Cody Jams: Imogen Heap

A friend of mine on facebook, who friended me after seeing us on Happy Hour, recommended I break my post-1982 music ban to check out this Imogen Heap artist.
She sent along this video from YouTube...color me impressed. Gonna download her albums off iTunes today and get to know the artist. Blogs are the new radio indeed, eh?

Cody Jams on Friday: Clapton and Winwood at MSG

I often say that it's no longer about who you know, but what you know. The fact is that "who" you know does matter, but my point is that in this digital age when you can reach out and communicate with just about anyone if you're diligent enough, that "what" you know matters more to "who" you know than "who" you know matters to your success, however you may define it.

At any rate, as a result of diligently writing thousands of posts and articles for TheStreet.com, I ended up friends with Mitch Rose, rock n roll agent to the stars at CAA. Mitch was in town for Eric Clapton's concerts with Steve Winwood at Madison Square Garden this week.
And did he ever hook me up last night. After a fascinating discussion on how the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame works with the president of the RnR HoF himself, Joel Peresman, and a challenging discussion on the impact that the Internet will have on all forms of content (video, audio and text) at McCormick & Schmidt's, we headed down the concert, entering through the back of MSG and taking an elevator straight to the amazing seats we had just feet from the stage.

And what a show. Eric was amazing. So effortless. You'd watch and sorta forget how amazing the technical and melodic sounds he's making are, and then at times you'd have this flash of, "Holy moly...that sequence just floated by, then ripped through, before it collapsed in my head."

The first half of the show was steady and fun...it was after they'd warmed up for an hour or so that the show really kicked it up a gear.

Clapton's acoustic version of Eric Johnson's "Ramblin' on My Mind" took the original and somehow modernized for the crowd despite being so true to the original.

I often wonder what Mozart would think of Eric Johnson's work. Or what Beethoven would think of the Beatles for that matter.

And Winwood's solo take on "Georgia" settled us down into a zen-like zone right before they kicked up the last part of the concert with Clapton and Hendrix originals.

Little Wing. Oh man, that was awesome.

One of the best concerts I've ever been to. A beautiful night, really. I'd be remiss not to add that even as I'm not a star-struck kinda-guy, and I wouldn't trade the night as it went for anything (you never want to look back, anyway, right?), my date and I did split off from Mitch and Brooks from SportsByBrooks.com once at the concert and they eventually headed backstage and hit the after parties afterward. Fact is, I know I'm gonna hear about sacrificing meeting Slowhand. But I gotta be me.

NYC Outlaws: I Wanna Be Free At Last

I got an email on Friday from my buddy Bill Brooks, the drummer of our always-disintegrating Crazy Horse covers and originals songs band, Museum of the Horse. It said:

"Me and 2 legendary musicians Roy Cox (originally from Bubble Puppy) plus Evan and Dan are jammin tomorrow and Sunday 12-6 each day 23rd and Park call me if you want to join the fun"

You know I was there -- including for Sunday even though it meant for missing Neil Young for the eighth time I've almost seen him live (I've still never seen him live...understand, my hometown's 180 miles from the Albuquerque, the nearest venue for such things...a girlfriend taking me to Pavement in college was the first concert I'd ever been to).

Freshly dubbed, "NYC Outlaws", we rocked it pretty hard both days for several hours, playing ZZ Top, Rolling Stones, classic blues...and we even played a new original of mine. 9/11's a theme in the original version I wrote that I'll probably publish sometime. And I've had such a day of extremes -- I had such an amazing day at work...I'll have much more details about that in future days and weeks, but not now. But I always have these feelings of guilt about living through 9/11 (see the archives on RealMoney.com and in the old TheCodyBlog.com for more on that if you want) and juxtaposing today's wonderfulness with those feelings has left me emotionally exhausted tonight.

The reason I mention all that is because the song's called "Free at Last"...and isn't that what we're striving for...wonderful days and touching our dreams?

Here's the song as played each day with two mostly different line-ups. I don't know why the very sweet lady who decided to take the player off the pedestal and film it by hand decided to keep me and Bill out of the video for the first three minutes and most the rest of the song, but man, we were ROCKING over there. I knocked over a microphone or two as I was jumping and even almost hit my head on the ceiling on the final hit...Bill was pounding through those drums...we were all rocking hard, I tell ya'.

And what can you say about Roy? As the late great Jim Seymour's son, Graham, gchatted me when he saw the video, " wow, cody, the guy in the sunglasses is amazing". Well put, son, well put.

The next day's take had a totally different vibe as you can see. And you can actually see me rock it out in that one if you stick around to the end.

I'll post some more cuts from the jam sessions later...and I think we might even release a song or two for free on the site.

Cody Jams on Friday: Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson

Growing up in rural New Mexico, we typically had access to one local AM radio station and occassionally you could pick up some rock stations from "bigger" communities -- what I used to call "cities" -- like Alamogordo or Roswell, about an hour's drive from Ruidoso each. The AM station played horrible pop country and I mostly hated country music growing up.

I started missing country music after being in NYC where you can go years without hearing even a Garth Brooks song.

Here's a remarkable album from the Renaissance man, Kris Kristofferson. There's not a weak song on the album, though I don't really LOVE the first song on the album, "Blame it on the Stones". My personal favorite is "To Beat the Devil", but that just might be for now....I love a lot of songs on this album.

Rock on, even when listening to C&W....or CW (my initials, of course) for that matter! ;)

Click here to buy the album.

Cody Jams on Friday: Neil Young - On The Beach

You ever put a new album on in the background as you work or play and after about the third or fourth song, you actually stop whatever you're doing to just concentrate on the art of the music?   It's a different thing than when we hear that song that hits ya and gives you chills.   The album itself becomes one big piece of music that evolves and speaks to a deeper part of that place in your mind that makes music matter to you.   

As I explained when I killed New Music Friday's back earlier this year, I was just sick of all the repackaging that the once-artists but now yuppie businessmen who seem to control all facets of popular music was pushing on us.   Too many greatest hits albums, too many cookie-cuttered nationally-approved radio playlists, and too many once-great songs run into my head's ground as they ran behind one too many commercials or appeared in one too many movies and TV shows.   So I've bought some 350  complete,  non-greatest-hits albums in the last few months.    And one of those albums was On The Beach by Neil Young.

What an album.

Click here to buy the album.

The last song will leave you breathless.

Cody Jams on Friday: The Action - Rolled Gold

Okay, so I killed New Music Friday back when I became fully disgusted with mainstream music back last Spring.   And as I said I would, I have banned pretty much any piece of music that was recorded after 1982 (why 1982?  why not?).  That ban includes any and all compilations, greatest hits, or other non-original albums. 

And let me tell ya -- I have found some incredible music that you'll never hear anywhere else. I'm not going to feature songs or even write too much about these albums, but we are going to start posting "Cody Jams on Friday" to highlight some of the best pre-1982 albums I've found.

Today I kick it off with this "Rolled Gold" 1967 album from The Action.   It's the only music the band ever recorded together, but I can hardly believe how much Dinosaur Jr and Pavement I can hear in this music.   Check out the whole 15-song album -- there's not a weak spot on it.

Click here to buy the album.

Next week I'll highlight the best Neil Young album you've never heard of.  Hint: 1974.

The Rock n Roll Spirit of AC/DC Is Gone

You know, I complained awhile ago when AC/DC sold their classic jam, "Back in Black" out to the black Razr from Motorola. But now I notice all the places it's used including the Lewis Black segment on The Daily Show and it's ruined the song for me. And now....it's used for a Gap women's pants commercial featuring Audrey Hepburn? Oh, man, that's just brutal -- and don't get me wrong, I love that Audrey woman -- but she don't mix with AC/DC!

Jonesing For But Leery About Dylan's Concert

I'm pretty jazzed to have some great tickets to go see Bob Dylan for the
first time ever in a few weeks.  Even though I'm pretty jaded by his Apple endorsement (that reminds me how my good friend Joe used to scream "I'm jaded!" along with Garth's cover of Billy Joel's hit "Shameless" instead of "I'm shameless" Gawd, did the corporate playlists ever kill that song back in 1991/2 in Texas).  And I'm still banning music from post-1982 too, so I can't speak to his newest album (though I will listen to it before I go to his show...).

At any rate, I had to pass on this review from my favorite music critic/analyst/whatever, Bob Lefsetz wrote up

So now plagiarism is the FOLK TRADITION?

The reviews of this album are demonstration of why you can no longer trust print/reviewers. To look cool, to be a member of the club, to remind you of the way things WERE, you've got to dig deep and give a good review of this record. Whereas you've got to listen to it almost a dozen times for it to reveal itself, and almost nobody's gonna give it that time and should you have to TAKE the time? Isn't that like saying if you're alone on an island with a member of the opposite sex for three months you'll grow close?

This is not a bad record. But it could have used an outside producer, the sound is anything but revelatory, never mind ear-pleasing and Dylan could have used a Jacques Levy.

If you consider this to be classic, you've never listened to "Blood On The Tracks", never mind "Bringing It All Back Home", "Highway 61" or "Blonde On Blonde".

Now if you were alive back then, if you weren't looking at the past through rose-colored glasses like the aforementioned writers, you'll know that Bob Dylan released a turkey, "Self Portrait", and after the reviews were SCATHING, he went back into the studio and released the almost classic "New Morning" within six months. Maybe if they gave this guy BAD reviews, he'd come to his senses and make something more accessible.

Oh, don't tell me "Modern Times"' virtue is its INACCESSIBILITY. "Anna Karenina" isn't inaccessible. And if inaccessibility is the criterion, "Trout Mask Replica" is the best record ever made, maybe challenged by "Metal Machine Music".

This is not a word of mouth record. These same worthless print writers are selling this record. Getting baby boomers who want to look cool and in the loop to buy it. Because if you heard it at a friend's house, you'd NEVER buy it!

P.S.  Tune in Friday -- New Music Friday (with a twist) returns!

Apples and Dylans -- They Don't Mix

Now I love Apple, as most people know. I've owned the stock since the dawn of their foray into the music business and continue to hold it.

And I have come to truly love the mind, lyrics, music and performances by Bob Dylan since I finally dove into his full, original non-greatest-hits albums. He's truly a genius, a legend, and I can gush about him for hours.

But I am sickened by his endorsing Apple, the iPod and iTunes with their new campaign. What happened to artist integrity? What happened to not selling out? What happened to fighting the damn system? Is Dylan even human anymore or is he a cyborg now since he's been fully assimulated into the system?

What's next -- The Who singing for the intro to Friends and the Rembrandts singing the intro for CSI? Er, somethign like that, right?

And then what -- maybe Jimmy Page can play for the opening on of the New York Stock Exchange. Wouldn't that really be the ultimate sell-out? Oh, wait, that already happened too didn't it?

Only Neil Young and his "This Note's for You" mentality remains pure, no?

Sad, really. But rock n roll will never die, even if these fallen stars' principles already have.

On Being a New Yorker, or, The Cody Band Returns

I guess that makes me a "real" New Yorker.  I've just passed my ten year anniversary of having moved to New York.  Isn't it strange that our minds gravitate towards these arbitrary numbers as significant?   If we only had four digits per hand and thusly used a base 8 number system, would we mark our 8th and 20th anniversaries as we do our 10 and 25?   I've been saying I'm "from New York" for a long time, and I do refer to New York when I refer to "home" these days. 

Anyway, before I went home for my high school class' 15 year (another aribitrary period of time to mark), reunion a few weeks ago (more on that event coming), I pulled my journal from back in New Mexico.  I was pretty jazzed to find some songs that I'd written when  I first started playing guitar.   I've been working in the studio to put a few of them down, and we got one done so far.  It's the "Bleed" song below.  "Small Town Kid", as you might surmise was written when I'd first moved to New York. 

We also stripped some of the songs that I'd published already down.  At any rate, rock on, eh? (Right click on the song titles to download for free.)

Small Town Kid
I'm just a small town kid
Tryin to make it in the big city.

I say things like fixin' to,
But I never had a pair of cowboy boots,
I hope you think this song is pretty cute,
Cuz lord knows that I surely do.

I'm just a small town kid
Tryin to make it in the big city.

I used to mow lots of lawns,
I like brunettes and blondes,
I wanna sell stocks and bonds,
But don't look for me because brother I'm already gone.

This big city.
It ain't such a big city.

Bleed
And so I come home to myself,
Knowing your silence says so much,
I see your shadows mocking me,
And I remember how we touched,

Peace be with me, time of need,
Love comes for me, watch it bleed,
Lose myself, lost myself,
I can't stand to know myself,
I'm not asking for anybody's help.

What do you do when you think of me?
What do you cry when you feel lonely?
Watch it bleed.

I feel the flames start to rise,
I know the story they will tell,
It's pointless to run, they're everywhere,
I'll just go to burn in hell,

Sovereign pity, all for me,
It's so fun to watch me bleed,
Drink myself, drank myself,
I don't want to be myself,
I now hate everybody else.

What do you do when you think of me?
What do you cry when you feel lonely?
Watch me bleed.

Think it later, plant a seed,
Inhaling you, feel me bleed,
Loved myself, hate myself,
I'd do better to just kill myself,
For I got nothing left to sell.

What do you do when you think of me?
What do you cry when you feel lonely?
Feel me bleed.

Two Cents Worth (Stripped)
What's your two cents worth?
A penny for your thoughts.
What do I see what I look at me?
Do I even want to see?
I turned my life on a dime.
A penny for your thoughts.

Whisper to Me (Stripped)
Wanting to desire wanting only you,
Reaching for the memory of remembering only you,
Visions of the sights of looking down at you,
Our two tongues cross like swords.
Whisper to me.

Suddenly you tremble anew,
And I just know that you knew,
I feel born anew, Yes, I feel born anew,

And I won't come down, I'll bring you home,
No, I don't wanna stop now, don't wanna lose control,
No, I won't stop now, as hard as stone,
As I taste your sweet sweat and touch your soul.

Now I hear your breath, as I feel you plea,
Crystal visions of your essence in front of me,
Devoted emotions, bring out what we feel,
Our two hands grip reality.
Whisper to me.

You can check out my previously released music video for "Whisper to Me", now on YouTube, by clicking on the graphic below.

PS.  I don't really know what to say about that FT column.  It's really, well, neat.   The real kicker is being called a "part-time rock star"!