By Don Jacobson

1. AC/DC: Back and Back and Back In Black
Your eight-year wait is over, my friends. Angus and Malcolm Young have finally delivered a new album, called Black Ice, conveniently only available at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. The lead single, cleverly titled “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train,” is available for streaming here. I must say that if you were afraid AC/DC were going to change even one teensiest, weensiest, hair-splittingest bit, well, no worries, mate. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” sounds exactly like every song they’ve done since singer Brian Johnson joined the band in 1980.

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Posted on August 29, 2008

By The Beachwood Music Choice Affairs Desk

Descriptions of the Music Choice channels available in Comcast Area 2.
Sounds of the Seasons: Enjoy the holidays with tunes that capture the spirit of the season. Now playing: DJ Shadow, “Building Steam With A Grain of Salt.”
Today’s Country: Description not available. Now playing: Keith Urban, “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.”
Classic Country: Swing on through the doors of the Opry and step back in time to your kind of country. Now playing: Johnny Cash, “Guess Things Happen That Way.”
Bluegrass: Catch breakneck pickin’ and high-lonesome singing straight off the mountain from the masters. Now playing: The Seldom Scene, “Blue And Lonesome.”
Hip Hop and R&B: Description not available. Now playing: Rhianna, “Take A Bow.”
Classic R&B: Groove to classic R&B, funk, soul and Motown from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Now playing: Stevie Wonder, “That Girl.”

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Posted on August 27, 2008

By The City of Chicago

A FREE CONCERT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
Summer wraps up with a Labor Day concert for the entire family featuring Poi Dog Pondering on Monday, September 1 at 3 p.m. on the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Sponsored by Target and presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Millennium Park as part of the Family Fun Festival, this free concert will begin with a pre-show that includes the international sounds of dj Madrid.

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Posted on August 26, 2008

By The Beachwood Fire In The Sky Affairs Desk

With the Democrats convening in Denver this week, let’s take a look at the quintessential Colorado song – by John Denver.
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Released: 1973
Co-writer: Mike Taylor
Length: 4:12
Charts: Reached No. 9 on the US Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Easy Listening chart.
Wikipedia: Numerous radio stations cautiously banned the song until Denver publicly explained that the “high” was his innocent description of the sense of peace he found in the Rockies.

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Posted on August 25, 2008

By Don Jacobson

Band: Alicia V. (age 13), a.k.a The Bluesbaby
Song: Born Under a Bad Sign
YouTube Added Date: Aug. 13, 2008
Shooter: Bluesbaby8
Locale: Friday Night Live Festival, location unknown, possibly Downers Grove
Video Quality: Good
Sound Quality: Excellent
Overall Beachwood Shaky-Cam Rating: 6 (out of 10)
Comments: Up here in Minnesota, we thought our very own little Jonny Lang was young when he recorded his first blues album at age 15. Alicia V. probably isn’t quite ready to give Jonny a run for his paper route money just yet. And she certainly isn’t getting the attention of that kid in Wisconsin. But the Bluesbaby is a pretty good bluesman for a 13-year-old from the southwestern suburbs.

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Posted on August 18, 2008

By The Beachwood Bad Motherfuckers Affairs Desk

“Isaac Hayes, 65, the Oscar-winning soul singer and songwriter whose swaggering ‘Theme From Shaft’ became a signature sound of the 1970s, died Aug. 10 at his home outside Memphis.”
Released: September 1971.
Length: 3:15 edited single; 4:34 album version.
Label: Enterprise.
Charts: Went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1971.
Wikipedia:
* In 2000, Hayes told National Public Radio that he had only agreed to write and record the Shaft score after Shaft producer Joel Freeman promised him an audition for the lead role. He never got the chance to audition, but kept his end of the deal anyway.

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Posted on August 11, 2008