“moneygrabber” – fitz & the tantrums (2010)

A band’s debut album can be a really exciting thing.  Something about the freshness of the sound hits you at the right moment and then it becomes a meaningful soundtrack for that point in your life.  After some time, you may go a long period without revisiting that album.  Though when you do, it can really take you back. And regardless of whatever happened to that band afterwards, the transcending feeling you get from a solid debut album stays with you.

That happened for me when Fitz & the Tantrums released their debut album Pickin’ Up the Pieces during August of 2010.  I had first become aware of the indie pop and neo soul group a few months prior when they opened for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings in Nashville the day before graduating college.  As a graduation present to myself, I wanted to see Sharon Jones with some friends because she was an artist I championed regularly on my college radio show dedicated to independent soul and R&B music.  Considering that I did not know the opening act, I was not as excited.  Frankly, I do not even remember looking them up prior to the show.  And, in retrospect, I am glad I did not because I was completely surprised by how great they were.

Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs were exceptionally dynamic and wonderful performers.  And their danceable infectious blend of indie pop and soul was incredibly exciting to me.  Too bad I was on the eve of graduating from college and once I had that degree in my hand, I was no longer a student and therefore could not be on the college station anymore.

During that summer, one of my close friends had been promoted to upper management at the station and would be in charge the following school year.  I was still very excited about Fitz & the Tantrums from seeing them perform and Nashville and told him about the show.  Thinking about the campus concert fundraiser the station put on every fall, I told my friend about Fit & the Tantrums and that they should book them because they had a great sound and would certainly get too big for the station rather soon.  When asked what the genre was, I told him a blend of indie pop and soul and I was told that sounded terrible.  It made me recall a time from a  few years earlier when I told the station manager then that we had to book Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for one of the concert fundraisers before they too got way too big for us, and I was shot down because the manager’s belief that soul music was no longer relevant.

Just like before, my suggestion for Fitz & the Tantrums was shot down because of some maligned view on taste.  While I ended up being correct that Sharon Jones and Fitz & the Tantrums got big in their own right, I realized at the time that  my friend was probably busy planning the next year for the station and the last thing he needed was someone from the old guard who had recently graduated sticking around. I had heard similar complaints the last few years when someone graduated but still felt the need to give their input on station direction.  I then moved on and jammed to the Pickin’ Up the Pieces album for months on end.

When Fitz & the Tantrums announced their follow-up More Than Just a Dream in 2013, I was beyond excited.  Certainly, this album would be great.  Perhaps not as great as their debut, but still awesome.  And when I got it, I found myself so incredibly disappointed.  They had moved away from the soul grooves that made Pickin’ Up the Pieces so great which made a post-graduate former college radio soul DJ so happy.  However, I guess that is how it goes when bands plan their career course and aesthetic trajectory.  While I am sure the soul music was still in their hearts, it seemed that they were wanting to move into a more commercial pop direction.  And based on the releases since then, it appears that would be the case.

Fitz & the Tantrums is the only act I can think of that completely excited me with their debut, but then left me longing for so much more on the next release.  And then I kept hanging on hoping for another great album like Pickin’ Up the Pieces, but it never came.  So, eventually, I just tuned out completely.

It has been a decade since Fitz & the Tantrums released Pickin’ Up the Pieces and it still bops.  Though the album was dropped on August 24^th, 2010, the first single “MoneyGrabber” was not released until August 15^th, 2011.  A fun and catchy tune about not being burned twice by returning to the gold-digging former flame, “MoneyGrabber” was such a great song that captured the style, sound, and essence of what I came to love about Fitz & the Tantrums upon their debut.  And while I applaud them for finding the commercial success they have sought with their newer sounds, I still have Picking Up the Pieces to enjoy and bring me back to a time that was simpler. And I look forward to listening to it for more decades to come.

“my future” – billie eilish (2020)

Last week the Democratic National Convention was held.  Originally slated to be conducted in Milwaukee, the DNC had to shift to an entirely virtual and remote convention due to the massive health and logistical issues pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the issue of the pandemic did not result in the most entertaining convention in recent memory, the DNC was still dynamic, engaging, and inspiring all things considered. They certainly accomplished their mission which was for Joe Biden to accept the party’s nomination and to make a clear case for the validity of his presidency over that of Donald Trump’s.

Despite being a politically minded person, I historically have never watched any of the conventions. When it comes to politics, I am more concerned with the policies over the entertainment value. Campaigns are big business in America and that business has only increased with each subsequent election. And watching the conventions is just never fun for me because I feel like if I engage with them, I contribute to their monstrous growth. Instead, I primarily read the highlights or watch some speeches after the fact.  This allows me to remove myself from the overall spectacle and just focus on what is being communicated.

This year, I made an exception.  For the first three nights, I did not watch the DNC and instead stuck to my normal practice of covering the highlights. That seemed to still work for me.  However, for the fourth night, I decided to watch the convention for the first time ever.

I had become curious, based on comments from friends on social media, just how the DNC would broadcast their message within the constraints of the pandemic in creative ways.  I heard a lot about the roll call that really piqued me interest.  Instead of focusing on the spectacle of massive crowds, loud music, and so many balloons, I was interested if the Democratic party had somehow found a way to make themselves more exciting and appealing to voters of the 21^st century.  I wondered if this could be the beginning of a shift for the conventions to utilize internet media and technology in ways that could truly showcase the breadth and scope of what the party has to offer.

Admittedly, that was a bit of “pie in the sky” thinking though I was not disappointed.  While some produced segments and speaker exchanges were awkward because of the missing magic of face-to-face communication, the DNC also did not feel like something akin to the 2 AM hour of a Jerry Lewis telethon that some comedians and critics suggested.

Watching Joe Biden speak and accept the nomination, I felt hopeful which seemed like a strange and alien feeling during the last few years, especially now during the pandemic.  He spoke eloquently and clearly about his commitment to the Constitution and how his career and family values can help put America back on the right track.  And I loved that I could watch Biden the entire time with no cutaways to crowds or anything else you might find in a packed convention hall. I truly felt like Biden was speaking directly to me, and all Americans, directly.  I felt teary-eyed and it was a good feeling.

For me, the conventions always signified the point in time when the election cycle becomes unbearable.  At this point, if my preferred candidate in the primaries did not make it then I had already reframed my mind to support the Democratic nominee.  And it is then that I wish the election was a lot sooner because I could not care less about debate and everything that comes next.  I am sure the debates and extra campaigning are helpful for those on the fence, but for me these last few months just become about sensationalist headlines and clickbait followed by friends sharing those headlines and clickbait wondering why not everyone is on the same page.  It just gets exhausting for me and I instead focus on how to spend the last few weeks of warm weather.  And considering the pandemic, I would rather put forth the mental energy to focus on my own health as I brace for the inevitability of winter and all the challenges that will bring.

The first night of the Republican National Convention will be held tonight and I could not care less about that than any previous RNC.  I did look over the speaker and performance schedule and it is a veritable who’s who of shameless and talentless hacks, half of which include the Trumps themselves.  I do not need to see Kid Rock perform and sell his soul to get that Trump base dollar.  It is not even a matter of politics for me, it is a matter of taste.

Despite any discernable issues with the DNC, they at least have some taste when it comes to finding talent that not only sets a tone but also energizes people.  And one of the highlights from last week’s DNC was Billie Eilish.

Eilish has been a rising star over the last few years, most recently achieving acclaim such as winning the Grammy for “Album of the Year,” performing during the Oscars’ “In Memoriam,” and even recording the theme for the new James Bond film, thus legitimizing her amidst a star-studded roster.

On the third night of the convention, Eilish debuted a new song called “My Future” and urged people to vote against Donald Trump as if our lives depend on it which they do.  During a pre-recorded message prior to the song, Eilish said:

“Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about. We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and COVID, not deny them. Leaders who will fight against systemic racism and inequality, and that starts by voting for someone who understands how much is at stake, someone who is building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden.”

Surrounded by a smokey purple atmosphere while performing “My Future,” Eilish sings a song of hope and optimism about the future.  Eilis sings that she is in love with the future and personifies it as a her, signifying either Eilish feeling more herself when Trump leaves the presidency or perhaps is a subtle nod for the day when a woman ascends to the office.  Halfway through, the purple shifts to an energizing orange as Eilish steps away from the keyboard to strut and sway with a microphone and a dog tailing her.

I really loved this performance.  And while I wish I could have seen it when it initially aired, the message and feeling of the song is still resonating with me. Eilish is hopeful and so am I.  I am glad I have this song to jam to and lift my spirits when I do not doubt I will need it as we enter what will be the most toxic period of the election.

“let us go laughing” – bruce cockburn (1971)

Life during a pandemic is strange.  It forces you to evaluate your priorities and change your actions accordingly.  While I could outline and discuss all the ways that COVID has affected my life, the most notable difference is how I travel. Except for a few rare cases, I have only been travelling as far as my feet can take me.  If I cannot walk to it and back during the era of COVID, I do not really bother with it.  Since I do not own a car myself, my options have been limited.  And after five months of this so far, my movements have been rather repetitive.

This issue with travel is not just that I cannot go on vacation anywhere else whether it be a different state or country, but rather I have just been largely limited to my immediate neighborhood and the surrounding areas.  There are only so many paths I can walk and places I can go to.  And given that there are more people out because of summer vacation, it has been a difficult summer to try and stay safe from COVID.  Especially since a lot of people are still not wearing masks.

I feel a spike in my anxiety whenever I am on a busy sidewalk and my alternative path options are minimal to none.  It makes me wish that winter were already here so I can encounter fewer people, but I am also aware of the unique challenges I will likely have to deal with when that time comes during the pandemic.  However, I now have a new outlet to last until the leaves turn and the sky turns hazy with snowfall.

One of the first friends I made when I came to Chicago recently moved close to my neighborhood in a house that has a dock access to the north branch of the Chicago river.  And it just so happens his landlord owns a canoe for the tenants to use.  I have not been in a canoe for almost two decades. The last time being when I was spending part of my summer in Boys Scout camp. I did not care how long it had been, I would learn and adapt while on the water.  The idea of canoeing has been the most exciting thing this summer has offered me.

I took time off on Friday and met my buddy out on his dock at 4:45 AM.  The goal was to hit the water at 5:00 AM and row south towards the Loop and catch the sunrise over Lake Michigan.  Well, that did not happen.  We quickly realized what speed we could manage in the canoe and realized that if we were going to catch the sunrise from the Loop, we would need to leave a few hours earlier.  However, that did matter.  We could plan that for the future.  The trip was fantastic, and we got to experience the more industrial parts of the city from the water.  Not as beautiful as if we were canoeing in a more scenic part of the river, but interesting to see aspects of the city that neither of us have seen in months because of the pandemic.

We spent about five hours on the water and I spent the rest of my Friday napping and stretching because canoeing, especially for the first time in a decade, is quite a workout.  Even if a low-impact one at that.  However, it was only 24 hours later that my buddy asked me if I would be down to hit the water again on Sunday.  Sore and achy still, I said yes.

This time, we spent a similar duration on the water as Friday but headed north this time.  A lot quiet and more scenic, we saw a lot more vegetation as well as some animals including cranes and turtles.  A more chill vibe that cruising the water adjacent to the factory processing and condo construction we saw just two days earlier.

We talked about possibly seeing the Lake Michigan sunrise this way instead since it was nicer.  Looking at the map, heading north from the dock meant a longer trip.  However, given the current flow, the trip on the way back would be a lot easier since we could drift with the current. While the trip to the Loop would be shorter, we would be travelling against the current on the way back. We felt determined to catch the sunrise over Lake Michigan for sure, the question was which direction to go.  We ultimately settled on that we will do both before it is time to retire the canoe.  And I know we can.  We were only 90 minutes away on Friday and just about two hours away on Sunday.

A great workout when you are paddling and relaxing when you are drifting, I feel very fortunate that my buddy has access to a dock and canoe.  For a summer where I have not really done anything and seeing friends is a rare treat, breaking a sweat paddling on the Chicago river has been a welcomed treat.  And while I wish I could have done this all summer, it came just at the right time.  Exactly when I needed it the most.  And I look forward to spending what little bit of summer I have left on the water.

In 1971, Bruce Cockburn released his second studio album High Winds, White Sky.  Included on the album is “Let Us Go Laughing” which features Cockburn singing about living a rich inner life.  With a soft acoustic guitar, Cockburn sets a peaceful scene.  His canoe is on the water and the evening is coming in slowly with the golden dust of the sunset slipping away. Stars slowly appear one by one accented by a pale moon.  Far away over the horizon is a silent lightning.  It is unsure if Cockburn spent his day on the river in his canoe, but it does not matter.  The end will come but he is determined to enjoy what he can now.  It is a part of the landscape that brings him so much peace. And peaceful is how I would describe my weekend in the canoe, and I want to hold onto that for as long as I can.

“the love we had (stays on my mind)” – the dells (1971)

This week marks a whole decade since I have performed on air as a radio DJ.  A few months prior was the anniversary of my departure from college radio (because I graduated), and then eventually my involvement with a local NPR affiliate (because I moved).  Since then I have recorded vocals for various things with the community radio station I am involved with now, but I still have not returned to the board to settle back into the role of DJ.  I do want to pick that back up again, but not sure when.  Pre-COVID, I was busy with other things and I am unsure of what my priorities will be as COVID continues to play out.  However, in the meantime, I can still enjoy the music.

When I was a DJ, that is where I really developed a deep love for soul music.  On my college radio station, I hosted a weekly independent soul radio show every Sunday night from 10 pm through midnight, and I often made content and programming notes to the local NPR affiliate soul show.  It was a time of great musical exploration for me as I was able to dive deep into local and regional labels, learn about largely unknown aspects of American music, and see where more popular and notable bands of the era stole and re-appropriated aspect of Black America musical culture.

As with every self-proclaimed music aficionado, I have a large breadth of taste of interests in music.  So, depending on my mood or interests at the time, I am exploring phases.  And I thrilled to say I am back into a soul music phase.  I never gave up or lost interest in the genre, but I just needed to find the right thing to catch my interest and make me fall in love with it all over again.

A few weeks ago, Sound Opinions aired an episode featuring an interview with Aaron Cohen about his book Move on Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power about the social and stylistic diversity of Chicago soul music from the 1950s through the 1970s.  And this was exactly what I needed to get me out of the stagnation of the 2020 blues.  The conversation was engaging and I enjoyed the discussion involving the intersection of politics and social commentary within the music, as well as the brilliance of the musicality within the genre.  I heard songs from artists I had not listened to in a long time, and learned so much more about artists that were new to me.  And since then, I have been diving deep into a genre that had always brought me so much joy, validated my complex feelings love and loss, and challenged my notions about race and society.

The conversation stayed within the realms of Chicago soul which was always, admittedly, not one of areas of soul music I had been that familiar with.  Sure, I knew a few artists here and there that came out of Chicago, but nothing about their soul scene. I loved Stax and a had deep affinity for Motown girl groups, and I knew about something of the other regions that had their moments in the soul music sun such as Philadelphia.  However, I was not that very familiar with the soul scene in Chicago.  As it turns out, based on the Sound Opinions conversation, that the reason why soul music in Chicago was so diverse was because there was not any centralizing figure or label that defined the region’s sound like a Berry Gordy.

So, for the last few weeks, I have been in Chicago soul heaven.  And listening to it has been really helpful in dealing with all the trouble of this current time.  The social commentary still rings true today and even the non-political songs help me feel better by feeling and experiencing my emotions.  These feelings, which I had not experienced in a long time, are why soul music is so important; the music heals the soul.

As part of the resurgence of soul in my life, I have really been diving deep into a group I was largely unfamiliar with a decade ago when I was doing radio.  The Dells, formed in 1953 in Harvey, Illinois, actively recorded for 60 years with largely the same line-up through most of that time and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

On Sound Opinions, they played a clip from their 1971 single “”The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind)” from the studio album Freedom Means…  I heard this and I just had to stop because I was so transfixed by it.  And I must have listened to the song over 100 times during the following week.  It embodies so much about what I love about soul music.  The earnestness, the tight instrumentals, vocal harmonization, and vocals that just bleed one’s heart out courtesy of Mr. Chuck Barksdale.

I have heard that one of the cultural effects of COVID is that people have a hard time engaging with new things whether they be music, books, or movies.  Instead, they want things they have already experienced and know because there is no uncertainty. Perhaps that is another reason why I am rediscovering soul music.  I am pretty happy about that, but I am even more thrilled that I still discovering something so new within an old love.

“let’s go all the way” – insane clown posse (2000)

This week was scheduled to be the 21^st annual Gathering of the Juggalos before it was cancelled in April due to COVID-19. For those unfamiliar, it is an annual retreat where fans of Insane Clown Posse, known as Juggalos (or Juggalettes if you identify as female), can dress up in full regalia with their hatchet brothers and sisters and enjoy several days of music and fairground fun, whoop whooping and drinking Faygo to their heart’s delight. Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the ringmasters of this dark carnival, have made the Gathering, for two decades, a place of inclusion for their fans and followers. A place where fans of ICP and their supported acts on Psychopathic Records can fly their clown freak flag fly and just be themselves.

For many who are familiar with or at least aware of ICP often find the Detroit-based hip-hop horrorcore duo and their legion of fans adorned in clown make-up to be a point of ridicule.  Juggalos are often stereotyped as being violent, undereducated, poor, and racist.  ICP are ridiculed for their attire and their lyrics, most notably the line in their song “Miracles” questioning how magnets work. The group has also been a target of the FBI who, in 2011, officially labeled Juggalos as a gang due to their dress code and alleged belief system based on perceived violence in ICP’s lyrics.

I know that I have personally made countless jokes about ICP over the years.  I am a music fan after all, which sometimes means I can be a bit of a music snob.  Especially, when it comes to groups that are such easy targets like ICP.  Cracking an ICP joke with other like-minded music aficionados is like shooting clownfish in a barrel of Faygo. It is just too easy and not very satisfying.

ICP were never my cup of tea.  It has nothing to do with them personally.  I just do not really care for their style of music. And as for the fans, I have no personal problems with them.  I am sure they are aware they look a bit odd, or even ridiculous, to some outsiders but I am sure they are used to that.  The fact the Gathering has lasted so long and keeps growing tells me that they are just as happy ignoring the haters and focusing on building their own community.  And I respect that.  Despite the barrages of cultural ridicule, they just keep on doing their own thing.  It even altered my outlook on ICP and their community.

When the FBI officially declared the Juggalos a gang, that was the first time I started thinking that all the hate and ridicule ICP get may have gone too far. I saw it as another iteration of the decades long argument that music can have detrimental effects on society.  In the past, it was subliminal satanic messages and pornographic lyrics that were corrupting young minds and eroding society.  Now, it was a group of people in clown make-up.  And because Juggalos were always easy targets in music, it did not seem no one gave a shit and did not see this declaration for what it really us; the completely unwarranted vilification of music. After that, I started going easy on ICP and Juggalos.

While I am not a fan of their music, ICP does have one song that I will absolutely stand behind.  Not only because I legitimately like this song, but it serves as a reflection of the Juggalo community that challenges misconceptions.  Released in 2000 as a single from their studio album Bizzar, “Let’s Go All the Way” is a proud declaration from ICP and a celebratory group anthem.

A reinterpretation of a 1985 single by the synth-pop group Sly Fox, ICP’s version of “Let’s Go All the Way” is a utopian anthem that champion inclusion and equality.  Opening the song, Violent J envisions a place where everyone has enough, and no one is jealous of each other. He continues detailing that both rich kids and poor kids are living in harmony, not restricted with where they can go, because everyone is on the same side and everyone has a hottie to chill with. And before you can suggest that the lyrics so far only indicate a place built for the male gaze, ICP touch up on issues that their Juggalo communities face everyday.  They sing about a place with no disease and where no one has to die.  A place where all life’s questions are answered.  They sing of a world with no hate. And if it all seems so overwhelming and impossible, ICP makes their message of hope and freedom even clearer by saying that this is the future they can have and making it a reality is incredibly easy.  All those who are listening must do is just follow Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, the clown-faced pied pipers.  Only this time, instead of their deaths, those following find inclusion and happiness.  There is always room for more.

For a band that is so easy to ridicule, I cannot but help but support a song that gives their community hope and promotes an inclusive atmosphere.  Certainly, that was something I had never associated with ICP before.  And I have gotten some pushback for that over the years for that.  However, it seems that in recent months that fellow music snobs are also becoming aware that ICP may not have the harbingers of ignorance and violence that they were believed to be.  I saw multiple memes and articles in humored disbelief that ICP were taking COVID more seriously than many Republicans in Congress.  And even ICP came out with merchandise that depicted a burning Confederate flag with text that read “Fuck Your Rebel Flag!” This really confused a lot of people who assumed ICP were pro-Confederate flags based on their belief that their fans were ignorant racists.  Not the case.  And after that story about the shirts, I read a lot about how ICP had been anti-racist their entire careers (while admittedly problematic in other areas despite cartoonish effects).

2020 has been a weird year if a couple of clown-faced rappers are more progressive and socially responsible that a huge swatch of our elected leaders.  But they have been doing this for a long time despite major resistance from outsiders.  While I’m a long way from putting on some make-up and chugging Faygo and whoop whooping at a dark carnival, I’ll give credit where it is due and suggest that ICP is worthy of merit and I stand behind this song.