Kent McDaniel | Dumbfounding Stories

Tag Archives: Kent McDaniel

Don’t Need No More Rahm

8 Mar

The title above is also the title of a song I just recorded, which I’m streaming in this post along with the lyrics.

Click on this link to download the mp3: Don’t_Need_No_More_Rahm_3_5_15

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

CLOSES DOWN OUR SCHOOLS

TREATS US LIKE FOOLS

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

CRIME’S UP IN OUR TOWN

ELSEWHERE IT’S GOING DOWN

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

CAMERAS AT THE RED LIGHTS

HIS FACE ON TV EVERY NIGHT

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

GIVES TAX BREAKS TO RICH GUYS

GIVES US A PACK OF LIES

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

A BIG PAL OF RAUNER,

HE WINS, CHI’S A GONER

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

CUSSES OUT LADIES

HE’S LIKE A DOG WITH RABIES

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

TAXES OUR iPHONES

NEXT HE’LL TAX OUR DIAL TONES

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

HE’S GOT THE BEST FRIENDS A BUCK CAN BUY

AND THAT’S THE REASON WHY WE

DON’T NEED NO MORE RAHM

Tags: Chicago mayoral runoff, Don't Need No More Rahm, Kent McDaniel

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Chicagoland, Making Music, Songwriting

The News (Live)

8 Feb

The video below is Dorothy, Vic Varjan, and I playing “The News” at Custer Street Fair in Evanston, Illinois.

The video’s music is on our Live At Custer Street album.

Tags: "The News", Custer Street Fair, Dorothy McDaniel, Kent McDaniel, Live at Custer Street

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Making Music, Songwriting

The video below is Alpha Stewart, my wife Dorothy, and me playing “Stagger Lee” (and enjoying it big time) at The Heartland Cafe, a couple blocks from the lake on Chicago’s north side. I’ve loved the tune since I first heard Lloyd Price’s version way back when. What we’re playing owes something to his version and something to Taj Majal’s, and a lot of it’s our own take on the tune. (The video’s downloadable, too; click the “share” arrow that appears in the top left corner as the video plays.)

Tags: "Stagger Lee", Alpha Stewart, Dorothy McDaniel, Kent McDaniel

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Making Music

Video from April, 2014

5 Jan

kentmcdanielwrites

I’m posting six videos here from a recent gig at Silvies on Chicago’s north side. We had a Zoom Recorder going that night and captured these songs live, among others. Personnel on the songs are Dorothy McDaniel – bass, Alpha Stewart – percussion, John Temmerman – sax, Me – guitar. Numbers 1, 3, 5, & 6 are originals. Numbers 2 & 4 are covers.

View original post

Tags: Kent McDaniel

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Chicagoland, Making Music, Songwriting

Locked on the Groove

22 Dec

ds bacover I Wrote “Jimmy Stu” for all the cosmic cowboys who never thought they’d end up on the daily grind–but did. I’m posting a video of the song, from a show at the Heartland Cafe back when they used to book bands, a performance of it I especially like. For one thing, that night everybody seemed to lock onto the groove. For another, though I always thought of the tune as southern rock/rockabilly, Rudy Negrete soloed on it like a Chicago bluesman, and it worked just fine. If your computer speakers are as lame as mine, I hope you use headphones when you watch this:

Here are the lyrics.

Jimmy Stu (What’s with You?)

You used to live in the country

up in the ozone, one with the wind and sun

Now you live in the city, and man, it’s a pity

how you run

Jimmy Stu, what’s with you?

Yeah, you used to walk slow

You used to talk slow, taking life by the days

Now you get up early, you push you shove,

mind on the future always

Jimmy Stu, what’s with you?

Well, it only goes to show

that you don’t know

what somebody might do

Who thought that you’d get caught?

How’d that happen to you?

“Jimmy Stu” is on the CDs Live at Custer Street by The Kent McDaniel Band and About Timeby Kent McDaniel, both of which are available at www.cdbaby.com. Downloads of the song are available at www.amazon.com and just about everywhere else downloads are sold.

Tags: "Jimmy Stu", Kent McDaniel, Rudy Negrete

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Making Music, Songwriting

Blues for the Idealists (You know who you are)

4 Nov

When I was younger, I’ll admit, I imagined peace might prevail in my lifetime. Now I watch the news and wonder what I was thinking. Which is where “May You Still Believe” came from. One evening a while back, I happened on this funky lick in E and kept playing it over and over. After a while, I started singing along with it, and the song flowed right out–bam.

On the recording of the tune (click the icon below to hear it), my wife Dorothy plays flute and bass, and our friends Alpha Stewart and John Temmerman play drums and sax respectively. That’s me on guitar and vocals. The lyrics are right below the playback icon.

MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE

WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG YOU SAID THAT LOVE WOULD FIND A WAY

TO BRING PEACE ON EARTH SURE AS DAWN COMES EVERY DAY

BUT NOW YOU’RE GROWN LOOKING AT THAT NIGHTLY NEWS

AND SEEING HOW THINGS ARE SURE GIVES YOU THE BLUES

(CHORUS)

MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE, MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE

DESPITE ALL THE NEWS YOU RECEIVE,

MY FRIEND, MAY YOU STILL BELIEVE

IN SCHOOL YOU PLEDGED YOURSELF TO THE LAND OF THE FREE,

ONE LAND UNDER GOD WITH JUSTICE AND LIBERTY

NOW ‘STEAD OF BLACK AND WHITE YOU SEE SHADES OF GRAY

WHAT’S JUST AND WHO IS FREE SOME DAYS YOU CAN’T SAY

(CHORUS)

YOU SAY THAT GOD IS WHERE WE GO AND ALL COME FROM

YOU SAY GOD IS LOVE & GOD’S RULE ONE DAY WILL COME

YET MADMEN BATHE IN BLOOD TO APPEASE THEIR GOD

AND ASK GOD TO BLESS THEIR CRUSADE OR JIHAD

(CHORUS)

“May You Still Believe” is available on iTunes.com, Amazon.com, Google Play, and about anywhere else you can download music.

The song is for the idealists out there–past, present, and future. May you still believe.

Tags: "May You Still Believe", Alpha Stewart, Dorothy McDaniel, John Temmmerman, Kent McDaniel

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Making Music, Songwriting

Autumn Leaves

7 Oct

The video below’s a live version of the classic.

Alpha Stewart on drums, John Temmerman on sax, Dorothy McDaniel on bass, and me (Kent McDaniel) on guitar/vocal. Recorded Saturday, September 20, 2014 at Silvies in Chicago, with a Zoom recorder.

Us.

Tags: Alpha Stewart, Dorothy McDaniel, John Temmerman, Kent McDaniel

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Making Music

Yeah, he flies.

29 Sep

Here’s video of “He Flies,” recorded last weekend in Chicago. Previous performances of the song are out there, but I think this is the best one we ever got on video. The lyrics are underneath the video:

HE FLIES

LITTLE BIRD SITTIN ON A TELEPHONE WIRE

LITTLE BIRD SITTIN THERE ALL ALONE

HE’S A SINGER & HE’S A HIGH FLYER

HE’S A ROVER FROM PARTS UNKNOWN

TOMORROW AIN’T GOT HIM UPSET

& HE DON’T CARE ABOUT YESTERDAY

HE GOT HERE LAST SPRING I BET

LEAVES TURN BROWN & HE’LL FLY AWAY

HE FLIES. YEAH, HE FLIES.

LITTLE BIRD SINGIN BOUT THE NEW DAY

LITTLE BIRD SINGIN BOUT THE DAWN

HE FEELS FINE & DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY

HE’S GONNA GO WHERE HE FEELS DRAWN

THAT BLUE SKY & HIM GO WAY BACK

& HIM & THAT SUNSHINE SURE DO TOO

HE’S GOT WINGS & GOT THE KNACK

WHEN IT’S TIME, HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO

HE FLIES. YEAH HE FLIES.

LITTLE BIRD DONT KNOW WHERE HIS OWN HOME’S AT

LITTLE BIRD DON’T EVEN CARE

HE AIN’T WORRIED BOUT A BIT OF THAT

IT’S ON BEYOND & HE’S BOUND THERE

HE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S RIGHT OR WHAT’S WRONG

HE DON’T KNOW THE TIME OF DAY

BUT HE KNOWS THE DAY IS LONG

& THE BREEZE FLOWS &, OH, BY THE WAY

HE FLIES. YEAH, HE FLIES.

HE FLIES.

It’s one of our originals.

That’s Dorothy McDaniel on bass & vocals, Alpha Stewart on percussion & vocals, John Temmerman on sax, and me (Kent McDaniel) on guitar & vocals. Recorded on a Zoom Recorder.

Us.

Needed this “cover” for the music download sites.

Tags: "He Flies", Alpha Stewart, Dorothy McDaniel, John Temmerman, Kent McDaniel, Silvie's, Silvie's Lounge

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Chicagoland, Making Music, Songwriting

Time Is A blue Sky

8 Sep

ABOUT TIME, COVER

I wrote “Time Is A blue Sky” around 1975, and finally got around to recording it (for About Time) in 2000. It was last summer, August of 2014, though, before I ever got around to playing it out. I don’t know why. I work in mysterious ways–like you know who. Anyway, better late than never. I could’ve have played it worse that night, could’ve done it better, but I’m going to post a video of the performance here, because–knowing me–it might be another forty years before I get around to playing it out again. I’m gonna put the studio version up here first, because I think it’s better. For one thing Lee Kromer played some nice harp licks on it, and I dubbed in a little electric guitar that turned out OK. The Lyrics are under the studio recording audio, and the video of the live version is below the lyrics.