January 30, 2011: Don't Knock The Twist

The Twist was the first international dance craze in the early 60's inspired by rock and roll, particularly Hank Ballard's 1959 B-Side "The Twist" (to “Teardrops on Your Letter”) and most famously covered by Chubby Checker in 1962 to become a No. 1 hit.  It was in 1961, at the height of the craze, when patrons of Manhattan's Peppermint Lounge on West 45th Street were twisting the night away to the house band, a local Jersey outfit called Joey Dee and the Starliters, and their song "The Peppermint Twist" inspiring the first of many "Twist" movies with "Hey, Let's Twist."  The film and soundtrack solidified making the Peppermint Lounge a world-famous venue.  The craze continued with Sam Cooke's "Twistin' the Night Away" and The Isley Brothers' "Twist and Shout," also later to be made even more widely-known as a No. 2 hit for the Beatles.  

Drawing fire from critics who felt it was much too provocative for the day's youth, the dance inspired such dances as the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Jerk, The Pony and the Funky Chicken before being steamrolled by the British Invasion; however, not before film and television got its hands on it.  Some may have been more recently introduced to the dance in 1994's Pulp Fiction when Uma Thurman and John Travolta twisted to Chuck Berry as part of the Jack Rabbit Slim's Twist Contest (reviving Travolta's career) or in 2007 in an early episode of Season One Mad Men when Peggy Olsen and her Sterling Cooper co-workers celebrated her promotion to copywriter by twisting to Chubby Checker. 

 

This week on Morricone Youth (Sunday 2-4 pm ET), your host of all things soundtrack Devon E. Levins will be digging a little deeper into the craze exploring how it was portrayed internationally in film and television.  That's right!  It's 50 years later and no doubt that 2011 is the Year That The Twist Broke.  Don't Knock It!

(Originally posted on EVR blog 1/28/11 5:05 PM ET)

Archived (1/30/11):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=23195

 

The Wad is in Town...

...it can't get any sillier!

1/23/11 4:31 AM ET

(Originally posted on EVR blog 1/23/11 4:31 AM ET)

Archived (1/23/11):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22342 

Oscar Award Winning Composer Elliot Goldenthal Guests on the Show Today!

Tune in this afternoon (Sunday 1/16) from 2-4pm ET for an in depth talk with our first Oscar award winning guest Elliot Goldenthal to discuss his latest score to Julie Taymor's The Tempest and his illustrious 20+ year career (Blank Generation, Drugstore Cowboy, Interview with a Vampire, Batman Forever, HEAT, Public Enemies, Frida)...

1/16/11 11:43 AM ET

(Originally posted on EVR blog 1/16/11 11:43 AM ET)

Archived (1/16/11):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22904

1/2/11: Chris Stillwell TO BE RESCHEDULED

Chris Stillwell is a professional collector and dealer of rare out-of-print vinyl records with a penchant for 50's - 70's soundtrack LP's.  Chris is also the bassist for San Diego's soul jazz outfits The Greyboy Allstars and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.  Not only did Chris collaborate with his Greyboy cohorts on the score for Jake Kasdan's first feature Zero Effect (Ben Stiller/Bill Pullman), he later Chris delved into television and film work closely associated with composer Michael Andrews and is now credited to Starsky And Hutch, 40 Year Old Virgin, The Dewey Cox Story, Out Cold, Nothing, Stuck On You, Wonderfalls, amongst others. 

http://www.greyboyallstars.com/
http://karldenson.us/

12/28/10 12:15 PM ET
(Originally posted on EVR blog 12/28/10 12:15 PM ET)

12/12/10: Sinatra Birthday Today...

...as well as the birthday of  Tony Williams, Dionne Warwick, Grover Washington Jr., Connie Francis. 

R.I.P. James Moody

 

 

 

(Originally posted on EVR blog 12/11/10 4:41 PM ET)

Archived (12/2/10):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22414

12/5/10: R.I.P. Sleazy aka Peter Christopherson

Today's show is completely dedicated to the film music of Peter Christopherson of Throbbing Gridstle, Coil and Psychic TV.

(Originally posted on EVR blog 4/29/10 12:13 PM ET)

Archived (5/2/10):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22706

11/28/10: Thanksgiving Leftovers

In honor of Thanksgiving finally being over, this week I will be playing film music from recent theme shows (e.g., Ennio's 82nd Bday, Halloween, Spaghetti Western, City Champs Memphis show) which didn't make it into the original shows due to time constraints...You will need a doggie bag for this one!!!

(Originally posted on EVR blog 11/27/10 4:35 PM ET)

Archived (11/28/10):

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22982

11/14/10 - 4th Annual Ennio Morricone's Birthday Show

 

Tune into your source for all things soundtrack, Morricone Youth, this Sunday 11/14 from 2-4 p.m. ET, for Morricone Youth's fourth annual tribute to the namesake of the show, Ennio Morricone.

Considered as one of the most influential film composers of all time, composing close to 600 films and selling over 40 million records worldwide. Il Maestro turned 82 on Wednesday and doesn't appear to be easing up on his workload..Host Devon E. Levins will be dedicating an entire two hours to his music in his honor. 

(Originally posted on EVR blog 11/13/10 1:19 PM ET)

Archived (5/2/10):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22647

November 7th: The City Champs from Memphis!

Tune into your source for all things soundtrack, Morricone Youth, this Sunday afternoon, November 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. ET, when your host Devon E. Levins will be joined by Memphis soul/jazz organ trio The City Champs in support of The Set-Up, the follow up to their acclaimed debut, The Safecracker.  The Set-Up finds the group stretching out into 60’s film score influences, Latin jazz and psychedelia from their established Booker T. and the MGs meets Blue Note/Prestige Records sound.  The City Champs are comprised of three of Memphis’ top musicians: Guitarist Joe Restivo, organist Al Gamble and drummer George Sluppick whose resumes include work with Rufus Thomas, Alex Chilton, JJ Grey and MOFRO, William Bell, Syl Johnson and the Memphis Horns.

Augmenting The City Champs trio sound on The Set-Up is renowned Motown Funk Brother Jack Ashford on tambourine (soundtrack composer to the classic blaxploitation film Blackjack and featured in the award winning documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown), The Bo-Keys horn men (Marc Franklin, Jim Spake and Kirk Smothers), Latin percussionist Felix Hernandez and Bo-Keys bassist and The Set-Up’s producer, Scott Bomar, who most recently produced Cyndi Laupers’ “Memphis Blues.”  The overall result encapsulates the Champs sound: Think The Meters and Booker T. recording a Seijun Suzuki yakuza score on a session at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio for Blue Note. The Champs even take on RJD2’s track "A Beautiful Mine" (well known as the theme to Mad Men).  The group has had their music prominently featured in the Emmy Award winning documentary I Am a Man: From Memphis a Lesson in Life, the MTV series, $5 Cover and The Poor and The Hungry, the first film of Craig Brewer (Hustle N Flow, Black Snake Moan, Footloose (huh?)).

Catch The City Champs later Sunday night around 10 p.m. at Rose in Williamsburg as part of the Brooklyn Guitar Festival.

(Originally posted on EVR blog 11/5/10 3:35 AM ET)

Archived (11/7/10):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22905

October was Halloween Month

Check the archives for the world's scariest film music!

(Originally posted on EVR blog 11/5/10 3:12 AM ET)

Archived (10/3/10, 10/17/10, 10/24/10 and 10/31/10):
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/nowplaying.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996

Playlist:
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22326

http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22597
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=22343
http://www.eastvillageradio.com/shows/playlists.aspx?contentid=1284&showid=56996&list=23172