Category Archives: Blog
Jamaica Turns 50
Reggae is a genre that divides–most people either love it, or don’t. There isn’t too much middle ground. As with all genres, we accept that, and in our work we know that we have to put our clients’ tastes in music first and shape what we play around that framework. Whether you love reggae or not, it is noteworthy to mention that the roots of DJing and using 2 turntables and a mixer, truly started among Jamaicans.
“The sound system concept first became popular in the 1950s, in the ghettos of Kingston. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers and set up street parties. In the beginning, the DJs played American rhythm and blues music, but as time progressed and more local music was created, the sound migrated to a local flavor. The sound systems were big business, and represented one of the few sure ways to make money in the unstable economy of the area. Turntablism, the art of using turntables not only to play music but to manipulate sound and create original music, began to develop.”
It’s a pretty remarkable influence on modern culture for such a small country. This coming Monday, August 6th, marks the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence. In honor of that, we went to see a screening of the classic 1978 movie “Rockers” at BAM cinema . It was the opening screening for their current film festival featuring 4 days of films from Jamaica. Rockers is filled with incredible reggae from that era, and the cast features real musicians from the time including Jacob Miller, Big Youth, Dirty Harry and Burning Spear. It is an incredibly real portrayal of the great styles of that era in Jamaica and is a modern take on the Robin Hood storyline.
In another nod to Jamaica, Abby will be DJ-ing a party tomorrow, Saturday, August 4th, out in Montauk at Ruschmeyer’s . In their outdoor space, the Sandbar, from 5pm to 9pm playing all reggae, all vinyl from her deep and extensive collection of roots era reggae records. Blackwell’s Rum the official sponsor of the event, was started by Chris Blackwell of Island Records fame. Sunday, there will be a live performance by the legendary Sister Nancy. If you are lucky enough to be out at the beach, please come say hi!!
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Lester Lanin Hats
You never know what you will discover. At Play Something Good, we share a love for thrifting, searching flea markets, and looking for treasures all over. It comes from our years of searching out records, but we love finding clothes, art, books, housewares, vintage stereo equipment, and musical instruments. We have learned a lot from what we have found over the years. Recently we were at an old consignment store in Philadelphia that was closing after 57 years in business. Abby has been finding amazing things there since she was a teenager. For years she noticed an interesting little hat that had always been perched on the head of a stuffed monkey in the window display. (a stuffed animal that is, not a real monkey) We both tried to tempt the staff to sell it to us, but we were always met with a– “that’s not for sale.” This particular day, the store announced it’s closing so Tom gave a final attempt at getting the hat. What do you know? Five Dollars!
The hat was really cool- it was a skipper hat shape, it looked older and had the name “Lester Lanin” hand painted in script on the brim. There was something intriguing about it. Who was Lester Lanin? About a month later, in another city, at another thrift store, we came across another Lester Lanin hat! This one had a different shape but the same signature script writing right there on the brim. We had to know who he was, and so, upon further inquiry we found out that Lester Lanin was once a very famous bandleader and a great New York success story.
He began his career in the roaring 1920’s playing at cotillions and homes of the wealthy in New York and Philadelphia. He continued to become a hard working, successful and famous society band leader with recurring gigs at the inaugurations of Presidents Eisenhower thru Carter! He kept up, always embracing and learning new music from his start in the 1920’s through the 1990’s! What a vast repertoire!
From his obituary in the New York Times:
by 1992 had played 20,000 wedding receptions, 7,500 parties and 4,500 proms. He supplied danceable happiness to several generations of the richest and most beautiful people on earth, at events ranging from Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday party to the wedding of Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel to the private parties of the DuPonts, Chryslers and Mellons. He made music for Grace Kelly’s engagement party, and at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. He wrote “My Lady Love” in honor of their marriage.”
His trademark was his hats, which would be given away, tossed into crowds toward the end of parties, emblazoned with his name in signature script. They were a sought after souvenir and status symbol. At the time of his death in 2004 at age 97 it was estimated that 50,000 hats were given away over his long and impressive career. We loved learning about him by sheer coincidence through finding these hats. It’s inspiring to hear him interviewed about his life and work as he seemed to embody the spirit of what it means to rock a party. Be tight, entertain people and have fun:
Posted in Blog | Comments Off on Lester Lanin Hats‘Whoever you play for, try and make sure you were part and parcel of something happy, so if the woman whose party it was sees you on the street 15 years from now,
she’ll say, ‘Lester, you made my party.’ ”- Lester Lanin
The Stones on these two…
The Rolling Stones are living legends and we often get a lot of requests to hear them played, particularly early on at a wedding when you want the music to be multi-generationally appealing. This time last year we read Keith Richards’ book and were again reminded of the longevity of their careers. Abby’s dad saw them live over 20 times! An early album of their’s is a household favorite, Aftermath. The 1981 album Tattoo You is also indispensable and so classic–we often play side 2 of that album, the mellower side. It evokes a certain time and place so beautifully. Recently, while skimming through 10 years of emails, Abby found one particularly funny one. Sent by a friend in Chicago who was working at the Ritz Carlton at the time, we thought you would enjoy a peek into what these 2 aging British gentlemen required in their suites at that time.
Below is the list of items Mick Jagger requested in his suite….
• an electric tea kettle
• earl grey, mint, ceylon, and chamomile tea
• a china tea service
• several bottles of red and white wine, ONLY french wine
• honey
• granola
• french roast coffee
• evian, 1l bottles, including a bottle placed each
• evening on his bedside table
• cranberry juice, apple juice, in bottles
• fresh lemons
• organic whole milk
• organic low fat yogurts (4)
• fresh flowers in living room, bedroom, and bathroom
• appropriate flatware, glassware (water and wine),
• linen napkins
Does the above seem like a hardcore rock star, or an aging British gentleman… food for thought…
And this is the request list for Keith Richards:
• 6 packs of Marlboro Reds, replenished daily
• 10 extra ashtrays
• 4 additional boxes of tissues
• 12 cans of Fanta orange soda
• 2 liters of Stoli
• 1 litre of cranberry juice, “ocean spray”
• 3 ripe grapefruits, 3 juice oranges, 4 tangerines,
• 4 apples –only Red Delicious
• 1 lime
• 6 ripe bananas
• 1 litre of whole white milk
• black pepper mill
• Four (4) grilled chicken sandwiches, on white bread (Replenish daily) The chicken must be plain, without seasoning, grilled. • The bread must be generic plain white bread, with the crust left on. No spices, sauces, condiments. Must be wrapped in seran wrap.
• uses a lot of ice, so in addition to 2 ice buckets (with lids) he must have a small cooler full of ice at all times
• 5 (five) additional trash can
• VCR–must have clear instructions, preferably original manual. prefer consumer variety VCR, not commercial
What would you require in your suite?
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The high season for wedding celebrations has commenced and it has been beautiful thus far. However, it has also been a rough month of great losses this May for some giants of music. It seemed like every time we turned around to do a post, someone great had passed in an untimely manner. Someone truly revered musically. Someone whose passing made it feel like time was moving faster. Donna Summer, Levon Helm of The Band, Chuck Brown, the godfather of Go-Go music (a regional staple of Tom’s childhood in Washington DC), and Robin Gibb of the legendary Bee Gees. The one that stung the most for us, was to hear that Adam Yauch, of the Beastie Boys, had lost his life after a hard battle with cancer. It still stings. That first week was incredibly tough, walking the New York streets feeling as though a chunk of earth had fallen out from beneath this place. It’s palpable in the air still, weeks after his passing. The Beastie Boys were such a huge influence on our tastes and sensibilities from an early age. Long before we met them, there was a sense of fun, perceptible love for the world, and tangible wisdom that transcended their music. Back then, when we needed the right recipe of humor and intelligence to inspire and polish our restlessness, it was there. To listen to their music and especially, to their avant garde sampling, was in no small way a key to who we are now and what we do. They created monsters out of us–we had to know what all of that stuff was and where it came from, We went looking for the records when there was no internet to give us the answers. We will forever be grateful to them for that. Adam Yauch’s time was a life to be admired and emulated and his legacy is one of immeasurable influence and integrity.
A True Visionary: Don Cornelius
We are saddened to hear of the tragic passing of the legendary Don Cornelius, creator and host of Soul Train. Though Soul Train’s real heyday was before our time we are very familiar with it’s singular style. What an incredible time, you watch these videos and you can’t help but to be inspired and transported to another time when seminal albums were being released every other day and the fashions were bold and vibrant. This was a golden age for every genre of music and Soul Train would bring it into your home, before MTV, before videos, and of course, pre-internet. The show really traces the evolution of Soul into Disco and eventually the beginnings of Rap. The famous Soul Train line dance was a huge influence in America, so much so that at every wedding in those days, and through the 1980’s, you could find one at every reception. Even though we don’t do that kind of campy group dance stuff at weddings, we can appreciate the Soul Train line for what it was. There hasn’t been a dance show with a greater cultural influence. Rest in peace, Don, and thank you.
Here is one of our favorite Soul Train clips that shows the line dance in all it’s glory:
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Happy 2012!!!
Play Something Good have worked with some truly wonderful people in 2011. We congratulate all of you and we are so glad to have been part of your awesome weddings! It has been an incredible year here in New York. Especially with the legalization of Gay Marriage. We are living in exciting times. In 2012 we also worked alongside some incredibly talented people- event planners, caterers and other very creative and inspiring folks who are shaking things up and doing impressive work. We loved collaborating with you all! We look forward to being part of many incredible weddings in 2012 and we wish all of you a very happy healthy new year! Viva amor!
Our Holiday Gift Guide for Music Dweebs!
Hello world we are making tons of squash soup and mixes and getting ready for winter. We are hearing from lots of lovely people who are planning for their weddings in 2012. Congratulations to all of you! Did you know that the time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day is the most popular time in which people get engaged? In honor of the upcoming holiday season we are posting our gift guide for people who love music. Some stocking stuffers and some pricey items are in there, but we vouch for their versatility as truly great gifts for the holidays or even for a wedding present!
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An Evening to Support the Women’s Medical Fund of Philadelphia
Giving back, down in Philly, Abby’s hometown. For the 5th year in a row we are proud to support the Women’s Medical Fund of Philadelphia, through this annual fun night out. With incredible food from Peachtree and Ward, vodka from Finlandia, great wines from Moore Brothers and tons of amazing raffle prizes, this is a great way to support a great cause. Abby will be DJ-ing all evening. It’s always an amazing fun party in honor of a very important cause.
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Stone Fox Bride
Molly Guy is doing something we are really excited about. In the same way that we DJ weddings for people with discerning music tastes, she is giving brides an alternative to the stiff and factory-like vibe of the typical bridal dress shop. Her brainchild, Stone Fox Bride, is set to open in Soho this fall. Stone Fox will offer a laid back but super stylish atmosphere and a unique collection of wedding apparel from some amazing NYC designers. In addition to that, wedding planning services will be offered, and Molly intends to make Stone Fox a lifestyle boutique, offering accessories and services beyond the wedding day.
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Quebec Jazz
I once heard an interview with Wynton Marsailis where he talked about the word “Jazz” coming from bands that would play in brothels in New Orleans. The venues would reek of jasmine perfume and the bands called themselves “Jass” bands. One day someone scratched the J off of the bass drum, so it read “…. ASS Band” After that, the band repainted it with two Z’s.
I was recently asked to DJ for the Quebec Jazz Festival, but needed to submit a short mix showing how I would incorporate the jazz theme into a club friendly Set:
This Aint Jazzercise!
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/
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