And Your Cat Can Sing: Ground Control to Major Tom Cat

Here are a few picture books for people who like singing cats:

 Barrett, Ron. Cats Got Talent. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2014. Print.

 Donaldson, Julia, and Axel Scheffler. Tabby McTat, the Musical Cat. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2012. Print.

Jaunn, Adele. Caruso's Song to the Moon. South Melbourne, Vic: Lothian Books, 2004. Print.

Litwin, Eric, and James Dean. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, NY: Harper, 2012. Print.

My cat is a pretty good singer. He got lost once, and the folks who found him named him Piper because of his musical abilities. His real name is Kitty.

Here's a short clip of Kitty singing David Bowie's Space Oddity with me. (If you don't see the video box below, click here or go to http://www.singsnap.com/karaoke/watchandlisten/play/be8d7dfc1
to view.)


"Ground Control to Major Tom Cat."

ps. I highly recommend buying David Bowie's music at my friend Al's record store, Exile on Main Street in Branford, Connecticut. You can even shop online:exileonmain.com.

pps. Back in the 80's, Al was my boss at Cutler's Records in New Haven. The Cutlers were really nice. They had a cat named Sheba who lived in the store.

ppps. The song Space Oddity is covered by two of my favorite actors in two of my favorite movies. Adam Sandler covers the song in Mr. Deeds, and Kristin Wiig sings it in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. 

pppps. Whoa! Here's a coincidence that never occurred to me before typing the previous sentence . . . James Thurber's short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty takes place in New Milford, Connecticut, and some of the scenes of Mr. Deeds were filmed in New Milford, Connecticut! I'll have to ask my cousin Allen Covert if he ever noticed the connection. 

ppppps. The last time I saw Allen was Christmas Day in 2000, so he might not remember me. 

pppppps. Here is a video clip of Adam Sandler singing Space Oddity in Mr. Deeds, and here is a clip of Kristen Wiig singing along with the David Bowie recording.

Record Store Day & National Library Week

Since Record Store Day and National Library Week collided this year on April 19th, I celebrated by gathering  library quotes from some of my favorite record players.

I met my wife Elizabeth when she was a library assistant in college I frequented the library often and my grades went up. 
--Mike Bortke

As a wee Beatle-infected child at home in my room, reading about music was the perfect companion to listening TO music … especially after the parental units had yelled in the direction of my record player: "Turn that DOWN!" Once I "grew up" (sort of) and became an actual music maker myself though, the library was always the ideal place on the road on tour to settle down and let ones ears cool off. Until whoever was driving the van would yell "C'mon Gary, let's Go! We're LATE!"
--Gary Pig Gold

I used to read Rolling Stone in my school library. It was there that I first saw pictures of the CBGB crowd....some of whom are my friends to this day!
--Richard Citroen

 I had two greet aunts who were Oakland librarians for over forty years each. One became head of purchasing as well as the History archives. She dropped out of high school to work at the library. The other was branch librarian. The love of libraries runs in the family.
-- Christie Eikeberg Sulaiman

Without books and films, I would never have picked up a pen in earnest…
--Alan Moore


ps. Don't worry if you missed Record Store Day. To make up for it, I recommend pre-ordering the new Camper Van Beethoven album, El Camino Real. Every day is a good day to buy music.

National Library Week 2014

Happy National Library Week! To celebrate, I asked some of my music friends how libraries have influenced their lives.

I couldn't afford sheet music in high school. The public library was the source of probably 75% of the music I learned to play during those years.
 --Jessica Auck

Jessica Auck

Literature is the single biggest influence in my life. There really is such a thing as a time machine. It's called a book. Our band has incorporated famous literary quotes and classic poetry into all our albums. One of our most popular songs is "I'm in Love with a Librarian."

 --Doug Fredericksen

Doug Fredericksen

I used to go to the University of Oregon library and copy old folk songs out of a few books they had there. Old English ballads and whatnot.
--Joel Swensen

Joel Swensen, my brother

I started playing guitar after I became a teacher some 25 years ago. I soon realized how many poems and stories I could bring to life through song. I had a parent that suggested I play for a story night at our public library. I did and it became a regular thing. It lead to a radio show on public radio and a band I play in plays annually for the library's Fall Festival. The library is a wonderful place for community and the written, and spoken word. I love the way stories cater to all ages.

--Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry

I know a lot about the history of Rock & Roll through reading, and it helps on my radio show. Go to WMFO.ORG Saturdays 1pm to 4pm.

--Brian Young

Brian Young

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance . . . It changed me.

--Jason Ohiyesa Crossman

Hooked on Phonics changed my life!
--BigDave

Gigglejuice.com

Best Albums of 2013

In alphabetical order by title:

• Camper Van Beethoven, La Costa Perdida*

"For 30 years and counting, Camper Van Beethoven have existed in a parallel-universe borderland, coming across like a punk band perpetually on a Balkan bluegrass bender. But they finally bring it all back home to their native California on 10th album, La Costa Perdida, recalling '60s-vintage West Coast pop filtered through their timeless, idiosyncratic prism."--David Menconi, SPIN, January 14, 2013

• Henry Plotnick, Fields

"11-year-old Henry Plotnick, like Mozart before him, is a childhood virtuoso, and his debut album Fields illustrates his indebtedness to his own teachers: Philip Glass, Brian Eno, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Keith Jarrett, and Cluster." --Paul Gleason, Caught in the Carousel

•  The Dangers, Gold

" . . . the influence of The Kinks and The Beatles runs as strong as ever through the band’s power pop gems." --Vanessa Franko, The Press-Enterprise

• Jonathan Segel, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades

If you like Adrian Belew, George Harrison, Sparklehorse, and Lou Reed, you will love Jonathan Segel.

•  Felsen, I Don't Know How to Talk Anymore

 

“Felsen's 'I Don’t Know How To Talk Anymore' - it’s the band’s most potent and thought-provoking album yet. There are individual gems, including the title track, as well as 'Gunfighting at Dawn,' 'Tierra Del Fuego' and 'Lorazepam.' But Andrew Griffin and company have also succeeded in making the album a cohesive entity. Powerful songs."--San Jose Mercury New 

• Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, Under the Covers Vol. 3

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs have great taste in music. They cover favorite songs from the '80s including Girls Talk by Elvis Costello, More Than This by Roxy Music, and Train in Vain by The Clash. What makes this album special is that all of the songs are easier to sing along to than the original versions. If you like to sing, you will love this album.

*Since "la" is an article, I alphabetized this album under "c" for Costa.

I love my husband

It's been so busy, that I forgot to tell you that Russell and I got married on September 13, 2013 in Pioneertown, California. It was the best day of my life, and I'm pretty sure Russell had a lot of fun, too! It was a secret wedding--we only told a few family members and a couple of friends about our plans. Our friend Arie Haze of L.A. Wedding Woman devised the plan. 


We got married on the second day of the annual Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven Campout concert event. The only other Crumbs (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven fans) who knew about the wedding were my bridesmaids Miss Trixie, Julie, and Judy. The band members were in on the secret, and we wouldn't have done it without the blessings of their manager Velena "Boss Lady" Vego.

If you look closely in the above photo, you can see that the wedding officiant (Arie Haze) is dressed as a Day of the Dead bride, one of the bridesmaid's (Julie) is dressed as a Canadian hockey player, and the best man is holding a Mexican puppet. This is because the wedding took place during our annual costume group photo event. Every year bandleader David Lowery and album cover artist Michael Wertz announce the costume themes. This year the themes were Canada vs. Mexico on Friday night, and Hawaii on Saturday. Arie tricked everyone into attending the wedding by saying she wanted to get one last shot in front of the guest house on Mane Street. (Yes, it's spelled "Mane" Street.) I had been wearing a hand painted Virgin of Guadalupe jean jacket and a Frida Kahlo flowered headband during the earlier photos, and Russell changed out of his Mexican Hockey League shirt right before the ceremony.

 

Here's a picture of author Cynthia Linville and me posing in our Mexican outfits.

Photographer Bradford Jones had the band members sign our wedding vows as a souvenir. (I get giddy when I think about how cool it is that the members of my favorite bands know our names!) Frank Funero the drummer said he wants someone to deliver a baby at next year's event.

Here is the thank you note I wrote to my Crumb (Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven) family:

Thank you to my Crumb Family (and my husband!) for your love and support. You have been my lifeline for years. You carried me through so many hard times that it made sense to share the happiest day of my life with you. Thank you to Velena Vego, David Lowery, and Johnny Hickman for letting us hold the wedding during Campout. We owe you about $20,000. There are so many people to thank that I don't know where to start and I hope I don't forget to mention anyone. Thank you to Arie Haze for the wonderful idea. Thanks to her team at LA Wedding Woman for giving us the world's most stress-free, yet meaningful, wedding. Thank you to my maid of honor and dear friend, the beautiful Miss Trixie Martha for selflessly working her tail off to make sure everything ran smoothly. In addition to giving me an amazing makeover and talking me out of wearing Spanx, Miss Trixie herded my family and made sure everyone was in the right place at the right time. Even though she wasn't feeling well herself, she made me go to the doctor on the first day of Campout to have my bronchitis treated. Thank you to my bridesmaids Julie and Judy for being such amazing friends and for helping Miss Trixie and Arie with all the behind the scenes work. Thank you to Jeff and Jason for the beautiful music at the ceremony. Thank you to Camper Van Beethoven for playing our favorite song New Roman Times during sound check and providing us with the most amazing first dance experience. I was so happy I cried. Thank you to Bradford Jones for being such a thoughtful photographer and friend. Thank you to Kevin Olson for catching our first dance on video and for the superb hospitality. Thank you to Chris LeRoy for inviting me into the family and giving me the best friends on earth. I love you all.

I am the luckiest woman in the world. Thank you, Russell!

ps. And thank you to my mom and grandma for sharing the special event with us--and for keeping it a secret. 

Leonard Peacock and The Silver Linings Playbook

"The confluence of beauty and terror– that’s how my high school art history teacher described the sublime. A sublime painting or poem would spark fear or awe through natural beauty, grandeur, or infinity. Not long into Matthew Quick’s Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, I realized I was experiencing sublimity firsthand." -- Katie W. Beim-Esche, The Christian Science Monitor

"We should be grateful for a book that gets kids, and the leaders they’ll become, thinking about the problem now." --Nathan Heller, The New York Times.

Quick, Matthew. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock: A Novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Print. 
 

Leonard Peacock plans to celebrate his 18th birthday by killing himself and his ex-best friend. Somehow Matthew Quick is able to take this dark subject matter and turn it into a hopeful, and sometimes funny, parable. It is the best YA book I've read so far this fall.

 

Quick, Matthew. The Silver Linings Playbook. New York: Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Print.

I liked Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock even better than the author's most famous book, The Silver Linings Playbook. I shouldn't admit it, but this is one of the rare occasions that I preferred the movie to the book. It's a good book, but it's an amazing movie.
It has a great soundtrack, too, with songs by Dave Brubeck, Danny Elfman, Stevie Wonder, and White Stripes. You should buy it at my friend Al's record store, Exile on Main Street.

 

Silver Linings Playbook: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. New York: Sony Classical, 2012. Sound recording.

New Felsen album!

Felsen's newest album I Don't Know How to Talk Anymore is full of catchy, easy-to-sing tunes with subtle, thought-provoking lyrics. Today I listened to the 11th track, Greetings from the Ghost of Heavy Metal Rock and Roll, a few times in a row. Andrew Griffin has a soulful voice that often reminds me of Prefab Sprout lead singer Paddy McAllon.

Children's Books about the History of American Music

Here are just a few of the books we are going to share with children this week at the library:

Rockwell, Anne F, and Colin Bootman. Hey, Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band. Minneapolis:Carolrhoda Books, 2013. Print.

Parker, Robert A. Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. Print.

Ryan, Pam M, and Brian Selznick. When Marian Sang. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.

Stamaty, Mark A. Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis  Shook Up Music, Me, and Mom. New York: Knopf, 2010. Print.

Golio, Gary, and Javaka Steptoe. Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow : a Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix. Boston: Clarion Books, 2010. Print.

Raschka, Christopher. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. New York: Orchard Books, 1992. Print.

New Camper Van Beethoven!

I'm so excited. Look what came in the mail yesterday . . .

It's the new Camper Van Beethoven CD, La Costa Perdida! I pre-ordered it a couple of weeks ago from Newbury Comics and it was well worth the wait. If you like The Beach Boys, The B 52's, Beck, and the Beatles' White Album, you will love La Costa Perdida. Check out the first single:



I highly recommend buying a hard copy in addition to an mp3. Why?

Because the CD features beautiful artwork by renowned children's book illustrator, Michael Wertz!

Michael illustrated the critically acclaimed children's books A Dazzling Display of Dogs and A Curious Collection of Cats. I think his next book should be A Hilarious Herd of Horses. What do you think?



Rocarra, Princess, and Ned said they'd love to model for Michael.

 

ps. I think Ned has a crush on the cover girl.

 

pps. Read the Wertzateria blog to learn more about Michael and his Camper Van Artwork.

ppps. Rocarra is also a big Sparklehorse fan.

 

Interview with Andrew Griffin of Felsen

If you like Wilco, Prefab Sprout, and Matthew Sweet, you will love Felsen. For the past few weeks, I've been listening to their latest album over and over again on my ride to work. Every song is catchy and thought provoking at the same time.

Felsen. Breaking Up With Loneliness. 2011. Sound recording. 

I was so intrigued by the album, that I emailed a bunch of questions to Andrew Griffin who founded the band, fronts it, and writes the songs. Here are his answers:
 
Q: Great band name. Did you choose Felsen because it's the German word for rocks?  
 
A: A long time ago, when i was living in Boston, I was playing drums in a cover band and we got this great gig that took us to Switzerland. Long-term contract. It was kinda like being a band on a cruise ship, except it was a hotel ski resort in the Alps. Fun gig. Lots of band shenanigans.

Anyhoo, we started to also do gigs outside of the hotel to make some extra money and we played at a place called Felsen bar in Chur, Switzerland. The word just kinda stuck in my head and my wife Norene’s head too. (She later used Felsen as a pseudonym.) When I made the first record, Accidental Drowning,I just put a name on it and called it Felsen. I never really thought it was going to be a band. I had no specific intention of it morphing into a live band.  I just wanted to make a record to give to my friends and family. We’ll here I am three years later and the name, for better or worse, has stuck around. It’s not an easy one to remember or spell. I always choose the path of greatest resistance. And no, I didn’t know what the word actually meant. About a year into the band’s history we were playing a gig and there were some Austrians in the audience and they told us that it meant “Rocks”. A happy coincidence, I guess. 
 

Q: I'm intrigued by the song "The Secret Life of Guns." What does the title mean? 

 A: This was inspired by an interview I heard with a Washington Post and his piece “The Hidden Life of Guns” about concealed weapons laws in the US. This was right after yet another mass shooting (Tucson, January 2011--Gabrielle Giffords) and I was reminded of Sara Palin’s slogan “Don’t Retreat, Reload” and the insane map of the US with bulls eyes on the politicians who some felt needed to be voted out--or eliminated one way or another. I did what I do to cope: I went to the guitar. I knew what the first lyric was going to be (the secret life of guns) and what chord it would start on (C#-) and the song pretty much wrote itself.  I was pissed--it took about 10 minutes.  

Gabrielle Giffords

Q: The line "I'm starting a blog cuz I'm sick of tv" caught my attention because there aren't many songs about blogging. Do you  blog?

A: I have two blogs that I write. And both of them need lots of tending to. I really enjoy writing them, but as you well know, it’s time consuming and you’ve got to be really committed to it.

Q: Who is the bunny on the cover? Do your earlier records have any songs about rabbits?




A: We did a benefit concert a while back called “Bands for Bunnies." Proceeds went to an organization in Martinez, CA that rescues abandoned domesticated rabbits. Apparently lots of people get rabbits as pets and then decide they don’t like living with them and they release them into the wild, which is pretty much a bunny death sentence. There was a guy in a bunny suit at that show and then they got me to put on a bunny suit too. I was a pretty sardonic, slacker of a bunny but it was fun and the light bulb went off over my head. Felsen bought our own bunny suit that we bring to the shows and we get audience members to put it on and dance around a bit. Sounds kinda goofy, but it really helps take the show from 4th to 5th gear. I can’t reveal who was in the bunny suit in the front cover shot of the Breaking up With Loneliness CD--company secret.  However, on the inside is a close up of Jaspar, one of the rescued bunnies. And yes, in one of the songs on our first record--Lay Kenneth Lay--there’s a line in there about ‘burrowing deep, into the rabbit hole”. Kind of a reference to Alice in Wonderland. 

 

Q: You have a great voice. Who are your favorite singers? Do you have any favorite songs that you like to sing along to in the car?

A: I love to sing along in the car to my fav singers: Jeff Tweedy, Gary Louris, Thom Yorke, David Lowery, Bono . . . Richard from Pink Floyd. John, Paul, George and Ringo . . . Mick and Keith. I love the guy from Spoon and that dude from Eels. Robert Plant--too many high notes for me.  

Q: Please tell me about your musical background. Is it true that you are a Berklee grad? I know a few people who went there, but only one who actually graduated. What makes it such a challenging school?



A: It’s a tough place to be. Way too competitive for me, all though I learned a hell of a lot. I went to a regular college too before I went to Berklee and I honestly can say, I don’t remember a single thing from those 4 years (History Major).  Basically i was playing drums in local bands, booking the gigs, making the flyers, hustling, starting to tour around the midwest (where i grew up and was going to school). I started on drumset around age 13 and was playing in cover bands right away.  By age 15 I was playing gigs wherever we could hustle them. No formal training, just self-taught by practicing along with records by the Beatles, Stones, the Who, Zeppelin, U2, REM, INXS, Jimi Hendrix, Dead Kennedys . . . the Cure, New Order, the Police...anything really. And that took me all the way up into my early 20’s and I decided to take lessons. 

 I was living in Chicago and got lucky with a really great teacher who put me on a path that lead me eventually to Berklee and I got really getting disciplined about learning the drums. I learned to read, learned the rudiments, studied jazz, listened a lot and expanded my musical interests. Along the way i started to learn some guitar and began to write pop tunes. I had bands where I played drums and would work with a singer to sing my tunes.  A couple of really interesting bands that no one’s ever heard of. After Berklee, my wife and I moved the Bay Area and I began a career as a freelance drummer, drum teacher, session musician and producer. The producing thing allowed me to use my songwriting skills to help other people out with their material etc ... And i was in a few bands where I was co-writing with the main writers.  Most notably, I worked real closely with Rich McCulley 2003-04.  I was Rich’s drummer and we wrote a bunch of tunes together, played about 180 gigs from coast to coast putting 70000 miles on his van (seriously).

Cover art by Michael Wertz

Q: I know you have played with Camper Van Beethoven (my favorite band!) and Cake. How did you get the opportunity to play with these legendary bands?

A: I have kind of a specialized-niche in the Bay Area.  I’m the guy you call at the absolute last minute to fill in for your drummer who’s M.I.A (for whatever reason) and you need your material learned really well and really quickly. Translation: I do my homework. In the case of Camper, Frank got snowed in a few years ago in NYC and couldn’t get a flight out to SF for a few California Camper shows and Victor Krummenacher called me with about 20 hours lead time to learn a whole set of CVB tunes. BTW no rehearsal. Just go do the gig. The first night was a bit dodgy, but the 2nd night was pretty great. Had there been a 3rd night ...

thesippycups.com

Q: You also play with the super high energy kindie band, The Sippy Cups. How did you get involved in children's music? Do you have any favorite children's albums from when you were a kid?

A: The Sippy Cups thing I got through Allison Levy whom I know through my Camper Van Beethoven association. Some of the guys in Camper live in the Bay Area and I’ve done some of their side projects, including Victor’s McCabe and Mrs. Miller album--Allison being Mrs. Miller.  She and I became friends and she calls me for her kids music gigs. Which is a hoot. In my humble opinion, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the greatest kids music album of all time.  Perfect for 5 year old kids to listen to. That one changed my life and ultimately set me on the path that I’m still on.

 Q: One of my friends recently moved to Oakland. She loves it. You obviously do, too. What is so special about the city. Is it really the Brooklyn of the West?

A: I do love Oakland and the East Bay in general.  I got lots of East Bay Pride. The weather, the people, the vibe.  I really prefer it to SF--which I love a lot too, but its just too expensive there. The artists have all fled, many to Oakland. Yeah, It’s probably real similar to Manhattan and Brooklyn in that sense too. I think Oakland is a lot less hipster than Brooklyn (thank god).  Oakland’s got problems, but it’s pretty special.  Please come for a visit. Plenty to do. Lots of great art and music popping up.  Lots of new cool little music venues.  And killer restaurants.  

Q: Where can readers buy Breaking Up With Loneliness and other Felsen CD's?

A:  Itunes. Or better yet, come to one of our shows and I’ll sell you one.  I've been told that I'm quite the natural salesman.