2009

When I heard producer/director/writer John Hughes died yesterday, it took a few minutes to hit me. While his movies are literally a part of my every day life – I don’t think I go 24 hours without quoting Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 16 Candles or the Breakfast Club – I realized I didn’t know anything about the man. And that’s how he wanted it. A notorious recluse, Hughes let his films speak for themselves and to this day, they represent some of the best movies ever written about teenagers. No special effects or slick language. No gratuitous sex or quick cuts. Mostly truth and laughs.

Along with the Bratpack, the Griswolds and the Donger, Hughes created some incredibly memorable musical scenes throughout the course of his career. Below is a small tribute.

1. Danke Schoen > Twist & Shout – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986, Written/Directed by John Hughes)

I remember seeing this movie in the theaters and halfway through this scene, the place was absolutely rocking. Beginning with a schmaltzy snippet of the Wayne Newton classic Danke Schoen, a tune mentioned or hummed several times throughout the flick, the scene erupts into a complete throw down with the Beatles version of Twist & Shout. From Ferris’s own father shaking it in his office to the thousands of extras lining the Chicago street on which it was filmed, it’s hard to imagine people having more fun on a movie set and it shows. The dance crew is spectacular with their Thriller-like moves and I always get a kick out of the “vibrating man” who shakes so hard his hat falls off his head. I defy anyone to change the channel when this scene comes on. READ ON for four more musical scenes from JH’s movies…

This past Wednesday – I – like many other readers of this blog, headed out to The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ to see Gov’t Mule. What I don’t think many of the people who went to the show did beforehand was to take the express NJ Transit train to South Orange and walk to The Town Hall Deli for Sloppy Joes from the deli that invented them.

I know when I did my Millburn Deli posting a few people stood up for Town Hall as the better of the two. After not having a Town Hall Joe in a while, I have to agree. I got 2 Joes (for the office, really). One was “the Favorite” with Roast Beef, Turkey and Swiss. The second was with Corned Beef, Pastrami & Swiss ($2 extra for the pastrami btw). I have to say, the originator of the Sloppy Joe is still the best. Below is their “Joe” menu and a few pictures of the making of a Town Hall Sloppy Joe.

READ ON for pictures of the making of a TH Sloppy Joe…

With record sales continuing to slide and the licensing of music becoming a bigger piece of the puzzle for musicians vying to make a living, placements in television and film can have a tremendous impact on the career of an artist.

[Photos by Martelli Photography]

For Bobby Long, a talented singer/songwriter from the UK with a penchant for music by Elliot Smith, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan and the Felice Brothers, one particular song placement launched his career up into the night sky. Teen dreamboat Robert Pattison performed his song Let Me Sign (co-written with Marcus Foster) in the first film of the insanely popular Twilight series. The rest is history.

Now, Long plays for heaps of fans, many of them of the young female variety. Surely that’s not much of a dilemma, but curious to hear if this felt more like a blessing or a curse, I jumped at the chance to chat him up.

Ryan Dembinsky: At your university, you were working on a degree in film/video with an emphasis on writing soundtracks, correct? Is that in any way related to Twilight? In other words, did Twilight drive that decision to study soundtrack creation or alternatively, did your connections there help land the placement in the film?

Bobby Long: No not at all. I always kept my Uni and my music separate to the point that a lot of students at my Uni didn’t know my name. I only really studied to be in London and so I could afford to live there with my student loan.

READ ON for the rest of Ryan’s conversation with Bobby Long…

The recently released documentary Iron Maiden: Flight 666 tells the tale of the first leg of the heavy metal pioneers 2008 Somewhere Back In Time World Tour in which the

If you haven’t picked up Conundrum you’re totally missing out. Here’s a preview video of McLovins’ debut album to give you a taste… McLovins – Album Montage

Our friends Matt and Kelly continue to drop terrific MP3 downloads over at Musical Stew Daily. Just  this week alone they posted killer recordings of shows by moe.,  My Morning