Fireworks • Siouxsie & the Banshees

The English rock band formed by Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin in the mid 1970s brought the raw edge of Punk to the Post-Punk era with equal parts Pop and Avant-Garde, joining the great band The Cure as the forerunners of the Gothic music scene. Their music didn't really hit the US shores until 1980, when their odd Kabuki-like make-up stood in sharp contrast to the American rockers making their way to the 1980s. The sound of the band flowed between raucous Punk to Psychedelic, never becoming predictable.

Over 30 years ago, in 1982, the band released a single that was not featured on any album at the time. "Fireworks" was written and produced by the band, and leaned more toward the Psychedelic end of the spectrum. I thought it would be a great way to celebrate the birth of the American nation, as much of the nations holds firework displays. So here are Siouxsie & the Banshees with "Fireworks"

Jimmy Durante Sings George M Cohan

When I was but a wee child, I remember watching a myriad of celebrities on variety shows all the time. It is something that seems to have disappeared off the schedule, but I am grateful I got to see so much of it. One of those I remember watching was the amazingly quirky Jimmy Durante. Durante was a name in the entertainment industry from the 1920s to the 1970s, working as a singer, pianist, comedian and actor. He was recognized for his rather large nose, which he would often call his "Schnozzola". So I thought he would be a great artist to feature in this post, as he sang a medley of songs by George M. Cohan on his own variety program.



Hope your July 4th was a great one!

Yankee Doodle Daffy

Enjoy a little bit of Daffy fun on July 4th! According to Wikipedia:

Yankee Doodle Daffy is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1943, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was the second Technicolor Looney Tunes entry to feature Porky Pig and Daffy Duck (after My Favorite Duck).

The title and introductory music are inspired by the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy, a major hit and a Warner release. Other than the fact of both films being about show business, they have no plot elements in common. This is the first cartoon in the collection that came from public domain.



Happy July 4th!

July 4th Fireworks!

Here are some pictures I took of the fireworks from 2010, and a little clip to being the festivities to the blog. Enjoy!



Happy Independence Day, everyone!

July 5th Fireworks

When you live in a small town, you are accustomed to the towns getting together to deliver a better joint project than if they tackled things individually. Such is the case where I live, as the Smyrna/Clayton area put on the fireworks for the July 4th celebration on the evening of July 5th.






Three generations of the family - my parents, myself and 2 sisters, and my sister's don and daughter, were on the driveway watching the fireworks, which were partially obstructed by the trees. Not surprising, I had my camera primed and ready, and took these pictures. Hope you enjoy.

July 4th Fireworks!

Figured everyone could use a little background information about fireworks. Happy July 4th!

Happy July 4th - Dishwalla - Home

While this could easily fit into the Str8 Boys Need Love Too category, I thought it would be good for a celebration of this holiday. In 2003, Dishwalla went on a tour to play for the men and women serving this country, performing the song Home among many others.



I thought this would be a great way to celebrate great music, handsome men, and the men and women of the armed forces. Their live DVD, Greetings From The Flow State, from which the video was taken, is amazing, showcasing a group of great rock musicians.




Recently, lead singer JR Richards released a solo CD, A Beautiful End. I will most likely be blogging about that at some point, because I do love his voice. But I also love Dishwalla, and some of the music they have recorded, including Counting Blue Cars, Charlie Brown's Parents, Give, Angels or Devils, and Somewhere In The Middle. You can check Dishwalla out on MySpace.