95 North. . . The Newspaper

Just for fun, here are 5 songs in which the word "king" appears in the title: " King of Pain " is a classic 80s song from the Police, channeling the energy of light reggae and soft taps on the piano, "King of Pain" is like it's own little hummingbird that revs its muted engines at just the right times. And of course, lead singer Sting has always been dramatic. " King of Spain " is an early, Dylan inspired folk tune that espouses an escapist fantasy over a jangly acoustic guitar that makes you want to clap. " It's Good to be King " by Tom Petty is a steady tune, as Tom nasally preaches the virtues of having your own emotional space in life. Who knew Petty was all about personal boundaries and the practice of self-care? At the end of the tune, the last minute or so, there's an utterly beautiful instrumental piece-a place where strings meet cascading guitars. " King Rides By " by Cat Power is a song t...

To honor the lateTom Petty, it came to my attention that Bob Dylan recently covered one of his most positive jams-"Learning to Fly"-at a concert in Denver, CO. Here, the band plays it straight and true, and Bob sings the tune to perfection. Ultimately, "Learning to Fly" is an uplifting song of hope, possibilities, and dare I say the "growth mindset". The "learning" in the song is OK with failure. I'm home sick today, and I think listening to this song is facilitating my recovery (along with tea and sleep). Enjoy! For old times sake, here's Bob with Tom in the 80's: And a little more. . .

"Turn the lights on" He wanted to see the crowd. I hate to admit it, but I was a bit checked out.  My excuse? I was enjoying the hell outta life.  I was an American teenager participating in a classic rite of passage experience. It was a few days before my high school graduation, just after my 18th birthday. I packed myself along with a bunch of Sam Adams beer into a friends van, drank in the parking lot, and sat down on the lawn at the Meadows in Hartford, CT. I had never had that much beer in my life. There, in the haze of drunkness and socialization, I  heard some of Tom Petty's  classics in the background-the familiar ones. Yes, they might have been the songs you heard at the gas station. But they were the best ones. By light years.  The perfect soundtrack to a fulfilling adolescence. The perfect soundtrack to the summer. Happy, care-free. . . with hints of sadness and longing on the way.  This past year, I saw Tom...

By Abe Orabi As the story goes, Eric Clapton was once asked, “What is it like to be the greatest guitar player who ever lived?” His response, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Prince.” It’s a great one-liner. It’s also completely made up. Another urban legend spawned from the information cesspool now known as the internet. Yet, while the anecdote may be false the overarching premise is spot-on. Prince most definitely was (and is) one of the greatest guitar players to ever strike a chord.   Price: Rockin' in the free world For most of us, Prince’s musical persona was shrouded in extravagance and mystery. His fashion trends, music, and death all shared a common thread—unpredictability. Prince routinely abandoned convention in favor of the egregiously unconventional.   His birth-name (Prince Rogers Nelson) was truncated and changed, then changed back, then truncated once more until all that remained was a symbol, difficult to draw and impossible to pronounce. Ultimat...

I opened up my Spotify library and shuffled everything: all of it, the comedy, the guilty pleasures, the tracks that were interesting at some point for some reason, and the Bob Dylan. What came out? Here, I review the first five songs that show up, no matter what they are: 1. "Bands With Managers": Pedro the Lion I really like this song, as it perfectly encapsulates that sad-core minor-key-electric-guitar-Seattle- rainy-type sound of the early 2000's. Pedro the Lion was the moniker for songwriter David Bazan, who at the time still identified as a Christian artist, although his work would slowly move away from spiritual themes, as they do here. The lyrics don't really provide any sort of transcendence, rather, they cast a critical eye towards popular music culture as Dave Bazan deals with the reality that his career path just might not work out. The songs reaches a emotional high point as Bazan falsettos the bridge home: "You don't believe when I say/ th...