J.D. and the Straight Shot - "Better Find a Church" (2015 Self-released)
w Marc Copely, Aidan Dolan, Jim Dolan, Byron House, Erin Slaver; from Ballyhoo!
So lately as background noise I've had on a lot of Game of Zones, the brilliant NBA-themed parody of Game of Thrones from Bleacher Report, and in particular I keep replaying the episode where former New York Knicks star players Walt Frazier and Kristaps Porzingis are held hostage by a lute-playing "Lord Dolan" of "House Knicks":
The song's catchy as hell, and while not on the same level "Better Find a Church" - of which it's a parody - is also pretty good. Plus this one's on streaming platforms...
J.D. and the Straight Shot are the Americana-ish vehicle of ultra-wealthy real-life Knicks owner James Dolan, who for the uninitiated is a man whose mismanagement of the franchise and nepotism-fueled sense of entitlement (he reportedly complained about that parody to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver) have made him one of the most hated owners in a league that's included Robert Sarver and Donald Sterling. They say Dolan was an aspiring musician going back to the days of his youth, but can he hack it?
Well, "Better Find a Church" is surprisingly good. Memorable. Maybe it shouldn't be so surprising considering the credits of some of Dolan's bandmembers; their site lists Dolly Parton, Rod Stewart, and the Saturday Night Live band among many other big names they've worked with. And I can believe it - they sound real legit.
But Dolan's not ready for prime time...certainly not vocally, and also he looks a little awkward in the music video (which is on net not a great one, in his defense? Could have used some more locations or some other kind of action besides the band loitering in a chapel):
He does have a writing credit, but who knows how much that means...best case this is a "maybe Lin-Manuel Miranda doesn't need to be casting himself as the lead..." kind of deal.
Good record though. Maybe try some of their other stuff if you're into that kind of thing, lemme know how it is. For more basketball stuff, last week's post on Clique is tangentially related. And here's some other songs about churches...
Also Check Out:
By Maren Morris:
"My Church" - YouTube | Spotify
By Jean Shepard:
"The Old Country Church" - YouTube | Spotify
By Elvis Presley:
