Today a veritable potpourri of links and the “New Section” (where I reveal the origin of its new name!) about obscure bands, artists and others in the biz that you may or may not have heard of, plus a couple of links to really interesting SubStack authors on the subject of guitars!
The Bonus Round, “WhatI’mListening2” (tomorrow’s playlist is spectacular!), topics of interest that I write about and the occasional pic of my cat when new subscribers arrive will remain in the regular Friday posts.
Disclaimer: This SubStack is free, always will be, and I receive no compensation or other benefit (except the unsolicited, occasional, and much appreciated shoutout from readers and other SubStackers!) from any of the people or companies I link to or write about.
Links:
From American Songwriter, a story behind the story - a fascinating look at the intersecting lives of some very successful people:
Who wrote "Take It Easy"? The story behind the song
From Mr. Griff Hamlin at Blues Guitar Unleashed:
Charts This article covers a multitude of charts, but kinda leaves out the type of chart us “normies” use a lot, the simple “chord chart” - like the ones you can find on Ultimate Guitar….
If you’re considering writing for, or submitting one of your songs for film, television, or just about any broadcast/internet show of any kind, this is stuff you need to know. Royalties and other income from this type of song placement are a completely separate, way different thing from those generated from streaming services, public performances and vinyl/CD sales:
A couple of links to Acoustic Guitar Magazine podcast/articles:
Podcast episode: The great classical guitarist Andrés Segovia
This article is especially dear to my heart; it’s the reason I write this SubStack!
From the CD Baby blog, DIY Musician:
From Carvin Audio:
Songwriting ruts: How To Break Out!
In Memoriam, longtime guitarist for Todd Rundgren:
It’s Odds and Ends
This section will be reader suggested for at least the next couple of weeks - If you have a favorite band, artist, performer, songwriter, etc that you think deserves a shoutout here, send me a link or name and song to Michael Acoustic or leave your suggestion in the comments and it’ll be on the list! If we run out of reader suggestions, I’ll pick it up with some of my own, but I’d really rather hear and post suggestions from my readers - if you wish to remain anonymous, use the email link above and I’ll respect your privacy!
I originally was going to call this new section something (literally!), and I had at least 3 or 4 different ideas. But I made a quick decision to “bin” all of them (as our friends across the water might say) and go with something I already had that I thought fit a little better. I’ve talked about the need for songwriters to have a place to jot down ideas, “one liners”, phrases, anything that might become lyrics and especially “hooks” in a song. Mine is a note on my iPhone, entitled “It’s Odd and Ends”. That’s where I put stuff I think of that may or may not end up in a song somewhere, and I revisit it often. It’s where I kept the phrase “my specialty’s bad timing” which eventually became our “silly song” on Michael Acoustic when we were constructing song lyrics, sections (it had a verse and chorus! Really!), chords, an arrangement and a melody. The phrase “It’s Odds and Ends” seemed appropriate for here because it’s where we’ll talk about some bands, or artists or other topics that may be obscure, little noticed but interesting and all sorts of cool, though perhaps niche or little known, things. The title itself is a “Mondegreen”.
“A mondegreen is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense. The American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad "The Bonny Earl of Murray", and mishearing the words "layd him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen".” Credit: Wikipedia
The mondegreen here is from the lyrics to A-ha’s song “Take On Me”,
the correct lyric being “I’m odds and ends” (second line of verse 2), which I always heard as “It’s odds and ends” in the original MTV “pencil sketch animation” video, though it’s pretty clear in the live acoustic version. Meh. So that’s how that happened.
For today, a band sort of like, but also not really like, XTC from last week. The band, “It Bites”, and especially it’s one-time frontman Francis Dunnery, are the subject. A big shoutout here to fellow SubStack writer Brad Kyle who writes the SubStack “Front Row and Backstage”. Brad did an article on “It Bites” and wrote to suggest my readers might be interested in hearing the story of the Mr. Dunnery and the band. A little Wikipedia background first, and then Brad’s excellent article and deep dive into the band and Mr. Dunnery’s story:
“It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982[1] and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 10UK Singles Chart hit.[2] Initially fronted by Francis Dunnery, the band split in 1990, eventually returning in 2006 with new frontman John Mitchell.” Credit: Wikipedia Wikipedia link
Francis Dunnery (born 25 December 1962[1]) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner.
Dunnery performing in 2007
Background information Born 25 December 1962 (age 60), Egremont, Cumbria, Occupation(s): Musician, record producer Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, tapboard, programming Years active1984–present Labels: Aquarian Nation
Dunnery was the lead singer and guitarist for British prog-pop band It Bites between 1982 and 1990. Since 1990 he has pursued a solo career, and has owned and run his own record label, Aquarian Nation, since 2001.[2]
He has collaborated with artists including Robert Plant, Ian Brown, Lauryn Hill, Santana and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe and as a producer and/or collaborator with David Sancious, Chris Difford (of Squeeze), James Sonefeld (Hootie and the Blowfish), Erin Moran, Steven Harris (ex-The Cult, Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction), and Ashley Reaks (Younger Younger 28s).
Dunnery was one of the candidates invited to audition as a lead singer and frontman for Genesis following Phil Collins' departure in 1996.[3] Credit: Wikipedia Wikipedia Link
From Brad Kyle:
Here are some additional links to other articles by other SubStack authors who write specifically about guitars (lotta “linkception” here, too!) - Check them out!!:
That’s a lot for a Thursday post! Regular post tomorrow!
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
Thank you very much for the shout out! Substack is such a great place. If your readers are reading Six String Sunday Club for the first time, the best thing to know is that for the last 6 or so years (I have to count again), I've been putting out a curated list of my favorite guitar links of the week. It's allowed me to meet other great writers such as yourself! Plus, what's better than talking about guitar?
Thanks, Michael, for the mention and shout-out! I really hope your readers find a new fave in Dunnery and It Bites! It was fun revisiting the "old tunes," most of which I hadn't heard in nearly 3 decades! Also, I'm hoping your guitar-playing readers find Dunnery's tapping and tapboard as fascinating as I do (and I'm not a player)! Thanks again, Michael, and cheers!😁👍