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Jack Ryan writesThe Other Davy Jones
The Internet is an incredible thing. You have more access to information at your finger tips than your ancestors did at any other point in human history, rendering research in in music trivia easy and making any mystery surrounding your favorite artists is pretty much non-existent. That’s not the case when it comes to Davy Jones.
If you're scratching your head at the that statement, you should know I’m not referring to the lead singer of the Monkees. I’m also not referring to David Bowie’s career before he was famous. The Davy Jones I’m referring to is beyond obscure, with a Wikipedia entry that barely stretches past one sentence and no reference or articles published about him on any music website, magazine or blog.
Depending on whom you ask, Davy Jones was either a black American or Canadian soul singer who got his break on the British music scene in the early ‘60s. It’s anyone’s guess as to how he ended up in England. Maybe he was a soldier who was stationed there as part of the NATO military build up in Western Europe during the height of the Cold War. Maybe he was just an average black man who was sick of being kept down because of stateside racism and decided to look for opportunities.
His biggest hit was “Amapola,” a rocked-up version of a popular jazz standard from the late 1930s. While he never became a huge star, he had a minor following that led him to playing packed dates at concert halls around the UK, including some dates in Liverpool in 1961, where a little known beat combo by the name of “The Beatles” were his backing band.
Rubbed in Dirt, Dipped in Sugar writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2017: John Lombardo
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Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2017. Our next list is from DJ and Live Performance Director John Lombardo. |
Dylan Peterson writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2017: Dylan Peterson
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Weird year, right? I've been tweeting Jens Lekman lyrics for as long as I've had a a Twitter, because he says everything better than I ever could. So, here's some from his song, "Postcard #22"...
Yeah it's a fucked up world, put your jacket on and be brave |
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: The Thin Blue Line
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's weekly e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the classic 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Clarence:
When I was an undergraduate, I took a class I think was called “Visualization and Reality,” or something like that. We studied a bunch of different topics like depth perception in painting, movie effects, holograms, etc. It was a fun, eye-opening experience, but for the longest time I didn’t think the class was worth anything other than helping me get credit toward my major.
Now, though, I feel that was one of those classes where I learned something that I carry with me to this day – that “reality,” or “truth,” may not be absolute, because it depends on perceptions, and perceptions differ depending on who is doing the perceiving.
This is the idea behind Errol Morris’ 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line. The movie explores the answer to the question of who shot and killed police officer Robert Wood late at night in November 1976.
Two men, David Ray Harris and Randall Adams, were at the scene of the crime. But the answer to the question of who fired the gun differs depending on who supposedly saw the event as well as who was involved in the subsequent proceedings.
Along the way, the audience listens to the viewpoints, of witnesses, prosecutors, and police officers involved in the case. Everyone has their own motivations for what they believe in and the actions they take. “Getting to the truth about what happened” isn’t at the top of all, or even most, of these individuals’ lists.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesComing Soon: CHIRP Radio’s Best Albums of 2017!
2017 is almost over. In some ways, it can't end soon enough. In other ways, it will be remembered as a historic year of change, not the least of which involves a certain community radio station taking to the airwaves.
And of course, it's been another increedible year for all kinds of music. No matter what else the year brings, you can count on the fact there is always new music to bring into your life. With thousands of singles and albums released, it's far too much for one person to take in, let alone evaluate.
Fortunately, we at CHIRP have a fix for that. Every December, each of our volunteers has the chance to create their own Best Albums of the Year list. We'll be posting all of them throughout the month on this blog. Then, using a secret time-tested formula, we'll pick out the most-cited records and present them to you on New Years Eve as our combined CHIRP Radio Best Albums of 2017 list.
We'll kick it off on Monday, December 4th. There will be music you've heard and lots you haven't - perhaps some musical gift ideas for yourself or someone you know...? Check back all month and drink it all in. Your ears will thank you.