In 1974, Steely Dan co-founders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker found that the sounds they heard in their head were often too expansive for the 5-piece band they had formed. So they hired a passel of session men for their third album and created Pretzel Logic .
Sarakula "City Heart" Aussie singer songwriter Joel Sarakula is similar to fan favorite Jeff Litman , in that they both started as classically trained musicians and then set forth a mission to pursue pop perfection. The second album (check out the debut Souvenirs ) is an excellent radio friendly treat. "Turn It Up" has just a touch of that 70's Billy Joel vibe mixed with Neil Finn...
The theme of this week on Hidden Track seemed to be longtime band members quitting their bands. First, we told you about guitarist John Kadlecik resigning from the Dark Star Orchestra as Furthur was on the verge of announcing a major tour . Also this week, bassist Cliff Starbuck announced his departure for Ekoostik Hookah. This all comes after last week’s news that bassist Johnny Grubb has quit...
although it does feel like an argument, sorry discusion, that we would have on this delicate little site. http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nations_music_snobs_protest
Lady Gaga and Beyoncé teamed up recently to record not one but two songs dedicated to phones, “Video Phone (Remix)” and The Fame Monster’s “Telephone,” which was then followed by actor Jason Segel turning his phone number into a chorus at the Swell Season show. In honor of Alexander Graham Bell’s suddenly tuneful invention, we’re [...]
[Originally Published August 9, 2007] Steely Dan 03/20/1974 FM ( MP3 ): After listening to one of Steely Dan’s rare live gigs from the ’70s, I’m just confused as to why these guys didn’t tour behind any of their legendary albums. The Dan absolutely tore it up in the live setting with a band that included Michael McDonald, Denny Dias and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. To see...
Steely Dan Wells Fargo Theater Denver October 29, 2009 Going to a Steely Dan concert is like riding in a luxury car; you know just what you're going to get: a smooth, comfortable ride. There may not be much in the way of surprises, but it sure feels good. That predictability applies even more on the current tour in which the band has been playing some of their classic albums in their entirety. Thursday...
Remember those “don’t hate me because I’m beautiful” commercials from the 80’s? Well, that’s the bag Steely Dan always gets. Stellar musicianship has always been in the equation, so put away your calculators. The band is named after a dildo for crying out loud – how “uppity” can they really be? Take their triumphant return [...]
It is 1962 in central Los Angeles and a young 17 year-old tenor saxophonist named Pete Christlieb has met his idol. Hadley Caliman is only thirty years-old but has already made a name for himself as one of the jazz stars on the rise. Christlieb follows Caliman to his gigs throughout Los Angeles and at the end of the night the youngster is invited up on stage to sit in on a few tunes...
F. Roger Devlin writes: After mentioning Three Dog Night in my last piece, I got to thinking about whether there were ever any rock-n-roll records about immigration. I believe Led Zeppelin once did an “Immigrant Song,” but it’s not quite what I have in mind. I guess it isn’t the sort of thing that makes people [...]
To honor WNEW's legendary Firecracker 500, every day we are highlighting the music that populated the 1991 and 1996 lists, with classic videos, live performances and little-known facts about the songs and how they came to be... Take a trip...
The second show in Montreal - also the final date of the long running Rent Party '09 tour that started way back in June - has been cancelled. Quote from steelydan.com: Nov 29 - Montreal QC - Salle Wilfred-Pelletier | cancelled Due to unforseen circumstances, the Sunday November 29th show at Montreal’s Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier has been cancelled. Ticket holders for the cancelled performance may...