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Song of the Day #809: ‘Turn It Up’ – Save Ferris

So what ever happened to ska? Or, more appropriately, to ska punk?

Remember the late 90s, when bands such as Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime and No Doubt were all the rage? That explosion seemed to fizzle out faster than most of these things. Grunge had a longer heyday. So did the boy bands. But these guys, arguably the most musically interesting of the 90s genres, were gone in a blink.

Gwen Stefani looks like a freakin’ genius for jumping off the sinking ship of No Doubt and launching a successful solo career in the dance/pop genre.

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Song of the Day #808: ‘Fighting For My Love’ – Nil Lara

I’ve never been big on local bands. I know that’s an awful thing to say, because supporting local music is important and “right” sort of like supporting mom and pop stories is better than going to chains.

But in my experience, local bands usually suck. I also buy most of my music at Best Buy or through Amazon, so sue me.

I guess the appeal of following the local music scene is that amid all the crap you’ll occasionally find a diamond, and you’ll be able to say that you were there when they were nobody. But who has the time? The very thought of it depresses me.

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Song of the Day #807: ‘Grease’ – Frankie Valli

I originally planned to post today’s clip as part of my week on musicals, but it felt like too much of a cheat so I swapped it out for ‘Summer Nights.’

But I’d hate to see it go to waste so I’m resurrecting it today.

I love this animated title sequence. It gives you a great feel for the setting and characters of the film as well as the overall tone. It’s corny, fun and mischievous. And I must admit I’ve always been more than a little stirred by the cartoon body of Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy.

As for the song, it’s a true classic. Penned by Barry Gibb and performed by Frankie Valli (whose music I saw spotlighted this summer on a terrific cruise show modeled after The Jersey Boys), it’s a perfect bridge between the 70s and the 50s.

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Ben Folds & Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue

In all my years of listening to music, I don’t believe I’ve ever been presented with as tantalizing a collaboration as Lonely Avenue, the new album featuring lyrics by novelist Nick Hornby set to music by Ben Folds.

Collaborations within a single genre are common, but to have my favorite writer combine forces with one of my favorite musicians… talk about an unexpected delight.

Hornby has long been a fan of Folds’ work (I remember reading his essays about Ben Folds Five back in the Whatever and Ever Amen days) and that appreciation turned into a friendship, which led to an email correspondence that evolved into the partnership we now get to hear fully realized.

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Song of the Day #806: ‘Sweet Dreams’ – Beyoncé

I have an unwritten rule for this blog that Beyoncé should make an appearance every couple of months or so. Today’s post marks the fifth appearance this year by Ms. Knowles, which frankly seems a little low.

My mission is complicated by the fact that I don’t actually own any of Beyoncé’s albums and I’m not a big fan of most of her songs. And I’m not looking to embarrass myself (any more than I already have) by gushing about her appeal in areas unrelated to music.

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