Digging the music from A Star Is Born

I know I'm a bit late to the party on this, but I'm really into A Star is Born, the movie and especially the music.

My wife Leslie and I saw the movie in the theater last November. I enjoyed the movie pretty much. I thought Bradley Cooper was great, Dave Chappelle knocked me out, and I liked the music. But then I didn't gave it too much thought until my son Gary gave me the soundtrack for Hanukah.

So I'll admit I didn't know much about Lady Gaga going into this. I knew she had a great voice but the only song of hers that caught my interest was her song with Big Man on sax, The Edge of Glory.

On the hand other I am a big fan of Lukas Nelson. We've seen him at ACL and Willie's Picnics. He plays all the guitar on the album, he and his band Promise of the Real backed up Bradley Cooper in the movie and he co-wrote many of the songs. I read that Bradley Cooper spent two years learning guitar to play the role and he does sing but it's Lukas we hear on the record. In this little video, Bradley, Lukas and Gaga talk about how the sound came together.

The first song that grabbed my attention was Maybe It's Time, which is Bradley Cooper singing and Lukas Nelson playing guitar. In the movie Jack (Bradley Cooper) plays it at the end of the night at the drag club, with just the club owner, the bartender, one drag queen, and Ally (Lady Gaga) watching. It's an instant American classic:

Maybe it's time to let the old ways die
Maybe it's time to let the old ways die
It takes a lot to change a man
Hell, it takes a lot to try
Maybe it's time to let the old ways die

Jason Isbell wrote that song. He's a fantastic singer/songwriter from Alabama, used to be in the Drive-By Truckers. It could have been a Ryan Bingham song too. BTW we saw both of them at Willie's Picnics as well.

Lady Gaga and Lukas Nelson wrote Music to My Eyes. According to Songfacts Lukas had 
some help from his dad's product in writing this beautiful song:

You're music to my eyes
I had to listen just to find you
I'd like for you to let me sing along
Give you a rhythm you feel

Always Remember Us This Way is a great soul song by Lady Gaga. I'm looking forward to hearing it covered by some classic country singers!

And then there's Shallow, also co-written by Lady Gaga. Initially I thought of that song mainly for Lady Gaga's soaring vocals but, after listening to it a bunch of times, checking out the words, and, recently, watching the film again, I've come to be even more impressed. The lyrics, in the context of the plot, or standalone, are haunting.The lines

I'm falling
In all the good times I find myself
Longin' for change
And in the bad times I fear myself

really get to me.

And how that song comes together in the movie (and yes, I realize it's a movie) is amazing. From Ally coming up with the lyrics in the parking lot, with Jack putting together an arrangement and teaching it the band overnight, to Ally walking on stage never having sung in front of a large crowd, and nailing the song, is just an incredible piece of film. 

Another piece of music I want to note is the Allman Brothers' Whipping Post blaring in the bar they go to after leaving the drag club. Perfect! You can hear it starting up at the end of the  Maybe It's Time clip.

I've come to appreciate Lady Gaga more, both as an actress as well as a singer/songwriter. Of course I love her stuff with Cooper on the record. But even as she is pushed away from that Americana/Rock groove into being a pop star I see Ally fighting to retain her musical spirit, and Jack's influence. So I really like those songs too, all co-written by Lady Gaga.

But let's give a big shout out to Bradley Cooper. He's a great actor, singer, plays guitar well enough to fool ya, co-wrote a few of the songs and directed this thing! What I would give to have one of those talents! He is so meticulous he spent a week planning his Shallow duet at the Oscars with Lady Gaga, designing the staging, the lighting, the camera angles, how they would sing together. I'm not going to get into the debate about which movie should have won Best Picture but Bradley Cooper should get some kind of MVP for acting, directing and co-writing a great movie!

I Wanna Tell You About Texas Radio and the Big Beat

I'm a radio guy. I grew up in New York listening to the great Dave Herman on WPLJ and then WNEW. I love personality-driven, free-form radio with a focus on the music. I'm a big fan of Americana music (as the name of this blog implies) but to me "Americana" is a big world (including Rhythm 'n' Blues, Reggae and Conjunto, for example).

So living in Austin and being a big fan of Austin and Texas music (which itself is a large and expanding universe) I'm in radio heaven with so many great alternatives on our dial, and more if you count Sirius XM.

The big three are Sun Radio, KUTX, and KGSR.

Sun Radio is listener-supported, commercial-free, solar-powered radio with stations all over the Hill Country. It started as KDRP in Dripping Springs featuring the late Larry Monroe, whose Blue Monday and Phil Music shows were a mainstay at KUT for years. My favorite Austin DJ is the morning show's Kevin Connor, whose "A Hill Country Saturday" is a great way to kick off the weekend. Kevin, who also was at KUT, and KGSR before that, knows every musician in town and loves to feature Austin music. Several current musicians such as Suzanna Choffel have regular shows, along with specialty shows like John Dromgoole's Dance Halls and Last Calls and Ed Miller's Across the Pond Celtic music show.

KUT, Austin's NPR's station, used to fit in great music around its news programming but 5 years ago spun off the all-music KUTX. Some of their best jocks have moved on to Sun Radio and some, like Paul Ray, whose Saturday evening R&B show Twine Time was required listening in the Jaffe household, have moved on, period. But they still have Austin stalwarts Jody Denberg and Jay Trachtenberg and Laurie Gallardo, the most enthusiastic and refreshing DJ ever, plus long-time specialty shows like Michael Crockett's Horizontes. And don't miss John L. Hanson's Old School Dance Party Fridays after work. Their music is a an eclectic blend of different genres including a wide spectrum of new Austin bands, especially on the Laurie show (she must go out every night)!

KGSR, recently re-branded Austin City Limits Radio (to go with the television program, the music festival, and the venue) is more mainstream indie and pop-oriented than its Radio Austin roots but still plays a lot of good music. Andy Langer remains one of the most knowledgeable Austin disk jockeys.

Just one measure of how these three stations contribute to Austin occurs this week, during SXSW. All three have morning and afternoon shows at restaurants around town featuring SXSW as well as local acts, open to the general public without a badge or wristband. For a $5 or $15 donation (going to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians in KUTX's case) you get breakfast tacos, coffee and the likes of Wyclef Jean, Steve Earle and Hayes Carll.

If that weren't enough we have a range of country stations including Bob Cole's reincarnation of the legendary KOKE FM, which was a big station during the Armadillo and progressive country days in Austin. When Cole's not talking the station plays a good range of country music, including a lot of Texas acts like Kevin Fowler and Cody Johnson. And two Sirius XM shows, Dallas Wayne's shows on Outlaw Country and Willie's Place, broadcast out of Austin. BTW, Dallas sings every Sunday night at the Continental as part of Heybale! 

So I know a lot of people are down on Austin, saying the growth has changed it. While I'm sensitive to affordability issues Austin is still badass and radio is a big part of it!

And if you're not lucky enough to live in Austin, all these stations stream!

The title of this piece was suggested by my daughter Dara. Her friend Lauren Ruth Ward played SXSW a year ago and, while driving the band around to various showcases, I of course was showing off these stations. As soon as I had them in my car I was saying, "I wanna play some great radio for you", so of course my Doors fanatic daughter said, hey Dad, you're like Jim Morrison in The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat).