With Hot August Nights fast approaching, I was thinking about who I’d like to see perform at the Friday and Saturday night concerts.

First up: Bay City Rollers
I know some think they’re too corny for words, but they’re no worse than any teen band and they practically shout 70S BOY BAND. And besides, they take me back to the summer I turned 14 and spent every Saturday morning listening to American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.

Second: Hall and Oates

Third: Nazareth
This band was the epitome of ’70s head-banger rock. It always reminds me of my senior class party at Little Goose Campground east of Kooskia.

Fourth: Lynyrd Skynrd
I defy anyone to listen to this song and not want to sing along.

Fifth: Creedence Clearwater Revival

I was a teenager in the ’70s, so soft rockers like England Dan and John Ford Coley, Lobo and Burton Cummings provide part of the soundtrack to my youth.

I ran across one of my favorite Dan Seals’ songs tonight on YouTube that had me groovin’ on my high school days. The first is his original version, while the second was recorded on a segment on the old TNN television network with the songwriter, Paul Davis.

Dan Seals died March 25, 2009, but his music lives on.

I read a story on the wire about former Russian president Putin. Hearing that name always gives rise to an ear worm for me — the catchy ditty “Rasputin” by 1970s group Boney M.

This song was released in 1978, when I was a junior in high school. I never owned a Boney M album, but I’ve always loved this song. It’s so catchy, rhythmic and just plain funky.

So dance with me into the ’70s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvDMlk3kSYg

If you’re unfamiliar with Pandora and the “Music Genome Project”, I highly suggest visiting pandora.com. The idea behind the Web site is that you type in a musical artist name or the name of a song and Pandora will create a playlist of similar artists and songs. It really is a great way to find new music that fits your interest. Continue Reading

When I first tuned into “Can You Duet?” on CMT, I thought it looked an awful lot like “American Idol,” and wondered why 19 Entertainment let them get away with that.

I went ahead and enjoyed the show anyway before I found out that 19 Entertainment is producing the show in conjunction with CMT. Drats. I’ve begun to actively hate the Idol franchiser. They seem determined to fold, spindle and mutilate AI beyond practical repair. Now they’ve gotten their greasy claws into country music. It makes me cringe.

Not that Duet hasn’t already made me cringe just a little. The three judges are each weird in their own ways, not that they don’t have the chops for the job they’ve been chosen for.

Amy Mayo is an award-winning, and prolific, songwriter. Among the tunes she’s had a hand in are the Lonestone standard “Amazed” and Idol alum Kelly Pickler’s hit “I Wonder.” But that voice … mama mia … she sounds like a wind-up baby doll.

Brett Manning is a vocal coach with a number of high-profile clients. But that hair … mama mia … I have to physically restrain myself from leaping through the television with a razor and shaving him bald.

And Naomi Judd. Granted, she and daughter Wynonna are one of country’s most popular duos ever. But I’ve read enough about her relationship with Wy to know that she can be a bit of a handful to be around. Mama mia … what a mother. Plus, she ought to take a page from the Candace Bergen book on the art of aging gracefully. She’s been botoxed and plumped and lifted so much she has a permanently startled express.

Then there’s the format. I don’t have a problem with the audition process, but whose silly idea was it to split the duos up and pass through one half, while sending the other half home? The splitees were then paired with ENTIRELY NEW partners, given a day to practice and then had to come back and sing for approval. Predictably, the judges complained about bad pairings, lack of chemistry, etc. What did they expect? Musical nirvana? Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I’m going to stick with Duet for the time being, but I have no doubt 19 Entertainment will muck it up somehow. It’s become their stock in trade.