W♥M: Don McLean

11/12/2023

Minneapolis: This Week (11/19/2023)

Here are some shows, this week, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

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11/15 Demob Happy at Turf Club

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Demob Happy to open. Tour dates: 09/20—Cleveland, OH—Beachland Ballroom 09/21—Toronto, ON—Mod Club 09/23—Detroit, MI— El Club 09/24—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall …

11/15/2023 Wednesday

Demob Happy
at Turf Club
first-avenue.com

Brighton’s alt-rock trio Demob Happy is returning to the USA this Fall… they’ll headline the Turf Club in St Paul this November 15th.

The band was last seen in the Minneapolis area in September 2019 with Band of Skulls.

To celebrate their return to the USA, the band announced their new single “Sweet & Sour America,” which singer/bassist Matthew Mercantonio explained is, “our ode to America, a country we love… a beautiful and complex place.”

Demob Happy’s latest album Divine Machines is out now.

Tour dates:

Oct 14 Mexico City, MX Bajo Circuito
Oct 16 Washington, DC Songbyrd
Oct 17 Philadelphia, PA Milkboy
Oct 18 Portsmouth, NH The Press Room
Oct 19 New York City, NY Mercury Lounge
Oct 20 Orlando, FL The Abbey
Oct 21 Jacksonville, FL Underbelly *
Oct 24 Nashville, TN Basement East *
Oct 26 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom *
Oct 27 Oklahoma City, OK Beer City Music Hall *
Oct 28 Dallas, TX Granada Theater *
Oct 29 Austin, TX The Mohawk *
Oct 30 Pioneertown, CA Pappy + Harriet's
Oct 31 Anaheim, CA The Parish @ House Of Blues
Nov 1 San Diego, CA Voodoo Room @ House Of Blues
Nov 2 Los Angeles, CA Morocan Lounge
Nov 3 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
Nov 6 Vancouver, BC Biltimore Cabaret
Nov 8 Seattle, WA The Vera Project
Nov 9 Boise, ID Neurolux #
Nov 10 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court #
Nov 11 Denver, CO Globe Hall #
Nov 14 Omaha, NE Slowdown
Nov 15 Minneapolis, MN Turf Club
Nov 16 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen
Nov 17 Detroit, MI Lager House
Nov 18 Toronto, ON Adelaide Hall

11/16 Atarashii Gakko! at Amsterdam Bar & Hall

11/16/2023 Thursday

Atarashii Gakko!
at Amsterdam Bar & Hall
amsterdambarandhall.com

Japanese all-girl group Atarashii Gakko!, the known as the full Japanese name as Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders (新しい学校のリーダーズ), translated to mean “The New School Leaders”.

The group formed in June 2017 under Victor Entertainment with the single “Dokubana”. Currently, they are signed under 88rising since 2021. Their new EP is called Maningen (マ人間) which came out August 16, 2023.

All four girls, Mizyu, Suzuka, Kanon, and Rin, will be heading to St Paul at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall, as part of their first headlining tour: “We're very excited to announce THE SEISHUN TOUR, our first ever headline tour. We are excited to see you.”

If you’re into J-Pop, with a mix of Jazz and punk energy, this looks like a very fun show.

Tour dates:

Nov 7 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US Fonda Theatre
Nov 8 San Francisco, CA, US The Regency Ballroom
Nov 10 Brooklyn, NY, US Music Hall
Nov 13 Toronto, ON, Canada Axis Club
Nov 16 St. Paul, MN, US Amsterdam Bar & Hall
Nov 17 Mexico City, Mexico Festival Corona Capital

11/17 Kota the Friend at The Lyric

11/17/2023 Friday

Kota the Friend
at The Lyric
skywaytheatre.com

American rapper, singer, and record producer Kota the Friend is on tour, stopping by the Lyric (inside the Skyway Theatre), in Minneapolis, on Friday, 11/ 17th. The tour, titled “Kota the Friend Presents: Flowers For My Friends Tour” is in support of his album Protea.

Recently, the acclaimed Brooklynite appeared on PBS’s NewsHour television program, where he was interviewed by special correspondent Christopher Booker for a documentary on Jay-Z’s ‘Book of Hov’ NYC exhibit.

The exclusive interview is part of PBS’s arts and culture series, Canvas, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Tour dates:

Fri Oct 20 — Pittsburgh, PA — Roxian Theatre
Sat Oct 21 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer*
Sun Oct 22 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring
Wed Oct 25 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre
Thu Oct 26 — Tampa, FL — The Ritz Ybor*
Sat Oct 28 — Dallas, TX — South Side Music Hall*
Mon Oct 30 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
Tue Oct 31 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park
Wed Nov 01 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco Theatre
Sun Nov 05 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore
Tue Nov 07 — Seattle, WA — Neumos
Fri Nov 10 — Portland, OR — Crystal Ballroom*
Sat Nov 11 — Vancouver, BC — Hollywood Theatre
Wed Nov 15 — Denver, CO — Summit
Fri Nov 17 — Minneapolis, MN — The Lyric at Skyway Theatre*
Sat Nov 18 — Chicago, IL — Patio Theatre*
Sun Nov 19 — Detroit, MI — St. Andrew’s Hall
Mon Nov 20 — Toronto, ON — The Danforth Music Hall
Wed Nov 22 — Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club
Sat Nov 25 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza

*Not a Live Nation Date

11/17 Liz Phair with Blondshell at Palace Theatre

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Liz Phair

Iconic American singer and songwriter Liz Phair returned to the sold-out Turf Club show in St Paul, on Monday, to bring us her “Girly Sound to Guyville” show. .…

Blondshell

Starting January 18th, Los Angeles’ Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum), will take over as support. Blondshell is still very new, having only released four singles, her debut “Olympus,” “Cartoon Earthquake” ....

11/17/2023 Friday

Liz Phair
with Blondshell
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

90s icon Liz Phair is son tour in celebration of 30 years of Exile In Guyville.

Liz Phair (04 Jun 2018)

We saw Phair in 04 Jun 2018 and said, “Nineties feminist iconic (and potty-mouthed) singer Liz Phair came on stage with guitarist Connor Sullivan. Off stage was her guitarist tech Wyatt, who did a great job pre-tuning and getting Phair’s various guitars ready from song to song. The “Girly Sound to Guyville” show was a little stripped down for my liking, but Phair promised a full band setup on the upcoming tour (incidentally her forthcoming September show at First Avenue is sold out as well).”

Blondshell to open.

Tour dates:

11/07 - The Magnolia - San Diego, CA
11/08 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
11/10 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
11/11 - Masonic Auditorium - San Francisco, CA
11/13 - Revolution Hall - Portland, OR
11/14 - Moore Theater - Seattle, WA
11/17 - Palace Theater - Minneapolis, MN
11/18 - Chicago Theater - Chicago, IL
11/19 - The Masonic Temple - Detroit, MI
11/21 - Roadrunner - Boston, MA
11/22 - Franklin Music Hall - Philadelphia, PA
11/24 - Kings Theater - Brooklyn, NY
11/25 - Anthem - Washington, DC
11/27 - The Ryman - Nashville, TN
11/28 - Woodruff Arts Center - Atlanta, GA
11/30 - Orpheum Theater - New Orleans, LA
12/01 - Moody Theater - Austin, TX
12/03 - Majestic Theater - Dallas, TX

11/17 Liz Phair with Blondshell at Palace Theatre

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Don McLean

When news of his death came out, music icon Don McLean (famous for “American Pie”), shared his story about Alex Trebek. It was Trebek’s longtime dream to have McLean perform at his Christmas party ...

11/17/2023 Friday

Don McLean
at Dakota Jazz Club
dakotacooks.com

Legendary songwriter Hall of Famer, Don McLean is on his American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour… and he’s stopping by the intimate Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis on November 17th.

It’s hard to explain just how important the song “American Pie” is. The iconic song can be heard in so many films, such as the Black Widow 2021 film, or was even the subject of the documentary The Day the Music Died/American Pie in 2022.

What is even incredible is that it’s not a typical pop rock song, the song clocks in over eight minutes long… yet radio station will make an exception and play this hit song.

If you love this song, you need to see Don McLean on this special tour.

Tour dates:

Oct 13 - Rutland, VT - Paramount Theatre
Oct 14 - Concord, NH - Chubb Theatre
Oct 19 - Florence, SC - Francis Marion University PAC
Oct 27 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
Oct 28 - Union, NJ - Kean University – Wilkins Theatre
Nov 04 - Phoenix, AZ - Musical Instrument Museum
Nov 05 - Phoenix, AZ - Musical Instrument Museum
Nov 10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
Nov 11 - Warren, PA - Struthers Library Theatre
Nov 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Dakota
Dec 02 & 03 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii

11/18 Mark Joseph and Heatbox with Melvin Seals of Jerry Garcia Band at The Fitzgerald Theater

11/18/2023 Saturday

Mark Joseph and Heatbox
with Melvin Seals of Jerry Garcia Band
at The Fitzgerald Theater
first-avenue.com

It’s a dual album release show for Mark Joseph’s Palisade Peach and Heatbox’s Hilarious & Epically Legendary at the Fitzgerald Theater in St Paul on November 18th.

Mark Joseph (27 Aug 2015)

We randomly saw Joseph in Aug 2015 and mentioned, “We grab some crab cakes at the Café Caribe and followed the music... which led to Mark Joseph Project. He played some Caribbean-inspired songs with reggae jams. According to Mark Joseph's biography, he played over 1,000 shows and is known as one of the hardest working musicians in the Midwest.”

Melvin Seals of Jerry Garcia Band to open.

Heatbox’s tour dates:

11/10 Monk's Ale House, Sioux Falls, SD
11/11 The Park - Rapid City, Rapid City, SD
11/14 TBA
11/17 La Crosse Center, La Crosse, WI
11/18 The Fitzgerald Theater, St Paul, MN

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Posted at 12:00 AM in Atarashii Gakko, Blondshell, Demob Happy, Don McLean, Heatbox, Kota the Friend, Liz Phair, Mark Joseph, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Music Guide | Permalink | Comments (0)

10/26/2023

Minneapolis: November 16 to November 17

04/26/2022

We♥KC - April 27-May 3, 2022 Upcoming Shows (Kansas City / Lawrence KS)

Beast in Black with Seven Kingdoms and Striker, Granada

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Beast in Black

The tour features Beast in Black as headliner. The Finnish/Greek/Hungarian metal band took their name from the anime/manga Berserk. They signed with Nuclear Blast label in 2017, and the rest is history. …

Disclosure with DJ Boring, Arvest Bank Theatre

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Disclosure

Disclosure is a techno (my friend kept calling it "deep house" but techno is so much easier to say) duo from England. They are a pair of brothers who have taken this whole scene by storm and have helped push this whole ...

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

It’s a spring thing!--

Shows are definitely back, and with everyone shut-in for the past twenty months or so, there’s been a growing glut of concerts / events (and some higher prices to go with) so plan wisely.

Starlight Theater begins their busy outdoor concert season and there’s a full musical menu in the metro, with concerts from all kinds of ages and genres.

(Several artists are still requiring precautions for entry, so check with the venue and/or assume vaccination proof and maybe a mask, is required)

Here’s what’s happening in the Kansas City/Lawrence, KS metro for the final part of APRIL and into early MAY:

Wednesday April 27

Beast in Black with Seven Kingdoms, Striker, Granada. $25

The world of modern power metal in just one evening! Beast in Black is a Finnish-Greek-Hungarian band founded in 2015 in Helsinki by guitarist/songwriter Anton Kabanen.

Seven Kingdoms are from DeLand, FL, formed in 2007 by guitarist Camden Cruz and vocalist Bryan Edwards, after they parted with their previous band, This Solemn Vow.

Arrive early for Canadian rockers Striker, making shredtacular anthems since 2007. They’ve been recognized with JUNO, Western Canadian Music, and Edmonton Music Awards and have six studio albums including Play to Win (2018, on Record Breaking).

Disclosure w DJ Boring, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $39.50-$55

Disclosure released 2021’s Never Enough EP, which came on the heels of 2020 album, ENERGY, and are apparently “sitting on a wealth of exciting new music,” so expect to hear even more beats.

The Queen’s Cartoonists, Kauffman Center. $19-$49

This six-member band plays music from classic cartoons and contemporary animation, synchronized to video of the original films, with the goal of creating a concert of classical and jazz for everyone. Expect the unexpected including the Golden Age of animation, cult cartoon classics, modern video pieces, comedy and elements of a musical circus!

Lights, Madrid

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Lights

Alt-pop icon Lights will be headlining the Varsity Theater on May 3rd, in support of her new album PƎP (Fueled By Ramen Records). ...

Lee Greenwood, Prairie Band Casino

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Lee Greenwood

As a Producer, Jerry Crutchfield was nominated for the CMA’s Song the Year, winning it twice. He produced hits for Lee Greenwood, Tanya Tucker, Tracy Byrd and Glen Campbell ...

Thursday April 28

Lights, Madrid, $26

She’s a little everything - Lights is many things all at once: Singer. Songwriter. Producer. Multi-instrumentalist. Comic book author. DJ. Artist.

We last saw Valerie and band live back in 2015, but she’s returned with a brand-new indie electronic pop album, PƎP preceded by its early singles “In My Head (ft. Josh Dun),” “Salt and Vinegar,” “Real Thing (ft. Elohim),” and “Prodigal Daughter.”

The album’s title and theme emerged from an extraordinarily dark period and arrived as a mechanism to pep-talk herself through the lows of life. Its result is a road map to the kind of unapologetic self-salvation that feels both urgent and also like a joyous release.

Lee Greenwood, Prairie Band Casino, $25

We should all be more “proud to be an American” and stand together in unity, though that hasn’t exactly been in the case, of late. The legend is out on his 40 Years of Hits Tour and has over twenty Top 10 singles, and numerous Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards to back that up.

Last October’s 'All-Star Salute to Lee Greenwood,' featured a “who’s who” of top artists in celebration and the footage is set to produce a trio of television specials airing this year.

Sarah Harmer, Knuckleheads, $29.50

Ontario, Canada singer-songwriter returns with an acclaimed new album, Are You Gone (via Arts & Crafts) and new single, “Little Frogs”.

Are You Gone is a meditation on the idea of presence, and a bookend to the questions posed on her early album, You Were Here – themed a confrontation with the realities of nature and human nature.

Harmer has also become a known grassroots organizer, co-founding the citizen’s organization PERL (Protecting Escarpment Rural Land) and leading the coalition’s efforts to prevent a quarry from being built on the Niagara Escarpment.

Ohgeesy, Bottleneck. $22

AKA Alejandro Coranza is a Mexican-American rapper and member of four piece Shoreline Mafia, out on his solo Geezywold Tour.

Don McLean, Uptown

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Don McLean

Alec Benjamin w Sara Kays, The Truman

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Alec Benjamin

Alec Benjamin will be headlining the Varsity Theater on Wednesday, as part of his Outrunning Karma tour. Show up early to check out rising pop artist, Alexander 23. ...

Friday April 29
Don McLean, Uptown, $45-$125

Five decades of Pie- 2022 marks the 50^th anniversary of when the landmark song hit the top of the Billboard chart and the fabled singer-songwriter is out on tour to celebrate it. “After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” McLean said in a statement.

McLean also released a related children's book last September, "American Pie: A Fable", co-written with Judith A. Proffer and containing 40 illustrations by Yoko Matsuoka.

Alec Benjamin w Sara Kays, The Truman. $29.50-$60

Benjamin is a young Phoenix singer-songwriter whose 2018 breakthrough single "Let Me Down Slowly" reached the top 40 in over 25 countries and amassed over one billion streams on Spotify.

Arrive early for Nashville singer-songwriter Sara Kays who has a new single. “When You Look At Me” out via Atlantic Records, the demo of which quickly became very popular on TikTok.

Megadeth and Lamb of God with Trivium and In Flames, T-Mobile Center $29.50-$99.50

The "Metal Tour of the Year "returns after a pandemic postponement thru 2021, due to wrap in mid-May. “Do not miss out," commented Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, and their long-awaited new album is expected out later this year. All four metal acts are solid and seasoned live.

The Elders with The Canterberries, Knuckleheads. $27.50

Funded in 1998 by six with a passion for Americana and Celtic folk rock, the group brings together the art of storytelling with elements both musically progressive and tradition rooted.

Their 8th studio album, True, features story lines with narratives that explore history, legends, tall tales and true-life experiences, along with a few instrumentals.

Leon Bridges, Uptown

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Leon Bridges

Leon Bridges is also just growing as an artist and performer, becoming less shy and more confident on stage, than when he played SXSW this March, and opened locally for Lord Huron this April. …

Saturday April 30
Leon Bridges, Uptown Sold Out

The Boundless Tour now continues into the fall for Bridges’ first headlining amphitheater and arena dates, but the lucky few who nabbed tix this more intimate theater show (been sold out for ages) can consider themselves lucky.

Debut album Coming Home was more retro-soul (we caught him early-on, in 2015) but he’s since morphed into more of a neo-soul sound on the more recent Gold-Diggers Sound album, which only seems to be gaining Bridges even more fans.

Scotty McCreery, Yardley Hall. $25-$155

Idol champion and CMT Award winner Scotty McCreery is one of current country music’s most popular over the last decade, including a streak of four consecutive No. 1 hits: “Five More Minutes,” “This is It,” “In Between,” and recent, “You Time.” He recently released his fifth album, Same Truck, which features his new single (by George!), “Damn Strait.”

Frankie Beverly and Ron Isley, Municipal Auditorium. $71-$252

The Love & Laughter Tour also features Chrisette Michelle and is guaranteed to get your groove on.

Girls Gotta Eat, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland. $50.50-$87.50

Sprung from the comedic and uncensored podcast from duo Ashley Hesseltine and Rayna Greenberg, they’re bringing that popular audio show to the masses, with an expected interactive Q&A.

Morgan Wallen with Larry Fleet, T-Mobile Center. $62.75-$152.75

Banished from SNL, country radio, and more due to bad behavior hasn’t affected the country artist from selling albums and tickets, now on his Dangerous Tour(not to be confused w Michael Jackson’s)Wallen also announced that he will be supportingEric Church on June 11 in Minneapolis.

Waitiki 7, Liberty Hall. $30

Kpr Presents: Retro Cocktail Hour 25th Anniversary

Tosca, April 30 thru May 8, Music Hall, $47.50-$166.50

The classic Italian tragedy full of lies, lust, and corruption by Puccini is brought to life by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and runs through May 8 (a possible early Mothers’ Day present?). For Rome’s celebrated opera singer, Tosca, all is not well. Fueled by jealousy, the Chief of Police pursues her artist lover for alleged treasonous acts, pausing only to pursue Tosca with a decidedly different set of acts in mind.

Wet, recordBar

Sunday May 1
Wet, recordBar. $22

We like this Brooklyn group, though have lost tabs on them over the last couple years.
Since we saw them in early 2019, they’ve released Letter Blue(2021) and This Fog(2020) and still have that pleasant indie electronic chill sound.

Kelley Hunt Acoustic Trio, Knuckleheads. $35

The longtime area musician returns with her acoustic trio featuring singer Allena Ross and acoustic bassist James Albright. Expect the material and arrangements to differ, vs. her full band shows.

Brian Jonestown Massacre, Bottleneck

Monday May 2
Brian Jonestown Massacre, Bottleneck. $25

The longtime psych rockers have a brand-new single, "The Real", which from their forthcoming album Fire Doesn't Grow On Trees(out June 24) so expect to hear some of the new, as well as the old.

We caught them in Minneapolis very recently, and were gutted to hear that initial support act, Mercury Rev, chose to bow out over Covid concerns. Twin Cities’ Magic Castles does continue to open.

H.E.R. w Marzz, Starlight

Tuesday May 3
H.E.R. w Marzz, Starlight. $39.50-$129.50

The multi-winning Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist H.E.R. has embarked on a 19-city run of her Back of My Mind Tour, and it’s lucky that KC is a stop. There is a natural talent about her (similar to a younger Alicia Keys) with so much more to come musically, you know Prince would have championed her, if he was still with us. That feeling is mutual, as H.E.R. often works a purple guitar riff or even cover song, into her set.

R&B singer/songwriter Marzz recently released their new single “KMS” via Keep Cool/RCA Records.

Patty Griffin, Liberty Hall

Patty Griffin, Liberty Hall. $25-$59

The two-time Grammy Award winning folk singer-songwriter is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her album Living With Ghosts, as well as the success of her tenth studio recording, 2019’s self-titled LP.

Expect a healthy helping of classics from her three+ decade career and just maybe even a Springsteen cover or two, as she covered “Jungleland” recently in NYC, and before that, even did a five-song cover encore.

Fiddler on the Roof, May 3-8, Music Hall, $35-$121

L’Chaim! It’s the heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and life, love and laughter. This classic musical has plenty of hits, we know that you know - “If I Were A Rich Man,” "Sunrise, Sunset,” "Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Tradition.”

The original Broadway production of Fiddler opened in 1964, and was the first musical in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It also won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Musical(in addition to eight others that year), and this revival introduces a new generation to the iconic and adored classic.

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

Posted at 12:00 AM in Alec Benjamin, Disclosure, Don McLean, John, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leon Bridges, Lights, Patty Griffin, Wet | Permalink | Comments (0)

08/22/2021

R.I.P. Don Everly (Everly Brothers) and Tom T. Hall

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Everly Brothers

They decided to do a proper reinterpreted recording of 1958 The Everly Brothers songs. Obviously the new album will be less …

A couple of musician deaths this week. Don Everly, half of The Everly Brothers duo with his brother Phil, died Saturday in Nashville at age 84.

The very influential band was massive in the 50s and 60s, which such #1 hits as “Wake Up Little Susie”, “All I Have to Do Is Dream”, and “Problems”.

STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF DON EVERLY

As a singer, a songwriter and a guitar innovator, Don Everly was one of the most talented and impactful artists in popular music history," said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "His influence reverberates through songs like 'So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad),' 'I Wonder If I Care as Much,' and 'Cathy’s Clown,' through open tunings and rhythmic sensibilities that helped give rise to Keith Richards and many others, and through the ethereal harmonies he conjured with his brother Phil.

Of course, so many other musicians have added their statement in the passing of Don Everly. One of them is “American Pie” writer Don McLean who talked about their influence on his hit song, “The Everly Brothers were every bit as popular as Elvis. However, like most rock acts, they were on a small record label. Cadence Records made a fortune but they were in no way able to compete with RCA which is where Col. Parker put Elvis. I met the Everly Brothers in 1969 and asked them about Buddy Holly. Phil said Buddy took the plane so he could do his laundry. I think Buddy had other laundry to do as well. This started my thinking for 'American Pie' which I wrote later. Additionally, Don was a great lead singer and unique rhythm guitar player. Almost all their hits featured his rhythm guitar.”

Next is Tom T. Hall, a Hall of Fame singer/songwriter, famous for “Harper Valley PTA” and “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died”.

STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF TOM T. HALL

Tom T. Hall's masterworks vary in plot, tone and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for the triumphs and losses of others," said Kyle Young, CEO, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "He wrote without judgment or anger, offering a rhyming journalism of the heart that sets his compositions apart from any other writer. His songs meant the world to Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, George Jones and other greats, and those songs will continue to speak to generations. He was a storyteller, a philosopher, a whiskey maker, a novelist, a poet, a painter, a benefactor, a letter writer, a gift giver, a gentleman farmer and many more things. My bet is that we won't see the likes of him again, but if we do I'll be first in line for tickets to the show.

The Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall talked about his time with Hall, “Back in 1978 when we sang at Mama Maybelle Carter’s funeral a saddened and shaken Johnny Cash walked up to the podium and asked Tom T. Hall to stand with him… Johnny said, “I draw strength from you, Tom!” Thank you Tom T. Hall for the songs and the strength you provided to so many … Rest Easy now and draw strength from the loving arms of Jesus… until the day.”

To keep track of all the musicians who died this year, head over to Musicians Who Died in 2021.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Posted at 05:27 PM in Don McLean, News, Oak Ridge Boys, RIP, The Everly Brothers, Tom T Hall | Permalink | Comments (0)

11/08/2020

R.I.P. Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek on Music Hop

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Jeopardy

Things got started with a bang as Greg Kihn emerged for a three-song, seventeen-minute set starting with hit, ‘Jeopardy’ (known as much, or more for Weird Al’s parody version of the song). …

Alex Trebek, the long-running game show host of Jeopardy!, has passed away on November 8th, 2020, at the age of 80. Before Jeopardy, his very first hosting job was on a Canadian music program called Music Hop in 1963. After that, he hosted for CBC, talking about classical music programs, etc… so Trebek was a music lover.

When news of his death came out, music icon Don McLean (famous for “American Pie”), shared his story about Alex Trebek.

Setlist

photo courtesy of Don McLean

It was Trebek’s longtime dream to have McLean perform at his Christmas party for the Jeopardy staff at Vitellos restaurant in 2019. He expressed his concern that he might not have the budget to include McLean for this show, but “didn’t want to not give it a try.”

Of course, McLean agreed to perform... and when the musician arrived at the restaurant, Trebek whipped out a sheet of paper and wrote the songs he wanted McLean to play, from his memory, down to the extract length of time. The man was as sharp as ever, given the fact that he was on heavy medication, around this time.

We’ll miss you, Alex Trebek.