(Note: this series was originally published elsewhere.)
Something in music: origin
One evening at a hot, trendy L.A. nightclub on a rare solo outing, yours truly found himself standing alone at the bar preparing to review the upcoming act. Before he had taken more than a few notes, however, he was bookended by a pair of vivacious vixens who insisted on engaging your rockin’ writer in cozy conversation. Strangely, the subject of “marriage” arose.
One of the young ladies noted that when a gal is about to get hitched, she needs “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” Your provocative penman was immediately inspired. After all, those very same terms could be applied to music too: “Something old” or classic, “something new” or recently released, “something borrowed”, a cover, and “something blue”, a blues song or a song with “blue” in the title. The rest is history.
‘Something’ in Music 344
Something Old
Our “something old” this edition is the classic cut “Kill the DJ.” It was written and first recorded by the American rock band Green Day. It’s the fifth track on their ninth studio album titled ¡Uno! which dropped in 2012. The song was also the disc’s second single.
Something New
Our “something new” this time is the new single “Hard Times” by the American bluegrass and folk band Armchair Boogie. The group includes Ben Majeska (guitar and vocals), Augie Dougherty (banjo and vocals), Eli Frieders (bass and vocals), and Denzel Connor (drums and percussion). In a recent email, Dougherty briefly spoke of the inspiration behind the lead track.
He said: “‘Hard Times’ is about my navigation of life's realities. Entering my late twenties came with a lot of pressure to pursue musical and other professional endeavors. Feeling lost, feeling a lack of freedom, feeling like I have to push on through.”
Something Borrowed
If you’re Texas, and you’d like to see Alexander perform live, you’re in luck! You can get “footloose” with Alexander when she opens for “her most significant long-time collaborators” The Bacon Brothers, Michael and Kevin Bacon, at the Haute Spot in Cedar Park, Texas on Saturday, January 20th, 2024. On her website she spoke of their relationship saying: “The reason I created my first CD was that I was asked to go on tour with the Bacon Brothers after opening their show at The Troubadour. At the time, I didn’t have anything to sell! Dave Darling took my scrappy demos and produced my first record, which actually sold out on that tour and blew up on Amazon.” Check out her website for the details.
Something Blue
Last but not least, our “something blue” this edition is the new song “Sky Blue LeBaron” by Texas-based singer-songwriter and musician Terry Klein. This track is off his latest release titled Leave the Light On. The tune tells the tale of a struggling indie artist who is actually content with the stability of what’s really important to him. He is joined by Tim Marks on bass, Tammy Rogers on fiddle, Scotty Sanders on pedal steel guitar, and Lynn Williams on drums.
Did we mention your favorite “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”? If not, let us know. Don’t forget to send us your bride photos too!
(Images courtesy of Rock n Roll Bride and/or original owners)