Tuesday Tunes: The Funk Brothers

I recently watched a documentary called Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, which detailed the largely unknown story of the studio musicians responsible for creating most of Motown's greatest hits. The group of musicians, collectively known as the Funk Brothers, were reported to have turned out more #1 hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined. The significant difference between The Funk Brothers and the aforementioned superstars is that the tireless Motown musicians barely received any recognition for their efforts. They were not allowed to be named on Motown records until 1971, just before Motown left Detroit for sunnier Los Angeles, consequently leaving many of the Funk Brothers unemployed.

Before they were even given credit for their prolific work, they had breathed the musical life into songs such as "My Girl," "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Baby Love," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "Heat Wave," to name only a few. Much of their music was the foundation for what rock-and-roll became throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and it inspired what pop music is today. Despite the fact that many of the original Funk Brothers died long before they were given credit for their impressive repertoire, it is refreshing to see that even 40 years later, the music they created is still as important and beloved as the first renditions they churned out in Hitsville, USA, during Motown's heyday.

Fight Song Friday: Washington State Week

I am struggling to come up with anything interesting to discuss regarding the Washington State game this weekend. Washington State is not traditionally a rival, and recently, they are not even traditionally a good team. It should be noted that the game is technically a neutral site game being played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX; however, much to NBC's liking, the contest is being considered a home game for Notre Dame, thus awarding the broadcast rights to NBC for a rare night game. It is mildly interesting that I was present at the only other football game these two schools have played against each other. In fact, I was working on the field that day at Notre Dame Stadium, and I actually have a vivid memory of ND's winning field goal kick in overtime.

Probably the most interesting thing I have learned about tomorrow's game is that it falls on Halloween, a day on which Notre Dame has never lost a football game. They are 14-0 in Halloween games. I hope they can continue that streak. To celebrate the holiday, I'll be going trick-or-treating as an ND football fan...if you replace "trick" with "watching football," "or" with "and," and "treating" with "drinking beer." A perfect holiday if you ask me.

Tuesday Tunes: Glee

This week I am departing from the traditional artist evaluation and focusing instead on a musical vehicle that showcases many different artists' tunes: FOX's new dramedy, Glee. There is a lot to love about Glee, not the least of which are the weekly performances of both popular and classic music by a fictional high school glee club. In addition to the joyful (if somewhat flamboyant) renditions of some excellent music, there are several interesting plot lines and some truly fantastic characters and actors in this show. Rather than attempt to dissect the complex stories here, I will simply leave you with these teasers. Check out Glee for yourself...and get happy.

Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX (returning November 4)

Fight Song Friday (Belated): Boston College Week

I was not around my computer much on Friday, so I missed a pre-game analysis of the Notre Dame-Boston College matchup. On first glance, it might seem unnatural for Notre Dame and Boston College to be rivals. They are not geographically close, and they don't often cross paths except during scheduled contests within football season. Look closer, and you discover that ND and BC are the only Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1-A) schools that also carry the distinction of being Catholic institutions. Because of this similarity, many have adopted the rivalry concept, and for the last several meetings, the contest has been heated and often decided by only a few points.

While I was a student at ND, I often heard Boston College referred to as "Backup College," as in the place where Catholics went to college if they didn't get accepted to Notre Dame. While I am certain that most BC students would take offense to this jab, I was always amused by the joke and recognized that it served to fuel the rivalry. Much to my dismay, however, ND's joking had not helped produce a football win in the rivalry since I started following college football in 2001. BC basically owned ND the whole time I was in school, as well as for a few years afterward...until last Saturday.

While this week's celebration was somewhat dampened by the previous week's loss to primary rival USC, the win against BC was yet another step on the road to recovery for the Notre Dame football program. It might not seem like a big step to outsiders, but the victory against Boston College (similar to the win at home against Michigan State) served to break a serious drought streak, and I commend the effort. Now, if only the Irish can muster wins against Michigan and USC in 2010...

Tuesday Tunes: Can You Rock? (Redux)

So I made my debut at the weekly live-band karaoke competition called "Can You Rock?" last week. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. For starters, I didn't expect the crowd and the lineup of contestants to be so huge. Secondly, I didn't expect 8 out of every 10 contestants to be so talented and well practiced. Thirdly, I did not expect that every other contestant would perform an upbeat, actual rock song. Lastly, I didn't expect that the ultimate outcome of each preliminary week would be determined by "applause vote," essentially guaranteeing advancement to the 2 singers who bring the biggest (and loudest) groups of friends to the competition.

I was impressed with the turnout for this competition, especially given that it was held on a Wednesday night in a not-at-all-central location. A full half (purposefully separated from the rest of the establishment) of a large sports bar/restaurant was crammed full of people waiting to sing, waiting to cheer, or just gawking at the spectacle. I would estimate that at least 20 people took the stage as true "contestants," often bookended by professional artists or the emcee. Twenty people may not sound like a lot, but considering that most mid-week karaoke nights yield maybe 5 or 6 singers, I was surprised by the number.

Of these 20 contestants, I was shocked to find that the majority of them were decidedly well-seasoned singers and performers, and many I suspect should (or maybe are) already be making money via their vocal talents. Again, the "karaoke" part of the "live-band karaoke" description misled me into thinking there would be a bunch of folks just out for a good time, few with actual singing background or talent. I was mistaken, and admittedly, I was impressed with the caliber of performers.

Since I heard of this competition many weeks ago, I had been working on one of my favorite songs from the approved list of tunes that the house band can perform: Martina McBride's "Broken Wing." The song fits my voice well, and as my teacher reminded me, it is a difficult song with a wide range, so it should impress anyone judging a singing competition. I figured it would be a strong choice for a debut attempt at the contest. Wrong again. Of all the performances, mine was by far the slowest and most somber (due to the song's nature), and it was obviously out of place among the up-tempo renditions of AC/DC's "Back In Black," Carrie Underwood's "Last Name," and Janis Joplin's "Me And Bobby McGee." I now know that people take the "rock" part of the competition's name seriously, so any future attempts I make should probably incorporate a bit more edge.

While I had fun performing (despite my still-uncontrollable nerves) and was entertained by some very charismatic local talent, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that the final voting is done by audience appreciation. There are actually two rounds during each night of the competition - one for all singers, and one for the night's 4 finalists. The all-contestant field is narrowed initially by a judging panel (actually, more like random judges sitting in the crowd who never do identify themselves), and the night's 4 best performers sing a second time to determine the 2 winners who move on to the overall Finals. The second "judging" takes place directly after the last of the 4 finalists sings, and the 2 winners are determined by the loudest applause. This strategy would be fine if all competitors were singing to a random audience, but if one competitor has brought 45 of his or her closest friends along, he or she wins by default because that fan group makes the most noise. For such a well-organized and well-conceived event, I thought the "judging" was a bit of a letdown.

Overall, I was glad to have participated, and I may give it another shot during a subsequent week of the competition. Next time I will simply need to bring some material that is a bit more rock-and-roll.