The Current Music Blog: April 8, 2009 Archive

Today in Music History: A Tragic Anniversary

Posted at 7:35 AM on April 8, 2009 by Steve Seel (1 Comments)

1962 - Izzy Stradlin (guitar, Guns N' Roses) was born.
1963 - Donita Sparks (guitar, vocals, L7) was born.
1963 - Julian Lennon, first son of John Lennon and the only child of Lennon's first wife Cynthia Lennon, was born.
1988 - R.E.M. left IRS Records and signed with Warner Brothers records.
1997 - Singer songwriter Laura Nyro died from ovarian cancer.
2008 - Pete Doherty of The Libertines and Babyshambles was jailed for 14 weeks for violating his probation and for using drugs.

It was on this day in 1994 that an electrician who was working at Kurt Cobain's house in Seattle discovered Cobain's body lying on the floor in the greenhouse. Local radio station KXRX broke the news at 9:40am that the Nirvana singer and guitarist was dead. A shotgun was found next to Cobain's body. A suicide note was found, and a high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were also found in Cobain's body.

Every generation has it's heroes, and it's tragedies. For the twentysomethings for whom rock had been reinvigorated by Nirvana - almost as profoundly as the way The Clash had some 15 years previously - Kurt Cobain's death was a heartbreaking blow. Many remember exactly where they were when the news broke.

We played an earlier Nirvana song today in Kurt's honor: "About a Girl," from Bleach.

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Say Please

Posted at 10:41 AM on April 8, 2009 by Steve Seel

Today's 9:30 Coffee Break was inspired by a recent conversation I had with a colleague about disrespectful behavior - and how it feels on the rise with each passing year, not just regarding the way young people speak to their elders, but how people simply talk less respectfully to one another in general, for Pete's sake. Cranky older folks can spew about the rude behavior of "today's kids," but when we live in a world that rewards barking, bullying, sarcastic behavior (see "reality television," "cable news" and "talk radio"), it hardly seems a surprise that human give-and-take is simply much ruder today. (Is "ruder" a word?)

So, politness was our topic today, with songs with "please" either in the title or the lyrics. The winners:

1) The Smiths, "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"
2) The Bird and the Bee, "Polite Dance Song"
3) Muddy Waters, "Baby Please Don't Go"

Ride the Wavves for free!

Posted at 11:45 AM on April 8, 2009 by Barb Abney (1 Comments)

Wavves, The California project led by Nathan Williams were in town on Sunday. If you missed their show, or if you're just learning about the band, good news! We've got a free tune for you today on our Song Of The Day Podcast. You can get the tune "No Hope Kids" from the band's eponymous record which is their second full-length. Get this tune, as well as new songs from Amadou and Mariam, The Honeydogs, Ben Lee and The Thermals for free! when you subscribe to our Song Of The Day Podcast.

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Listener declares today Hip Hop Humpday!

Posted at 1:49 PM on April 8, 2009 by Barb Abney (1 Comments)

Peter Dangerfield from St. Paul picked today's My 3 Songs set because..

"Because it's a Wednesday, and everyone needs a little Hump Day Hip Hop! "

Atmosphere - "Mattress"
Dan The Automator featuring A Tribe Called Quest - "Lyrics To Go"
Doomtree - "Game Over"

Make your "My 3 Songs" requests here.

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Tunes On The Telly Tonight: (04/08/09)

Posted at 4:05 PM on April 8, 2009 by Barb Abney

Bell X1 on Letterman
MSTRKRFT on Jimmy Kimmel
NASA on Carson Daly
Prince on Jay Leno