A Birthday Tribute to ASmooth

Yo, turn the sound up,

Let the frequency be found,

We’re talkin’ 'bout the architect

Behind the Power sound.

 

In the city of angels,

Where the legends are truly grown,

DJ ASmooth sits high a top the hills

On the higher frequency throne.

 

 He ain’t just pushin’ buttons

Or fadin’ out the tracks,

He’s the Imaging Director,

Keepin’ Power to the max.

 

That signature sound,

That West Coast sway and bounce,

He’s weighin’ out the vibes

By the golden pound or ounce.

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From the 106 peak signal

To the heart of the tree-strewn streets,

He’s the one who makes the city

Feel the heatin’ of the beat.

 

His transitions seem seamless,

The drops sound like thunder,

He leaves the competition

in a state of pure Stevie Wonder.

 

Stutter-steps, lasers,

And the heavy-beatin’ bass,

He puts the sonic identity

All across the Power space.

 

 When the "Power’s" voice a boomin’

And the speakers start to shake,

That’s the ASmooth sound of magic—

No room for deep or shallow fakes.

 

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He’s the pulse of Los Angeles,

The soul of the dial,

Cuttin' through the static

With a one-of-a-kind style.

 

From the morning show of wake up

To the drive-time traffic flow,

He’s the invisible hand

Makin' the whole engine purr and go.

 

A master of the craft,

A surgeon of the sound,

The heavy-weight champ,

Keepin' the crown in the town.

 

So keep the levels peaked

And the vision in the view,

ASmooth’s at the board—

The LA world’s getting its due!

 

So today is his day

He blows the candles out,

He keeps the levels in the red,

He deserves a big shout out

 

Another year of greatness

For the legend of the dial.

It’s a birthday celebration

For a man of smooth and style

 

For the king of the mix,

Adding another year of fame

To his bag of Dodger tributes

To his super sonic tricks.

 

So drop the birthday track,

 Let the sub-woofers truly swell,

We’re toastin’ to the master

Doin’ it better than any one can tell.

 

From the studio to the cake,

The vibration stayin true,

Happy Birthday to the architect

— ASmooth, this one’s for you!

 

Rest In Peace Bob Weir

 Rest in peace Bob Weir. What started out as a modest text to a couple of relatives who love the Grateful Dead, became a journey though Bob’s s music and career. It was both a sad and joyous journey. It was sad to acknowledge that we wouldn't get to see that one more concert that Bob performed at. But it was joyous because I got to re-listen to much of his music that resulted in some fun evenings. Bob seemed to love to perform in front of small and large audiences, and his frequency of performing and sharing through performing with the Dead or one of the other groups he would work with meant that he was one of the people that I probably saw more than many others. He may be even one of the performers with the greatest number of performances.

I've seen him in number of groups and with a number of people but the one that stands out today is when he was on the bill at the 9:30 Club in DC with the Persuasions, the great acapella group. He sang before them and with them and after them, and their music so intertwined that it seemed to create a new reality of influences and performance. Some of that is summed up in the interview at the following address: https://www.trufun.com/discogr.../persuasions/interview.html Some of what I felt that night could be summed up in a new word that I learned more about yesterday a little before I learned about Bob’s passing and that word is “contranym," a word with opposite meanings. In the roots and the fields the dead played in, and where they play and the roots of the street corner Persuasions and where they sang their harmonies, seemed worlds apart, like opposites in one respect and very blended in another, because of the influences on both groups that often intersected.

Bob’s qualities of modesty and naturalness were often displayed in his role as second fiddle in the Grateful Dead while Jerry was leading (while leading some of his own groups) and then stepping up seamlessly to the leadership role of the most recent versions of the Other Ones and the Dead. He took it on with modesty and a naturalness that allowed him to wear shorts in any kind of weather and say when he was complemented about a particularly great set, well next time I'll mess it up don't worry (Trey Anastasio, the founding spirit of the Phish shared that observation in a recent post). Bob made it all seem easy and natural and fun, and we will miss him but his music and contributions truly live on especially in that one night with the Persuasions in (as they sang "Black Muddy River" and "Might As Well")--so playful and joyful a memory.