Sonwriting muscles flexed at Music Millennium

This article was originally published on  05/04/2010 on www.oregonmusicnews.com


By:  Nancy Glass

The Music The Songwriters Circle 10th Anniversary Show at Music Millennium tonight was unusually eclectic. Ten years ago, on May 1st, 2000, a singer/songwriter tradition was born in live in-store music performances on the first Monday of every month.

Mary Flower

Tonight such seasoned song writers as Thad Beckman, Michael O’Neill, Michael Smith, Jack McMahon, Art Alexakis, Mary Flower, and Monti Amundson and Greggory Stockert performed. The second set included Jack McMahon, Monti Amundson and Michael Smith performing. Monti sang songs written in Paris, while Michael Smith performed songs about a woman with only one tear duct. All artists were both illustrative and intimate in the rendering of the emotional connection to their songs.
The third set was a trail mix set with Greggory Stockert, Mary Flower and Art Alexakis. Introduced as Portland’s “rock star” Alexakis opened with “Portland Rain” of the 2008 album Welcome to the Drama Club. Flower rendered a couple little ditties about befriending and defriending on Facebook, the PGA and Springtime. While Stockert sang about his ‘bitchin’ little Pearl of a Girl a song written about a gal who worked at the White Eagle. As a special treat Stockert’s grand-daughters (Venus and Pearl) backed up his last song I’m Just a Little Baby.
Each of these performers has a unique talent. The most obvious consistent element was the strength and quality of the songs performed from blues to rock to folk to country. As usual, the Music Millennium in-store performance was free.

The Hang

Art Alexakis

Got a chance to talk to Art Alexakis as well tonight. Learned that Everclear has been added to 4 dates of the 2010 Vans Warped Tour this year. Of the four dates he mentioned, he confirmed August 14th, 2010 performance at the Gorge Amphitheater as well as the August 15th, 2010 date in Hilsboro at The Washington County Fairgrounds.
While we were watching the performances upstairs in the vinyl section of Music Millennium, we were standing in front of the bins of vinyl and as if scripted our eyes wandered to the the iconic album cover of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Whipped Cream & Other Delights LP. If you’re over 40, your parents had this album. “I remember this record” I said to Alexakis. “My Mother had it, and I remember listening to it when I was about 7.” Alexakis volleyed back “I remember being in the offices of this guy (Herb Alpert) in L.A. as a publishing company was wanting me to sign with them, the son’s of Alpert & Jerry Moss. These guys really wanted me to sign with them, and I was on the fence about it really. As I was in the office building I saw a poster of this woman (the woman on the LP covered in whipped cream). Herb Alpert showed up and I asked him if he knew the name of the woman. “I don’t remember” Alpert said. “C’mon man… you don’t remember this woman’s name?” Alexakis said. “Well, now that you mention it” Alpert said, “I think her name was Tina.” After a very pregnant pause Alexakis asks Alpert ” Well, did you f*ck her? Grabbing the LP, flipping it over, and pointing out the nerdy looking photo of Herb Alpert. “Well, yes I did” Alpert said. “Great!” Alexakis said after which he signed the publishing deal. “Was that your bullshit detector on the company?” “Hell yes,” Alexakis laughed.

"Tina"

The album cover (1965) is considered a classic. It featured model Dolores Erickson wearing only what appeared to be whipped cream. In reality, Erickson was wearing a white blanket over which were scattered artfully-placed daubs of shaving cream–real whipped cream would have melted under the heat of the studio lights (although the cream on her head is real whipped cream). The art was parodied by several groups including one-time A&M band Soul Asylum and by comedian Pat Cooper for his album Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights. The singles included the title cut, “Lollipops and Roses“, and “A Taste of Honey.” The latter won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Going Places produced four more singles: “Tijuana Taxi”, “Spanish Flea“, “Third Man Theme”, and “Zorba the Greek”.