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Showing posts with label New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady. Show all posts

Monday, December 26, 2022

New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2022: Whoa Mellie!


COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 


"Fire" - Ohio Players
(Jan./Feb. 1975, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & R&B


Kicking-off tonight's extravaganza, The Ohio Players, a funk band
from Dayton, and a modern remix of "Fire," one of their signature
songs, a chart-topping crossover hit in the early weeks of 1975.


Hi, I'm Grace Ryder, a 9-1-1 operator in Austin, Texas.


I'm married to a firefighter named Judd 

on the hit TV rescue drama 9-1-1: Lone Star.

 
Live, from Shady Square,
I welcome you to the
62nd annual
 New Year's
Rockin' Eve
in the Shady.


If you look up in the sky, you'll see that the wrecking ball is dropping.
Hear that sound? The crowd is cheering because it's party time.

Your regular host, Shady Seaweed, is under
the weather and couldn't be with us tonight,
but my friends and I, the newest members
of The Shady Bunch DJ team, are bound
and determined to take up the slack
and carry on with the show.

 Our lineup of grade-A music stars will
send 2022 packing and get 2023 started
with a bang. Before I turn the mic over
to the next presenter and dispatch
first responders to that "Fire" the 
Ohio Players reported, I want to
invite you to tune in my new show
 
 Grace Kelly
Rear Window
...coming soon to S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

Hello, my fellow Americans! 


I'm Mellie Grant, the First Lady of the United States soon
to become the former First Lady and bitter ex-wife of the
President on the political thriller TV series Scandal.


Think I look like Jessica Whitly, Malcolm's mom
on Prodigal Son? Yeah... I get that a lot. 


Some say I have political aspirations of my own. 


I call bullcrap!


I'll be much too busy serving my country as a
Shady Bunch DJ on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

Please join me for the debut of my new show 
The 1600 Club -
Meet the Supremes
of Pennsylvania Avenue.





You'll meet the wonder women of
the White House, like me, and be
treated to the fabulous songs of
Motown's most popular artists
The Supremes. Sound like a plan?

  I admit that I'm not a happy camper
lately. On my TV series Scandal,
the "slumber chamber" of the
White House is not exactly
Tranquility Base, and I've
got a Supremes song that
speaks to my plight as
 an angry, frustrated
and bitter First Lady. 


You see, my cheating hubby, The President, is always lying around with
his mistress, Olivia Pope. He even ditched me to spend Christmas
with his Ho Ho Ho! They do it right there in the oval office,
in hotels, on trains and boat and planes - you name it. 



They're like a couple of bunny rabbits,
those two, and I'm sick of it! Make up
your mind, bucko... do you want me
and your political career, or her?

CLICK TO START VIDEO! 

Based on your track record as a skirt chaser,
I get the distinct impression that you don't
really love me. You just keep me hangin' on!


"You Keep Me Hangin' On" - The Supremes
(Nov/Dec. 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box & R&B)



I'm Penelope Guerrero, a starry-eyed, Kool-Aid drinking cult member
who comes to her senses and starts breaking bad and fighting back
against the Purge Night evildoers on the anthology action horror
TV series The Purge based on the film franchise of the same name.


 I'll be joining other three other courageous women
from The Purge as hostesses of the new radio show
 PURGE PARTY
on S-P-M-M. The tunes we play are guaranteed to purge the dirge
and bust the blues. Think of us as vigilante superheroes on a
mission to stamp out boring elevator music in your lifetime.






The song sample I'm presenting in this
teaser is by a Latina singing star from
Southern California's Inland Empire,  
a talented cover artist described as
"a young voice from an old soul." 

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW! 

Here's Monica Rocha doing
the Mary Wells hit-- "The One
Who Really Loves You!" 


"The One Who Really Loves You" - Mary Wells
cover by Monica Rocha (Jan. 2020) 

If you're just tuning in, this is the star-studded Shady's Place special
New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2022. 
I and other new members of The Shady Bunch are playing
samples from our upcoming S-P-M-M radio shows.


I'm Helen Pergman, Ronald's mother on David E. Kelley's
crime drama thriller TV series Big Sky.


 Ronald's a long-haul trucker.  He's not much to look at.

 I've told Ronald over and over again that he'll never amount
to anything and that no woman will ever love or want him. 

I remind him that he's a failure, just like his father.

 The good news is that he will always have me
to point out his flaws and set him straight.

Norman Ronald appreciates our little talks. Yes indeed,
there's nothing quite like a mother's love. 


Ronald and I will soon be joining
The Shady Bunch as hosts of a
new S-P-M-M radio show called
Sky King and
His Songbirds
and I've got a sample song, a 1957
romantic ballad taken directly from
the soundtrack of our series Big Sky

START VIDEO NOW!

Here's crooner Johnny Mathis with
his signature song, a record that
soared sky high, all the way to
number one, and lasted more
than half a year on the chart
-- "Chances Are!" 


"Chances Are" - Johnny Mathis
(Nov. 1957 through Feb.1958, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100





I'm Sarah, a wife and mother
and one of the few survivors
of a disaster at sea, a fiery
 sail boat explosion in the
 2019 horror film Mary.

 It was a reversal of fortune
when Shady Del Knight
plucked me from the
water and placed me
behind the mic as
a member of his
Shady Bunch 
DJ staff.


 Mary is my younger daughter's name.

 Mary also happens to be the name of a boat my husband just had to buy. He got
it cheap... and we found out why on our family's maiden voyage to Bermuda.

 
Turned out our vessel is haunted by a witch that has a nasty habit
of killing passengers and crew whenever anyone takes her out to sea.


On my S-P-M-M radio show...
Along Comes Mary...
I'll bring you the best songs about boats, ships, sailing and the sea,
including gems of the Yacht Rock genre, a music category that,
by and large, has been neglected here at Shady's Place



Smooth sailing is guaranteed
as I present EZ listening rock
sounds that promote changes
in lattitudes and changes in attitudes... leaving you
feeling Mary.

I've got a sample for you,
a chart-topping song from
the hit Tom Cruise movie 
Cocktail. Like the Johnny
Mathis song Helen played,
this one cruised the chart
more than half a year
from 1988 to 1989. 

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!


Let's all hop aboard as The Beach Boys set sail for-- "Kokomo!" 


"Kokomo" - The Beach Boys
(Nov. 1988 thru Feb. 1989, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box, scenes from July 1988 film Cocktail


I'm WPC (Woman Police Constable) Jane Tennison,
star of the British TV police drama Prime Suspect 1973.

 Join me and other gorgeous ladies of law enforcement
when we officially launch our new S-P-M-M radio series
British British Swag.


We'll be playing the best Brit beat
sounds of the 1960s, 70s and
80s along with hit records by
Aussie artists like rocker and
soap actor Rick Springfield.
To end our 2022 new year's
eve spectacular, I've got a
spiffy split-screen video of
Rick (right) performing
"Love Is Alright Tonite,"
his top 20 hit from early
1982, while on the left,
the studio dancers on
American Bandstand
groove to Rick's song.
Now for Sarah, Helen,
Penelope, Mellie & Grace,
I'm Jane Tennison inviting
you to join the fun at
Shady's Place in 2023.
Happy new year!

 

"Love Is Alright Tonite" - Rick Springfield
(Jan./Feb. 1982, highest chart pos. #20 Hot 100/#27 Cash Box,
#26 Canada, studio dancers on Dec. 1981 ep. of American Bandstand)

I... Mellie Grant... do solemnly swear... that I will well and faithfully
discharge my duties as a member of The Shady Bunch
DJ team... So help me God.

Monday, December 27, 2021

New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2021: Rock, Roll and Remember Dick Clark & the Teen Dancers on Bandstand!


 HI, I'M SHADY SEAWEED 
 "AMERICA'S OLDEST LIVING TODDLER" 





 WELCOMING 
 YOU TO THE 
 59th ANNUAL 
 NEW YEAR'S 
 ROCKIN' EVE 
 IN THE SHADY! 



The wrecking ball in Shady Square is about to drop, signalling the end of
the year 2021. As we look ahead to the coming year, let's view the past
with 20-20 hindsight as we go back to the glory years of Dick Clark's
long running music program American Bandstand. Tonight the spot-
light is not on the songs or artists who performed on the show, not
even on Dick Clark. Instead I ask that you focus your attention
on the teenagers who danced on Bandstand over the years.
Assuming that you don't have time to watch every video
from start to finish, I cued each one to the spot where,
in my opinion, the best dance sequence begins.

 RETURN WITH US NOW TO 
 THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BANDSTAND. 

Observe the young studio dancers of the 1960s,
their body language, clothing styles and hairdos.
Note their attitude, how they conducted
themselves on the program.

 THE CRYSTALS 

The Crystals song "Da Doo Ron Ron" was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich
and Phil Spector. Like "yada yada yada" on Seinfeld, the words "Da Doo Ron Ron"
were merely nonsense syllables used to fill gaps in the song until "real" lyrics
could be inserted. However Spector decided he liked the gibberish and
it was left in the song. The result was a top 3 hit for his girl group.

On January 4, 1964, when the following episode aired, American Bandstand
was still broadcasting from Philadelphia. In this clip, you will see the most
popular members of Bandstand's cast of studio dancers performing an
unusual move they invented, a maneuver that's too cool for school.
Watch as they repeatedly bump together in a stylish East Coast
variation of the Lindy Hop, a dance style that did not
follow the show out to the West Coast that year.


"Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" - The Crystals
(May/June 1963, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100/#4 Cash Box,
#5 R&Bdancers on Jan. 4, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)


 TIM TAM & THE TURN-ONS 

The gang of regulars on the West Coast version of Bandstand had their own
dance styles. In this clip in particular, the dancing is very impressive because
the gang gets down, gets into it, and does a more energetic workout than
usual. Watch the moves as the kids groove to "Wait A Minute," a minor
hit by the Detroit area rock 'n' roll band Tim Tam And The Turn-Ons.


"Wait A Minute" - Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons
(Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #76 Hot 100,
dancers on Feb. 12, 1966 ep. of Bandstand)


 THE SUPREMES 
(SHEBANG!)

Now here is a glimpse of another LA-based music show for teenagers.
Shebang, hosted by disc jockey and radio personality Casey Kasem,
aired from 1965 to 1968 on KTLA channel 5. In this rare video,
Kasem and the studio dancers, some of them regulars on
American Bandstand, celebrate the show's one year
anniversary. You will see Jewel Akens, the man
who had a hit with "The Birds And The Bees,"
autographing the Shebang banner, and a
blonde dancer at the 6:50 mark who
looks a lot like Goldie Hawn!


"Stop! In The Name Of Love" - The Supremes
(Mar./Apr. 1965, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100
& Cash Box/#2 R&B, dancers on Mar. 16, 1966,
one year anniversary ep. of TV series Shebang)


 THE BOX TOPS 

Clothing and hair styles and dance steps changed considerably
as the early 60s yielded to the mid and late 60s. Notice how
the Bandstanders looked and danced in the fall of 1967.


"The Letter" - The Box Tops
(Sept./Oct. 1967, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
dancers on Oct. 21, 1967 ep. of American Bandstand)


 THE 5TH DIMENSION 

I grew up knowing "Go Where You Wanna Go" only as the 1965 song written
by John Phillips, recorded by The Mamas & The Papas and released as a single
and as a track on their 1966 debut studio album If You Can Believe Your Eyes
and Ears. Until recently I wasn't aware of the cover by The 5th Dimension
released in 1967 on their debut studio album Up, Up and Away. Watch
what the Bandstand studio dancers do with the song.


"Go Where You Wanna Go" - The 5th Dimension
(Feb./Mar. 1967, highest chart pos. #16 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
dancers on Feb. 4, 1967 Ep. of American Bandstand)


 SPENCER DAVIS GROUP 

More great dancing out on the West Coast can be witnessed in this
clip from an episode in early 1967 as the Bandstand teens do their
thing to "Gimme Some Lovin', a top 5 hit for the English rock band
The Spencer Davis Group featuring Steve Winwood on lead vocals.


"Gimme Some Lovin'" - Spencer Davis Group
(Feb./Mar. 1967, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100,
dancers on Feb. 4, 1967 ep. of American Bandstand)


 BOBBY VINTON 

To close the show, a song and video that mark a pivotal point in time for
several reasons. It is one of the first episodes of American Bandstand
to be taped after the assassination of President Kennedy. It is one of
the last Bandstand shows to be taped in Philadelphia before the show
moved to LA. It also represents a moment when the pop music scene
was about to change radically and permanently.  The song you are
about to hear, a sweet romantic 50s style ballad by pop crooner
Bobby Vinton, reached #1 on the chart the first week of 1964.
By the time this episode of Bandstand aired one week later on
January 11th, Bobby's ballad had been replaced at the top of the
chart by the rowdy and allegedly dirty ditty "Louie Louie" by the
garage rock band The Kingsment, and "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
by an English combo named The Beatles made it's first appearance
on the U.S. chart. Starting two weeks later and for the next 16 weeks,
The Beatles topped the U.S. chart with their refreshingly new and
different sounding recordings. The era of rock bands had begun,
rendering American teen idols obsolete. The times, they were
a changin'. There, I've said it again.


"There! I've Said It Again" - Bobby Vinton
(Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
dancers on Jan. 11, 1964 ep. of American Bandstand)

Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? Could we?

Submitted for your approval - exhibits A through G - seven scenes of
young people having good clean fun... unbridled joy... fresh faced
exuberance. Simply put - it was great to be alive in the 60s!
If you ever wondered why Boomers say they wouldn't
trade places with kids of any other generation, the
magic moments on these videos are all
the evidence you'll ever need.

 If I could turn back time 
 If I could find a way... 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Saturday, December 26, 2020

New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2020: Time to Rock,
Roll & Remember Dick Clark and the Bandstand Dancers!


 I'm Shady Seaweed 


 "America's Oldest Living Toddler" 


 Welcome to the 
 58th annual 

 New Year's 
 Rockin' Eve 
 in the Shady! 

The wrecking ball in Shady Square is about to drop, signalling the end
of the year 2020. As we look ahead to the coming year, let's view the past
with 2020 hindsight, specifically Dick Clark's long running music program
American Bandstand. Tonight the spotlight is not on the songs or artists
who performed on the show, not even on Dick Clark. Instead I ask that
you focus you attention on the teenagers who danced on Bandstand
over the years. In case you can't spare the time to watch every
video from beginning to end, I provided in bold red letters,
the recommended start point for each video.

 RETURN WITH US NOW 
 TO THE GLORY YEARS 
 OF BANDSTAND. 

Observe the young studio dancers of the 1960s,
their body language, clothing styles and hairdos.
Note their attitude, how they conducted
themselves on the program.

 THE DOVELLS 

 Mem'ries light the corners of my mind 

"You Can't Sit Down" - The Dovells
(Jan. 4, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT THE 1:05 MARK! 




 THE RONETTES 

 Misty water-colored mem'ries of the way we were 

"Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
(January 04, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT 45 SEC MARK:




 THE SEEKERS 

 Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind 
 Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were 

"Georgy Girl" - The Seekers
(February 4, 1967, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT THE 1:20 MARK! 




 GLADYS KNIGHT 
 AND THE PIPS 

 Can it be that it was all so simple then 
 Or has time rewritten every line 

"Friendship Train" - Gladys Knight And The Pips
(Nov. 8, 1969, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
FROM BEGINNING!




 THE MCCOYS 

 If we had the chance to do it all again, tell me, 
 would we..... could we? 

"Fever" - The McCoys
(December 18, 1965, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT THE 1:44 MARK!




 PAUL REVERE 
 AND THE RAIDERS 

 Mem'ries may be beautiful and yet 
 What's too painful to remember 
 We simply choose to forget 

"Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" 
Paul Revere And The Raiders
(June 3, 1967, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
FROM BEGINNING! 




 SAM THE SHAM 
 AND THE PHARAOHS 

 So it's the laughter we will remember 
 Whenever we remember the way we were 

"How Do You Catch A Girl"
- Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
(January 14, 1967, ep. of American Bandstand)

START PLAYING VIDEO
AT THE 1:15 MARK!




Submitted for your approval - exhibits A through G - seven scenes of young people
having good clean fun... unbridled joy... fresh faced exuberance. Simply put -
it was great to be alive in the 60s! If you ever wondered why Boomers
say they wouldn't trade places with any other generation, the magic
moments on these videos are all the evidence you'll ever need.

 If I could turn back time 

  If I could find a way...  


 HAPPY 
 NEW YEAR! 

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2018 - Chris Griffin Rocks Out the Old with a Little Help from Foreign Friends!







 Hi, I'm Chris Griffin... 
 the crazy mixed-up 
 kid on Family Guy





 I'm a 
 rockin' rebel... 

and tonight I'm your host for New Year's
Rockin' Eve in the Shady, filling in for
your regular emcee Shady Seaweed
who is "under the weather." That's
code for bombed out of his gourd.

Tonight, as we bid farewell to 2018 and
make way for 2019, I'm taking you on
a trip around the world to meet some
of the young rising stars of rock.






 AMI KIM - DIO 

First stop - South Korea - where we find
Ami Kim, an electrifying young drummer
who specializes in covers of rock and
metal nuggets. Ami slaughters the skins
with a cover of "Holy Diver, " the 1983
lead single from the Ronnie James Dio
album of the same name.

 "Holy Diver" - Dio 
 (Aug. 2018 drum cover by Ami Kim) 


START VIDEO AT 1:15 MARK!





 SINA DOERING - 
 THE KNACK 

By now you should know Sina, the prodigious
German drummer I introduced on Shady Dell
Music & Memories in 2017. Sina was also
featured this week in Shady's Christmas
post. I am happy to tell you that Sina is
back again tonight, this time to do a
colossal cover of "My Sharona," the
1979 international chart-topper by
the LA rock band The Knack.

 "My Sharona" - The Knack 
 (Oct. 2018 drum cover by Sina) 






 ANDREEA 
 MUNTEANU & 
 ANDREI CERBU 
 - KISS 

 For the last several years Shady Seaweed
has been Kissing the old year goodbye
with Kiss. Three months ago here at
Shady's Place, you met Liliac...
 a band of rockin' siblings from
LA with roots in Romania. 


Now meet two more talented Romanian music makers, teenage guitarist
Andrei Cerbu and his friend - zinger (singer) Andreea Munteanu.
Together they KILL doing the Kiss klassic "Heaven's On Fire!"

 "Heaven's on Fire" - Kiss 
 (June 2018 cover by Andreea Munteanu & Andrei Cerbu) 







 THE GAS FEAT. 
 SINA DOERING 

Now once again here is German
drum sensation Sina Doering,
this time playing with The Gäs,
a hard rock band from Cologne,
Germany. Sina joined the band
in May of 2017 when she turned
eighteen. Last Christmas the band
released "Player," a song from their
2018 debut album Savage.


 "Player" - The Gäs 
 (Dec. 2017 single from Jan. 2018 album Savage






 TYLER LEADS 

Now here's Tyler Leads, another heavy rock
band from Germany that played gigs with
The Gäs in 2018. In 2017, Tyler Leads
released the first single from their EP
Stay Ugly. Featuring dynamic lead
vocalist Johnny Kovacs, here is
Tyler Leads with their debut
music video "Call Of The Wild."

 "Call Of The Wild" - Tyler Leads 
 (July 2017 single from EP Stay Ugly






 ANDREI CERBU - 
 PINK FLOYD 

Earlier in the show you met teenage Romanian
guitarist Andrei Cerbu. Andrei is winning fans
all over the world because he feels the music
and performs like a boomer age veteran.
Andrei RULES on this guitar solo from
"Another Brick in The Wall" by English
prog rockers Pink Floyd.

 "Another Brick in The Wall" - Pink Floyd 
 (June 2018 guitar cover by 
 Andrei Cerbu) 





 SINA DOERING 
 ANDREI CERBU & 
 JOHNNY KOVACS - 
 BLACK SABBATH 

You've heard the incredible drummer girl Sina.
You've heard the guitar virtuoso Andrei Cerbu.
Put them together with Johnny Kovacs, a lead
singer who sounds like Ozzy, and you've got
a knockout punch. The trio ANNIHILATES
doing the great Sabbath song-- "War Pigs."


 "War Pigs" - Black Sabbath 
 (Oct. 2018 tribute by Sina, Andrei Cerbu & Johnny Kovacs) 








 The show's over and it 
 bums me out... but I 
 hope you enjoyed the 
 sounds of these young 
 rockers from around 
 the world. 




 This is Chris Griffin 
 signing off for now. 
 Remember, gang... 
 you gotta fight 
 for your right 
 to party... 
 and rock! 




 HAPPY NEW YEAR!