Official Inside Scoop on Rick Sebak

Last night Lance Jones and I played a mix of music (all on vinyl records!) on the 2 turntables at the end of the bar at The Independent Brewing Company in Squirrel Hill. We do this regularly on Wednesday evenings and stream it live on Twitch. What did we play?

AUTUMN is a time for COLORS (Lance’s great theme suggestion!)

When I get to the bar, Pete Kurzweg and Elias the Bartender are working on the turntable set-up, making sure the stream will flow tonight. They are playing an LP that fits tonight’s colorful theme:
JONI MITCHELL BLUE
and Lance is here a bit earlier than usual so we start about 5:30. I have a double disc by these guys and we still have a few days left in the month (and I dedicated this to my sister Nisey who celebrates the whole month of her birthday!) :
The RAVENS September Song (1947)
And we discuss avoiding the blues genre because that’s not really a color, but Lance decides this British tune isn’t really about “the blues”:
JULIE DRISCOLL & BRIAN AUGER & The TRINITY All Blues (1969)
And I go to Canonsburg for a classic:
BOBBY VINTON Blue Velvet
Lance wakes us up with some what-you-might-call “power pop”:
ELVIS COSTELLO & The ATTRACTIONS. Green Shirt (1979)
And I go back to 1965 for an especially appropriate colors song:
SIMON & GARFUNKEL Leaves That Are Green
And Lance bumps us up 2 years to 1967 but he reports the song was re-released in 1972:
The MOODY BLUES Nights In White Satin
And Elias the Bartender pulled this shiny 1969 tune from Pete’s collection here in the bar:
The BEATLES Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Then Lance cues up a favorite of mine from 1967:
The ROLLING STONES Ruby Tuesday
And we love Carol Zippi Brennan for listening in from Scotland (where she’s on vacation!) so I play a tune by one of her favorite artists!:
BING CROSBY Orange Blossom Time (1929!)
Good night, CeeZeeBee!
Lance moves up a few years on our no-rules list of tunes:
R.E.M. Orange Crush (1988)
And I have a 1966 SHAKIN’ ALL OVER collection with this bright hit:
The CYRKLE Red Rubber Ball
Then Lance finds a recent production:
The BLACK PUMAS Colors (2019)
Then I heard this on my iPod this week and had to find my vinyl copy:
The NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS Green, Green (1963)
And Lance pays tribute to a recently deceased singer-songwriter:
J.D. SOUTHER Silver Blue (1976)
And I have a cool old goofy tune from 1958:
JULIE LONDON When The Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin’ Along
And Lance loves this band:
STEELY DAN Green Earrings (1976)
And I have a true color-classic from 1970 for Josh Kurzweg who’s here:
KERMIT The FROG Green
And Lance goes to 1967 for a song for his daughters because they alerted him to the fact that today is Daughters’ Day!:
The TREMELOES: Silence Is Golden
There may be repercussions!
But I have a dazzling song by the great BOSS OF THE BLUES:
JOE TURNER Cherry Red (1951)
And Lance rebounds with a big hit lived by Elias the Bartender who says “Turn it up!”
NENA 99 Luft Balloons
And so I slow it down a bit with a song from an LP I’ve come to love here at the IBC:
PEARL BAILEY The Color Of Rain (1968)
What next from Lance? A cover of a Merle Haggard song:
The FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS White Line Fever (1971)
And I say this is a color song that needs no intro:
DONOVAN Mellow Yellow (1966)
Lance goes to 1981 for a big hit from the BREAKFAST CLUB soundtrack:
The PSYCHEDELIC FURS Pretty In Pink
And while we’re on soundtracks, how about a 1964 classic?:
SHIRLEY BASSEY Goldfinger
And Lance may be a Deadhead with lots of mid 80s history:
The GRATEFUL DEAD Touch Of Grey
After that? How about something from the RODGERS & HART SONGBOOK:
ELLA FITZGERALD Blue Moon (1956)
Lance remembers selling this record back in 1970:
JONI MITCHELL Big Yellow Taxi
I have a goofy disc from 1972 that I love called HI FI SNOCK UPTOWN with this vibrant tube:
MICHAEL HURLEY Blue Driver
And Lance find a gem that I also brought tonight:
The LEMONPIPERS Green Tamourine (1967)
And because there have been few country artists tonight, I have to play this:
FERLIN HUSKY Roses Are Red (1963)
And Lance stays slightly country with this renegade from the Byrds
GENE CLARK Silver Raven (1974)
And I go to an old favorite from 1986:
PETER CASE Old Blue Car
Ready to call it an evening:
GEORGE GERSHWIN Rhapsody In Blue

It’s been a second-Wednesday-in-a-row-SUN-and-MOON evening tonight at The Independent Brewing Company in Squirrel Hill when Lance Jones and I play vinyl records. Tonight was special because our server Vivian and our bartender Elias brought us records to play, AND my buddy Pat Weber from WQED made a special trip with his copy of the Cat Stevens I really wanted to include. What all did we play?

Looking for a MOONSHADOW?
(More SUN and MOON songs)

When I come in, Elias has this playing:
The ROLLING STONES Moonlight Mile
And while not strictly Sun or Moon, this Elias pick also seems to fit an eclipse week:
CAROLE KING I Feel The Earth Move
But I found this classic at my place this week and maybe it’s time to start the stream:
The JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Third Stone From The Sun
And then a cover on an album from 1977:
LEON REDBONE Shine On Harvest Moon
And Vivian who’s a server here brought song she knew that she had at home by an artist she loves:
JULIE LONDON No Moon At All
And Mr Lance Jones has arrived with a live version of this old favorite
GRATEFUL DEAD China Cat Sunflower (1971)
Then I have a compilation triple LP with this oldie from 1958:
The CAPRIS There’s A Moon Out Tonight
Then Lance goes to 1985 for:
The WATERBOYS The Whole Of The Moon
And so I follow that with a cool Cream-y cover from 1988:
BOBBY McFERRIN Sunshine Of Your Love
Then Lance has another song written by Jack Bruce who is also one of writers of the preceding song!
BRIAN AUGER & JULIE TIPPETTS Rope Ladder To The Moon (1978)
And Elias the bartender is happy to bring us this moon-blocking-the-sun set of 1973 classics from “Dark Side of The Moon”:
PINK FLOYD Brain Damage / Eclipse
Lance surprises me with a 1961 Rat Pack beauty:
FRANK SINATRA On The Sunny Side Of The Street
And the best: my friend and WQED Assistant Editor Patrick Weber just arrived with a copy of this amazing moon tune!
CAT STEVENS Moonshadow
Lance brings us a reggae tune from 1978:
BOB MARLEY & The WAILERS Sun Is Shining
And I pick another one of the songs Patrick brought from Beechview:
GEORGE HARRISON Here Comes The Moon (1979)
And Lance has a history of promoting the 1978 double live LP CALLED “Waiting FOR Columbus” with this song:
LITTLE FEAT Spanish Moon
And I go with a cover of Harrison from 1985:
WOMACK & WOMACK Here Comes The Sun
Lance comes closer to contemporary (2019):
BLACK PUMAS. Black Moon Rising
I have to go back I time to a timeless number from a 1963 double LP compilation called “Songs For A Summer Night”:
JULIE ANDREWS By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Lance goes to 1969 for
JETHRO TULL Look Into The Sun
And I try a classical piece
WALTER KLIEN Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven Op. 27 No 2 in C Sharp Minor)
Lance cones back with a terrible (?) cut from 1974:
TERRY JACKS Seasons In the Sun
And I have another LP that was brought to us tonight by Patrick Weber. This one by one of his favorite artists from 1973 (before the “Graceland” album):
PAUL SIMON A Song About The Moon
Lance kinda watched the eclipse and thought of this song that may have obscured the event if you weren’t lucky:
The ROLLING STONES Get Off Of My Cloud
Some electricity problems!
Then I happen to have a 12” 45rpm single of this 1983 b-side:
TALKING HEADS Moon Rocks
Then we have Vivian back to play another 1979 song she brought us tonight:
The B52s There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)
And we end with a true 1962 classic with Mancini-from-Aliquippa connections:
ANDY WILLIAMS Moon River

Last night at The Independent Brewing Company, Lance Jones and I played songs about Spring because it was the first full day of the season. What did we play?
SPRING IS HERE is a Rodgers & Hart song
Starting to stream at 5:30! Early but OK.
I have a copy of this album called SEASONS OF LOVE from a Goodwill trip:
GORDON MacRAE It Might As Well Be Spring
Then we have some technical difficulties. And Lance arrives! And Pete fixes the problem from his remote location (at Lorelei.)
And I have an old compilation called FOLKSONG ‘65:
JUDY COLLINS So Early, Early In The Spring
Then Lance brings us
The BYRDS Just A Season (1970)
I have an old double big band LP:
BENNY GOODMAN & His ORCHESTRA Santa Claus Came In The Spring
Lance has a Grammy-award-winning album called UNMISTAKABLY LOU from 1977:
LOU RAWLS Spring Again
And I have a LIVE AND MORE disco delight I found in a Goodwill for 79 cents:
DONNA SUMMER Spring Affair (1978)
Lance has something more recent
VAMPIRE WEEKEND Spring Snow
And I have an LP called SIXTY YEARS OF GRAND OLE OPRY:
MINNIE PEARL & GRANDPA JONES Spring Fever (1955)
Lance tops that with a same-name song from the soundtrack to GIRL HAPPY:
ELVIS PRESLEY Spring Fever (1965)
I have an album from 1968:
JOHN HARTFORD Springtime All Over Again
Lance has a violin song:
JEAN-LUC PONTY Spring Episode (1989)
I have a cool compilation from Jass Records in 1986 titled THE OTHER SONGS OF HAROLD ARLEN with lots of vintage recordings:
CAB CALLOWAY & His ORCHESTRA I Love To Singa (…about the m***a and the June-a and the Springa!)
Lance has a clear gold vinyl copy of this:
LITTLE WILLIE JOHN I’ve Got (Spring Fever) (1961)
I thought this qualified because it happens in the Spring:
ALICE COOPER School’s Out (1972)
Lance has decided to go to our co-theme:
The BEATLES Rain (1966)
And I have an LP from 1971 called GOOD TASTE IS TIMELESS:
The HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS Spring Of ‘65
Lance has a cool cut from 2012 on an LP called THE CARPENTER:
The AVETT BROTHERS A Father’s First Spring
And I play a 1958 classic by a Pittsburgh artist LIVE AT THE PERSHING Volume Two:
AHMAD JAMAL It Might As Well Be Spring
Lance has an L.A. Artists 3rd LP FROM 1975:
WENDY WALDMAN Spring Is Here
I have several artists doing a song with that title:
ELLA FITZGERALD Spring Is Here (written 1938, this recording 1956)
Lance has a 2018 disc called BLACK COFFEE:
JOE BONAMASSA & BETH HART Come Rain Or Come Shine
I have another version of the Rodgers & Hart song from an old LP called THE VOICE:
FRANK SINATRA Spring Is Here (1946)
Lance has a vintage blues compilation:
SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON Springtime Blues (1941)
I’m going back to the first LP I played tonight
GORDON MacRAE Spring Is Here
Lance saw this next artist unexpectedly years ago at the Evergreen Hotel in town:
LOU ANN BARTON It’s Raining
And I just flipped over the last record
GORDON MacRAE When It’s Springtime In The Rockies
Lance has brought his copy of this:
NINA SIMONE It Might As Well Be Spring
And I have another version of this song:
TINY TIM Springtime in The Rockies
Lance has one last cut
COUNTING CROWS Rain King
I’m gonna play one more:
DEANNA DURBIN Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (1944)
And we go out with 2 sides of the Boss:
Bruce SPRINGsteen BORN TO RUN / BORN IN THE U.S.A.
Back next week!

Last night Minette Seate and I played old vinyl records at The Independent Brewing Company in Squirrel Hill as they began their 10th anniversary celebration. It was the last Wednesday in Black History Month and Leap Day Eve, and one of the bartender’s specials was a revival of the drink they created in 2015 called “A Gentleman’s Breakfast or The Rick Sebak.” A really good evening.
What did we play?

THE LAST FEBRUARY WEDNESDAY with Guest DJ MINETTE SEATE

When I arrive to find a new camera and new mixer (!) at the IBC, the bartender Elias Wilson is playing some of his favorites including
The TEMPTATIONS Papa Was A Rolling Stone

And I brought something I didn’t play last week but David Bennett noticed the lack.
SAM COOKE When A Boy Falls In Love / Only Sixteen / Wonderful World / Cupid

Then a “disco” single mix from 1985
WHITNEY HOUSTON How Will I Know

Something a bit older
The INK SPOTS If I Didn’t Care (1939) / We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) (1946) / I Don’t Want To Set The World on Fire

Then a bit of country
CHARLEY PRIDE Too Hard To Say I’m Sorry / The Little Folks

Minette arrives with a bag of records! “Several soundtracks” she says.

I cue up an old Springsteen tune
The POINTER SISTERS Fire

Minette has a selection from the soundtrack of CHRISTINE
LITTLE RICHARD You Keep A-Knockin’

I grabbed a disc because we were talking too much
GEORGE BENSON You Don’t Know What Love Is

Then Minette goes elegant
SADE The Sweetest Taboo

Rick has a greatest hits by this guy
BARRY WHITE Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe (1974)

Minette delights the women sitting at the bar!
SALT N PEPA. Push It

Rick goes back to 1932 for a couple cool numbers
The MILLS BROTHERS It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) / Tiger Rag

Minette cues up another brother act! But from 1981
The NEVILLE BROTHERS Iko Iko / Mona Lisa

Rick rarely plays an instrumental
DOLLAR BRAND (ABDULLAH IBRAHIM) African Marketplace

Min brings
TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY If You All Get To Heaven

Rick plays a Pittsburgh artist who should get more attention
DAKOTA STATON Misty / A Foggy Day

Minette plays one of my favorite artists
AL GREEN Tired Of Being Alone / Call Me (Come Back Home)

I play some pop stuff and talk about some of this artist’s visits to Pittsburgh!
JOHNNY MATHIS I Feel Like Making Love

Minette has another brilliant cut
TRACY CHAPMAN Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution

Rick brought an LP he hasn’t played very often
MEMPHIS MINNIE I’m Not A Bad Gal (1941) / You Got To Get Out Of Here

Minette plays a cut from the soundtrack to LOOKING FOR MR GOODBAR (that Minette’s husband Ken just found in Pete Kurzweg’s collection here in the bar)
The O’JAYS Backstabbers

Rick has a new LP that he got this past weekend at the antique shop called Poor Johnny’s in West Middleton
HAROLD BETTERS Pretty Flamingo

Minette has an unusual cover
ARETHA FRANKLIN Satisfaction

Rick cues up a song that he came to love because of the cover of it done by the Housemartins
ISLEY JASPER ISLEY Caravan Of Love

Minette pulls out some Phil Spector
The CRYSTALS Then He Kissed Me

Rick and Minette both brought this soundtrack to a film called REMEMBER MY NAME but neither played it last week so here it is tonight.
ALBERTA HUNTER My Castle’s Rockin’

Minette realizes it’s already 8 o’clock and cues up a song that she used to sing with the local band called A.T.S.
The IKETTES I’m Blue (The Gong Gong Song)

Rick has another disco single that “may be offensive to some listeners”
MARVIN GAYE Sanctified Lady

Minette finds two more on the HAIRSPRAY soundtrack
The FIVE DU TONES. Shake A Tail Feather
JERRY DALLMAN & The KNIGHTCAPS The Bug

Rick pulls out another great Pittsburgher
BILLY ECKSTINE Mr Piano Man / Little Mama

We wrap up (as we did last week) with a whole side of
PRINCE 1999
Then a side of Brazilian great MILTON NASCIMENTO
And then the stream continues with bartender Elias playing several sides, including several by
ELLA FITZGERALD

On this cold and blustery morning, I’m on WQED FM 89.3 with Jim Cunningham from 7 AM till 10, and we’re playing some cool and crazy Holiday Music! We’re even including some audio from our all-vinyl evening at The Independent Brewing Company last week. Tune in?
HAPPY EVERYTHING!
https://www.wqed.org/fm/player/main