Saturday, July 8, 2023

Stan The Entertainer

The greatest karaoke singer in the world sings at Two Friends Patio Restaurant in Key West, Florida. His name is simply "Stan" and every Friday and Saturday night he lights the stage on fire with dynamic performances. If you aren't lucky enough to see him in person, the Keys Live live stream on YouTube is your only alternative. Watch. Wait through everyone else's attempts at entertaining. You will be amazed.


Who is he? What drives his passion for singing? Sea Creature Media was lucky to catch up with Stan after a performance for this exclusive interview.

Hi Stan, do you need a moment to collect yourself after that song? That looked exhausting!

No sir. Let's roll. What do you want to know?

First, introduce yourself and give us a quick bio.

My name is Stan and I am a proud Conch. I worked for many years as a commercial real estate lawyer, retiring in 2015 to devote my time to my two passions: karaoke and writing.


Writing? What kind of writing do you do?

Poetry mainly, but I'm working on my autobiography right now. It's called "Sing It Again, Stan" and it's going to be a tell-all.

A tell-all? Can you give us a little sample?

For free? I'll let you wait to buy my book when it comes out like everybody else! I will say that I have crossed paths with Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Calvin Klein, Weird Al, Paula Deen, Tom Brady, and Venus Williams. I sang with some of them, drank with all of them, and punched one of them square in the nose.

Are you a fan of Ernest Hemingway?

Good writer, terrible singer.

That's fair. Let's talk about the song you just sang, And When I Die. Written by Laura Nyro and made famous by Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Why that song?

Why? It's a damn good song and it speaks to me. Laura Nyro wrote it when she was 17 years old. Blood, Sweat, and Tears took it all the way to #2 in 1969. The lyrics "Now troubles are many, they're as deep as a well, I can swear there ain't no heaven, b
ut I pray there ain't no hell" get me every time. I cry, but I dance through my tears.

Your dancing is exquisite. Where did you train?

I studied ballet at Julliard, but most of my training occurred by watching street performers and mimes in Paris, London, and New York. I don't like to be constrained by labels. I dance how I feel and I feel how I dance. What can I say?



I detected some soft shoe, tap, hip hop, and square dance steps in that performance.

Again, labels aren't my thing. Sorry. It's all dancing to me.

Your singing style can go from very soft and vulnerable to raucous and rowdy. Do you have your performance mapped out in your mind before you start singing?

I go into this in my book, but I'll touch on it now. Yes sir, I have a rough blueprint of what I want to do. I work on songs at home on the piano in an attempt to master the subtle nuances. Some view karaoke as just something to do for fun once in a blue moon. I see it as my lifeblood. I need to do this every weekend. The microphone needs me and I need it. We are a team.


Can we go over some of your other song choices?

Shoot.

One Way Out by the Allman Brothers.

That's an old Sonny Boy Williamson song made famous by Florida's own Allman boys. I sang that for Gregg Allman once at a private function. He took me aside afterwards, looked me right in the eyes, and said that it was hands down better than their version. I do that song as a tribute to him.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones.

Simply the greatest song of the 1960s. There is no debate. Jagger and Richards created a sonic masterpiece that hit #1 in the summer of 1965 and stayed there for 4 weeks. The lyrics might seem abstract, but they resonate with me. I have lived this song. I want this song played at my funeral. I am this song.

Your Mama Don't Dance by Loggins & Messina.

This is a song that somebody asked me to sing on a dare. I tried it and fell in love with it. Simple as that. Next. 

I’m Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody by Keely Smith and Louis Prima.

This is one of the first songs I remember ever hearing in my life and it fills me with bittersweet memories about my youthful days. Key lime pies and butterflies in the afternoon sun. The innocence of childhood vanishes like clouds after a thunderstorm. Time passes and we are left all alone.

The Green Acres Theme Song by Vic Mizzy.

Television theme songs are one of my favorite musical genres and the one from Green Acres is always a crowd pleaser. Vic Mizzy also wrote The Addams Family theme song. He was a genius.



Thanks, Stan. Anything you'd like to leave us with?

I'd like to extend an invite to everyone to come down to Key West and drop by Two Friends at
512 Front Street on Friday or Saturday night. Or both nights if you can. I'll be here and I'll be singing. Not sure what song, but I'll be singing. I would also like to add that I love everyone, regardless of who they are. I embrace all of humanity in a great big hug from the depths of my soul. Thank you and I will see all of you very soon.


Thursday, March 9, 2023

Album Review: Everybody Wants Control Of You


Artist: H.M. Johnson
Title: Everybody Wants Control Of You

Label: Trashmore Records

Year: 1994

Genre: Jazz, Blues, R&B
Condition: CD case/insert very good, disc very good (no skips)

Compact disc found in Centerville Turnpike DAV Thrift Store in Chesapeake, Virginia. H.M. Johnson is a prophet. In this 1994 album, he is warning us that "Everybody Wants Control Of You". Listening in 2023, one cannot deny the prescience of his call to the citizens of the world. We are not in control. Our lives are not our own. Who is "Everybody"? According to H.M., it's the government, the preachers, and rock stars. We, the common folk, are all merely blind puppets. We are pawns in civilization's cruel game. Big banks and big media rule us. We are slaves to everything and everybody. There is no hope. We're born suckers and we'll die suckers. Smooth, crisp jazz scale guitar solos take the listener on an adventurous roller coaster ride over the course of this album. Strap in because it's a thrilling ride.


According to his website, H.M. left a band called The Rhythm Kings "to play the music he really wanted". Thank God for that realization. Here is a song by the band called "Baby Take It Easy" that clearly shows us that H.M. was bogged down with a clunky horn section and cluttered bass/drum combo. The unnecessary sax solo is oddly placed and goes on for too long. Annoying brass punches startle the listener. Worst of all, where's the guitar solo? Thanks, but no thanks. Very glad that H.M. left this mess of amateurs to start his own thang. He still regularly performs in Virginia, wowing crowds of all ages with his laid back vocals and big hollow body guitar gymnastics. Watch this remarkable clip of H.M. performing a one minute jazzy blues ditty from February 2023. With jazz cap placed perfectly askew on his head, H.M. Johnson's fingers effortlessly dance on the fretboard to create a minuscule masterpiece.

Best tracks are "Everybody Wants Control Of You", "Song For Barf", "Movin'".

CD Track Listing - You're Always There, You Move Me, Everybody Wants Control Of You, I've Never Been So Lonely, The Most, One Woman Man, Movin', Song For Barb

Check out the H.M. Johnson Band's Facebook page to see if they're playing soon.

Friday, May 6, 2022

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

"The Bottom Of It" - Craig Moorhead


"The Bottom Of It" is the 6-song EP by Craig Moorhead. He answered the following questions by email via computer less than five minutes ago...


How did you make “The Bottom Of It”
?

Most of 'The Bottom Of It' was recorded using Vegas Pro, a Ray Cameron 86 mic, a blue telecaster loaned to me by Dave Ries of Kentucky Avenue (you should check them out), a Mackie mixing board that was large enough that I only needed about 10% of it, and a Line6 amp modeler to... model some amps.

This was all done in a studio at a place I used to work and I could have the run of it in the off-hours. 'Nothing Rhymes' was recorded in the basement of my house, though, with a microphone, an Ibanez guitar, and fingers crossed. After the recording was done, it was all mixed and mastered in Logic Pro.


Weezer
or Deezer?



Weezer ON Deezer. Gotta Deez that Weez.

Was it easier to start “The Bottom Of It” or complete it?

It's always harder to complete. All the recording is fun and the first few mixes are really fun to listen to, and then the 39th mix is like "Why was I born?" and then you let it sit for a decade or two and start that whole process over again. So, yeah, much easier to start. 



Kurt Cobain or Kurt Russell?



I mean, it's gotta be Kurt Russell. Snake Plissken is Santa Claus now. You can't compete with that.


What’s an old email address that you don’t use anymore? Why did you stop using it?



tthhoossee@yahoo.com - Witness protection made me give it up.


Frank Black
or Frank Drebin?

Wow, there are no softballs in this interview! But it would have to be Frank Black. Drebin is fine, of course, but let's face it, he got a little silly the more time went on. Frank Black remains deadpan and that's what I like about him. His songs are okay, too.

What are you going to do next?



Next year I'll be releasing, probably, two songs a month leading up to the release of an album I call '26% Rock n Roll Solution'. It's the one everyone's been waiting for.

Wilco or “Sgt. Bilko”?



What a softball. Wilco, of course.

What is something that you would like to say to the you of five years from now?



Stop it! Now go.


What's some stuff that people should check out?

Podcast: a-ha Ha Ha - a podcast consisting entirely of knock-knock jokes based on the popular 80s band. Example: Knock-Knock. Who's There? Ah. Ah-Who? No, a-ha. Really good stuff.

Book: Stop Doing That by Aesop Semple. Oh, that Aesop. What a talent.

Movie: When Did This Happen? written and directed by Tiffany Chandelier. This is a first-person account of a third-person account of a true story that never happened. A revelation.

Album: Slip Into The Night by Pale Brother. This is real. Do it.



Listen to "The Bottom Of It" Now!

Craig Moorhead's spotify & youtube
& soundcloud


Saturday, November 6, 2021

Stiflesun

UPDATE: As of March 2023, Jme Ggg's youtube channel is no more. Go to Internet Archive instead - Stiflesun

Listen to What we ‘blim’ and what we’re opposed to and OHAOMID & ircucird'ld lues.

Voice dwellings, string scrape, clock fall, deep slime, wide egg birth slices of sound in concise public video waveform.


Listen to nvy Premieinserted c/take or Vani (takesufficient).

Go to Jme Ggg's youtube channel. There is stuff from today and stuff from several years ago. They exist now, but might not exist for long. When there is nothing there, refer to Discogg's Stiflesun
and a Stiflesun in the Archive of The Internet or the Last.fm Stiflesun (1,756 Scrobbles as of November 2021).


Have you heard th sleepin' Pantycope or th cibrual Samwich (peoples is Oblivious)?

Which one is the best? It is either agmograpfi TonePil sses what • ub EYE or PLACATOR. Listen to both now at the same time or years apart.


Tuesday, January 12, 2021

"Death Cell" - Joshua Cotterino

"Death Cell" is the 9-song album by Joshua Cotterino. He answered the following questions early on Christmas morning 2020...


How did you make “Death Cell”
?

Hardware: Squier Strat, SX VTG bass, Yamaha YS-100, CH-1, RP3 multi-effects, DD-7, Roland Rubix 24 usb interface, Shure PG48, Shure SM57, Olson MK-175, Tascam 424 MKII Portastudio, Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer

Software: Garageband 6, Reason, OBXD, Song-Finisher 3000, and synth1

Hi-Fi, Lo-Fi, or Wi-Fi?

Yes.

Was it easier to start “Death Cell” or complete it?



Easier to start. Is anything ever really finished??


Robert Smith or Will Smith?



Robert Smith, but I would love to hear them collab.

What are you going to do next?



Record a black metal EP.

Love Will Tear Us Apart” or “Love Will Keep Us Together”?



That's a tough one... Imagine if the production and mixes on those two songs were switched.


What’s an old email address that you don’t use anymore? Why did you stop using it?

walkingahead@yahoo.com - Did you ever use to play yahoo pool?

"Enjoy the Silence" or "Silence of the Lambs"?



"Enjoy the Silence"

What is something that you would like to say to the you of five years from now?



Keep it real.

What's some stuff that people should check out?

I've had the movie "Cabin Boy" playing a lot in my recording space lately. Also check out hotoffthepressrecords.bandcamp.com, my friends Hugo and Matt have been recording some of the best underground pop you'll ever hear. A few of my favorite albums on there are "Campus Slump OST", "City Nights", and "Pap".



Get "Death Cell" HERE

Friday, January 1, 2021

E-Z Food Mart (location unknown)