§ siboliban.org

Like a swallow, I return, just a little late…

Back in 2002, I visited several California Missions. My first stop was to San Juan Capistrano, but I arrived there after the mission was closed, so I never got to see inside of the walls.

Now that I live in California, and I theoretically would have an easier time at it, I could finish the trip I started back then. However, I admit my interest has waned on the subject. After seeing Mission San Juan Capistrano yesterday, though, I was reminded of why I was so taken with the missions.

There’s a link to the past I feel when I’m at these missions. I imagine the people who occupied the same ground 200 years ago. When I looked at the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano, I smiled, and said to myself, “Wow. Imperialism.”

I also headed down to San Diego for the first time in 20 years. I went to the Padres–Braves game. It was 1998 NL Championship Celebration and Family Fireworks Night. I’ve never really followed the Padres. The only recollection I had about their 1998 season was that they were swept by the Yankees in the World Series. However, I found myself almost teary eyed during the pre-game ceremony. Members of the 1998 team were there, including Kevin Brown (for how much, I wonder…) and Ken Caminiti (in spirit), and then millionaires and alleged drug users threw out the ceremonial first pitches to current members of the Padres. Then, they hugged and shook hands while “Now and Forever” played.

I thought the choice of music seemed odd because of the general machismo of baseball. (”Now and Forever” was the opening song for A League of Their Own.) Then, to turn the celebration up a notch, they played “We Are Family” (you know, “I’ve got all my sisters with me”). I had a great time, though, and the game had some good “small ball” plays. I mean, Greg Maddux stole a base, for chrissake.

Out of the 13 ballparks I’ve been to (two of which are now defunct), I must say PETCO Park is the nicest one I’ve seen. I wasn’t that enamored with the old ballparks that everyone ogles over (Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium) and I also thought new ballparks were pretty lame (AT&T/SBC/Pacific Bell Park, Minute Maid Park/Astros Field/Enron Field). But, you can’t trust my opinion. I like Shea Stadium.

When I first heard that this ballpark was going to be named PETCO Park, I thought it was a silly idea. PETCO? But, now that I’m a pet owner, and I’ve seen the PETCO mascots, I think it’s kind of cool. Much better than Qualcomm Stadium.

The ballpark feels intimate, yet the field is big. No easy homeruns. I liked how the ballpark faced the skyline and blended into the urban landscape, while the ocean breeze blew from behind. Airplanes touched down in the distance. It was incredible. To watch the fireworks, the people who sat in the lawn and bleacher areas during the game were allowed to sit on the field. I thought that was a nice gesture.

13 July 2008 – 2:00 PM

Posted in Baseball, Photography | Tags: California Missions, PETCO Park, San Diego, San Juan Capistrano | No Comments »

You can call me up and have a date any old time

For my last “Theme Party” show, my theme was “Sequels.” (I finally started putting my setlists in the RSS feed for my podcast.) Most of the songs were sequels, but I included some borderline material, including songs that could’ve been more accurately called “answer songs” or just “based on another source.” (I probably won’t do an answer song show, as WFMU has already put together a spazzy collection of them.) One of these borderline songs I played was “Beechwood 4-5789” by the Marvelettes, to which “634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)” is related.

When I spent a semester at the Biosphere 2 Center in 2000, I bought a Marvelettes greatest hits CD at a store in Tucson. It was one of those “I just wanted to buy something” moments, as I only knew “Please, Mr. Postman” and wasn’t particularly eyeing anything on the CD. I was also just stocking up on material to play on WBAR once I returned to New York.

And I didn’t really listen to the CD until I returned to New York. During that summer, I had a lunchtime show on WBAR, and I got a surprise request. (Surprise, because I figured no one was listening to me.) I was playing a Shirelles song, so someone called in and asked me if I had any Marvelettes. At first she asked for “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game,” which wasn’t on the CD, but then she asked for “Beechwood 4-5789,” which I played obligingly.

It wasn’t an instantaneous thing, but soon after I got really attached to the song. Aside from being a really catchy tune, there’s something about the simplicity and sense of beginning in the song that I really like. No rushing off to get married or jump in the sack just yet. No claiming love at first sight — just a phone number exchange after figuring out you like each other and want to see each other again. It’s beautiful.

Of course, if you want some lovin’, you can call 634-5789.

6 July 2008 – 9:00 PM

Posted in Music | Tags: Beechwood 4-5789, Marvelettes, My Favorite Songs of All Time, podcast, radio, theme party, WBAR, WHFR | No Comments »

S-S-S-Songs about K-K-K-Katies

Check out my latest “Theme Party” show on WHFR, “Songs About Katies.” While putting together the show, I came across the gem of a song, “K-K-K-Katy” written by Geoffrey O’Hara.

Songs About Katies (1 June 2008)

1. “K-K-K-Katy” - Rob Carriker
2. “Never Wanted Nothing More” - Kenny Chesney
3. “Navajo Rug” - Jerry Jeff Walker
4. “Katie” - Deana Carter
5. “Katie’s Been Gone” - The Band
6. “Sitting Still” - R.E.M.
7. “Monster Ballads” - Josh Ritter
8. “Katie Dear” - Louvin Brothers
9. “Dear Katie” - James Blunt
10. “Katie” - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
11. “Maybe Katie” - Barenaked Ladies
12. “Katy Too” - Johnny Cash
13. “Katie Wants a Fast One” - Steve Wariner & Garth Brooks
14. “Here to Forget” - Phil Vassar
15. “Katie” - Marvin Hamlisch
16. “She’s in Love With the Boy” - Trisha Yearwood
17. “Katie Bar the Door” - Sierra Highway
18. “K-K-K-Katy” - Helen Breen & Earl Wentz

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31 May 2008 – 9:00 PM

Posted in Music | Tags: K-K-K-Katy, podcast, radio, theme party, WHFR | No Comments »

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to

For the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a show called “Theme Party” on WHFR - Washington Heights Free Radio where I play songs around a single theme each week. The idea stemmed from not really having an idea of what to do a show about, but needing a general guideline to give myself. So, for the first week, I played “Songs About Dying in Motor Vehicles” and just last week, I did a “Songs That Ask Questions” show.

I create the show rather crudely (for my audio/visual production background) with what equipment I have at my disposal, but I think I’m getting better at it after each week. As with the show I used to have in college, putting together these shows is just an excuse to rediscover the music in my collection, pick up some new tunes, and have fun. It airs live on WHFR on Sundays at 2 P.M. PST, but I’ve also set up a podcast for my recordings. The shows are all exactly one hour, except for the first show that came up a little short.

Here are the playlists for shows I’ve done so far:

Songs About Dying in Motor Vehicles (4 May 2008)

1. “Stan” - Eminem
2. “Three Wooden Crosses” - Randy Travis
3. “Last Kiss” - Pearl Jam
4. “Teen Angel” - Mark Dinning
5. “Truckstop Girl” - Kelly Willis
6. “Car” - Catherine Wheel
7. “There is a Light That Never Goes Out (Live)- Morrissey
8. “Big Empty” - Stone Temple Pilots
9. “Wreck on the Highway” - Louvin Brothers
10. “Leader of the Pack” - Shangri-Las
11. “Only the Song Survives” - John Hiatt

Mother’s Day Show (11 May 2008)

1. “Van Lear Rose” - Loretta Lynn
2. “Hey Mama” - Kanye West
3. “Ms. Jackson” - Outkast
4. “Mama Didn’t Lie” - Jan Bradley
5. “Shop Around” - Miracles
6. “Days Like This” - Van Morrison
7. “Mama Said” - Shirelles
8. “Mother” - Danzig
9. “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
10. “Mama (He Treats Your Daughter Mean)” - Ruth Brown
11. “I’m Livin’ in Shame” - Diana Ross & The Supremes
12. “Mama Tried” - Merle Haggard
13. “Good Intentions” - Randy Travis
14. “Jesus on the Radio (Daddy on the Phone)” - Tom T. Hall
15. “To Daddy” - Dolly Parton
16. “Mama You Sweet” - Lucinda Williams
17. “Honour Your Mother and Father” - Checkered Cabs
18. “What a Friend We Have in Mother” - Louvin Brothers

Songs By On Stage Drunks (18 May 2008)

1. “Knoxville Girl” - Louvin Brothers
2. “Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)” - Doors
3. “Cabaret” - Liza Minnelli
4. “Rehab” - Amy Winehouse
5. “It’s a Shame About Ray” - Lemonheads
6. “Sunday Morning Coming Down” - Johnny Cash
7. “Put Your Cat Clothes On” - Carl Perkins
8. “Honky Tonkin’” - Hank Williams
9. “If I Needed You” - Townes Van Zandt
10. “Choices” - George Jones
11. “Paradise City” - Guns N’ Roses
12. “Hot For Teacher” - Van Halen
13. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” - Rolling Stones

Songs That Ask Questions (25 May 2008)

1. “Who Needs Pictures” - Brad Paisley
2. “Am I the Man” - Jackie Wilson
3. “How’s the World Treating You” - James Taylor & Alison Krauss
4. “Must You Throw Dirt In My Face” - Louvin Brothers
5. “What Does a Lifeguard Do in the Fall???” - June August
6. “Ain’t It Amazing, Gracie” - Buck Owens
7. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” - Shirelles
8. “Aren’t I True” - Kelly Willis
9. “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind” - Dolly Parton
10. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” - Creedence Clearwater Revival
11. “Is She Weird” - Pixies
12. “Where Are You Going” - Dave Matthews Band
13. “Which Will” - Lucinda Williams
14. “Why Me” - Josh Caterer
15. “Could You Be Loved” - Bob Marley & The Wailers
16. “Were You There?” - Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers
17. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” - Beach Boys
18. “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” - Carter Family

26 May 2008 – 11:00 PM

Posted in Music | Tags: podcast, radio, theme party, WBAR, WHFR | No Comments »

Let’s bring it on home together

Months after I said I would write about “my favorite songs of all time,” here I go with my first post. I’m starting in no particular order, of course.

In 1995-1996, I used to listen to “Flipside Fifties,” a program on Bellevue Community College radio that played a mix of 50s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. I was influenced by the music I heard on this program to eventually host a similar program in college, on WBAR. One night, I heard a song called “I’ll Bring It Home to You” by Carla Thomas (although I didn’t know it at the time), which was an “answer song” to Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me.” I was so jazzed when I heard this song. I already loved Sam’s version and hearing Carla’s version was like hearing that someone else loved the same music, too. (I usually didn’t share the same musical tastes as my peers, so I had to make connections somewhere.)

Around 1998-1999, I thought about “I’ll Bring It Home to You,” having only heard it that one time, and wondered who sang the song, since I never caught who was the singer, nor was I sure what was the actual song title. In those days, I didn’t automatically consult the Internet. I did things the old-fashioned way. I went to the Tower Records at 4th and Broadway in lower Manhattan and went through every CD in the Oldies section. It took me about 3 hours. I looked through every CD song list, looking for something that would pop out to me. Nothing did, so the next day I went to the Tower Records at 66th and Broadway and went through their Oldies section. Many of the CDs I had already seen the day before, so I was able to look through them quicker. It took about an hour, but I got to Carla Thomas and saw that she had a song called “I’ll Bring It Home to You” and I thought, “That’s gotta be it!” And it was.

Point of this story? Well, that in some way my obsession with “I’ll Bring It Home to You” was really my way of expressing how much I love the song “Bring It on Home to Me.” The song evokes such visceral emotions of love, longing, and desperation in less than three minutes. I love the piano intro. The studio version is great, but after I heard the live version on One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live From the Harlem Square Club, 1963, I felt transformed. I’m not a big fan of studio-released live recordings, but this album is so visual. When Sam tells the crowd to twist their handkerchiefs around during “Twistin’ the Night Away” or gives anti-domestic violence advice during “It’s All Right/For Sentimental Reasons,” I feel like I’m there in the audience. When the crowd sings “Yeah” during “Bring It on Home to Me,” I feel it brought home to me.

If you’re interested in more answer songs, WFMU has a spazzy collection of them, including a downloadable version of “I’ll Bring It Home to You.”

22 April 2008 – 1:00 AM

Posted in Music | Tags: Carla Thomas, Flipside Fifties, My Favorite Songs of All Time, Sam Cooke | No Comments »