Category Archives: Music

Juli Crockett

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JuliI really enjoyed the movie Million Dollar Baby… right up until I realized it was not going have a happy ending. I spent the last 15 or 20 minutes of the film in the lobby, watching some brats play air hockey. I didn’t watch the ending of Old Yeller either. I bring it up because I just discovered a connection between Maggie Fitzgerald (the Hillary Swank character) and Juli Crockett, the lead singer of the Evangenitals who dropped us a comment last week.

“Boxing trainer Jerry Boyd had never met Juli Crockett when he wrote the stories on which the film Million Dollar Baby is based. But when he did–at a bout in San Diego–he was convinced she was Maggie Fitzgerald, the tough and driven fighter of his fiction (played by Hilary Swank in the movie) come to life. Like Fitzgerald, Crockett came from the South, grew up without a father (but found one in the ring), and had a brief but stunning pro career (3-0, with 2 knockouts) cut short by injuries (though not nearly as severe as Fitzgerald’s). Other parallels: ambition, boxing style, that smile. Crockett, now 29 and a grad student, saw Million Dollar Baby for the first time last week.” [Interview in USNews]

Turns out Ms. Crockett is much more than a humble singer/songwriter.

Brush with Near Greatness: Juli Crockett

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It never ceases to amaze me how many of the people I mention here find my humble little notes and get in touch. I could mention a few but it would be the worst kind of name dropping. Okay, I’ll mention one.

A week or so back I gushed about the song Fuck ’em All by the Evangenitals and how I had searched (unsuccessfully) for the lyrics. Well, guess who left a little comment love:

“I’ll tell you what…  I’m going to add Fuck ’em All to the Evangenitals website, and I’ll put the lyrics up there just for you. :-) Give me a few days, and as you wish, so it shall be. Thanks for finding us, for listening, and for hearing.”

Love, Rev Juli Crockett (lead singer/songwriter)

– The Evangenitals

 

The Evangenitals

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EvangenitalsI can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this band before. Hopefully, I’m the last one to discover The Evangenitals “…once a fictitious band – a fib on a phony website born to amuse its founders and maybe a few friends. On a whim, Juli Crockett, Lisa Dee, and Brett Lyda – who all worked at the same sex toy company in L.A. (like the Sex Pistols) – brought the ghost to life and debuted a handful of “hillbilly truck-stop lullabies.”

Somewhere I stumbled across one of the songs from their latest CD (“Everlovin'”). A haunting ballad/anthem titled “Fuck ’em All.”

I’ve looked high and low for the lyrics but that’s just as well. You need to hear the song, not read the lyrics. It’s only 99 cents. If you don’t like it, I’ll send you a buck.

PS: This post is number 3,500 here at smays.com. I normally miss things like this but just happened to notice this one. I promise not to bring this up again until 4,000.

My Favorite Depressing Songs

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It occurred to me today that some of my favorite songs are pretty depressing. I wondered how many I could come up with off the top of my head. Real quick. 

  • Table for One -Liz Phair
  • At Seventeen – Janis Ian
  • Picture – Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock
  • Space Oddity – David Bowie
  • Dark End of the Street – Veronica Klaus
  • Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
  • Fuck ’em All – Evangenitals
  • A Thousand Kisses Deep – Leonard Cohen

This is just a starter-list, in no particular order. And I’m willing to bump some if you can come
up with some that I like as well but still make me want to blow my
brains out. Ten would be a good number, don’t you think? Comments are open.

Sheryl Crow rocks Redneck Riviera

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Our man in Pensecolda, Matt Zeni, files this review of Sheryl Crows performance at the civic center last Saturday night:

Sherylpensecola“She talked about traveling to Panama City with her family many years ago and going to Mrs. Reed’s trailer park where they rented a space for a week or two with their “cool” Airstream trailer. She and the band traveled to Panama City Saturday and saw a lot of changes with many, many condos but Mrs. Reed and her trailer park are still there. She also mentioned that she ‘hangs out’ down the road in Destin.

She looks terrific for being 46 years young and all she had been through the past three years and she touched on the events in her life the past few years. She was incredible [photos]. First time I saw her in concert. I had the chance to talk with her about 5-10 minutes when she was (in Columbia, MO) about ten years ago. She was in town for a concert and for MU homecoming and she was at the station(s) with her parents.

She was amazing. I even called a friend back in Columbia while in the civic center before the show. She asked me to call her back when Sheryl played her favorite song, My Favorite Mistake. I did and Tracey enjoyed the 6-7 minutes thanks to T-Mobile. Nothing like a live concert on your cellphone! I saw quite a few cellphone and I-phones sending video and audio to all parts of the world.”

Thanks for the report, Matt. Makes a boy wonder how concert promoters will stop thousands of fans from streaming live video from concerts like this. Or if they should try.

LA Times reviews Sheryl Crow’s ‘Detours’

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"Sheryl Crow has proven her mettle so many times that her unique position is now taken for granted. She may be the most successful woman rocker ever, with the most consistently auspicious career. But she’s still often dismissed as merely competent."

"Crow’s progressive lyrics hit like rubber-band pings fired by some joker in the back row at school. No one is likely to sing her verses at a march on Washington. But by addressing serious issues in the language of pop, they remind us that political speech and casual breeze-shooting can and do often intersect." [Full review]

TajTunes: Singing Valentine

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I got a call from India this afternoon. It was a singing telegram from Barb. A charming lady (with some backup by Mr. Baboo) sang the tune below. The story behind the website it equally entertaining. That they can do this for just $5 is pretty amazing.

“I’m So Happy”

I love it when you call me… (ring-a-ling-a-ling)
I love it when you sing… (lah lah lah lah LAH)
I love it when you hold my hand… (Awwwwww…)
And even when you cry… (wah wah wah)

I’m so happy. I’m so happy.
I’m so happy when I’m with you.
I’m so happy. I’m so happy.
I hope I make you happy too.

I love it when we spend time… (tick tock, tick tock)
I love it when we laugh… (hah hah hah)
I love it when we hug and kiss… (smooch)
And even when we fight…. (you jerk!)

I’m so happy. I’m so happy.
I’m so happy when I’m with you.
I’m so happy. I’m so happy.
I hope I make you happy too.

Oh yeah… I hope I make you happy too…
Oh yeah… I hope I make you happy too!

Brits tuning in to personalized Internet “radio”

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Mark Ramsey shares some thoughts on a story in the Sunday Times of London about the growing number of Brits tuning in to personalized Internet “radio” every week (and tuning out traditional radio).

Sunday Times: “Personalised broadcasts of the future will probably have either advertising or a price tag attached, just as they do today. But once your radio knows exactly what you want to hear, the idea of a human DJ – however cheeky his banter – might start to sound a little dated.”

Ramsey: “Over the long haul I fully expect the influence of music-oriented radio to diminish. Because music, my friends, is a commodity. Not only can anyone string together a playlist, but nobody can string together my favorite playlist better than I can.”

“What it all adds up to is the gradual near-obsolescence of music radio, not in a blink, but by a slow and persistent siphoning of audience and attention and interest and advertisers. This process will take years to happen.”

I read a lot of stories like this but very few on the impact of Internet “stations” on non-music formats. Are news-talk formats feeling any effect from the web? My radio pals can feel free to post an anonymous comment.

Yes We Can – Obama Music Video

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Blogger (and Hillary supporter) Jeff Jarvis dismisses this little ditty –and Obama’s campaign– as "the most rhetorical of the bunch: speeches and slogans so neat they can fit in 4/4 time."

What was the title of the "song" (early 70s?) that incorporated bits of speeches by MLK, JFK and Bobby Kennedy? Was it Abraham, Martin and John? Seems like there was another one but I can’t come up with it.

UPDATE: But smays.com reader Dale could. In 1971, DJ Tom Clay combined Jackie DeShannon’s What the World Needs Now with Dion’s Abraham, Marltin and John, and the speeches referenced above. Clay died in 1995 at the age of 66.

Download What the World Needs Now.mp3