W♥M

W♥M263: The Year in Deaths 2016

Read More David Bowie I woke up to the sad news that legendary singer, songwriter, actor, space travelling alien from another planet, David Bowie, has died. … Leonard Cohen It is with a heavy heart that we announce that poet, singer, songwriter, novelist, Leonard Cohen has died at the age of 82. Adam Cohen, his son, said: “My father passed away peacefully .... Sharon Jones Sharon Jones, singer of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, has died after a battle with cancer. The official press statement: SHARON LAFAYE JONES May 4, 1956 - November 18, 2016 …

Vu and John take a look back in this year in deaths. There’s no doubt that 2016 is one of the worst year for musician deaths.... take a look at the ever-growing list at Musicians Who Died in 2016.

Some notable names on our list:

[10 Jan 2016] David Bowie, 69

[18 Jan 2016] Glenn Frey (Eagles), 67

[13 Feb 2016] Viola Beach (Entire band), 19-32

[15 Feb 2016] Vanity (Vanity 6), 57

[21 Apr 2016] Prince, 57

[10 Jun 2016] Christina Grimmie, 22

[06 Apr 2016] Merle Haggard, 79

[19 Aug 2016] Lou Pearlman, 62

[20 Aug 2016] Matt Roberts (3 Doors Down), 38

[23 Oct 2016] Pete Burns (Dead or Alive), 57

[24 Oct 2016] Bobby Vee, 73

[07 Nov 2016] Leonard Cohen, 82

[18 Nov 2016] Sharon Jones, 60

[22 Nov 2016] Craig Gill (Inspiral Carpets), 44

Song of the show is David Bowie’s ‘I Can't Give Everything Away’.

Also, Sharon Jones’ family and friends have put together two public memorials in Brooklyn, New York, and Augusta, Georgia. Details below:

Sharon Jones passed away November 18, 2016 at the age of 60 after a heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. Details on two public memorials for the dynamic front woman of the Grammy-nominated funk and soul band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings have been announced for each of her hometowns—Brooklyn, NY and Augusta, GA.

Brooklyn, NY - December 14, 2016 at 6pm
Brown Memorial Baptist Church
484 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Augusta, GA - December 17, 2016 at 1pm
Imperial Theater
749 Broad St
Augusta, GA 30901

Jones’ family, friends and fans are invited to come together to celebrate the singer’s life and endless spirit.

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype, CallGraph, and Audacity.

W♥M262: KT Tunstall (25 September 2016) Vu, John W♥M261: The Heavy (22 September 2016) Vu, John W♥M260: Murder Shoes (11 September 2016) Vu, Tess W♥M259: Broods (09 August 2016) Vu, Lee W♥M258: Batman: The Killing Joke (30 July 2016) Vu, John W♥M257: Garbage (09 July 2016) Vu, Lee

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Gestures, The Trashmen, The Del Counts at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis (11 Nov 2015)

Setlist The Gestures Things We Said Today (Beatles cover) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (Shirelles cover) Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Gerry and the Pacemakers cover) Don't Mess Around Run, Run Run The Trashmen That'll Be The Day (Buddy Holly cover) Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis cover) The Del Counts Let it Rock (Chuck Berry cover) with The Gestures Let the Good Times Roll (Shirley and Lee cover) with The Gestures The Gestures If I Didn't Have A Dime (To Play The Jukebox) (Gene Pitney cover) Nadine (Chuck Berry cover) Details An all-star lineup of some of the most successful and accomplished rock ‘n’ roll musicians in Twin Cities history will join Rick Shefchik as he introduces his new book, "Everybody’s Heard About the Bird: The True Story of 1960s Rock 'n' Roll in Minnesota," at the Electric Fetus on Wednesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. Rick will host a discussion and jam session with Tony Andreason of the Trashmen (“Surfin Bird”), Dale Menten and Tom Klugherz of the Gestures (“Run, Run, Run”), Jim Johnson and Doni Larson of the Underbeats and Gypsy (“Footstompin’,” “Gypsy Queen”), Jim Donna of the Castaways (“Liar, Liar”), Larry Wiegand of the Rave-Ons, South 40 and Crow (“Evil Woman”), Phil Berdahl of the Stillroven, Ron Butwin of the Escapades and Mike Waggoner of the Bops. Afterwards, Rick and the musicians will sign copies of the book. Read More Rick Shefchik Rick Shefchik was born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1974 and worked at the Duluth News-Tribune for three years. He then spent 26 years at the St. Paul …

Everything old became new again, if only for a night, as the spirit of 1960’s Minnesota rock ‘n roll was alive and well at a packed book release party.

Rick Shefchik

The celebratory event was held at the Electric Fetus record store in Minneapolis last week, promoting of Everybody's Heard about the Bird: The True Story of 1960s Rock 'n' Roll in Minnesota by local author  and longtime newspaper man, Rick Shefchik, and featured all-out party music from the likes of The Gestures, The Trashmen, and The Del Counts to an overflowing crowd.

The book itself is a behind-the-scenes, up-close-and-personal account, relating how a handful of Minnesota rock bands erupted out of a small Midwest market and made it big. From Augie Garcia and Bobby Vee to The Trashmen and The Castaways, Everybody’s Heard about the Bird reveals how this monumental era of Minnesota rock music in the 1960s evolved.

Author Shefchik both MC’d the event as well as signed books (along with all the musicians present) and all 150 copies brought, disappeared to eager buyers, within minutes.

The first set of music was from Mankato’s The Gestures, who ended up acting as the “house band” and were inducted into the Minnesota Rock & Country Hall of Fame, in 2008.  Contemporaries of The Beatles, the band opened their short set with the Fab Four’s ‘Things We Said Today’. Arnie Marshall took the lead for The Shirelles’ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ (co-penned by Carole King)

After a Gerry and the Pacemakers cover, the band ended their short set with their own ‘Don’t Mess Around’ and national charting hit, ‘Run, Run, Run’.

Trashmen

Members Tony Andreason and original bassist Bob Reed of the legendary Trashmen were coaxed on stage next, for a two-song hit parade of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis songs, though unfortunately did not play the song the book was named after.

Del Counts

After a short break, the Gestures returned with Del Counts guitarist Steve Miller to blaze through Chuck Berry’s ‘Let It Rock’ and a cover of ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ which the Del Counts had also recorded as a 45 for Soma Records back in the day.

The Gestures closed the evening with a slower Gene Pitney cover, then decided to rev things back up with Chuck Berry’s ‘Nadine’, to end the event on more of an exclamation point, to a mostly older but all very appreciative crowd.

Sound+Vision

Rick Shefchik continues his area book tour for Everybody's Heard about the Bird: The True Story of 1960s Rock 'n' Roll in Minnesota, with his next appearance being THIS Saturday in Woodbury, at the Sound+Vision MN Pop Culture Collectibles Show.

Additional details at soundvisionmn.webs.com.

The Gestures at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis (11 Nov 2015)

john ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Bobby Vee

Bobby Vee: Legendary Masters Read More Buddy Holly Last year, we saw two tribute/cover album (Rave On Buddy Holly and Listen to Me: Buddy Holly) for Buddy Holly's 75th birthday. While it's great to hear modern artists covering Buddy Holly .…

Where we last left off, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, all died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959, leaving their big Moorhead, Minnesota, gig wide open. Bobby Vee, then only 15 years old, and his friends, all volunteered to fill in for Buddy Holly as The Shadows. The show was a success, and thus began Bobby Vee's music career.

Soon afterward, they released the single "Suzie Baby", and signed to Liberty Records later in 1959. "Suzie" was a nod to Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue", and it didn't hurt that Vee later covered "Everyday" as a b-side to "Rubber Ball". Anyway, Vee had a string of Billboard hit singles, from "Rubber Ball" to "Devil or Angel" to "Run To Him" to "Come Back When You Grow Up", but he's probably best known for his number #1 hit song "Take Good Care of my Baby".

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes 7" United Artists Records

My favorite all-time Bobby Vee song is "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes", which was the title track to his 1963 album. The "Thousand Eyes" might refer to the stars, watching over the "runaround lover". Although it is a pop song, it doesn't sound like the usual songs of that time period. A really good example can be found in the movie Dark City, which Anita Kelsey (lip-synced by Jennifer Connelly) sings "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" as a classic jazz standard.

A little trivia, but early in Vee's career, Elston Gunnn briefly toured with the band. Gunnn later went on to perform under the name Bob Dylan; Dylan, obviously a massive influence on music today. When Dylan came back on his "hometown" gig at Midway Stadium in St. Paul earlier this year, July 10, 2013, he covered Bobby Vee's "Suzie Baby". In his introduction to the song, Dylan said how Bobby Vee was "the most meaningful person I've ever been on the stage with."

Anyway, Bobby Vee is actually still active in the music scene, often playing live as Bobby Vee and The Vees (his band, The Vees includes his two eldest sons).

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com