Some hate the heat, but others revel in it. “Bring it on,” they say. “That which does not kill me only makes me stronger,” they say (only slightly misquoting Nietzsche). “At least I’m not shoveling snow,” they say. Screw that, I say. Regardless, for folks who dig the heat, here is a playlist that you can groove to while you sweat. Some songs deal with actual heat, others consider the topic in a more metaphorical fashion, but it’s all killer, no filler.
“Heat Wave” – Martha and the Vandellas
“Houston is Hot Tonight” – Iggy Pop (had to go with the H-Town name check)
“Long Hot Summer Night” – Jimi Hendrix
“Horse with No Name” – America (“The heat was hot”)
“Summer in the City” – Lovin’ Spoonful
“In the Summertime” – Mungo Jerry
“Hot ‘Lanta” – Allman Brothers
“Summertime” – Janis Joplin
“The Heat is On” – Glenn Frey (actually, I prefer “Smuggler’s Blues,” but we have a theme to maintain here)
“Sunshine on My Shoulders” – John Denver (just kidding; I wanted to see if you were paying attention)
“Houston – Deadstring Brothers (“the Texas sun burning on my back”)
“Hot Stuff” – Rolling Stones
“In the Heat of the Night” – Ray Charles
“Hots on for Nowhere” – Led Zeppelin (“I was burned it the heat of the moment / No, it could have been the heat of the day”)
“Hot Fun in the Summertime” – Sly and the Family Stone
“Hot Stuff” – Donna Summer (not to be confused with the Stones song listed above)
“Some Like it Hot” – Power Station (vocalist Robert Falmer with members of Duran Duran)
“White Light” – Velvet Underground (recommended version found on Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll Animal)
“Hot Hot Hot” – Buster Poindexter
Ticket Alert
Tickets are on sale now for Mammoth WVH, featuring Wolfgang Van Halen, at Warehouse Live on Friday, November 24. Nita Strauss opens, so it will be some kind of shredfest. Yes, he’s something of a nepo baby, but Wolf has plenty of talent on his own.
Avenged Sevenfold is, if nothing else, fearless. Their latest album, Life is But a Dream… is something of a departure for the metal stalwarts, complete with contributions from the San Bernardino Symphony and inspired (in part) by the psychedelic compound DMT. Good seats are still available for the band’s show on Thursday, October 12, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Concerts This Week
Kenny Wayne Shepherd celebrated the 25th anniversary of his classic album Trouble Is…by rerecording the whole thing as Trouble Is…25. The Louisiana guitar slinger is on the road in support of the new record, with a show at the House of Blues on Friday. Fans of bluesy guitar might also consider checking out Austin’s Sue Foley, performing on Saturday at the Heights Theater, with the Mighty Orq opening.
Return to those mellow days of yesteryear with Jackson Browne, who plays the Smart Financial Centre on Friday. Browne will be accompanied by a full band, and that’s good news, as he always seems to find great players like Val McCallum and Greg Leizs. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Browne and Gregg Allman were briefly roommates in Los Angeles in 1968. They lost touch for a while, and then Allman saw Browne’s album Saturate Before Using in a record store window. Allman’s reaction: “I said, ‘Jackson! I’m a son of a bitch.’ I was so happy I went inside and bought one just as fast as I could. ‘Cause if your best friends won’t buy ‘em, who the hell will?”
Shania Twain has been called “The Queen of Country Pop,” but some quibble about that title. For her current road jaunt, Twain has put any bickering to rest, christening the tour “Queen of Me.” For fans wanting to get up close and personal with Ms. Twain at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, a meet-and-greet is offered, with a tab of $3,700. That may sound like a lot of money, but it benefits a children’s charity and, hey, she even throws in “refreshments and light appetizers and a dessert bar” at no extra charge!
There wouldn’t have been an LA punk scene without the band X. Well, maybe there would have been, but it would have been diminished by the band’s absence. In tribute, I suppose, to the “old days,” the X show on Sunday at the House of Blues will be a general admission / standing affair. This being the case, X fans who remember when the band’s first album was released are advised to wear comfy shoes, maybe something with Memory Foam.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
