As we mentioned below Bill Hetelkut will be adding some "blog" to this anti-blog with not only his interviews/reviews but a weekly column called Wild at Heart....enjoy!This guy gets in with EVERYONE for interviews and scores (with the ladies as well)
Todays entry will give you an idea of the man behind the words. - Enough said.
MCB Management
Wild At Heart - Thursday June 19th 2008
Cyndi Lauper! OK, since I figured this was my first blog on this site, I thought I would start off by putting forth my favorite performer. Most people reading this will think I am crazy for saying that, but who cares. I remember back to 1983 when my radio alarm clock went off and I heard “Girls Just want To Have Fun” for the first time.
I had never heard a song that excited me so much (at the time, I was still into KISS, Blondie and Sha-Na-Na and just started watching Solid Gold with acts like Styx and Laura Branigan). Anyway, I loved her multi-octave voice which could belt out danceable songs or show true beauty with ballads like “All Through The Night”.
I loved that she got involved in wrestling which was my favorite sport at the time. What really impressed me was a lot of people were worried that she would lose fans because of that connection, but she didn’t care. She did it because she liked it and knew her true fans would support her. It was the fly-by-night fans which would fall by the wayside. That carried on later when she ditched her big label and went independent.
This was not a woman to be trifled with and she marched to her own drummer. She just released her newest album “Bring Ya To The Brink” (her third in the past 3 years) which is a little more dance oriented than I would like but is a big hit in Japan where Cyndi is one of the few American megastars over there (they seem to get what she is all about).
Recently, she was at Pine Knob for the 2nd annual True Colors Tour which featured the B-52’s, Tegan And Sara, Rosie O’Donnell, the White Tie Affair and the Cliks. The tour promotes tolerance which we can definitely use in today’s world. Most of the acts on tour with her are know for being openly gay or bi-sexual, Cyndi is actually straight though her sister is openly gay and a big role model to Cyndi. This and a chance meeting of Matthew Sheppard’s mom (a gay man brutally killed by ignorant idiots) ignited the sparks that got Cyndi involved in these bigger issues and I really applaud her commitment. Not many musical stars would put themselves in front of an issue like this (she also signs at numerous Gay Pride events) and have the guts to pull it off so well.
Enough about Cyndi for now but I will say I will someday get that interview with her.
Oh yeah, the Cliks (http://www.thecliks.com)are/ a really cool rocking band from Toronto that you should check out and have been on the True Colors tour the past two years and also toured with the Cult. Don’t let the fact that Lucas used to be a woman freak you out as to not give this deserving band a chance.
My pet peeve for the week comes from the fact that I do a radio show 8-10AM on WXOU 88.3FM (http://www.wxou.org/) and we cover a lot of shows in the area or do ticket giveaways. It bugs me that we could get a table for Peter Murphy or the Detour Festival but 93.9
The River did. Now I will listen to them occasionally and I am good friends with half of their street teamers, but when was the last time they ever played a Peter Murphy or Bauhaus song? Besides Sloan, have they played any of the bands on Detour (I have played about 16 of them)? Sure, put the River at Jack Johnson or Dave Matthews, but local college stations should be able to get tables at the alternative rock shows since we play the music and commercial radio doesn’t.
What would happen if I called the River and asked for music by local artists Serenity Court or Friendly Foes? Probably, “we’re sorry, we don’t play them, would you like to make another request”. I played them both on my last show. Local music rocks! I don’t care that they are at these shows, but I hope that college stations can also get in on the opportunities.
Speaking of Detour, I really enjoyed the Saturday show at the CAID and the later shows at the Majestic complex. I caught 22 of the 26 acts and with 2 exceptions, really enjoyed them all. The bands that I really enjoyed were the Silent Years, Serenity Court, Great Lakes Myth Society (my favorite local band), Golden Dogs, Nice Device and F*ke Blood.
The more I go to festivals and shows like this, the more I realize how rich the local music scene is and should be enjoyed. I hope there is a Detour II.
A brief observation: it is really cool to be watching a night show at Pine Knob, such as Stevie Nicks, and see lighting strikes in the distance. I’m just glad they stayed in the distance and allowed for a good show.Looking forward to the River Days festival this weekend!
Some of my local music recommendations include on Friday = Nadir-Distorted Soul (one of the hottest local bands), Broadzilla (the great female hard rock band) & the Robin Horlock Band (good pop/rock sound) and Saturday = Loba Aku (a wonderful local jazz musician who has graced my show twice).
Of the bigger acts, make sure to check out the Verve Pipe who are from Michigan and one of the great alternative bands out there.
Don’t forget there will also be the tall ships which are always cool to see.
Also, don’t forget about the 13th Annual Arab International Festival in Dearborn for an opportunity to get a truly cultural experience. I went last year and had a great time.Starting next week this should be coming out on Mondays, enjoy your weekend.