocals on the title track that contrast with the gritty, brooding backdrop. Other standouts include "Pressure," "Strange Days" and "Wide Dynamics."
Blog Post
Maker Music For Teens And Adults: Atari Punk Circuit
by hillary dorwart
Saturday June 15, 2013: 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
The Ann Arbor Hacker-Makers of All Hands Active will show us how to use basic circuitry to create a musical instrument, the Atari Punk Circuit. The Circuit uses basic electronics and two knobs to allow people to create basic two-tone electronic sounds.
Learn a bit about electricity, circuits, and have some fun trying out making different sounds. While you're at the Library, take a look at the Music Tools collection, too!
This event is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up).
Blog Post
Kids Rock Music Workshop: Songwriting The ICV Way
by hillary dorwart
Sunday June 16, 2013: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Meet Ice Cream Vendors in person on the afternoon of their Top Of The Park Kids Rock performance.
Ice Cream Vendors songs are all written and composed with a collaborative effort. For this workshop, ICV's Jon Kostal and Greg Barnett let you in on their unique approach to songwriting. Learn about song inspiration based on unusual everyday sources.
The workshop will also feature an interactive demonstration.
For Grades K-5.
Blog Post
Summer Game Kick-Off Concert @ TOP: Ice Cream Vendors
by hillary dorwart
Sunday June 16, 2013: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm -- Top of the Park
Kids Rock@Top Concerts return!! Kick off the 2013 AADL Summer Game at this family-friendly concert with Ice Cream Vendors on the Rackham stage!
Chicago's unique musical institution-Ice Cream Vendors-are not just a musical duo but a mysterious life force! Songs about beta data, bacon men, and sharing eyeglasses will have you smiling and geeking out right alongside them!
Sign up for the AADL Summer Game at the concert, and be one of the leaders for great summer game prizes.