I stumbled on this song last year and I’m still confused as to why it hasn’t received more attention.

Maia Friedman is a standout vocal talent, and “A Sleep in the Garden” is a pleasant nod to the 80’s, and a breath of fresh air among the contemporary pop dribble that’s forced down our ears these days. Her other songs from her debut album Under The New Light are also worth giving a listen.
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Don’t sleep on Ms. Friedman, she’s a talented singer-songwriter and I expect to hear great things from her in the future. 

​We lost legendary announcer Rick Jeanneret this past Thursday. He was and will always be synonymous with the Buffalo Sabres, and moreover the NHL for his legendary calls and devotion to his team and the greater hockey community.  
RIP RJ

In 1977 an independent film about a farmboy and his princess sister hijacked the box office while completely revolutionizing the way films were produced, consumed, and marketed.

One month later, Sorcerer was released. No, it’s not a movie about kingdoms or magic, but a thriller set in Central America. It also fell woefully short of its projected profits and critical expectations, while costing twice as much to produce.

William Friedkin was the director of that film. He was also a part of the “American New Wave” of filmmaking, which did away with the studio system; focusing more on realism, on location filmmaking, and improvising actors. He won an Oscar for The French Connection, and has garnered critical acclaim for his work on The Exorcist, Cruising, and To Live and Die in L.A.
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We lost William Friedkin last week at the age of 87. He was a brilliant director that refused to compromise, shortchange or sabotage the stories he told. His work also spanned various genres and although Sorcerer was originally both a commercial and critical failure, it has since been lauded as an overlooked masterpiece. Friedkin even considered it one of his favorite works. I tend to agree.

I was talking with a good friend of mine the other day about music, and more specifically pop music from the 1980’s and how creative and interesting many of the artists and their “hit” singles were. This is especially notable when compared with today’s formulaic and cookie cutter singing and production. We specifically brought up 1983 and were blown away by the originality, musicianship, and sonic landscapes that even the top 20 artists brought to the charts.

One single I adore from that year was from a little-known band from Scotland called Aztec Camera. They never took off in the states, but their third single from their debut album High Land, Hard Rain is just pure 80’s magic.

“Oblivious” was released in February of 1983, and made it to 47 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was re-released later that year and broke into the top 20, finishing at 18. It’s an upbeat number, touching upon various styles of music, and doesn’t hide its infectious chorus.
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Frontperson and songwriter Roddy Frame admitted years later that he indeed wrote the song as a shameless pop number, and yet there is more creativity and musicianship in his blatant attempt at selling records than any number of pop songs released in the last ten years. ​