Riff of the Day

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 02/07/2018

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February 07, 2018

Today’s Daily Tonality is brought to you by fond memories.

buckowenspromophoto4Buck Owens – Act Naturally (from the single Act Naturally, 1963) Buck Owens has the best country music name, ever. If your name is Buck, what do you call your backing band? The Buckaroos, of course. My grandparents used to have a modest collection of country records when I was a kid. I didn’t care for the majority of them, but two artists stuck out. Johnny Cash and Mr. Owens. There is just something about his brand of country western music that differs from most. Don’t ask me what it is, because I can’t explain. Just listen to his stuff and you will see. His music has a very lovely effect on me. It always makes me nostalgic for my childhood, as well as remembering my grand folks fondly. Sometimes you just have to shut up and let the music do the thinking for you.

Fun fact – There is rumor (probably true considering the crazy life he led) that my granddad, Jim, was a roadie for Buck Owens during one of his western Canadian tours back in the day. I would have loved to ask him about it, but he passed before I was given this information. If it is a true story, I hope Jim and Buck shared a laugh or two.

T.

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/28/2018

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January 28, 2018

Today’s song is brought to you by putting my Spotify library on random and making the first song to play your Daily Tonality.

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Charles Bradley – Strictly Reserved for You (from the album Victim of Love, 2013) A former James Brown impersonator named “Black Velvet”, Charles Bradley did not achieve a good level of success and notoriety until later in life. For my money, he is second only to James Brown as far as male soul performers go. I discovered his music a few years back in a record store. His LP Victim of Love was being played on the turntable and I instantly knew it was special. Bradley’s voice is soulful, but has a shade of pain and experience within. His longtime backing band, The Menahan Street Band, perfectly compliment the singer’s vocalizations.

As I write this, I have found out that Charles Bradley succumbed to cancer and passed away in September 2017 at the age of sixty-eight. The world was just discovering the man’s talents. Rest in peace, Black Velvet.

T.

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/25/2018

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January 25, 2018     

Today’s Daily Tonality is brought to you by Ice T…because he’s certified dope.

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Ice T – O.G. Original Gangster (from the album Original Gangster, 1991) In the world of hip hop, a lot of M.C.‘s claim this, and claim that, and brag and boast about how they are the hardest. In 1991, Ice T made a claim that he is the Original Gangster. Guess what! Damn right he is. When I was eleven, my boy Keithy came over with a cassette he acquired. It was called Power, and it was a rap album by Ice T. This cassette changed us. We heard some things on this tape that we never heard before. One song in particular, L.G.B.N.A.F. (Let’s Get Butt Naked And F**K), captivated us. It was as if learned a life lesson or something. That was my introduction to what it was to be Gangster. From hip hop, to his metal band Body Count, to acting on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for nineteen years, Ice T has made a living out of being a B.M.F. I recently listened to a podcast featuring Ice as a guest, and he said something pretty cool. He said “you don’t guide life, you ride life”. Words to live by.

T.

 

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/17/2018

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January 17, 2018

Today’s song is brought to you by putting my Spotify library on random and making the first song to play your Daily Tonality.

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Tom Waits – What’s He Building? (from the album Mule Variations, 1999 – For my money, Tom Waits is the most unique singer/songwriter ever. His voice, gravelly and gruff, is unmistakable. His style cannot be categorized. Mr. Waits does not make an album because the “label” tells him to. He does not release a single because he needs money. You will not find any fluff or filler in his catalogue (which spans from the early 1970’s to present). Mule Variations is easily my favorite Waits album. It is a great mix of folk and weird. I could have picked any track for song of the day, but Spotify chose What’s He Building for us. This isn’t really and song in the traditional sense, but it is Tom Waits, so it is good.

Little Fact – Not really a fact, but a bonus video of one of Tom Waits memorable appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman.

T.

 

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/15/2018

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January 15, 2018

Today’s Daily Tonality is brought to you by the radio at work. I heard this song and thought it was perfect for song of the day.

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Men Without Hats – Pop Goes The World (from the album Pop Goes The World, 1987) Men Without Hats are a Canadian synth-pop based band which formed late in 1979, in Montreal. This is one of those bands that instantly take me back to a time when I was a young kid, just starting to develop my taste in music and appreciate radio. This is a happy sounding song that immediately gets stuck in your head. So for nostalgia sake, have a listen, get it stuck on repeat in your brain, and have a good time. Don’t say I never did anything for you.

Little Fact – The name of the band came from the band members’ refusal to wear warm hats during winter, choosing style over comfort. Thus we have Men Without Hats.

T.

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/09/18

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January 9, 2018

Today’s song is brought to you by putting my Spotify library on random and making the first song to play your Daily Tonality.

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Roky Erickson And The Aliens– Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer) (from the album The Evil One, 1980) Roky Erickson is an interesting fellow. He started his musical journey with the 13th Floor Elevators in the late 1960’s. After some pretty intense recreational drug use (LSD, Mescaline, DMT, and Marijuana), Erickson found himself in and out of mental institutions, receiving voluntary shock therapy. His lyrics and subject matter heavily lean towards horror and science fiction. Two Headed Dog is about Soviet scientist Vladimir Demikhov, who performed head transplants on dogs in the 1950’s. Erickson is highly respected by his peers, and quite often I have heard other artists covering his music. I am a fan of his straightforward, effective guitar playing, and intense vocal style. At seventy years old, he still plays shows and continues to write music.

Little Fact – In the 1980’s. Roky Erickson became obsessed with the mail, even getting arrested for mail theft. He wrote letters to both dead and alive celebrities during his obsession.

T.

Daily Tonality: Song of the Day 01/07/2018

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January 7, 2018

Today’s song is brought to you by putting my Spotify library on random and making the first song to play your Daily Tonality.

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Mark Lanegan – The Gravedigger’s Song (from the album Blues Funeral, 2012) Sometimes it seems like my Spotify account can read my soul. Last night, I had this song playing in my head for a little while. Today, as I do the magic shuffle to get the song of the day, BAM…The Gravedigger’s Song appears. Mark Lanegan is an amazing songwriter, and the gravely, ghostly voice to perfectly showcase the subject matter. This song has a driving bass line and tempo, accompanied by a rich, reverb filled guitar landscape. It’s beautiful. If you don’t like the song, your ears are probably fucked up and you should have them tested. The whole Blues Funeral album is the perfect highway soundtrack. It would be easy to get lost in the music and miss your exit.

Little fact – Lanegan was part of Screaming Trees, one of Seattle’s early grunge bands, and has collaborated with Queens of the Stone Age, and Isobel Campbell (Belle and Sebastian).

T.

 

 

Daily Tonality: Song Of The Day 01/05/18

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January 5, 2018

Today’s song is brought to you by putting my Spotify library on random and making the first song to play your Daily Tonality.

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Alice In Chains – Rooster (from the album Dirt, 1992) Damn, AIC was a great band back in the day. I am not saying they are bad now, I’m just saying. This song, and album for that fact, reminds me of high school and rolling around in my friend Paul’s Buick Skylark. For me, besides Nirvana, Alice In Chains epitomized Grunge music during that whole Seattle invasion thing. The video is pretty rad as well.

Little Fact – Guitarist/song writter Jerry Cantrell wrote Rooster as a tribute to his Vietnam war veteran father.

T.

The Daily Tonality – 01/27/17

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The Daily Tonality – Your Song of the Day – January 27, 2017

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The Stooges – Down on the Street (from the album Fun House, 1970 Elektra) If I could create my own religion, and have a handful of gods to worship, Iggy Pop would be one. This opening song on Fun House, Down on the Street is a continuous storm of one dirty riff accompanied by swirling guitar solos, and of course Iggy’s trademark snarl and swagger. He speaks about falling in love while “floating” around the streets. This song does anything but float. It digs right in, and if your not nodding to the beat half way through, you probably have no soul.

Fun Fact – Iggy Pop has a cockatoo named Biggy Pop, and it has it’s own Instagram account. @biggypop

T.

The Daily Tonality – 01/24/17

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The Daily Tonality – Your song of the day – January 24, 2017

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Electric Wizard – Devil’s Bride (from the album Electric Wizard, 1995 Rise above Records) If you like your music full of heavy, grinding guitar riffs, Electric Wizard is is the perfect remedy for what ails you. These British purveyors of doom have been recording brilliant sludge for twenty years. Their lyrics speak of witchcraft, horror movies, and marijuana, which seems to be a common theme among bands of this genre. The song Devil’s Bride is no different as the band speaks of the woman whom Satan has chosen to bear his child. Bloody lovely. Electric Wizard came along when the doom, stoner rock scene was just beginning to pick up main stream awareness, but they have also managed to stay somewhat underground. This is one band that I have not had a chance to see live, but I would jump at the opportunity.

The video is accompanied by scenes from the 1967 film The Devil Rides Out.