In a world of strife and travail, how do these things coexist in one glorious place on the Internet?
The Temptations. Bram Tchaikovsky. Devo. Nick Gilder. Ray Charles. B.B. King. Jefferson Airplane. Paul McCartney. Glen Campbell. Jackie Gleason's orchestra. Patti Page.
Bent Fabric. Lou Rawls. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. BEATS the hell out of me. But they do -- on 3 Chords & the Truth.
Why don't you give the Big Show a listen and see how this whole musical peaceful-cooperation thing works in an angry world gone mad? It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
Greetings from Omaha, by God, Nebraska. And welcome to the humble studio home of the Big Show, a little audio adventure we call 3 Chords & the Truth.
I, as always, am your Mighty Favog, and I'm tickled pink that you're able to join me again this week as we tiptoe through musical genres and play the best of it all on our foray into freeform radio on the Internet. And, as always, we have a great program lined up for you -- one where we get from here to there seamlessly and without regard to musical pigeonholing. It doesn't matter where you are; wherever that might be is a great place for a staycation for your ears . . . and your soul. This week on 3 Chords & the Truth, we begin the show with a late-1960s classic written by John Denver and memorably performed by Peter, Paul and Mary. Then we really kick things into gear.
WE'RE TALKING great music by Dinah Washington, for one. Rod Stewart 2.0 for another. Isaac Hayes and Santana engaging in a bit of funky synchronicity for a third bit of "Whoa!" From the fusion of New Wave and ska to cruising with The King to a journey deep into classic jazz and big band, we're covering it all on the Big Show. And it's all as close as the digital device you're using right now. I could go on and on, but I fear that would just ruin the surprise. Nine out of 10 people who really love music highly recommend that you block out 90 fun-filled minutes to be entertained -- and edified. The tenth guy is just a grouch.One listen to 3 Chords & the Truth will prove that entertainment and edification are not mutually exclusive. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there.Aloha.
Once in a blue moon comes out to about -- on average -- once every 2 1/2 years. That's how often you get two full moons in the same month.
In my native south Louisiana, we'd call that lagniappe. A little something extra.
AND IT occurs to me that's how often you'll find something like 3 Chords & the Truth. . . something as wonderfully diverse, broad-ranging, quirky and sometimes surprising as this here little musical venture on the Internet. The goal here is to always give you a little something extra.
Just like a blue moon.
Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba ba dang a dang dang, Ba ba ding a dong ding . . . blue moon. And, boy oh boy, are you going to get your blue moon's worth this week on the Big Show. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all.Be there. Aloha.
The Big Show is a BIG SMASH! And we're not talking about what happens to your fedora when you accidentally sit on it, either. No, the kind of "smash" we're talking about when we're talking about 3 Chords & the Truth is the good kind of smash . . . as in "smash hit." As in "smashes down the boundaries of excellence in music programming." Yes, in that respect, your favorite music podcast is indeed a smash.
THIS WEEK, we'll be doing more of our customary smashing of barriers that dictate what you can and can't do with a music format. And we'll be smashing any notion that you might guess what we'll be doing next -- or playing next on the Big Show. That's the Big News about 3C&T all wrapped up in a petite promotional package. And the big news is, of course, very good news. Even more succinctly, let me put it this way: Givethe Big Showjust 90 minutesof your valuable time, and we'll give you an entire world of music. Sound fair? Good. We'll meet you over at the podcast player. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all.Be there.Aloha.
The last couple of weeks, the Big Show has run a minute long. I interpret this as there being just too much spectacular stuff to fit in a mere 90 minutes of 3 Chords & the Truth.
You know that great Billy Eckstine album I was telling you about earlier on the blog? We're leading the show with the best cut. This is called "getting off to a fast start." And then we don't let up a bit -- a great number, recorded live in 1987, from the late tenor-sax great Stan Getz. And then after that. . . .
WELL, we don't need to lay waste to the mystery of this edition of the Big Show, do we? No, we don't. Not knowing what's next is half the fun of it all -- am I right? Anyway, it's another good 'un, and you just might want to make 3 Chords & the Truthappointment listening. This is called "the smart thing to do." In a wee housekeeping note, you'll notice that we've made just a few format tweaks in honor of this being episode No. 301 of the program. The biggest tweak is this: After more than 7 1/2 years, we're getting a new primary opening theme. Let's just say Gruppo Sportivo's Superman spoke to my radio-guy soul the other day. THAT'S about it for this week. Just listen . . . and just have fun here in 3C&T land. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
300. Thrice five score. Three hundred episodes of 3 Chords & the Truth . . . and counting. That's a lot of shows. I've loved doing every one of them -- even when I had a clunky, outdated digital audio workstation (that's computer to you and me) that I fought with all the time. I won't tell you what I called that Windows monstrosity; this show is PG-13 at its bawdiest.
But now I have a souped-up, giganto iMac, and it's all gravy now. Even more fun. And I hope you have as much fun listening as I do playing great -- and highly eclectic -- music for you on the Big Show.
WELL, this week we have another highly eclectic and hugely fun program for you to mark the Big 300th episode. We start out with a "revolutionary" set in honor of Revolution 21, the umbrella under which your humble musical smorgasbord keeps its powder dry. Dry gunpowder is important when you're aiming for a music explosion, don't you see? Then we have some more smorgasbord, and then some classic soul, and then . . . well, why dispel all mystery about this episode of3 Chords & the Truth. Needless to say, it's a good 'un. Set a spell, take your clothes off . . . NO, THAT'S NOT RIGHT . . . PG-13, REMEMBER? Let me try this again. SET ASPELL. Take your shoes off. Y'all have fun now, y'hear? Clothed. Absolutely clothed. Family show here on the Internets. Yeah, that's the ticket. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
We're going to run this edition of 3 Chords & the Truth up the flagpole and see who salutes it.
That's because this edition of the Big Showtackles America's raging debate about the Confederate battle flag. Should it fly? Is it all about hate and subjugation? What's it all about, Alfie? As a native Southerner now living happily in the Midwest, your Mighty Favog has some thoughts about all that. They've been expressed over the years on Revolution 21's Blog for the People, and they're going to be put to music on this edition of 3 Chords & the Truth.
I'd like to engage your brain in this, but I'd like more to engage your heart and imagination. I think we succeed -- and succeed in superbly entertaining in the process -- but, as always, you'll be the judge. THE SOUTH. Race. Heritage. Hate. History. Culture. Music. It's all packed in to a special edition of the Big Show. As a matter of fact, it's so special that there's a bonus two minutes . . . which I couldn't bear to trim. So there's that.
Sit back, listen, think, feel and enjoy. Those are your marching orders for this week . . . and every week, actually. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
This week on 3 Chords & the Truth: A meditation. It's sort of along these lines (with apologies to the Alan Parsons Project, 1977):
We break down in the middle and lose our thread, No one can understand a thing that we do, When we break down just a little and lose our head, Who could blame them all if they think that we're through?
Any time it happens we'd get over it, With a little help from all our friends, Anybody else could see we're in the pit, But they walk away and just pretend, When we break down . . . We break down in the middle and lose our thread, No one can understand a thing that we do, When we break down just a little and lose our head, Who could blame them all if they think that we're through? Where are all the friends who used to follow us, All they ever gave us was phony praise, People that we've never seen are sure we're nuts, Is it any wonder we're confused? When we break down . . . When we break down. . . .
ONTHIS latest edition of the Big Show, we break down the breakdown.
This week's edition of the Big Show features a stellar "live" album that wasn't. Recorded "live in concert," that is.
The first-ever pairing of jazz greats Peggy Lee and George Shearing was supposed to be a blockbuster-type thing at the 1959 National Disc Jockey Convention, held Memorial Day weekend in Miami Beach, Fla. A live album was locked into the Capitol Records release schedule, and audio engineers would be there to capture it all on tape -- in glorious stereophonic sound -- for what would become the Beauty and the Beat! LP.
And if you listen to Episode 297 of3 Chords & the Truth, you will hear a fair chunk of that 1959 Capitol LP on the show. It is glorious. Peggy Lee is brilliant, and Shearing and The Quintet are swinging years ahead of their time, stylistically. It's an important record . . . and it's a joyous listen.
IT'S ALSO an epic fraud. On the other hand, that's pretty appropriate for an album purported to have been recorded at a DJ convention epically summarized by the Miami Herald as "Booze, Broads and Bribes." And America would soon learn all about "payola," thanks to a radio confab where the record labels ran amok and the broadcasters ran . . . amoker? I mean, here you have a live, in-concert recording session at a convention full of bought-off, drunk-ass DJs (and a large contingent of "ladies of the evening" on the labels' dime) in a ballroom at the Americana with a tragically messed-up public-address system. What could go wrong?
WELL, if you listen to the Big Show, you sure as heck will find out. And you'll hear a bunch of great music, too . . . and not just from a legendary jazz pianist and an equally legendary jazz singer.
And you'll also hear about Omaha's connection to the whole mess. 3 Chords & the Truth . . .it's not just a freeform music show. It's an expedition. An adventure. And a blast. Don't forget to check out our organ-flavored rock 'n' roll set in Aisle 1. I guess that's about all I have to say about that. Except. . . . It's3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there.Aloha.
I thought that this week we could hang out and play some records. What do you mean that's what we do every week on3 Chords & the Truth? Fair point. Well, what say we hang out and play some more records this week on the Big Show?
ALL RIGHT, that's what we'll do, then. After all, isn't that what freeform radio was all about anyway? I'm sitting here in the studio with some records, some CDs, some . . . whatever . . . and I'm playing 'em for you because I thought you'd like to hear this cool stuff I've come across. That's 3 Chords & the Truth. It's as simple as that. So, if you want to hang out and listen to some records, come right in. I got a bunch of 'em. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
It's Friday night here in Omaha, by God, Nebraska. It's windy. And it's rainy.
There's been rumbles of thunder; it's muggy. It's starting to feel like summer. If there's some particular feel to this week's edition of 3 Chords & the Truth, it seems to me it's a summery feel. It's upbeat. It's smooth. It's . . . summery. At least to me. Dunno what else to say about it, apart from it's a danged fine listen. As always.
THE BIG SHOW is good music. And fun. And sonically edifying. I'm not exactly sure what "sonically edifying" means, but I like writing it. Just like a like me a good summer's eve. Just like I like me the Big Show. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
Sometimes, you have a brilliant plan, and you execute it to perfection.
Sometimes, not so much.
This week's edition of 3 Chords & the Truth, your premier musical destination on the Internet, falls into that second category. The funny thing, though, is that in the humble opinion of your Mighty Favog, it didn't turn out half bad. Sometimes, I guess, just winging it and saying "whatever" can work out just as well as the best-laid plans with the best-case execution. That works for me. I mean . . . whatever. Right?
WHEN IT comes to putting together yet another stellar edition of the Big Show, the only thing that matters when it comes right down to it is this one simple thing: It can't suck. Methods of achieving that goal are secondary. So just listen in yet again and let your ears be your guide. I mean . . . plan or no plan, I haven't steered you wrong yet. Right? Right???
This week's 3 Chords & the Truth is the kind of show that will make you glad that you're alive.
With that said, just dance where you might be -- and push back against the world's darkness harder than it pushes on you. Because we should be glad that we're alive.
ME, I'm just glad you're listening to the Big Show. So let's dance, shall we? Life's too short to waste on anger, despair, paranoia and finger-pointing . . . and that's just what we see on Facebook. Eschew that. Listen to this. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.
A million monkeys trying to come up with Shakespeare . . . or an average episode of 3 Chords & the Truth . . . will come up with something akin to this.
So don't monkey around -- leave the quality music programming to your Mighty Favog, not a bunch of apes . . . or your local radio station, for that matter. We'll all be happier. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there.Aloha.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a frog! A frog??? Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog . . . It's just 3 Chords & the Truth -- back from a break and found on this blog! In other words . . . never fear! The Big Show is here!
Today is April 1. Time for some spring cleaning at 3 Chords & the Truth.
The first thing to be cleaned from the program . . . hard rock. For us at the flagship program of the Revolution 21 universe, it's going to be nothing but good music. We're going with pop, jazz and easy listening -- music that calms the savage breast . . . and makes your world a safer, nicer place. That's why you're going to notice a change in 3 Chords & the Truth. We like to call the approach "The Velvet Sound," and it's going to sound as smooth as a fine swath of blue velvet.
I URGE you to check out the new sound of the finest music podcast on the Internet. I think you'll agree with us when we say to hard rock 'n' roll mayhem "We're not missing you at all." The program is all about good music, and good music is what you'll get from us at 3 Chords & the Truth. And that's all your Mighty Favog has to say about that, because the proof is in the hearing.
Try it. We guarantee you'll like it. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there.Aloha. And that's your program news -- and your program -- for Wednesday, April 1, 2015.
This week's edition of the Big Show is about precious gifts.
One of my earliest was the gift of music. The gift of a love of music, and records . . . and ultimately a love of sharing that great bequest with others. That gift -- music -- I got from my mother at a young age. I remember as a little kid, maybe 4 years old, playing my parents' 78s and 45s and even LPs on the big Silvertone console and thinking it was one of the coolest things ever. And I've been doing it ever since.
IT'S A GIFT that has enriched my life and ultimately led me to the radio -- and being on the radio. And it has reached its fruition, so far, in this little endeavor we call 3 Chords & the Truth. The gift of music came from my mother some 50 years ago now. It's probably the greatest thing she ever gave me, apart from life itself. Mama passed away in a hospital here in Omaha early the morning of March 21, three days before my 54th birthday. This episode of theBig Show is for her. God bless you, Mama. And thank you for the music.
This week's edition of 3 Chords & the Truth is for me to know about and you to find out about.
You can find out all about it by trekking here. Or, you can just click on any of the podcast players splattered all around here and call it good. When it comes to theBig Show, you have all sorts of options. OK, I'll tell you this: The show starts with E.L.O. and closes with The Three Suns. And there are other songs in between. Now go. Listen. It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there.Aloha.
