Author: Lori Stratton

Music blogger, concert goer, vinyl collector and music curator

Thanks, Mom and Dad – My Parents’ Early Appreciation of The Beatles Finally Rubs Off

I used to think The Beatles were overrated.

While growing up, their name popped every time I read about my favorite artists’ musical influences, listened to “best of” musical countdowns on the radio or watched a documentary about the history of rock and roll on TV.

My parents raved about The Beatles during their early college days at Ohio University in 1964-1965. The songs “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Eight Days a Week” served as the soundtrack of their transition from youth to adulthood.

Anytime The Beatles were mentioned, my parents fondly recalled dancing to their songs at college mixers, watching them play on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and getting excited about the British Invasion.

Over the years, my dad and I would have this recurring conversation:

“Dad, Were The Beatles really that big of a deal?”  I asked.

 “L, They were a big deal. Everything changed overnight here when they played ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ Before The Beatles came here, all that boring folk music was popular. That stuff put me to sleep,” he said.

 “I still don’t get it,” I said while shaking my head in disbelief. “I guess I had to be there.”

Continue reading “Thanks, Mom and Dad – My Parents’ Early Appreciation of The Beatles Finally Rubs Off” →

‘Magnificent (She Says)’ – Elbow ‘Little Fictions’ Opening Track Fuels New Personal Journey

There’s something “magnificent” about Guy Garvey’s voice.

It soothes my musical soul and provides a lush sonic backdrop on a warm Saturday afternoon in mid-February.

Garvey’s voice quickly transports me to a faraway land with purple majestic mountains stacked against the horizon and an azure blue sea crashing up against the beige sand that’s massaging my toes.

This is the mental image I conjure in my mind while hearing “Magnificent (She Says)” by British alternative progressive rock band Elbow.

The first single from Elbow’s seventh album, “Little Fictions,” sets the scene for a 4.5-minute “head-trip” filled with love, hope and personal growth.

Continue reading “‘Magnificent (She Says)’ – Elbow ‘Little Fictions’ Opening Track Fuels New Personal Journey” →

‘Troix’ – Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner Announce Eclectic Lineup for Third Installment of Eaux Claires

Justin Vernon, left, and Aaron Dessner perform during a Day of the Dead celebration at the second Eaux Claires festival in August 2016.

It’s time to return to the river in June.

The Stratton Setlist will attend the third installment of Eaux Claires, a two-day music festival curated by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner.

Known as “Troix,” the Eau Claire, Wisc.-based music festival announced its eclectic lineup of musical legends, indie rockers and emerging artists Thursday for the June 16-17 event at Foster Farms along the Chippewa River.

The lineup includes Bon Iver presenting John Prine & The American Songbook, which will feature several special guests paying tribute to country/folk singer-songwriter.

Another festival highlight will include Paul Simon collaborating with chamber ensemble yMusic to reinterpret his iconic songs with contemporary classical music.

The lineup also features Feist, Sylvan Esso, Wilco, Tweedy, Chance The Rapper, Danny Brown, Perfume Genius, This Is The Kit and more.

Continue reading “‘Troix’ – Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner Announce Eclectic Lineup for Third Installment of Eaux Claires” →

‘Rumours’ – Fleetwood Mac’s Blockbuster Album Doesn’t Stop 40 Years Later

Fleetwood Mac's 2013 reissue of "Rumours."
Fleetwood Mac’s 2013 reissue of “Rumours.”

My mom retreated to her bedroom to unearth a classic rock album from her 1970s era vinyl collection.

She flipped through the dusty Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon and Eagles albums to locate Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.”

There it was. The original copy she had purchased when I was a baby.

She quickly grabbed the album and brought it downstairs to play during a family listening party one night in April 1987. She plopped the album down on my grandma’s large wooden stereo system, which featured a 1972 era record player inside and was adorned with large golden knobs.

My brother, Steve, and I requested the listening party after picking up a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tango in the Night.” We wanted to hear the band’s mega hit album from a decade earlier in its entirety.

Continue reading “‘Rumours’ – Fleetwood Mac’s Blockbuster Album Doesn’t Stop 40 Years Later” →

‘Sainthood’ – Tegan and Sara Indie Pop Gem Still Sparkles 7 Years Later

Tegan and Sara perform on Oct. 26 at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, Mich. during the “Love You to Death” tour.

Editor’s Note: Brian Stratton writes about one of his favorite Tegan and Sara albums from the Canadian sisters’ catalog.

We all have a certain song or album that we associate with a band. It might not be the artist’s biggest hit or a critically acclaimed release, but nonetheless it strongly resonates with you.

That is the joy of music, finding a way to personally connect with the art and discovering your own meaning behind it.

For me, I can’t think about Canadian sister duo Tegan and Sara without their 2009 album “Sainthood” crossing my mind.

Continue reading “‘Sainthood’ – Tegan and Sara Indie Pop Gem Still Sparkles 7 Years Later” →

“Samain Night” – Loreena McKennitt Journeys to Ann Arbor

Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his third post for The Stratton Setlist about the Oct. 12 Loreena McKennitt show at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Mich.

On Christmas morning in 1994, I opened a gift from my parents that had the unmistakable shape of a CD. As I tore off the wrapping paper, revealing the cover, I was greeted by a woman with a harp, wearing vaguely antiquated clothing, standing on a hill overlooking a lake. It turned out to be “Parallel Dreams” by Loreena McKennitt, an album by an artist I had never heard of.

My dad had heard about Loreena McKennitt on public radio driving home from work one night. He knew that I was interested in Enya and other Celtic and New Age music, so he thought I’d be interested in her as well.

After looking at the hazy album art, I turned the CD over and read through the song titles – “Samain Night,” “Standing Stones,” and “Ancient Pines” among others. They certainly sounded interesting.

Continue reading ““Samain Night” – Loreena McKennitt Journeys to Ann Arbor” →

King Arthur’s Reign — Blind Guardian, Grave Digger Fall Tour Pays Homage to Legendary Ruler

Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his second post for The Stratton Setlist about the Sept. 20 Blind Guardian and Grave Digger show at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich.

King Arthur, the Once and Future King, briefly returned to the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich. on Sept. 20.

He didn’t come from England, but instead arrived from Germany accompanied by bards singing of his deeds. In this case, the bards were power metal bands Blind Guardian and Grave Digger.

Grave Digger's Axel Ritt, left, and Chris Boltendahl sing about Excalibur at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich.
Grave Digger’s Axel Ritt, left, and Chris Boltendahl perform at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, Mich.

Together, Blind Guardian and Grave Digger told their mystical King Arthur stories through power metal, a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by melodies, speed and rousing choruses and lyrics inspired by fantasy, mythology and history.

It’s like taking the music of Iron Maiden or Dio from the early ‘80s and combining it with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Power metal flourished from these musical roots in the mid-1980s and has thrived in Germany and other European countries ever since.

Back in Pontiac, the night opened with Grave Digger, led by the charismatic Chris Boltendahl on vocals. Boltendahl took us through a setlist of songs that celebrated heavy metal culture, the rebellions of the Scots against the English, witches and hangmen.

Continue reading “King Arthur’s Reign — Blind Guardian, Grave Digger Fall Tour Pays Homage to Legendary Ruler” →

The End – Black Sabbath Tour Returns to the Beginning before Bidding Adieu

Editor’s Note: My husband Brian writes his first Stratton Setlist blog post about Black Sabbath’s final Detroit area show in Clarkston, Mich. Wednesday night.

Black Sabbath displays “The End” tour logo.

“Is it the end, my friend?” sang Ozzy Osbourne during the opening song of Black Sabbath’s final show in metro Detroit.

Sadly, it was the end, but it’s hard to say goodbye, especially to old friends. Six years ago, I had to say goodbye to Ronnie James Dio, and last year, I most likely said goodbye to Rush. And now it was time to say goodbye to Black Sabbath.

I’ve been a fan of Black Sabbath since middle school. My brother had introduced me to Led Zeppelin and Rush, and I loved them both, but Black Sabbath was the first band I had claimed as my own.

They felt like a secret that my friends and I shared, and we had fun exploring and debating the different lineups. Was Ozzy era Sabbath better, or the Dio material? What about the Tony Martin incarnation of the band?

The truth was I loved all the lineups. Black Sabbath was like a saga that kept going on and changing over time, and they never disappointed.

Continue reading “The End – Black Sabbath Tour Returns to the Beginning before Bidding Adieu” →

‘Fill in the Blank’ – Car Seat Headrest Track Questions Self-Discovery on ‘Teens of Denial’

In August, Car Seat Headrest made their energetic late night TV debut performing “Fill in the Blank” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Will Toledo and his three bandmates pounded out the opening track from “Teens of Denial,” the band’s critically acclaimed album that was released in May.

Throughout the performance, “Fill in the Blank” song lyrics flash on four screens behind the band, and fittingly, some of the words are omitted from the lyrics.

Instead, the blank spaces beckon audience members and fans to fill in their own words.

Car Seat Headrest's "Teens of Denial" features the opening track, "Fill in the Blank."
Car Seat Headrest’s “Teens of Denial” features the opening track, “Fill in the Blank.”

As a Car Seat Headrest fan, I scratch my head wondering how I should fill in those blanks.  This song couldn’t come at a better time in my life, and in a sense, it serves as my personal anthem.

It’s an anthem of internal struggle and second guessing – Who am I? What am I doing? What have I accomplished? Where should I go next?

These four questions periodically enter my head and cause me to re-evaluate my life choices and direction.

Continue reading “‘Fill in the Blank’ – Car Seat Headrest Track Questions Self-Discovery on ‘Teens of Denial’” →

‘Walking On A Dream’ – Empire of the Sun Collaborates with Lindsey Buckingham on New Album

A new Empire of the Sun album, “Two Vines,” will feature contributions from Lindsey Buckingham, legendary Fleetwood Mac guitarist, vocalist and producer.

The Australian electronic music duo announced the Oct. 28 release of their third studio album Monday and debuted a new single, “High and Low,” on KROQ’s Kevin & Bean show in Los Angeles today.

“Two Vines” will feature “High and Low,” a new mix of the 2008 smash “Walking On A Dream” and 13 other tracks, including “To Her Door,” which includes guitar and harmonies by Buckingham.

Back in April, I stumbled across a black and white photo of Buckingham on Empire of the Sun’s Facebook page that immediately caught my eye.

The photo featured Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele demonstrating a guitar chord for Buckingham in a Los Angeles. I smiled instantly at the thought of a newer artist working with a legendary guitarist and singer like Buckingham.

In a June 3 article from The Western Australian, Steele recounted how he recruited Buckingham to play on Empire of the Sun’s new album.

Continue reading “‘Walking On A Dream’ – Empire of the Sun Collaborates with Lindsey Buckingham on New Album” →