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Showing posts from January, 2022

Wanna Be a DJ?

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We have a music show called, Music Matters . This is your chance to produce and host an episode. We are looking for students and staff who want to produce a show of Music Matters.  The show can be about anything -- a Billboard top 10 countdown for the week, an episode about Country music, or punk. Goth. Showtunes. Movie music.  The possibilities are endless. This is the first step in creating an actual internet radio station that runs out of the ARC, 24/7. More information coming soon! Join us for a quick meeting on Monday, January 24 during lunch periods and after school in the ARC, room 125D for some information, and some forms to fill out if you would like to host.  This is a great opportunity to learn equipment and Adobe Audition as well -- a great step if you are wanting to get into the audio production business. More information, see Mr. Janu in the ARC. In the meantime, here are some documents to get you started: Music Matters Informational Packet Music Matters Script Example Mu
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Music Matters: 2021, In Memoriam

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On this episode of Music Matters, senior Bill Waltz takes us through the artists and musicians we lost in 2021. He plays the hits of many, including The Monkees, Kansas, DMX, BJ Thomas, Lloyd Price and many, many more. Nearly 1000 notable artists in the music world passed away in 2021,, and by no means do we cover them all. For a complete list visit We Heart Music . Listen below, or on the MixCloud app. 
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Artists of the Month: Jerry Butler and Betty Everett

By Bruce Janu -
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My first exposure to Jerry "The Iceman" Butler came from a K-Tel commercial for an album called Superbad   in 1973 that I saw when I was a kid. I didn't know much about him at the time.  It wasn't until I was much older that I became a fan. Although Jerry Butler was born in Mississippi, he moved with his family to Chicago in 1941, and grew up in the  Cabrini Green housing projects. It was in church where he met Curtis Mayfield. Together, in 1958, they joined with three other singers to form "Jerry Butler and the Impressions." After leaving the group a couple of years later, Jerry Butler went solo and received the moniker "The Iceman" from a Philadelphia DJ, to highlight his cool, baritone voice. The name stuck. Betty Everett, too, was born in Mississippi. At the age of 18, she moved to Chicago in 1957 to pursue a music career. In 1964, she produced a hit single. You probably know it, because it has been covered by many people including Linda Ronsta
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"Race Music" and the Beginning of Rock and Roll

By Bruce Janu -
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Last month we highlighted Elvis Presley. He may have been the “King of Rock and Roll,” but in no way did he invent the music. In fact, he merely copied the music that had been invented and played in the Black community for years.   Not to diminish the importance of Elvis, though. He would eventually develop his own style. But more importantly, he introduced Rock and Roll to a whole new audience. Billboard , January 1, 1949 Public Domain Like Blues and Jazz before it, Rock and Roll music was developed by Black musicians in Black communities. But it was not known as Rock and Roll, however. It was, at the time, called “rhythm and blues,” or “R & B.” Which, according to Little Richard , stood for “real Black.” To White America, however, it was called “Race Music.” Major record labels refused to record it. White-owned establishments did not put the music in their juke boxes. White performers did not record the music, either. At least, not yet. This was a pattern that had played out i
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Summer Reading Book #6: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

By Bruce Janu -
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Alright. I've said this before. And I will say it again. This may be my favorite book so far this summer. (Sorry Pride ) To be honest, I haven’t read too many books like this---a book written in verse. And I loved how it looked on the page. I loved the cadence of it. It “sounded” good in my head, if that makes sense.  The Poet X is the story of Xiomara Batista, the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She lives in Harlem in a cramped apartment with her parents and twin brother, Xavier. She finds refuge in her poetry, and keeps her thoughts and poems secret in a journal.  Her poetry reveals a sensitivity and vulnerability that is absent from her tough exterior:  The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast.  When your body takes up more room than your voice  you are always the target of well-aimed rumors,  which is why I let my knuckles talk for me.  Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced      by insults.  I’ve forced my skin to be as thick as I am. 
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