Author: chimesfreedom

Editor-in-chief, New York.

Keeping the Wolves At Bay

Ryan Bingham’s new single from his upcoming album begins with memories of being a scared child and ends with advice for standing one’s ground. The new song, “Wolves,” appears on his upcoming album, American Love Song. With the song appearing on an album about America, one cannot help wondering if the song is about the current state of affairs in the country. After telling about learning as a child to keep the wolves at bay, the singer recounts a lesson that is coming now from a younger generation.

Years have gone by,
And the callin’ carries on;
Scars above my eye,
Are tender to the bone;
And though I’ve settled down,
I hear the children say,
“You have to stand your ground
And keep the wolves at bay.”

There are other types of wolves humans have to keep at bay too. Another interpretation is that the song is about struggling with addiction. A great song often leaves much of the interpretation to the listener, so listen for yourself.

Through interviews, Bingham provides a little more insight into the song, consistent with both interpretations above. He explained to Billboard that the song is about “the constant effort of fighting the darkness.” And he recounted examples of standing up to bullies and fighting substance abuse. But additionally, he explained that the song was inspired by the March for Our Lives students who stood up to social media attacks while they were fighting for gun control in the wake of the Parkland school shooting. He added, “The courage of these kids was inspiring to me.”

Ryan Bingham remains a wonderful talent, even though many do not recognize his name. Yet, he won the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy for his fantastic song, “The Weary Kind.” The song appeared in Crazy Heart (2009), and probably helped win Jeff Bridges the Oscar too.

But Bingham has recorded several albums, and it is worth delving deeper into his catalog. And it sounds like American Love Song is something to look forward to. American Love Song hits stores and the Internet on February 15, 2019.

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    Patty Griffin: “River”

    Patty Griffin has released a new song, “River,” from her upcoming self-titled album. The new album is inspired by Griffin’s successful battle with breast cancer, and the single compares a woman’s strength to that of a river.

    Takes an army just to bend her;
    Be careful where you stand her;
    You can’t hold her back for long;
    The river is just too strong;
    She’s a river.

    “River” is a beautiful song about resilience and comparing the woman’s strength to the “ever-changing” nature of a river that “doesn’t need a diamond to shine.” Check it out.

    According to Rolling Stone, Griffin’s inspiration for “River” comes from Leon Russell’s classic “A Song for You,” recorded by Donny Hathaway. Other artists like Ray Charles, The Carpenters, and Michael Buble have recorded it too.

    Listen to Hathaway’s version of that song below.

    Patty Griffin will be released on March 8, 2019, and Griffin will be touring to support the new album, her first since 2015’s
    Servant of Love.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Steve Earle: “Dublin Blues”

    Steve Earle Guy

    Steve Earle is releasing a new album as a tribute to Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark. The new album, Guy, will feature sixteen tracks, including the newly released single, “Dublin Blues.”

    As a big fan of guy Clark, I am excited to hear that Earle is dedicating an album to his friend. But it will be difficult to surpass the wonderful 2011 multi-artist tribute to Clark, This One’s for Him. Still, Earle’s personal connection to Clark as well as his great talent make him the perfect person to spread the word about the underappreciated singer-songwriter. Earle did a similar feat for his other mentor Townes Van Zandt with the album Townes in 2009.

    The new album will feature a number of Guy Clark’s classic songs, like “L.A. Freeway,” “The Randall Knife,” “Desperados Waiting For a Train,” and “She Ain’t Going Nowhere.” Earle recently released the first single, “Dublin Blues.” Check it out.

    Interestingly, Clark’s song “Dublin Blues” is itself a tribute to another legend, Doc Watson. And the music for the song goes back much further than that. Check out our previous post on the story behind “Dublin Blues.”

    What do you think of Earle’s cover? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Super Dave Osborne Was Really Super

    Bob Einstein

    Bob Einstein, known for his role as Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm, passed away on January 2, 2019.  Einstein also portrayed Larry Middleman on Arrested Development.  But to those of us who grew up watching television in the 1970s and 1980s, he will always be Super Dave Osborne.

    Einstein’s Super Dave character presented a refreshing and funny take on stunt performers like Evel Knievel.  Knievel was all the rage in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  And Super Dave’s costume even copied the white outfits with red and blue worn by Knievel during his motorcycle jumps.

    While Einstein made Super Dave a goofy character getting slapstick laughs, Einstein’s creation also commented on those of us entranced with watching Evel Knievel.  Yes, part of us watched with the hope that Knievel would succeed.  But part of us watched because we also hoped to see something go wrong. 

    For Super Dave, something always did go wrong.  His humor inspired other performers.  One may trace a short line from Super Dave’s stunts to shows like Jackass. But somehow Super Dave seemed much kinder and gentler, perhaps because he never hurt anyone else. And the “special effects” ensured that we were in on the joke. 

    After writing for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Einstein first appeared as Super Dave Osborne in the 1972 TV series, The John Byner Comedy Hour. Super Dave would later appear on other television shows, such as Bizarre (1979-86) and Late Night with David Letterman. And Super Dave would get his own television series in Canada in 1987-1991.  The character also starred in his own animated television show and a movie, The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave (2000).

    Einstein — who was born in Los Angeles as Stewart Robert Einstein on November 20, 1942 — is the brother of actor-director Albert Brooks.  He wrote for other shows and did other wonderful acting jobs throughout his career. But every time I would see him on shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, I would always think of him as Super Dave Osborne, the stunt hero I hoped would never die. Rest in peace.

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