Last night I went to a concert and saw “anti-folk”, “folk-punk”, “folk-funk” (whatever!) singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco and her band. The show was good, which will come as no surprise if you have ever seen her live. We’ve seen her live four or five times and it has always been good. She obviously loves performing and no one writes the type of songs that she does, at least not as well. So, today I feature a video of her and her recent band in the studio. It is from a couple years ago, but they are remaking her old song “Both Hands” (early nineties?).

The remade version is for her best-of, 2-CD set “Canon”, and if you don’t own anything by her that set is a pretty good place to start. Then go from there are get Dilate, Little Plastic Castles, the live Living In Clip. and the 20-odd other albums she has put out, not counting all her live bootlegs that she sells on her site and at her shows. In fact, I just picked up a copy of the 2003 Sacramento show that we saw six years ago! Very smart of her to sell CDs of her shows. Anyway, this video shows her having a good time rerecording this song. Is it her best song or best performance? Maybe not. But it’s still cool. Check it out.

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Leave me a comment below. Use both hands!

Today’s Terrific Tune is a rock ballad by a group that doesn’t do many ballads. It’s Green Day and the video for their current big hit “21 Guns”. The song is from their latest CD “21st Century Breakdown”. This album is great! They’ve grown so much with the last couple albums. There’s more variety and depth and so far I’d say this is easily one of the ten best albums of the year. As for this song, you may have heard it too many times on the radio, or maybe not, but give it another listen and check out the video. It ties in with the concept storyline of the album. And is singer Billie Joe Armstrong about the coolest looking guy? He looks awesome to me…

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Leave me a comment below. Don’t be an American Idiot…

George Harrison is dead and gone, may he rest in peace. When he was a Beatle, he was always in the considerable shadow of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. And he sometimes wanted more of his own songs on their albums. But once they broke up, he put out plenty of albums with plenty of songs. Most of the albums were a bit uneven but all had some good songs on them. Then, in the 90s, on his “comeback” album Cloud Nine, he took a musical look back at his time in the “Fab Four”. This song, “When We Was Fab”, is the result. The video has his characteristic clever humor and the song is pretty darned catchy too. He was fab.

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Leave me a comment below. Don’t be the quiet one…

Today’s Terrific Tune is simple, catchy, light, likable, and upbeat. But I’m going to feature it anyway! Ha! It’s Eric Hutchinson (learn more, web site) doing his song “OK, It’s Allright With Me”, in the official video. The song is short and charming. And the video has a really nice look to it. We saw Eric earlier this month at the Seattle Bumbershoot Festival. He was charismatic and the music was irresistible pop. Take a look below, it’s a cool video and a song that will have you humming it later.

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Leave me a comment below. OK, it’s allright with me…

Panic At The Disco (learn more, web site) is a puzzling band. Their first album (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out) was a collection of unique, hook-filled, catchy, fast-paced modern rockers with clever lyrics as a big bonus. Some of the songs seemed a bit repetitive but the hooks were so good that you just turned it up and didn’t worry about that. Then I saw them live a few years ago at the Bumbershoot Festival and they were not as polished and tight as I had expected. I left slightly disappointed and decided that they are better on record (CD?) than live. Well, that’s fine, I don’t really have a problem with that.

Then their second album (Pretty. Odd.) came out and it was almost like a different band. OK, the singers voice is recognizable for the most part but the songs were so different. The band had decided to make a trippy psychedelic pop-rock album, almost like a mix of sixties and now. And I like this album too! But it’s stranger, more quirky, and more adventurous. Here’s the video for the first single from Pretty. Odd., called “Nine In The Afternoon”. Maybe you will see what I was referring to.

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. Let the words flow.

It’s too late
to fall in love with Sharon Tate
but it’s too soon
to ask me for the words I want carved on my tomb

– Jim Carroll from “It’s Too Late” off the album Catholic Boy

Today’s Terrific Tune comes with sadness. On September 11th, rock/punk poet, singer, songwriter, and musician Jim Carroll died. (obit) Most people, if they know of him at all, only know his classic song “People Who Died”, or perhaps maybe his book “The Basketball Diaries” (made into a film starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio). He was about a lot more than just those works, of course. Read about Jim on Wikipedia.

You can read more about Jim on the Catholic Boy fan web site. Check it out and you’ll be surprised, in a good way. Then go buy his Catholic Boy CD (buy it here and help stevenology). Then enjoy it and pay attention to the lyrics too. He was a talented man who was kind of on the fringe and not very well known. But he sure had a way with words. This week’s video is his “hit” song “People Who Died”. The video also contains scenes from the film version of “The Basketball Diaries”. Enjoy. And rest in peace, Jim.

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. What did you think of Jim?

Sorry, no Terrific Tune this Tuesday. We’re just getting back from vacation. But there will be more good stuff soon, so check back…

In the meantime:

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Today’s Terrific Tune is from the 80s. As with every decade, there was a lot of good music then and a whole lot of crap too. But this is a good one. You must have seen this video back in the day, it was pretty popular. It’s Thomas Dolby and his big hit “She Blinded Me With Science”. He actually did a lot of good music but this is the one he’s remembered for. If you have some thoughts about Mr Dolby, this song, or this video, feel free to leave me a comment below. In the meantime, check out the video. I just love that old guy yelling “science!”

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. Help a brother out…

Today’s Terrific Tune is a deadpan funky version of the classic disco song “I Will Survive”. But wait! Disco, you say? I know, I hate disco too! But don’t worry, this is not Gloria Gaynor. It’s my hometown Sacramento’s rock band Cake doing their unique version of the song. They have their own sound, thanks mostly to the vocals and the occasional trumpet. But I like them and think it’s actually pretty cool. The video is a little strange but that’s ok too. Check it out:

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. And again! And again!

Today’s Terrific Tune is by an almost imaginary “virtual” band, Gorillaz (learn more, it’s pretty interesting). Oh, it’s real music, but it’s not exactly the animated people that you see in the video playing it. It’s the brainchild of Blur‘s Damon Albarn. Gorillaz is a side project that created a hugely popular and unlikely hit with “Feel Good, Inc.” I’ve heard it a lot of times but I still like it every time. And the video has some cool animation and the “real” Gorillaz. Check it out below!

Side note – this weeks tune is embeded here from Imeem not YouTube, and might have a short commercial at the beginning. You Tube wouldn’t let me embed it here. Bah.

Feel Good Inc – Gorillaz

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. It’s the law! Well, it should be…

If it’s Tuesday, this tune must be terrific. Today we feature an eerily beautiful song with an anti-war theme. It’s Kate Bush ‘s video for “Army Dreamers” off her great Never For Ever album. That album is possibly my favorite by her, though I like most of her music quite a bit. More than just pop, folk, or rock, she brings an arty sensibility and originality to her music that sets it apart from the mainstream. She does what she wants without regard for the trends of the day. She is a musical artist and this is an interesting and intruiging video and song. Check it out:

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. It’s the law! Well, it should be…

Twenty six terrific tunes so far, not bad! All great too. Well, good at least. So today we go a ways back, to right around the breakup of the Talking Heads. Two of the Heads formed a new group called Tom Tom Club (learn more) to focus on light, fun music and this song is an example of that. It was actually a minor hit, but became a LOT more famous when Mariah Carey ripped it off stole it sampled it for her huge hit Fantasy. That song sucks but this one doesn’t! The video is kind of cute too. It’s for “Genius Of Love“. Remember, light, fun music. Check it out.

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. Por favor?

Today’s Terrific Tune for Tuesday is a nice, mellow, acoustic number from Conor Oberst with one of his bands, recording as Bright Eyes. It’s called “The First Day Of My Life“. The video is a charmingly simple series of people. I find it heartwarming and the song is a great guitar-folk song too. He won a special recognition award for this video at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards. Click any of those links to learn more. Then check out the video below:

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. It’s either that or buy me a margarita. Your choice.

For today’s terrific tune we delve into the modern rock area with a synth-poppy tune from The Faint called “I Disappear”. It’s got kind of an eighties sound with a prominent synth bass line and jerky feel (aka “a good beat”). There are semi-deadpan vocals and it’s a clever and visually interesting video. And there’s a dark feel to it, though it’s still colorful and catchy. Check it out and let me know what you think.

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. Well, anyday now…

Hello again, faithful readers. Today’s Terrific Tune is from industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails (learn more). The song is “Down In It (Shred)”, the official video is below. The original song “Down In It” is from their Pretty Hate Machine album, which is a must-own and is their best album IMNSHO. The video here is for the “shred” remix, which is not too far off the original but extended and with minor differences. But hey, why quibble? It’s still a great song! Turn it up and hang on…

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Leave me a comment with the comment link below. If yer not… chicken!

Now here’s a terrific tune. It was written by Elvis Costello and he plays some bad-ass guitar here. But the vocal is by moody singer-wongwriter Fiona Apple. She’s covering Elvis’ “I Want You”, a menacing ballad not about love so much as stalking and desire. Her amazing voice makes it even more menacing. Oh she’s wonderful, but man you wouldn’t want to piss her off! Play this one full-screen and fairly loud.

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Whop bop a lu bop, ba lop bam boo! Oh hell, just leave me a comment with the comment link below.

It’s Tuesday again and we are serving up another Terrific Tune. This week it’s from the early 90s. The video is for “Ghost Of A Texas Ladies Man” by Concrete Blonde (learn more). This band released a bunch of really good albums and a couple that were only so-so. Buy their album Recollection for a greatest hits package and then buy Bloodletting, Walking In London, Mexican Moon, and Still In Hollywood and then go from there.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this video is a strange blend of the old west (saloons, trains, etc) and some modern rock with a twang. View it full-screen, and don’t just check out Johnette Napolitano, the singer (learn more). And how cool is this for a song subject anyway? It’s a hella clever concept and cool lyrics too. Watch it…

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Now leave me a comment with the comment link below, my little droogies…

Are these classic rock lyrics, or what?

I look just like Buddy Holly
And you’re Mary Tyler Moore
I don’t care what they say about us anyway
I don’t care about that

Yep, today’s terrific tune is “Buddy Holly” by nerd-rockers Weezer (learn more). It’s a totally catchy pop song. The video (below) was a big hit in the 90s and it’s well worth seeing again. It’s a parody of homage to the nostalgic sit-com Happy Days, the show about the 50s and how simple and cool things were back then. At Arnold’s Diner, everyone is squeeky clean and wholesome (except for “The Fonz”, who, of course, always got the girl). So Weezer hams it up and looks as nerdy and geeky as the rest of the cast. It’s a nice mash-up (before there were mash-ups everywhere) of a music video with images from a TV show. Check it out and try not to sing along!

Oh, and here’s an interesting side note about this video. It became so popular that it was included on the Microsoft Windows 95 CD-ROM when the operating system was first released. How’s that for famous?

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So leave me a comment with the comment link below. Hurry! The end is near!