If there’s something I don’t really care about all that much in the music world, it’s pat-yourself-on-the-back honors. That includes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - an unnecessary museum that to me is like cryogenically freezing a living, breathing entity – and the Grammy Awards, which of course are notorious for honoring only the most popular of musicians, and often a few years too late.
Both have been in the news in the past week. The Rock Hall announced its 2012 inductees today, and for the most part it’s hard to quibble:
These GNR guys don't look like rock 'n' rollers, do they?
- Guns N’ Roses – Their time in the spotlight was fairly brief in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but they sure were quintessential rock ‘n’ roll sound-wise and lifestyle-wise.
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – They have more longevity than GNR, but basically the above sentence applies here as well. Plus, Flea is one of the most amazing bass players ever.
- Beastie Boys – I’ve always felt this band is more responsible than anyone for bringing rap to a mainstream audience, yet they’ve pretty much always kept their creative vision intact in the process.
- Laura Nyro – She might be the dark horse in this bunch, but she was a highly regarded singer-songwriter who most people (myself included) might not realize penned songs including “Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5th Dimension and “When I Die” by Blood Sweat & Tears.
- Donovan – This was a fun choice. My brother was a huge fan of his when I was a wee lad, and I can’t hear frivolous but memorable tunes like “Hurdy Gurdy Man” or “Mellow Yellow” without smiling.
- The Small Faces – This band strikes me as a footnote to the careers it spawned (Rod Stewart solo and Ronnie Wood with the Rolling Stones), so this might be the only choice I’d have to question.
The most interesting part of the selections, of course, is who didn’t get in among those who first recorded 25 years ago or more: The Cure, War, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Donna Summer, Eric B. and Rakim, The Spinners and Rufus with Chaka Khan. What do you think of all this, anyway?
Last Wednesday it was the Grammy Awards’ turn, and you might already know about some of the Vermont connections. If not, here they are:
- Waitsfield rocker Grace Potter moved into an unexpected genre for her first nomination – Best Country/Duo Group Performance, thanks to her collaboration with Kenny Chesney on “You and Tequila.” The tune is also nominated in the Best Country Song category, but writers Matraca Berg and Deana Carter would take the prize in that case.
Al Conti of Essex, Grammy-nominated new-age musician.
- Essex musician Al Conti is nominated in the Best New Age Album category for his work “Northern Seas,” which was recorded at West Street Digital Studio in Franklin County.
- Renowned composer Steve Reich has a second home in the hills of Rochester, and I had the distinct pleasure of hearing him talk following an impressive concert of some of his work last month at the University of Vermont. He’s nominated in the Producer of the Year – Classical category. (Mea culpa: Judith Sherman produced Reich’s album and is nominated in the category of Producer of the Year, Classical; Reich is not)
I wish Anders Parker would be selected to the Rock Hall or nominated for a Grammy – his rich, melancholy songs are that good – but in the meantime you can hear him at 7 p.m. the next two Mondays at Radio Bean right here in his hometown of Burlington. I heard him there this week opening his three-night Monday residency, and almost every song was a new one (a low-key Monday-evening residency is a good time to try new material, it turns out).
This is Anders Parker playing Monday night at Radio Bean, and me taking a picture of him.
He also played a couple of Woody Guthrie songs, and told me after the show that his album of Woody Guthrie songs recorded with Jay Farrar of Son Volt, Will Johnson of Centro-Matic and Jim James of My Morning Jacket is finally due out on Rounder Records in January. Next year happens to be the 100th anniversary of the legendary folksinger’s birth, so it makes sense for this long-awaited release to finally see the light of day.
