Top Dance/Pop Hits April 2014

Get ready to dance your way to the summer solstice with this list of 30 hot dance tunes that are firing up radio playlists and clubs right now. I’m going to download them all once I post this piece.

I’ve been listening to and watching videos for as many new dance sings as I could locate listed this past week. I must say that the prospects for summer are good. Old-school techno is the dominating force, but there is still some solid R&B/hip hop and rap element and other influences.

Avicii reemploys his folk-to-dance formula, Pharrell Williams has the feel-good song of the year so far, Fitz & the Tantrums and Paramore are bringing a much-needed alternative flavor to the chart, and Pitbull can’t be stopped.

Nothing makes spring cleaning almost fun like fresh hot dance music on the stereo. You can listen to all of these first on Youtube. Look for the VEVO versions, as they are usually the legitimate videos. Then start downloading and dancing.

 

1. Martin Garrix (above) – Animals
2. Jason Derulo & 2 Chains – Talk Dirty x
3. Pharrel Williams – Happy
4. Austin Mahone f: Pitbull – MMM Yeah
5. #Selfi – Chainsmoker
6. Avicii (right) – Hey Brother    
7. MTKO – Classic
8. Fitz & the Tantrums – The Walker
9. Clean Bandit f: Jeis Glynne – Rather Be
10. Iggy Azalea f: Charli XCX – Fancy
11. Rixton (right) – Me & My Broken Heart   
12. Dillon Francis & DJ Snake – Get Low
13. Ellie Goulding – Beating Hearts
14. Aloe Blace – The Man
15. Tiesto – Red Lights
16. Techn9ne f: Kendrick Lamar (right) – May Day   
17. Enrique Iglesias f: Pitbull – I’m a Freak
18. David Guetta f: Skylar Gray – Shot Me Down
19. Eminem f: Nate Ruess – Headlights x
20. Trey Songz – Na Na
21. Zedd f: Hayley Williams (right) – Stay the Night   
22. Calvin Harris – Summer
23. Shakira & Rhianna – Can’t Remember to Forget You
24. Young Money f: Drake – Trophies x
25. Zedd f: Matthew Koma – Spectrum
26. Pitbull (right) – Wild Wild Love   
27. Cash Cash f: Bebe Rexha – Take Me Home
28. Paramore – Ain’t It Fun
29. Skrillex w Kill the Noise – Recess
30. Afrojack – f: Wrabel – Ten Feet Tall

Top Alternative Hits – March 2014

Young The Giant (above) is at #1. The rest of the chart can be found below.

By Rick Hiduk

I’ve been a big fan of Alternative music since the week I started college in 1980 and made the school’s radio station my second home. Previous to being a DJ on WPSU Lehman, I had heard the terms Punk and New Wave used in association with various quirky songs and groups. The radio station provided most of the resources that would help me put Alternative Music (then still often called Progressive) into a working perspective.

I took the on-air name Dave Richards and became generally known as New Wave Dave. I scanned the College Media Journal (CMJ) charts every month and spent money that could have been spent elsewhere on albums and singles to complement what little we received from record companies for free. I created regular characters who would “join” me on the Dave Richards Show on Wednesday nights. I was a legend in my own mind, and the show had a good three-year run while I served the radio station as Music Director.

During that stretch of time, I developed my first Richard’s Reports music charts, as per my air name. In this way, I was able to organize progressive pop, dance, and rock music on a weekly Top 100. I distributed printed copies to friends and family members who shared similar tastes (or not).

I read with interest a posting on Facebook by Mike Cahill, a guitarist in the local band Vegas Arcade. The band plays primarily alternative music and prefers the heavier, edgier songs, from what Mike has related to me. I have yet to get out and see them. (note to self…)

In his post, Mike expressed dissatisfaction with a commercial radio station in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market currently calling itself The Fuzz 92.1 fm.

Mike’s take on commercial Alternative radio made me want to dig deeply into my studio closet and pull out the box of notes pertaining to the progressive pop/alternative radio station that I pitched to the then owners of 92.1 fm in the late 1980s.

I could hardly tolerate what was known at the time as the Contemporary Hits format, which grew out of the ashes of Top 40 radio. I wanted so badly to see Wilkes-Barre become known for Alternative music in clubs, on stage, and on the air. So I championed the format wherever I went.

To my delight, more than a few bar and club managers gave my mix a try, but I’d be back to playing mostly dance music and mainstream rock in no time. I felt strongly that what was missing was a radio station to literally get the format off the ground, and that its playlist should be very fresh.

Many years later, after working in various formats and comparing how each station rotated music, there was one common denominator – oldies, also known to radio programmers as recurrents. They are the historic glue that balances the genre du jours that challenges programmers in every format.

Among several songs that Mike indicated in his post that he didn’t believe belonged on Alternative radio was Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.” I was wounded. “Personal Jesus” has always been one of my favorite Alternative songs. I know that I am coming off as a geezer, and I know that the song is an oldie.

But songs like that are the backbone of and inspiration for new artists. Many earlier Alternative hits, including songs by Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, and Social Distortion lay the tapestry for the newer artists to be played against. I don’t think that a commercial Alternative radio station was viable here until now because the format didn’t have enough depth – not enough well-known oldies.

There are also a number of sub-genres inside of the Alternative sphere that represent crossover to the dance, pop, rock, and folk charts. It can’t be easy to accommodate that wide a spectrum of listeners.

As 92.1 fm can honesty say in one of their fairly dry prerecorded breakers, “Fuzz…the Only Alternative.” That they are, and as much as I am happy to have an Alternative station on the dial, I would definitely agree that they could step up the playlist and give us many more new artists to listen to and maybe even some popular originals by local bands.

Following Mike’s posts, I’ve seen plenty to indicate that he knows his way around current and trending Alternative hits and groups. Since I am getting older, I thought it might be cool to tap his expertise and pull some fresh ideas into this quarterly chart. Mike was quick to respond and supplied me a list of 10 current alternative songs that he thought everyone should know. I knew two or three of them already, and they were good picks. We both had Young the Giant at Number One. The rest of his playlist blew me away as I sat and watched every video on YouTube.

“There is Something for almost Everyone in Current Alternative Music”

– Mike Cahill, guitarist in Vegas Arcade

Further delving into the current state of Alternative Music, Mike offered the following: “The alternative scene right now is great because it offers really different styles/genres like indie-ectronica, synthpop, and indie rock all meeting up. Some heavy ’80s influences as well as well as Motown samples find their way into some tracks.”

Mike also noted that there a number of “more polished garage bands” on the scene. The Spotify playlist of the song suggestions that he sent me is here:

http://open.spotify.com/user/michaeldcahill/playlist/117v9iOYrQmjcUeMgVoS6o

“This list is kind of a blend of all of that,” Mike explained. “Listening to new Alternative really requires the listener to really open up to a lot of styles of music to enjoy.”

That said, here’s the chart:

1. Young the Giant – It’s about Time
2. Lorde – Team
3. Broken Bells – Holding On for Life
4. Foster the People – Coming of Age
5. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?
6. Bad Suns – Cardiac Arrest
7. U2 – Invisible
8. Phantogram – Fall In Love
9. The Neighbourhood – Afraid
10. Beck – Blue Moon
11. Kongos – Come With Me Now
12. The Frey – Love Don’t Die
13. Vance Joy – Riptide
14. Fitz & the Tantrums – I Need You Now
15. Chvches – The Mother We Share
16. Harrison Hudson – Curious
17. American Authors – Best Day of My Life
18. Vampire Weekend – Unbelievers
19. Said the Whale – I Love You
20. Bastille – Bad Blood
21. Neon Trees – Sleeping With a Friend
22. Sleeper Agent – Waves
23. Boy & Bear – Southern Sun
24. Silverson Pickups – Cannibal
25. J Roddy Walston & the Business – Heavy Bells
26. Bear Hands – Giants
27. Of Monsters and Men – Dirty Paws
28. Paris – Magic Man
29. Big Data F; Joywave – Dangerous
30. Keiser Chiefs – Coming Home

Vegas Arcade will be back in the Tunkhannock area with a show at the Lake Carey Inn on Saturday, April 19. In the meantime, you can catch them at the Vspot in Scranton on Friday, March 28, and in Bar Louie at the Mohegan Sun Resort on Saturday, March 29.

Next time, Mike, you’re welcome to give me a top 20. I really enjoyed and appreciated your input.

Top Americana Hits – February 2014

Compiled by Rick Hiduk

Having been a fan of country, bluegrass and folk music since I was a kid, I always had a tough time understanding the lines that divided them into marketable genres. Buck Owens, The Kingston Trio and Bob Dylan sounded good together, dropping one disc at a time onto the turnstile of my record player. I felt the same about Charlie Daniels, Jim Croce, and the Eagles in the 1970s.

Thanks to the internet and an evolving concept and overview of where popular music has been, where it is today, and where it seems to be going, I’ve been able to pull together these genres in a way that makes the most sense to me. I picked up the Americana concept from an old Comcast cable music channel that was discontinued some years ago, much to my dismay. When I lived and traveled in the southwest (CA, AZ) in the mid-1980s, I dubbed this mix cactus rock. 

I plan to download most of the following songs, as this once-every-three-months project traditionally wraps up, and then set them into play in random mode. The result is a blend of music that feels much more “country” to me than if I were to rely solely on the current pop country chart at Billboard.com.

I listened to about 70 current hits in the aforementioned genres and offer the following “fantasy” chart to you. I promise you die-heard country fans that you won’t be offended by any of the artists on this list that seem like strangers to you, nor will you miss the stuff on the country chart that I tossed out for being too trite and pandering.

My hope in fact is that you’ll agree that what’s forced down our ears as country music is mostly just pop rock with a little twang – and that you would let your favorite country music station know that they could do better for us true country folk.

1. Lady Antebellum – Compass
2. The Devil Makes Three – Stranger
3. Jamestown Revival – California (Cast Iron Soul)
4. Cole Swindell – Chillin’ It
5. Alan Jackson – Blue Ridge Mountain Song
6. Rosanne Cash – World of Strange Design
7. Passenger – All the Little Lights
8. Miranda Lambert – Automatic
9. Blake Shelton – Doin’ What She Likes
10. Passenger – Let Her Go
11. Danielle Bradberry – The Heart of Dixie
12. Trampled by Turtles – Wait So Long (live)
13. Rosanne Cash – The Sunken Lands
14. Thompson Square – Just Feels Good
15. Brantley Gilbert – Bottoms Up
16. Sun Kil Moon – Ben’s My Friend
17. Luke Bryan – Drink a Beer
18. Rhonda Vincent – When the Grass Grows Over Me
19. Jerrod Niemann – Drink to That All Night Long
20. Band of Horses – Marry Song
21. The Civil Wars – Between the Bars
22. Noah Gundersen – Ledges
23. Trampled by Turtles – Gasoline (live)
24. Tim McGraw – Looking for That Girl
25. Scotty McCreary – See You Tonight
26. Thomas Rhett – Get Me Some of That
27. Craig Morgan – Wake Up Lovin’ You
28. Sun Kil Moon – I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love
29. Brett Eldridge – Beat of the Music
30. Eric Church – Give Me Back My Hometown
31. David Crosby – Dangerous Night
32. Keith Urban – Cop Car
33. Florida Georgia Line w/Luke Bryan – This Is How We Roll
34. Brad Paisley – The Mona Lisa
35. Randy Houser – Goodnight Kiss

additional footnotes: 1- modern folk rock not so dissimilar from Phillip Phillips, the Lumineers, and fun. I love the bluegrass influence and their look as a band. 2 – a fresh recent entry on the bluegrass charts by a band that has apparently been around for awhile, actually feels more folky than bluegrass. 3 – strong, twangy folk rock. 4 – country rock with honest lyrics that most country boys and girls can relate to, and reminiscent of Florida Georgia Line. 5 – I know it’s been out for nearly a year, but it’s still one of the most popular traditional bluegrass songs by a known artist out there. 6 – uptempo folky bluegrass originals. 7 – This British folk pop band – otherwise an anomaly – got a boost from a Super Bowl ad that has them popular across the musical spectrum at the moment. 8 – folky country rock with a great storyline/concept by the artist that I must see in 2014. 9 – heartfelt country rock with simple but relative lyrics like “singin’ silly songs and throwin’ in words that don’t belong.” 11 – the most authentic “country” song on the country chart has engaging lyrics. 12 – a recently recorded live version of their 2010 hit showcasing their authentic stylings. 13 – the song is prefaced by a melancholy yet inspiring narrative that sets up a haunting musical tale. 14 – country rock with cute harmonies – ala John Mellencamp – with cool retro video. 15 – hip country cool with a decidedly rural flavor. 16 – as much as I dislike songs that start out “I got up this morning….” that is the clever central theme of this cool folk song. 17 – slow to medium folk rock song with smooth harmonies but fairly trite lyrics. 18 – a slower traditional bluegrass cover of a George Jones hit by an artist who is a legend in her own rite. 19 – hip country rock with a serious twang. 20 – folk rock showcasing strong lyrics and musicianship. 21 to 23 – three bands blurring the lines between folk, alternative, and country rock. 28 – slow but generous folk tune. 31 – Venerable folk rock artist turning in an enjoyable country folk tune that feels like (sipping whiskey and smoking a joint) at home on a warm spring night. 32 – from the king of cactus rock sad redneck story songs, which means still better than most of what’s left of the milk-toast coattail riders.

Who’d I Dis?

From what I’ve seen, there are three key elements that soften the country charts during any given decade: lack of prominent female artists, too much rock and pop influence, and trite and pandering lyrics. The latter means that, to me, the song is trying way too hard to be country and missing the mark.

Dissed in this report for one of the above reasons: Jason Aldean’s “When She Says Baby,” David Nail’s “Whatever’s She’s Got,” Frankie Ballard’s “Helluva Life,” Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On,” Rascal Flatt’s “Rewind,” and Dan & Shay’s “19 You and Me.”

The last two boys are very appealing on video and offer beautiful harmonies and lyrically poignant songs. They are not country or even folk, but they could be either. I’d like to see them go the folk route, but they are currently stuck in limbo as a pop duo that needs to find its way. I’d be much more accepting of any of the songs on this Diss-List as crossover pop hits.        

Nearly a Lifetime of Beatles Memories

By Rick Hiduk

Almost as soon as I began spending my allowance and newspaper delivery money on yard sale records, I learned to look for 45s with the yellow/orange yin-yang logo of 1960s Capitol records and the green apple of Apple Records that bore most of the Beatles’ later hits.

Those Capitol labels also led me to dozens of other talented artists on the Capitol label, and I discovered Badfinger on Apple when I thought I had unearthed some new Beatles records one day.

I was only a year and a half old when the Beatles stormed America in February 1964, creating fervor with their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and zooming to #1 for the first of 20 times as a group with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

I obviously don’t remember it, though my parents did watch Ed Sullivan and were likely home with me since I was so young. They never mentioned the Beatles when I was a kid, and both of them indicated that they were never very impressed by the group. My stepmother was raised on country and didn’t like them at all, and my stepfather was a Beach Boys fan.

I consider myself to be a genuine Beatles fan in the sense that there was no-one to influence me. But putting those records on the turntable the first time was pure magic. I genuinely loved their songs, from the innocent pop of “Do You Want to Know a Secret” to the psychedelic underpinnings of “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

With increased income as a dishwasher, I could buy a new Beatles album about once a month, starting with the red and blue collections, which was a great place to become familiar with the hits. From there, I moved on to their concept albums, like “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper,” and I was mesmerized.

I remember well the popular notion that there were Beatles fans and Rolling Stones fans – and that you weren’t supposed to like both. I collected records by both groups.

Looking back, The Stones were a fun rock band. In contrast the Beatles rocked on more levels simultaneously than any other group of their time, and the four members continued to shape the pop music scene with Top 40 hits that stretched into the 1990s.

I began to wonder what it would be like to take the entire Beatles library and meld it with all of the hits that individual members had from the beginning of the breakup of the Beatles in 1969, including collaborations with other pop artists. The Beatles shared credits on one of their biggest hits with Billy Preston, and Paul McCartney recorded with Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson.

In addition to records, I have collected chart research text books compiled by Joel Whitburn. The data in them is based almost entirely on the run the songs had on the Billboard charts. To pique my curiosity, I poured through two Top Pop Singles books and Top Rock Tracks and Top Adult Contemporary and manually transferred the peak position of all of the song titles by the Beatles in their various guises and the month and year of peak popularity.

The Beatles reached Number One 20 times as a group and another 16 times as solo artists – 19 if you count songs that reached Number One on one of the other charts. As friends, they also participated in recording sessions with their fellow solo artists. Paul McCartney played kazoo on Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen,” for example, and Ringo and Paul and Linda McCarthy assisted on George Harrison’s “All Those Years Ago,” a tribute to their lost pal, John Lennon.

An astounding 39 Top 40 hits follow the number ones. Rounding out the Top 100 Beatles songs of all time are 24 songs that peaked between #11 and #25. Many of the mid-charters by the Beatles were b-sides of bigger hit singles, which was common for the time. The lower reaches of this colossal chart is also a nest of memories, with seldom-played smaller hits by the solo artists. Ties were broken by the number of weeks on the chart and at the peak position and other criteria.

Though based on reliable data, this unique list is meant to take you down memory lane while comparing the relative popularity of songs by the artists in various ensembles through the course of about 25 years. George Harrison had the last Number One hit with “Got My Mind Set On You.”

Top 100 Hits by The Beatles and Associates

1. Beatles – Hey Jude 1 Oct 68
2. Beatles – I Want to Hold Your Hand 1 Feb 64
3. John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over 1 Dec 80
4. Beatles & Billy Preston – Get Back 1 May 69
5. Paul McCartney & Wings – Silly Love Songs 1 Jun 76
6. Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love 1 April 64
7. Paul McCartney & Wings – My Love 1 Jun 73
8. Beatles – Yesterday 1 Oct 65
9. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord 1 Dec 70
10. Paul McCartney & Wings – Coming Up 1 Jun 80
11. Beatles – Help! 1 Sep 65
12. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – Ebony & Ivory 1 Mar 82
13. Beatles – We Can Work It Out 1 Jan 66
14. Beatles – Hello Goodbye 1 Dec 67
15. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say 1 Dec 83
16. Beatles – I Feel Fine 1 Dec 64
17. Paul McCartney & Wings – With a Little Luck 1 May 78
18. Beatles – She Loves You 1 Mar 64
19. Beatles – Let It Be 1 Apr 70
20. George Harrison – Got My Mind Set on You 1 Jan 88
21. Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night 1 Aug 64
22. Beatles – The Long and Winding Road 1 June 70
23. Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run 1 Jun 74
24. Ringo Starr – Photograph 1 Nov 73
25. Beatles – Paperback Writer 1 Jul 66
26. Beatles – Eight Days a Week 1 Mar 65
27. John Lennon – Whatever Gets You Through the Night 1 Nov 74
28. Beatles – Come Together 1 Nov 69
29. Ringo Starr – You’re Sixteen 1 Jan 74
30. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord – (Give Me Peace on Earth) 1 Jun 73
31. Beatles – Love Me Do 1 May 64
32. Paul McCartney & Wings – Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey 1 Sep 71
33. Paul McCartney & Wings – Listen to What the Man Said 1 Jul 75
34. Beatles – All You Need Is Love 1 Aug 67
35. Beatles – Ticket to Ride 1 May 65
36. Beatles – Penny Lane 1 Mar 67
37. Beatles – Twist & Shout 2 Apr 64 (re-chart 23 Sep 86)
38. John Lennon – Woman 2 Mar 81
39. Paul McCartney & Wings – Live & Let Die 2 Aug 73
40. George Harrison – All Those Years Ago 2 Jul 81 1AC
41. Beatles – Do You Want to Know a Secret 2 May 64
42. Beatles – Yellow Submarine 2 9 Sep 66
43. Michael Jackson & Paul McCartney – The Girl is Mine 2 Jan 83
44. Paul McCartney & Wings – Let ‘Em In 3 Aug 76 1AC
45. Beatles – Something 3 Nov 69
46. Ringo Starr – No No Song 3 Apr 75
47. Beatles – Please Please Me 3 Mar 64
48. Paul McCartney & Wings – Junior’s Farm 3 Dec 72
49. John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band – Imagine 3 Nov 71
50. Beatles – Nowhere Man 3 Mar 66
51. Ringo Starr – It Don’t Come Easy 4 Jun 71
52. Beatles – Lady Madonna 4 Apr 68
53. Beatles – She’s a Woman 4 Dec 64
54. Ringo Starr – Oh My My 5 Apr 74
55. John Lennon – Nobody Told Me 5 Mar 84 2Rk
56. Beatles – Day Tripper 5 Jan 66
57. Paul McCartney & Wings – Goodnight Tonight 5 May 79
58. Paul McCartney & Wings – Another Day 5 Apr 71
59. Ringo Starr – Only You 6 Dec 74 1AC
60. Beatles – Free as a Bird 6 Jan 96
61. Beatles – Got to Get You Into My Life 7 Jul 76
62. Paul McCartney – Spies Like Us 7 Jan 86
63. Paul McCartney & Wings – Jet 7 Mar 74
64. Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever 8 Mar 67
65. Beatles – Ballad of John & Yoko 8 Jul 69
66. Paul McCartney & Wings – Take It Away 9 Sep 82
67. John Lennon – #9 Dream 9 Feb 75
68. Ringo Starr – Back Off Boogaloo 9 May 72
69. John Lennon – Watching the Wheels 10 May 81 6AC
70. Paul McCartney – Take it Away 10 Sep 82
71. Beatles – P.S. I Love You 10 May 64
72. Paul McCartney & Wings – Helen Wheels 10 Jan 74
73. Paul McCartney & Wings – Maybe I’m Amazed 10 Mar 77
74. George Harrison – What is Life 10 Mar 71
75. Paul McCartney & Wings – Hi Hi Hi 10 Jun 73
76. John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band – Power to the People 11 May 71
77. Beatles – Eleanor Rigby 11 Sep 66
78. Beatles – Real Love 11 Apr 96
79. Beatles – Revolution 12 Oct 68
80. Paul McCartney & Wings – Venus & Mars Rock Show 12 Dec 75
81. Beatles – And I Love Her 12 Aug 64
82. Beatles – The Beatles Movie Medley 12 May 82
83. John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band – Give Peace a Chance 14 Sep 69
84. Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There 14 Mar 64
85. George Harrison – Dark Horse 15 Dec 74
86. George Harrison – Blow Away 16 May 79 2AC
87. Beatles – Matchbox 17 Oct 64
88. John Lennon – Mind Games 18 Dec 73
89. George Harrison – Crackerbox Palace 19 Mar 77
90. Beatles – Ain’t She Sweet 19 Aug 64
91. George Harrison – You 20 Oct 75
92. John Lennon – Stand By Me 20 Apr 75
93. Paul McCartney – Press 21 Sep 86
94. Paul McCartney & Wings – Give Ireland Back to the Irish 21 Apr 72
95. Paul McCartney – No More Lonely Nights 6 Dec 84
96. Paul McCartney – So Bad 23 Feb 84
97. George Harrison – When We Was Fab 23 Mar 88 10AC
98. Beatles – Rain 23 Jul 66
99. George Harrison – Bangla-Desh 23 Sep 71
100. Paul McCartney & Wings – I’ve Had Enough 25 Aug 78

Review: Breakdown Jimmy Builds Rapport at the Highway

Photo and Story by Rick Hiduk

Breakdown Jimmy guitarists (front, from left) Sam Scavone, Jack Davenport, and Matt Scavone and drummer Mike Stash made believers of a receptive crowd at the Highway Inn on Jan. 10 with classic rock covers and some engaging antics.

When I attend an event for a feature story, I gather as much information and as many photos as possible in the course of an hour or so and return to my studio to upload everything and compose an article that is essentially a “slice” of life – a snapshot of what the event had to offer.

Entertainment reviews require a different approach – and more time – because it is important to take in the event as a whole. In that amount of time, there is much more going on in a bar than just the live music.

A legitimate review should take in the entire experience, not just the ability of the band. That said, I have yet to give any band a perfect review, and I think its fair to also note that there’s room for improvement at every establishment, whether that be service, traffic flow, cleanliness, crowd dynamics, air quality, or acoustics.

Acoustics are particularly tricky in smaller bars, and Breakdown Jimmy’s first set suffered a bit because the vocals had not yet been brought up to where they needed to be. To the chagrin of some patrons, bands or DJs have to play loud enough to balance the sound and to create a party atmosphere. (If you’re going out to chit-chat with friends, go someplace where there is no entertainment and quit bitching.)

There was no doubt that Breakdown Jimmy’s repertoire was in the right zone, as patrons immediately began singing along with the time-honored hits that the band began cranking out, but the lost vocals had some of us wondering if the kids were merely going through the motions.

For a band that is primarily composed of teenagers to take on songs that are clearly older than they are is a tall order, and I wasn’t immediately convinced that the band members could actually feel the music without having grown up with it.

That changed when Sam Scavone, the band’s sole female, belted out Heart’s “Magic Man.” That and a smooth rendition of last year’s country rock hit “Boys ‘Round Here” grabbed our ears and convinced us that the band had true substance. The first set, in a sense, served as a warm-up round as the band and sound man sharpened their sound, and the patrons got a little primed.

The second set was not only more crisp, but much more dynamic. Scavone treated us to another scorching Heart song – “Barracuda” – and Jack Davenport, whose vocals seemed a bit forced in the first set, found his voice.

He also proved to be an engaging front man, able to trade barbs with bar patrons much older than himself in a professional and humorous manner.

He had his finger on the pulse of the crowd, and he kept it there. Davenport exuded a sex appeal that had a few of the women in attendance feeling a little naughty for swooning after a 19-year-old all night. “I was ready to go all-cougar on that,” a smitten patron admitted on Facebook the next day.

A hot medley of “La Bamba” and “Twist and Shout” was a big crowd pleaser, but the band made fast friends with audience members with an extended rendition of “Wipe Out.” Davenport moved behind the drum set and switched places with regular drummer, Mike Stash. He, in turn, picked up a single drum and set of stick and moved around the bar pounding out the iconic drum solo with the help of random patrons. Stash then returned to the drum set and played simultaneously with Davenport. It was a comical scene that highlighted both the musicians’ talents and sense of fun.

Other memorable tunes from the night included renditions of Sublime’s “Santeria” and “What I Got,” Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me,” Lita Ford’s “Kiss Me Deadly,” Grand Funk’s arrangement of “Some Kind of Wonderful,” and Smash Mouth’s arrangement of “I’m a Believer.”

In the end we were all believers. Breakdown Jimmy made a great impression on a fun crowd, and they will certainly make new fans wherever they play. It will be especially interesting to check back in with these young musicians in five and 10 years, whether or not they come back around in the same combination.

Rick’s Report – Final Tally – The Top 100 Songs of 2013

By Rick Hiduk

Apparently, there were more than a few belated New Year’s Eve this past weekend. I was fortunate to be invited to one in my neighborhood that featured fireworks at midnight and the release of several luminaries.

It seemed a little cheesy at first to be greeting each other with New Year salutations. But, since I had not seen most of the other guests since before the holidays, it turned out to be a nice way to wrap up the year, look back (once again) and take stock of who our friends are.

Likewise, I looked over my music notes from 2013 one more time and decided to pull together that which I had previously posted by genre into a final snapshot of the year’s best music.

With two songs landing in the top 10 for the year, I have to acknowledge Robin Thicke as the most popular artist of 2013, followed closely by Macklemore (above). I was getting a little bored of Imagine Dragons by the end of the year, but never got tired of seeing Steve Martin and Edie Brickell on late night TV shows playing beautiful bluegrass music together.

You can check out the breakdown at https://endlessmtnlifestyles.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/review-popular-music-in-2013/

1. Royals – Lorde
2. The Band Perry – Better Dig Two
3. Avicii – Wake Me Up
4. Robin Thicke (below) f: TI & Pharrell – Blurred Lines                                                                         
5. Capitol Cities – Safe & Sound
6. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Wanz – Thrift Shop
7. Fitz & the Tantrums – Out of My League
8. The Neighborhood – Sweater Weather
9. Emilie Sande – Next to Me
10. Of Monsters & Men – Mountain Sound
11. Little Big Town – Tornado
12. Anna Kendrick – Cups (When I’m Gone)
13. Calvin Harris f: Florence Welch – Sweet Nothings
14. Miranda Lambert – Mama’s Broken Heart
15. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Ray Dalton – Can’t Hold Us
16. Imagine Dragons – At the Top of the World
17. Bastille – Pompeii
18. Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go Round
19. Olly Murs f: Flo Rida – Troublemaker
20. will.i.am f: Brittany Spears – Scream & Shout
21. Silver Sun Pickups (below) – The Pit                                                     
22. Tame Impala – Elephant
23. Keith Urban – Little Bit of Everything
24. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell (below) – Love Has Come For You 
25. Blake Shelton f: Pistol Annies – Boys ‘Round Here
26. Passion Pit – Take a Walk
27. Panic at the Disco f: Lolo – Miss Jackson
28. Grouplove – Ways to Go
29. Cage The Elephant – Come a Little Closer
30. Emblem3 – Chloe
31. Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel
32. Walk of the Earth – Red Hands
33. Muse – Madness
34. Adorn – Miguel
35. Lady Antebellum – Downtown
36. Eminem – Berzerk
37. Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Do in The Dark (Light ‘Em Up)
38. Arctic Monkeys (below) – Why’d You Only Call Me (When You’re High) 
39. The Civil Wars – The One That Got Away
40. Alan Jackson – Blacktop
41. Thirty Seconds to Mars – Up in the Air
42. Tyler Farr – Redneck Crazy
43. Alan Jackson – Blue Ridge Mountain Song
44. John Mayer – Wildfire
45. Maroon 5 – Daylight
46. Old Crow Medicine Show – Going Back to Virginia
47. Lana Del Ray & Cedrick Gervais – Summertime Sadness
48. Sara Bareilles – Brave
49. Easton Corbin – All Over the Road
50. J Cole – Crooked Smile
51. The Script f: will.i.am – Hall of Fame
52. Paramore – I’m Still Into You
53. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
54. Jason Aldean – Night Train
55. Thomas Rhett – Beer With Jesus
56. Phoenix – Entertainment
57. Lorde – Tennis Court
58. Taylor Swift f: Ed Sheeran – Everything Has Changed
59. Pitbull f: Christina Aguilera – Feel This Moment
60. Adele – Skyfall
61. Jim Brickman – Good Morning Beautiful
62. The Black Keys – Little Black Submarines
63. Selena Gomez – Come & Get It
64. Maroon 5 – Love Somebody
65. Ace Hood f: Rick Ross – Bugatti
66. Avett Brothers – The Once and Future Carpenter
67. Lumineers – Stubborn Love
68. Train f: Ashley Moore – Bruises
69. Kacey Musgraves (below) – Blowing Smoke                                        
70. Lumineers – Flowers in Your Hair
71. Drake f: Majid Jordan – Hold On, We’re Going Home
72. Nine Inch Nails – Came Back Haunted
73. New Politics – Harlem
74. Zedd f: Foxes – Clarity
75. Imagine Dragons – It’s Time
76. Lady Gaga – Applause
77. Phoenix – Trying to be Cool
78. One Direction – Best Song Ever
79. Florida Georgia Line – Cruise
80. Trampled by Turtles – Alone
81. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
82. Daft Punk f: Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky
83. OneRepublic – Counting Stars
84. Bruno Mars – Treasure
85. Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Old Home Place
86. Phillip Philllps – Gone Gone Gone
87. Sage the Gemini – Gas Pedal
88. Ms Mr – Hurricane
89. Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know
90. Passenger – Let Her Go
91. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – When You get to Asheville
92. IlvisIlvis – The Fox
93. Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Big Spike Hammer
94. John Mayer – Dear Marie
95. Five Finger Death Punch f: Rob Halford – Lift Me Up
96. Jack Johnson – Radiate
97. Jewel – Two Hearts Breaking
98. Gloriana – Can’t Shake it Off
99. Thomas Rhett – Beer With Jesus
100. The Henningsens – American Beautiful 

Review: Popular Music in 2013

By Rick Hiduk

While the way that I listen to music hasn’t changed much through the years, the way that I hear popular music certainly has. It becomes clearer every year that the record companies are controlling the charts, not only telling us what the biggest hits are but reshaping traditional genres to their liking and denying us clearer choices.

I regularly peruse the Billboard charts online and simultaneously open YouTube in a second window. I cut and paste any song title with which I’m not familiar into YouTube to find the song, get the vibe of it, and dissect it the way a botanist would a moth. The lyrics and vocal style, the rhythm and the back beat, the overall color of the piece, and the influences that I hear in the instrumentation give me a feeling for where popular music may be headed or at least where it is in its present state.

Without a doubt, the dominating element in popular music this past year was folk. It popped up nearly everywhere but the R&B/Hip Hop chart. Folk music to me is a grounded, unembellished form of music that deals with the past, present, and future in one song. It served as the intro for Avicii’s runaway hit “Wake Me Up,” and was evident in numerous songs by alternative groups and country artists.

Meanwhile, much of what was promoted as alternative was fairly retro and un-inventive beyond some new production techniques. It sounded more ethereal than grungy, and alternative music really should be a balance of the two. All genres combined, there was less rock and that which was classified as rock was softer.

There was more crossover this year, especially country songs, but there were also artists calling themselves country who clearly are not. Florida Georgia Line is a very good pop rock band with a lot of energy. “Cruise” was a fun song, but it was not country. Hearing the lead singers banter over how proud they were to be “changing” country music made me want to hurl rotten tomatoes at them when I saw them on the stage at the Wyoming County Fair. I don’t want country to go the way of pyrotechnic rock concerts.

Darius Rucker’s cover of the Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” was an exceptional truly country-sounding hit, while Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here” was an equally huge bar jukebox hit. Who doesn’t like to sing along with “chew tobacca, chew tobacca, chew tobacca, spit?” I wish that the Pistol Annies, who backed Blake on “Boys,” would break through to mainstream country. The honesty with which they approach their sings is impressive, and there has been a drought of females on country radio for at least two years.

I’d like to say that 2013 was the year that the dirty rap song died, but I know that my death knell for music that embraces the F-word over substance as a noun, verb, adjective, and salutation and treats women like crap is likely premature. Nonetheless, while explicit rap songs certainly took up a substantial chunk of the year-end rankings, the top three songs on the R&B/Hip Hop chart this year were dance songs by white guys: Macklemore, Robin Thicke, and Justin Timberlake.

For not being a big fan of rap, I ironically found Eminem’s “Marshall Matthers LP 2” and “Bugatti” by Ace Hood & Rick Ross to be pure genius, while pop offerings by Pink and Katy Perry were big let downs. Katy’s still as cute as ever, but “Roar” was a bore. My 8 and 9 year old nieces would disagree. Enough said. Eminem and Ace Hood at least rocked.

It appears that Taylor Swift, the pop country darling of the previous three years, is finally running out of guys to trash in love/hate songs. Her best material from 2013 included several duets that were closer to her original folk pop roots.

You can find all of the “official” year end charts at www.billboard.com. I don’t want to be a spoiler, but don’t be surprised to find titles that seem really old. That goes back to the record company control issue. No single recording should be on the Top 100 in any genre for more than 26 weeks, let alone 40 to 50 weeks. That’s why the posting of “Radioactive” at #3 pop song of the year was a bit insulting. It had been receiving heavy airplay as an alternative hit since September of 2012. I dumped as many of the 2012 songs as I could distinguish before I created my own charts (below).

I also rearranged the “given” formats of 2013’s hits into hybrid genres that would appeal to me if I had the opportunity (and money) to program my own radio station. For example, Capitol Cities’ “Safe & Sound” is a straight-ahead dance record that was ranked way too high on the alternative chart.

“The Fox” by Ilvis was undoubtedly the biggest novelty hit of the year, but novelty records more or less defy genres so, even though I got a kick out of it, you won’t find it on my charts. And the “Harlem Shake” was too ridiculous to be taken seriously, as was Miley Cyrus in general.

In the course of researching this year’s music, I watched a lot of videos, which I found were still capable of influencing my opinion of a song. It was the disturbing nature of the video for Lorde’s “Royals” that helped the hauntingly beautiful alternative pop song become my favorite song overall of the year. The video for “Royals” was also one of many that I saw in 2013 year that depicted abject poverty and unabashedly reflected the ongoing recession.

So, what else did I like (and download)? Here are the charts:

Dance/Pop/Rock

1. Avicii – Wake Me Up

2. Emily Sands – Next to Me

3. Robin Thicke f: TI & Pharrell – Blurred Lines

4. Capitol Cities – Safe & Sound

5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Wanz – Thrift Shop

6. Calvin Harris f: Florence Welch – Sweet Nothings

7. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f: Ray Dalton – Can’t Hold Us

8. Olly Murs f: Flo Rida – Troublemaker

9. will.i.am f: Brittany Spears – Scream & Shout

10. Emblem3 – Chloe

11. Adorn – Miguel

12. Eminem – Berzerk

13. Icona Pop – I Love It

14. Swedish House Mafia f: John Martin – Don’t You Worry Child

15. Maroon 5 – Daylight

16. Lana Del Ray & Cedrick Gervais – Summertime Sadness

17. Sara Bareilles – Brave

18. J Cole – Crooked Smile

19. The Script f: will.i.am – Hall of Fame

20. Taylor Swift f: Ed Sheeran – Everything Has Changed

21. Pitbull f: Christina Aguilera – Feel This Moment

22. Adele – Skyfall

23. Jim Brickman – Good Morning Beautiful

24. Selena Gomez – Come & Get It

25. Maroon 5 – Love Somebody

26. Ace Hood f: Rick Ross – Bugatti

27. Drake f: Majid Jordan – Hold On, We’re Going Home

28. Zedd f: Foxes – Clarity

29. Lady Gaga – Applause

30. One Direction – Best Song Ever

31. Florida Georgia Line – Cruise

32. Daft Punk f: Pharrell Williams – Get Lucky

33. OneRepublic – Counting Stars

34. Bruno Mars – Treasure

35. Sage the Gemini – Gas Pedal

Alternative Pop & Rock

1. Royals – Lorde

2. Fitz & the Tantrums – Out of My League

3. The Neighborhood – Sweater Weather

4. Of Monsters & Men – Mountain Sound

5. Imagine Dragons – At the Top of the World

6. Bastille – Pompeii

7. Silver Sun Pickups – The Pit

8. Tame Impala – Elephant

9. Passion Pit – Take a Walk

10. Panic at the Disco f: Lolo – Miss Jackson

11. Grouplove – Ways to Go

12. Cage The Elephant – Come a Little Closer

13. Walk of the Earth – Red Hands

14. Muse – Madness

15. Thirty Seconds to Mars – Up in the Air

16. Fall Out Boy – My Songs Know What You Do in The Dark (Light ‘Em Up)

17. Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me (When You’re High)

18. Paramore – I’m Still Into You

19. Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks

20. Phoenix – Entertainment

21. Lorde – Tennis Court

22. The Black Keys – Little Black Submarines

23. Nine Inch Nails – Came Back Haunted

24. New Politics – Harlem

25. Imagine Dragons – It’s Time

26. Phoenix – Trying to be Cool

27. Vampire Weekend – Diane Young

28. Five Finger Death Punch f: Rob Halford

29. Ms Mr – Hurricane

30. Arctic Monkeys – Do You Wanna Know

Folk/Bluegrass/Folk Rock/Americana

1. The Band Perry – Better Dig Two

2. Kacey Mudgraives – Merry Go Round

3. Keith Urban – Little Bit of Everything

4. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – Love Has Come For You

5. The Civil Wars – The One That Got Away

6. Alan Jackson – Blacktop

7. John Mayer – Wildfire

8. Alan Jackson – Blue Ridge Mountain Song

9. Old Crow Medicine Show – Carry Me Back to Virginia

10. Avett Brothers – The Once and Future Carpenter

11. Lumineers – Stubborn Love

12. Anna Kendrick – Cups (When I’m Gone)

13. Lumineers – Flowers in Your Hair

14. Trampled by Turtles – Alone

15. Passenger – Let Her Go

16. Train f: Ashley Moore – Bruises

17. Kacey Musgraves – Blowing Smoke

18. Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Old Home Place

19. Phillip Philllps – Gone Gone Gone

20. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – When You get to Asheville

21. Russell Moore & IIIrd Time Out – Big Spike Hammer

22. John Mayer – Dear Marie

23. Jack Johnson – Radiate

24. Jewel – Two Hearts Breaking

25. Gloriana – Can’t Shake it Off

26. The Henningsens – American Beautiful

27. Passenger – All the Little Lights

28. Rod Stewart – She Makes Me Happy

29. Jack Johnson – I Got You

30. Passenger – Let Her Go

31. Tim McGraw & Taylor Swift – Highway Don’t Care

32. Jake Owen – Anywhere With You

33. Mumford & Sons – Lover of the Light

34. Cheryl Crow – Easy

35. The Band Perry – Done

Country Rock/Pop Country

1. Little Big Town – Tornado

2. Miranda Lambert – Mama’s Broken Heart

3. Blake Shelton f: Pistol Annies – Boys ‘Round Here

4. Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel 

5. Lady Antebellum – Downtown

6. Easton Corbin – All Over the Road

7. Tyler Farr – Redneck Crazy

8. Jason Aldean – Night Train

9. Thomas Rhett – Beer With Jesus

10. Brett Eldridge – Don’t Ya

11. Luke Bryan – Crash My Party

12. Hunter Hayes – I Want Crazy

13. Lee Brice – Parking Lot Party

14. Justin Moore – Point at You

15. Randy Houser – Running Out of Moonlight

Review: Bill Kirchen Brings Hot Rock & Pickin’ to Gins

Photo and Story by Rick Hiduk

Retro Rocket members Jess Illuzzi (left) and Mike Chapin (right) flank veteran guitarist Bill Kirchen, former member of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, at Gins Tavern on Tuesday evening. Retro Rockets opened the show and members were invited back on stage in varying combinations throughout the evening.

What do Earl Sruggs, Jim Hendrix, Roy Orbison, The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Buck Owens, Link Ray, Ray Price and Stevie Ray Vaughn have in common? Career guitarist Bill Kirchen loved them all and literally channels them and many other rock, country, bluegrass, and blues artists through his 1959 Fender Telecaster. He has a damn good time doing it too.

Kirchen, formerly a member of ’60s and ’70s  pshyco-billy group Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, performed with Maurice Cridlin and Jack O’Dell and members of locally-based Retro Rocket at Gins Tavern in Factoryville last night to a large and adoring crowd.

Retro Rocket brought patrons out of the dinner hour with a enjoyable set of old-time bluegrass and early country/western songs. Jess Illuzzi handled most of the lead vocals as Mike Chapin and MJ Kuskas played guitar, banjo, and mandolin.

Their set was an authentic throwback to an era of folk and bluegrass music that was not yet altered by too much electrification and amplification. Patrons at my table remarked that it was nice to be able to enjoy the subtleties of an intimate performance without being blown away by it and being able to converse with the person next to you.

From the first cord Kirchin struck, however, it was clear that he came to Wyoming County to rock the house while not just showing respect for but also demonstrating that bluegrass and old-fashioned picking were the roots of a musical journey that helped him build his amazing repertoire as the related genres developed around him.

With just eight days left until Christmas, the band set the tone for good-natured fun by donning Santa hats and opening up with a pair of rockabilly-flavored Christmas songs. Holiday songs were sprinkled liked spiked snowballs throughout the show, including numbers such as “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’,” “Jingle Surfin’ Bells, and “Santa Looks a Lot Like Daddy.”

But it was Kirchen’s unique arrangements of time-honored country-tinged songs that his fans had come to see and which caught those of us less familiar with his work off guard.

I remembered both the old country and rockabilly versions of “Hot Rod Lincoln” from my childhood, and Commander Cody’s 1972 version was a big hit and a daily favorite on the jukebox in the Towanda Middle School cafeteria. So, when our neighbors, Charlie and Nancy, invited us to see Kirchen perform in Factoryville, we obliged them without knowing just what was in store. I had no idea that I was going to be in the company of a living legend.

To say that Kirchen’s guitar playing and the manner in which he harmonizes with himself with one pair of hands was spine tingling is an understatement. Certain riffs and sounds that I had never before heard from a guitar gave me goose bumps many times.

 In addition to asking Chapin to play mandolin on a number of songs in Kirchen’s first set, Kirchen invited all three members of Retro Rocket to the stage at the beginning of the second round to perform “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” and other songs that demonstrated several ways in which bluegrass found various routes to modern country, including western swing, folk, rock ‘n’ roll, and classic blues. Having never endeavored to hone any musical instrument beyond my own voice, I’ve always been impressed by the versatility of talented instrumentalists who can pull of songs together without any rehearsing.

Kirchen is personable and a gentleman. I’m appreciative of the fact that he ended the first set with “Hot Rod Lincoln,” rather than holding off to the end of the show to force people to stick around to hear it. Clocking in at more than seven minutes, the long remake of the song that first put him on the charts pays homage to more superstars of recorded music than can be listed here. What Kirchen and his band made look easy left the crowd breathless and begging for more. That in turn led us sticking around for a good portion of the second set despite the fact that it was a week night.

As much as my body and eyelids were no longer willing, I regret that we did not stay long enough to see Kirchen bring out what was later described as a “funky-ass” horn that he trots through the audience seeking interaction with super-stoked fans. According to Wikipedia, the trombone was the first instrument that Kirchen ever mastered, so I’m sure that it was a delight to hear him play it next to your table.

As one of our hosts said as we made our way out the door and into the frigid night air, “When there’s talent that good around, you just have to be there”

Kirchen’s newest CD, which he autographed for a number of people in between sets, is titled “Down to Seeds and Stems” and features the long version of “Hot Rod Lincoln.” More information about Kirchen can be found at www.billkirchen.com, and interested readers can follow Retro Rocket’s performance schedule on Facebook.

I had not been to Gins in many years and was impressed by updates to the venue and generous portions of very good food. Our server was also very good. It has been terribly cold as of late, and I am sure that many bars and restaurants are struggling to keep their establishments evenly heated. I was grateful that I had on long underwear from head to toe and not surprised to see many patrons keeping their jackets and scarves on while eating and enjoying the music. Despite the heat of the show itself, the bar was a bit chilly. We’re country folk though, so we all survived and will definitely be back for more.