Here are 10 of my favorite quotes about music, collected over many years…

“Music should never be harmless.”
- Robbie Robertson

“Years from now, after I’m gone, someone will listen to what I’ve done and know I was here. They may not know or care who I was, but they’ll hear my guitars speaking for me.”
- Chet Atkins

“James Brown is the only human to develop a musical style that didn’t exist before him. He invented funk”
- ?uestlove

“All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff.”
- Frank Zappa

“Never look at the trombones. You’ll only encourage them.”
- Richard Strauss

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.” – Ed Gardner

“I’ve always felt that blues, rock and roll, and country are just about a beat apart.”-Waylon Jennings

“You can’t play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn’t played”
- Miles Davis

“Music makes one feel so romantic – at least it always gets on one’s nerves – which is the same thing nowadays.”
- Oscar Wilde

“If there hadn’t been a Sam Phillips, I might still be working in a cotton field”
- Johnny Cash

“I don’t know anything about music. In my line of work you don’t have to.”
- Elvis Presley

“Hell is a half-filled auditorium.”
- Robert Frost

Let’s not forget that American pop culture is not the only place to find some unexpected musical oddity, as this video – which is apparently a massive hit on the UK charts – clearly demonstrates.

I confess, I did have to Google “Jedward” for the backstory.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh_xhF5NsnY]

Check out this good question proposed by Dan Ouellette in the March issue of Downbeat and interesting answers from some fine jazz musicians. What do you think? Stop by Shore Fire’s Facebook page to comment…

Another great video featuring a friend of mine. Keep watching because I think this is just about the best use of this amazing Grizzly Bear song.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Tn5YILz9s]

I may be overstating it slightly, but Marrow’s insanely creative packaging for their new album ‘Sunshine Enema’ may be the coolest I’ve ever seen.

The “Master Cleanse” version of the album comes on a pill shaped USB drive, which can be found in a pill bottle and prescription bag complete with “dosing instructions.

Here’s a look:

And the music on the album is equally as kick ass as the packaging it comes in, an electro/industrial hybrid filled with propulsive beats, desperate vocals and a dark pop sheen.

There were enough of us from Shore Fire at the Grammys this year to field a basketball team (or would that be court a basketball team?). And with good reason. With 28 nominations, and 8 clients attending, we had to play a little zone defense at times.

I was in town with Neko Case and Booker T. Jones. Both were double nominees this year, and both performed at the Neil Young MusiCares dinner Friday night, before attending the Grammys on Sunday.

Neko and Booker contributed to two of MusiCares’ most memorable moments, representing opposite ends of the Neil Young spectrum. After backing Dierks Bentley on “Cinnamon Girl,” Booker cranked it to 11 along with John Fogerty and Keith Urban for a rafter-shaking “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Neko meanwhile joined Elton John, Leon Russell, Sheryl Crow and T Bone Burnett, for a heartfelt take on “Helpless” that had the room pin-drop quiet.

On Sunday, Neko and Booker both walked the red carpet, and Booker took home a Grammy for Pop Instrumental Album for his killer 2009 set ‘Potato Hole.’

Between the two events, I caught up with the rest of the Shore Fire folks on Saturday and snapped the above pic on the Grammy red carpet. From L-R that’s Elizabeth Lutz, Shore Fire Prez Marilyn Laverty, Carrie Tolles, yours truly, and Rebecca Shapiro.

Perez – I know you were just waiting for ID’s on this shot before posting. You’re welcome.

Zac Brown Band Named Best New Artist; Maxwell Wins 2

Shore Fire clients last night earned nine GRAMMY® Awards, five of them in a diverse set of Best Album categories, and a clutch of our clients were seen onstage during the televised Awards ceremony. Zac Brown Band was named Best New Artist and, with Leon Russell, delivered a smoking rendition of America the Beautiful, Russell’s Dixie’s Lullaby and their own #1 platinum single Chicken Fried. Maxwell won two awards — his first GRAMMYs® — including Best R&B; Album and tore down the house with his song Pretty Wings and a spirited duet with Roberta Flack on Where is the Love. Loudon Wainwright III took home his first GRAMMY® Award. Smokey Robinson sang, as did Butch Walker, who was invited by Taylor Swift to play on the arrangement of her song “You Belong With” made famous by his viral video cover.

Click here for video highlights of Maxwell and Zac Brown Band.

Shore Fire GRAMMY® winners:

Best New Artist:
Zac Brown Band

Best Americana Album:
Levon Helm – ‘Electric Dirt’ (Dirt Farmer Music/Vanguard Records)

Best Pop Instrumental Album:
Booker T. Jones – Potato Hole (Anti)

Best R&B; Album:
Maxwell – ‘BLACKsummers’Night’ (Columbia)

Best Tejano Album:
Los Texmaniacs – ‘Borders Y Bailes’ (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)

Best Traditional Folk Album:
Loudon Wainwright III – ‘High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project’ (2nd Story Sound Records)

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance:
Bruce Springsteen “Working On A Dream” – from ‘Working On A Dream’ (Columbia)

Best Male R&B; Vocal Performance:
Maxwell “Pretty Wings” – from ‘BLACKsummers’Night’ (Columbia)

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s):
Claus Ogerman, arranger (Diana Krall) “Quiet Nights” – from ‘Quiet Nights’ (Verve)