The Regular Friday Post
Rando Lyrics: And I got to get a move on before the sun
Last week’s rando lyrics: The lyric, “Born with a weary eye” is from the song "Idaho”, performed by BoDeans. Written by Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas it was released as Track 5 on the October 1993 album “Go Slow Down”. Produced by T-Bone Burnett and BoDeans.
This Week’s Documentary Film Recommendation:
OK, it’s not a film. Also, you have to scroll through the errata about Call Of Duty (some odd comments about the game take up the 3 or 4 most recent comments) - the interview (all written, so I suppose transcribed) starts about the 5th entry down - look for “1943 -2001 When We Was Fab” - really interesting:
Other Voices:
It’s been a minute since we checked in with our friend Brad Kyle, a busy man of many aspects! His Substack, “Front Row And Backstage” is a gem that you should be reading! In addition to his familiar “Inside Tracks” and “Audio Autopsy” posts he is reprising our friend, Nic Briscoe’s extraordinary career, and regularly posts his feature “Tune Tags” where he and his victims other extraordinary musical minds stump one another with clues about the connections between songs, artists, producers and others in the “biz”!
And for something completely different, there’s this:
Mark Knopfler BBC Interview (Ed. - very cool…)
Welcome to The Regular Friday post!
News from around the “biz”:
Music Documentaries - From an account on X (Twitter) called Melodies and Masterpieces, a list of interesting documentaries (you’ll probably need an account on X to view all of it, just sayin’…)
Music Business WorldWide - Spotify will soon offer an $18/month hi-fi subscription - does anyone care?
For Today:
Something a bit different today. The BoDeans have been around for awhile and I think don’t always get the respect they deserve. For instance, Boise, Idaho’s 104.3 FM “WOW” Country radio station lists “Idaho” as only the “4th worst” song about Idaho. If you want to see the others, follow this link: Worst Idaho Songs (Ed. made me chuckle…)
For today’s song, I chose this because I came to really like them when clips of their songs were regularly featured as time fillers at my son’s college football games (OT for the Montana State University Bobcats back in the day…).
It was almost always their hit “Closer To Free”, which was Track 1 on the album “Go Slow Down”, that was the clip played at his games, and rightly so, it was a monster hit for them. I think today’s song “Idaho”, which is Track 5 off of the same album, captures their cool side more than some of their straight rockers, and I especially like this live version. For that reason, it’s today’s…
…A Song To Play…
Key of EMaj (I’m kinda sticking with that this week, doesn’t mean it can’t be the relative minor C#m though….), 4/4 common time, a reasonably sedate (for BoDeans, anyway) 115 BPM. Some quick chord changes, but doable as they’re mostly from that F#m to the AMaj and EMaj, a little bit advanced, but a good song for beginners to practice that F#m barre chord, and note the several transitions to/from the F#m7 as a barre only requires moving one finger (check Jguitar.com for chord diagrams). If you have an electric guitar (or an acoustic with electronics) and some interesting pedals, you may want to try playing this with some different combinations. I found this stage photo…
… and to me it looks like this pedalboard (not sure which band member’s) is fairly simple.
You may also want to think about playing the AMaj and EMaj as barre chords as well, since the barre versions of those chords are nearby. Check the video above - everyone’s playing a ways down the fretboard on the 7th through 9th frets. Just sayin’…
Credit: Chordify Link: >Idaho<
Lyrics (From Genius)
Link: >Idaho<
There’s another brazen day
Things kinda move that way
Good lord above, now he don't have to fuss
Not for good hardy people like us
Born with a weary eye
Plain to see, my oh my
These crazy ideas, oh they don't last long
But they come and they go in America
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
There’s another fallen man
With hair I don't understand
Its just bout as long as my wife Marlene
Don't it all kinda keep you to wondering
Staring at the stars above
Wonder what are we made of
Some folks say that they know right away
So you look on a cloud for a lullaby
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And I said hey
Everywhere I see, hey
Everywhere I see
There’s another busted dream
Staring me right in the face
Good lord knows why we don't give in
Trying to leave, maybe run from this place
Instead of staring at the stars above
Wondering what are we made of
Some folks say that they know right away
So you look on a cloud for a lullaby
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And we're staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And I say staring at the world from my home little Idaho
Staring at the world from my home little Idaho
And I say hey
Everywhere I see, hey
Everywhere I see
The “ME!” Section…..
What I’m Listening2: Link: >Eclecticatica (Made Up Word)<
Shameless Self Promotion Section:
My song is out! Link: “>Long Road Back<”click on this link for streaming options, then scroll down for links (or just click on these links) to Amazon, Apple, Pandora, iTunes and even Spotify
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Disclaimer Section
This Substack is free, I receive no compensation of any kind from companies or products I mention. Some linked or quoted material may be copyrighted by others, and I credit them. I rely on the “Fair Use” doctrine for educational purposes (Link: Fair Use). *I do not use AI, things I link to might…
-Michael Acoustic
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Some Links For Today
ED. None of these result in compensation to me in any way, and I’m not endorsing any of them, but some of my readers may find them as interesting as I did…
From Songtown:
Co-writes - the alternate title “… 5 Quick Ways To Lose A Friend” kinda says it all, words to heed…
From American Songwriter:
George Invented A Chord - Well, sorta - but I’ll believe it…
From Discmakers:
Set List Tips - whether you’re playing in a cover band or with your original music, how you order your songs for a gig can make a difference. Find out how to do it here!
Thank You To Our New Subscribers and Followers!! This Week’s Conversation With Mika, the NightCat:
No actual conversation this week. It’s been really warm here in the Upper Left Corner and sleeping with the window open has been a necessity. She popped up on the bed next to me and something outside caught her attention. I took this picture with a 10 second exposure on my iPhone (front porch light was on and reflected off the leaves of the cherry tree, that’s why it looks bright outside), no idea what she heard but she was definitely in NightCat mode…
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Thanks, Michael, for the FR&B shout-out, and the Tune Tag love! As I write this, we're mere minutes away from a new "Inside Tracks" dropping, focusing on Chicago's bangin' "Saturday in the Park" + a handful of faithful and unique covers! There's even a poll at the bottom, where readers can vote on their favorite "SITP" cover!
Love the Mika the NightCat pic! So dramatic and artful!