"Trouble in the Heartland" A Tribute EP Perhaps?

As a part of my radio station gig, I have to contribute to  the Dave and Carole Newsletter. So I entitled the column“At Random”, so I have a lot of flexibility on content – within reason of course. So this week, I am going with an audio “At Random”, and will share a little musical effort of mine.

For several years, I have been messing around in my basement, recording cover versions of some of my favorite songs. Ultimately, a song must start being composed on a single instrument, so I imagine how I would have done it initially and put it on tape. I never thought much about doing anything with them, until I saw what a casual musical acquaintance of mine from Boston, Bill Janovitz (of Buffalo Tom fame), has been doing with his covers. He has created a “cover of the week” blog where he records a cover and shares a personal story that brought him to the song.

It’s a cool idea. So, I am going to "rip it off" I guess. However, I am not going to burden you with a cover every week. They will pop up from time to time. It’s fun for me, and it gets me back in the recording mode. I also have been toying with this idea of putting out a CD of Springsteen covers titled, “Trouble in the Heartland”. I have a few in the can already, so I thought I'd share one. 

My first installment - New York City Serenade.

New York City Serenade is off Bruce’s second release, The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, the album most noted for the concert performance epic, Rosalita.

The first time I heard NYCS, I had never been to New York City, but as the lyrics unfolded, I could literally see the alley ways, the tenements, and Billy “sittin low in the back seat of his Cadillac”, somewhere in the middle of a rainy Manhattan night. I was able to put faces to The Fish Lady and the Vibes Man and the entire story played out with the visual look and feel of a Martin Scorcese film. The way Bruce uses words to create imagery is one of the reasons I am drawn to his music. Every song is a novella the listener gets to interpret in their own way. It energizes the mind as well as the ears.

This version is reminiscent of a cover version done by Pete Yorn, a singer-songwriter who has also covered several Springsteen songs. I started messing around with it, futzed with the piano and harmonica and it kind of came together.

I hope you like it. If not, that's cool too. 

Click here to listen

New York City Serenade

Random WTH Moments

What the hell? 

Doesn’t it seem as if we say this a lot more than we used to? At least in my life it has become more prevalent. I find myself constantly amazed by the things people do and say without taking those around them into consideration.

We run into these people every day, everywhere. We all know them. And in some instances we are them. In fact, it would be arrogant to think that other people aren't looking at us and saying, "what the hell?"

So I have begun journaling “what the hell” moments that I encounter, and from time to time I will be sharing them with you in the Dave and Carole Newsletter. You may agree with some, you may disagree with others. I encourage you to share them with us. It’s fun, and believe it or not, it causes ourselves to stop and take note of our own actions so we don’t become someone else’s “what the hell”.

Location:             La Guardia - Security Line

While standing in a long security line, a man proceeds to open a can of gefilte fish and snack away. It is the foulest odor to have ever been subjected to.  I would describe it as the smell of a one ton pile of rotting fish on a 90/90 (90 degrees and 90% humidity) day. Can’t you wait until you’re away from the line and humanity?

Location:             La Guardia – Boarding Process

For those of you who have flown on a regular, or semi-regular basis, you are familiar with the boarding process. They start at the back of the plane and work their way forward. So, if you are seated in one of the back rows, and have a carry-on, you place it in the overhead near your seat – IN THE REAR OF THE PLANE! It does not go in the first overhead compartment you see up front. Why? Because I am sitting in 3A and that is where MY CARRY ON GOES! Now I am stuck going back to 13C to stow my bag, subsequently screwing up the entire de-boarding process and being made to wait until everyone is off the plane, just because you don’t want to carry your little roller bag 27 rows.

Location:             Next door to me

Why did you bury a dead golden retriever on the property line next to my house? Obviously, it’s better than burying a live golden retriever, but nevertheless, you still buried a golden retriever on the property line next to my house.

I don’t care if you read this. Why? Because you buried a golden retriever on the property line next to my house.

Location:             Church

A woman’s cell phone rings. It happens right? We have all forgotten to turn the ringer off or put it on vibrate at one time or another. But lady, when it rings, how about a sense of urgency in trying to locate it. And for god’s sake, DON’T ANSWER IT, proceed to get up, leave the pew and walk to the vestibule to finish the call, while continuing to talk as you walk through the congregation. God hates you now.

If you need more KB in your life, (and really, who doesn’t?) follow me on Twitter @kb965.