Today is the final day of March, tomorrow the first of April. To celebrate, here are a small number of artists (still - quite amazing that there's more than one) with both April and March in their name...
APRIL MARCH #1
Not a musician, but it would be remiss of me not to include the original April March, "The First Lady of Burlesque", a headline act across the world from 1952 till her retirement in '78 (she gave up because the stripping business had become "too blatant and sexual"). Born Velma Fern Worden, she was married eight times (and briefly engaged to Mel Torme), almost became a pro golfer, and made a comeback in 2006, aged 71. She died last year.
If none of the others take your fancy this week, I'm sure Velma will appreciate your vote.
AN APRIL MARCH #2
Next up, a Canadian shoegaze / dream pop band, active between '89 and '99, originally called The Whittingtons. Compared to many of this week's acts, they at least play proper music... I just can't find much more info about them without doing a deep dive, and I already spent far too much time this week looking for a video of #1 performing in her heyday. (I'll save you the trouble - none seem to exist.)
An April March - Scarlett Bliss
APRIL MARCH #3
New Yorker Elinor Lanman Blake is a writer, illustrator and animator who has worked on The Ren & Stimpy Show, Pee-Wee's Playhouse and the Madonna movie Who's That Girl. She also did the illustrations for a children's book written by Jack White named after his song We're Going To Be Friends.
As a musician, she goes by the name April March, first in her band the Pussywillows, and then as a solo artist. As a self-confessed Francophile, she's rather partial to a bit of Serge, and she's probably most well known for her cover of Gainsbourg's Chick Habit which featured in the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's movie Death Proof.
APRIL MAY MARCH #4
See what they did there? I mean, really, if it was a busier week, I wouldn't include this at all. And also, it's filed under "experimental" on the camp of bands, and that's never a recommendation.
Trust me though, it might not be the most bizarre thing you hear this week. Because...
APRIL MARCH #5
Because... this week's WTF offering was dropped onto the camp of bands in 2020. It's a recording of some woman sitting in her car eating a granola bar, while talking to you in a breathy whisper. If that's the sort of thing that gets you engine revving, you can buy it for the low price of one American dollar. Others might prefer to go back to #1 for their titillation.
I'm hoping April's got a real job in the last six years and this isn't her only source of income.
Have we got time for a bonus track, just to make up the numbers?
MARCH ONTO APRIL
March Onto April - Postcards From Greece
Which one makes you want to March into April... and which are just March-April Fools?
At least George will have time to do some real work around the farm!
ReplyDelete#1 for me.
Pine branches already piled up ready for bonfire!
DeleteWalter is hooting whilst I listen to #5. Is he trying to say "turn that shite off"? Freckles is joining in now. (I think I might be the only person on the entire planet to listen to this track to the end). I can't vote for any of today's acts.
ReplyDelete